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inevitably-johnlocked · 4 years ago

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The Video

Alrighty, so as promised, I listened-slash-watched-slash-backtracked the video over making and eating dinner, with a break in between to take a phone call from my sister, so I may have missed and misunderstood/misheard a few things and may need another rewatch to fix any presumptions I make in this mini (?)-review.

Two things I do need to correct from my last post:

One is that I actually was sent the video to pre-watch before it was posted; I found it in my emails two days later but because I was swamped with day job stuff (as in I was working until 11 PM both days, and I didn’t even sit down until 4 on Saturday), and my fandom email is NOT a primary address so it’s not hooked up to my main Mail server on my MacBook (limited space), I hadn’t checked my emails since Thursday afternoon. So yeah, technically I should’ve known it was out, so apologies: technically I knew it was coming out; my sorry arse just didn’t check my emails.

Second, is that meta I did send her did get referenced and used; some of it word for word (like the discussion about the difference between Johnlockers and TJLC) so meta was read, my bad on assuming it wasn’t before watching.

C’est ça on that front.

A few things that ruffled my feathers and maybe I misheard, but I’ll mention them as I remember it:

I did find it slightly bothersome that the assumption was that Johnlockers that we were a bunch of teenagers (we weren’t – most of the people I talked to were in their 20′s and 30′s and many were academics of varying sorts). SZ was younger than many of us in our little corner of the fandom, I think, and it was filled with amazing meta and university-level papers on queer history, ACD canon history, subtextual writing and literature. EDIT: I did skim back over to a bit of the beginning since I missed it over making dinner, and I guess a lot of the people who contacted SZ were teens at the time of the airdate, so again, my little bubble and all that and apologies for assuming. :P

This is a totally biased view and probably indicative of how deep down the rabbit hole I was: A bit annoyed at the implication in our belief that Mofftiss weren’t trying to deliberately imply the Gay Sherlock / BiJohn thing especially paying special attention to it during Q&As and meet and greets and interviews; That the cues weren’t there. Though she did point out the queerbaiting aspect of it. I don’t know. Maybe I misunderstood since I was stuffing my gob with pasta and wishing I had a cheesecake.

I think SZ should’ve worded her Twitter callout post a LOT better, because the cons were only mentioned for about 10 minutes, and in only in relation to the drama. She did praise the cons as a positive experience for people, so I’ll give her that.

The Twitter stuff pre-vid-posting still rubs me the wrong way.

Still feel that selling the shirts is tasteless. Mug is cute, though.

Things I did find interesting / good / stuff I didn’t know:

I know I’m a minority in this regard, especially since I am a fence sitter, but I feel... relieved? sorry I can’t think of the word... that SZ essentially did accuse Mofftiss of queerbaiting by the end of it – that it’s not just us who see it. I’ve always said without an S5, it IS queerbaiting, and given that S5 probably won’t happen anytime soon... well. Like I’ve said in the past, I hold out a glimmer of hope. Not holding my breath though.

The mentions of some of the fandom theories and speculations were done tastefully, light jesting but not mocking them.

The discussion section about AA / Mary... Yikes. I forgot it got THAT bad.... I guess because I was always in the “Mary’s a kickass villain” camp so I was blissfully ignorant about that stuff until a few years later.

The ace stuff, 100% true, and I’m glad it was brought up.

The term “Ragnalock” got a chuckle out of me, will admit that. First time I’ve heard of it.

I had no idea the ARG theory was anything more than thelostspecial website. Somehow I missed that whole thing about it being part of the series itself.

And, a lot of things, in hindsight: just an overall, “yeah. :|”

And some additional notes I can’t really classify one way or another:

Cringing at MYSELF because of some of the post-S4 theories that, looking back: oof. Apple Tree Yard specifically.

AND cringing at myself because I know I perpetuated a lot of the “IT WILL HAPPEN” in my corner of the fandom pre-S4 because I wanted people to be excited for a new season. For that I am very sorry to everyone who were hurt by my belief. S4 was a brick wall and I hit it hard, thought I do enjoy theorizing about how fake it was. It’s the only way to cope for me, LOL.

Ooof the drama stuff, a lot of it I didn’t know the entire deets about, only about the PPG being involved. I tried to stay out of it when I could and focused mainly on meta writing, my own healing processes, and making people feel welcome. It’s what a few bigger bloggers did for me when I joined by interacting with my posts and offering their kindness, and I wanted to return the favour. Inevitable it had to be covered, but yeah, dark times.

LOOOOOOOL the critique about TFP. Literally stuff that we’ve talked about in our “something’s fucky” tag.

And to address the elephant in the room: Yes, I DID give SZ meta, but it was the link to fandom meta that is essentially on the header of my blog on desktop, just as I do with anyone interested in the fandom.

Overall, it was a thought provoking vid, a bit of a nostalgia hit to be honest. I thought that it was a good video, interesting in that strange way where you relive strange moments of your past. I feel it was a fair analysis of the fandom, but please, please remember: I can’t speak for those directly involved in the events mentioned, because I WAS NOT THERE. Not my place to disregard their feelings if they have a different opinion than I.

That said, I think it’s worth a watch if only to see what the fandom WAS. But it’s informative and respectful, I think. Though, I think she could’ve left out the bit at the end just before the credits.

And finally: to anyone who are coming here from the vid: I have been here since S3, joined because of LSiT, and later I wrote villain Mary meta and TAB meta. These days, I primarily have focussed my attentions on curating content, offering my advice on stuff, introducing newbies to the series, and trying to spread positivity, all peppered in with the random theory from time to time, and trying to atone for my... “enthusiasm”?... in the past. I like promoting community and open discussion from all viewpoints, as long as it remains respectful. So yeah, I do have some meta you can check out, just let me know what you’re looking for, and I do lots of fic recs, so if you’re looking for something, hit me up.

Cheers, all. I’m going to bed.

#my thoughts #sarah z #johnlock videos #reviews

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mashounen2003 · 4 years ago

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Sonic opinions - 2

In large portions of every fandom, it looks like it prevails the idea that you can only take one of two positions: praising the story in every respect, including both the ideas themselves and their execution by the writers, or admitting not to like the story and not to praise any element of it at all. I think my ideas regarding the Archie-Sonic comics and the Sonic franchise in general cannot be pigeonholed into either of these two extremes.

More below the "keep reading" cut.

I loved all the world-building in Archie-Sonic, the elements the comic introduced, their many characters and the potential to tell stories about them; I also really liked much of the art and personal styles of several artists Archie-Sonic has had throughout its history, with very few exceptions (and such exceptions include Ron Lim, of course). That's why, of all the Sonic continuities, I often use the pre-reboot Archie-Sonic comic as the primary source for world-building elements and story ideas.

What really makes me feel bad about that comic, what motivates most of my criticism, is the ideas’ execution by the main writers, as well as aspects that I think are more linked to each writer as a person, the unique way in which each of them has written their stories.

Firstly, Michael Gallagher: the writer for the first few dozen issues of the comic had a terrible sense of humour, and this hurt the comic hugely since those first issues were fundamentally based on that low-quality comedy style. The characterization of the entire cast also suffered greatly from this; in Sally's case, something quite ironic happened too: Gallagher portrayed her as bossy, annoying, temperamental, usually bickering with Sonic, and now that's also how Sally is seen by many fans of the videogames’ continuity (at best). Other than this, not much more could be said about him.

Karl Bollers wrote quite decent stories with some nice comedy, with “Return to Angel Island” being his best work, one of the best stories in the entire comic and perhaps even one of the best in the franchise; but Bollers’s work was "torpedoed" by Ken Penders and then-editor Justin Gabrie, which ruined the stories’ final versions sometimes or led to elements introduced by Bollers being "retconned" and overwritten by whatever Penders smoked and decided to do when taking over. The characterization of Fiona Fox is one of the main examples, with Bollers's Fiona being a quite under-utilized character but with a great potential that would later be wasted by both Penders and Ian Flynn. Another similar case was Sally breaking up with Sonic: Bollers tried to give context to such a drastic decision by Sally and show how she was the one who was suffering the most at that time and also that both she and Sonic were partially right, but Penders and Gabrie didn't let Bollers develop this subplot properly and all we had was a quite infamous scene that unfairly made Sally one of the most hated characters. It’s also known of several plans Bollers had for future stories, and one of them was Antoine being corrupted by the Source of All and turning into a villain; this had the potential to be a good story by subverting the concept of the Source of All and making it an actual threat, but on the other hand, it’d have meant resorting once again to the resource of "this character isn’t doing anything, let's make them evil", something quite disappointing, which later would have disastrous results when Flynn did the same with Fiona a few years later. However, these plans of Bollers were just ideas, and the quality of a story created from them still depends a lot on execution. In the end, I can't say anything about how good or bad Bollers was as a writer, simply because I have no way of knowing what his stories would have been like if he had been given more freedom and had stayed as the writer longer.

There were two writers who influenced Archie-Sonic comics far more than any other writer in its history: Penders and Flynn. The first of them was a retarded pervert with an overly inflated and fragile ego. He became obsessed with the primitive, toxic ideal of "family" North-Americans have. He wrote nonsensical, contradictory stories, having already decided the end down to the last detail long before even thinking about how the story would come to that end (I also made this specific mistake a few times when I was just starting to write fanfiction, I must admit). He increased Fiona's age in order to be able to pair her with the Don Juan that Sonic had become, which also ruined Fiona's characterization forever. The issues 150s -right before being replaced by Flynn- were the worst part of Penders’s run, as Bollers was no longer there to put a stop to his madness in any way, and it was at this time when there was the most egregious case of Penders pouring into the comic his worst perversions and retarded ideas: he hinted at a sex scene in one of the most infamous cases in the history of the entire Sonic franchise, although it wasn’t infamous for the implied sex per se but rather because what happened was technically a rape by deception; to add insult to injury, the writer implicitly blamed the victim some years later when asked about it on Twitter.

I could go on talking about “Ken Perverts”, but I think that's not necessary and would be a waste of time since, as everyone here already knows, he's been the laughingstock of the entire Sonic franchise for years; @ponett even has a whole secondary blog, @thankskenpenders, mainly dedicated to this. On the other hand, there’s still another writer who has also contributed a lot and also made huge mistakes but is not criticized in the least by almost anyone, simply because he was better than Penders.

Ian Flynn usually reduced the characters to slightly oversimplified portrayals, similar to the personalities of the characters in the most recent videogames. Under his pen, Sonic was more sympathetic but his words sometimes sounded too empty and shallow, his apologies for past mistakes didn’t lead to genuine changes on his part, and sometimes he even seemed plain insensitive to all the tragedies happening around him, especially at the Mecha Sally Arc (I nickname Ian Flynn’s Sonic "Plastic Smile" for this). Admittedly, this had already happened several times with previous writers (Penders portraying Sonic as a Don Juan, as I already mentioned), and this is why I think the original Sonic from Sonic SatAM was always better for feeling more "genuine", less "empty", and more heroic and likeable as a result. Perhaps the only ones to escape the oversimplified portrayal have been Shadow and E-123 Omega, whose characterizations in Archie-Sonic were the best in the whole franchise.

Besides, Flynn had strong favouritism for Amy Rose, which only made things worse because this Amy was much more similar to the one in the videogames from Sonic Heroes onwards. Anyway, this also happened with previous writers, like when Amy wished to be younger at the cost of a chance to save Sally's mother and no one ever berated her for it.

Let’s look at the villains. Unlike the typical Eggman from the videogames, with his follies, eccentricities and other absurd aspects, the Robotnik “inherited” by the comic from Sonic SatAM was explicitly a genocidal bastard and crueller while at the same time being sane enough to realize everything he was doing (@robotnik-mun already spoke in detail about this once); however, Flynn tried to combine the two characters into the pre-reboot Archie-Sonic Eggman, and the result created some severe problems with the stories’ tone. Something derived from this was how Sonic let Eggman live and even felt sorry for his fall into madness, in addition to treating him as if they were the Sonic and Eggman from the videogames, Sonic X or Sonic Boom; it’s worth remembering this Eggman technically is a sort of reincarnation of the SatAM Robotnik (his exact nature is quite complicated and includes parallel universes, but yes, he’s supposed to be exactly the same as the SatAM Robotnik, with memories and everything) and this Sonic is supposed to have fought a bloody decade-long guerilla war against him just like his SatAM counterpart.

Scourge was turned into a massive Mary-Sue who achieved easy victories, as subtle as a huge neon sign saying "the bad guys win"; he was also an abusive manipulator towards Fiona Fox, and Flynn was unable to show that properly for fear of making his pet look no longer cool, which makes you wonder how alike Flynn and Penders might actually be in some ways. To clearly understand the horrible damage this has caused: it not only created a generation of young Sonic fans -mostly boys from the USA- who romanticize abuse either consciously or unconsciously, but also there are even women -including scholars, committed feminists and transgender people who are also activists for social justice- who either sympathize with Scourge or think Fiona made a right, wise, rational or informed decision by joining him in the story (I’ll not give names of those women, I’m not really eager to get into heated fallacious discussions about “the true meaning of Feminism”); to top it off, among the writers who started working with Ian Flynn either on IDW-Sonic or the last years of Archie-Sonic, there’s at least one person who got the job of writing official Sonic comics after gaining quite a bit of fame with a fan-comic where they used the pairing of Scourge & Fiona to inspire its readers to feel sorry... for Scourge. And speaking of Fiona specifically: the subplot of her career as a villain was ill-conceived, was built by using as a cornerstone the A-story of Issue #150 (that quite infamous and widely known story written by Penders where Scourge may or may not have raped Bunnie by deception), and was also seemingly "abandoned" as Fiona ended up merely being Scourge's new abuse victim girlfriend and her status as a traitor didn’t even have a significant emotional effect on the Freedom Fighters.

Flynn also followed something like a pattern of taking tropes from famous works and then using them when writing the comic but not actually understanding why those tropes had worked in the first place. Perhaps the prime example of this was Scourge giving Sonic the Joker's "One Bad Day" speech: it almost felt a bit like giving the same speech to the Batman of Batman vs. Superman, as Sonic had already had a whole "bad decade" and was still a hero despite it; also, Sonic's answer to that speech (telling Scourge it only takes a tiny bit of selflessness and decency for him to be a good person) wasn’t that great, not at all compared to the mildly masterful answer Batman had originally given to the Joker in The Killing Joke, and it even made Sonic look more like a bad judge of character.

Lastly, the entire Mecha Sally Arc was poorly planned, had some contradictions with itself and with previous stories, was stretched through dozens of comic issues no matter if that felt forced, and the main events and plot twists throughout the story arc were heavily based on shock-value without giving any substance to this or making it a bit more sense when putting it under scrutiny; meanwhile, Flynn always seemed to have quite a hard time when writing long story arcs, so these long stories looked like he was trying and outright failing to imitate Toriyama (someone quite known for putting together stories ad-lib according to what seemed most convenient at the time).

Despite this, it looks like those Sonic fans who are still interested in material outside of the videogames will keep buying and reading whatever Ian Flynn or one of his colleagues writes, simply because they’re better than Penders... even though it's been 15 years since Penders wrote something official about Sonic. Seriously, we should have gotten over it by now, instead of continuing to compare all material in the franchise with Penders's work, which sets the bar too low for any official content creator. Now that I think about it, Penders's work is to the North-American Sonic canon what Sonic 2006 is to the videogames: people can criticize the latest games all they want, and rightfully so, but if someone even casually mentions Sonic 2006, any Sonic game from 2010 onwards instantly becomes a masterpiece just for being marginally better than Sonic 2006; the same happens between Penders's work on pre-reboot Archie-Sonic and any other North-American Sonic comic written by Flynn after Penders left.

Right now it looks like it's also forbidden to criticize Flynn as a writer at all just because he's much nicer in his personal life and engages with fans more directly through his podcasts, or because Flynn is truly progressive while Penders claimed to be progressive and a feminist and was affiliated with the USA Democrats but his work showed how misogynistic, perverted, retarded, reactionary and downright sick he was. Also, now saying something about Flynn other than total blind admiration for him and his work, even asking for the Freedom Fighters to return in the IDW comics, has become synonymous with agreeing with those assholes who cry "Rally4Sally" or "Udon4Sonic" on Twitter: "nostalgic" fans of SatAM and Penders's work on Archie, in their 40s or 50s, deeply conservative and absurdly paranoid, who claim that those new inclusive cartoons such as Steven Universe or She-Ra "are ruining their childhood", are mad at Flynn just because he hinted Sally and Nicole may be a lesbian couple (and in a rather platonic way, not even romantic in the traditional sense), and try to justify their own warped ideas and fantasies about SatAM by ignoring any “liberal” political messages SatAM may have had at the subtext level.

#sonic fanfiction by mashounen #sonic opinions by mashounen #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #archie sonic #sonic comics #sonic satam #michael gallagher #karl bollers #ken penders #ian flynn

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thoroughlyselfdeluded · 3 years ago

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This thread was an interesting part of twitter discussions that I found over literature characters and how they would predict that they would act during the pandemic. I found two separate replies that mentioned that John Thorpe would be an anti-masker. The replies to this answer also assert this sentiment and describe him as the “*worst.*” This was a particularly interesting thought because I wondered if there was actual evidence for him acting as an anti-masker, or if it was a generalization of taking a disliked character and assuming that he will act in the worst way possible. John Thorpe is certainly insufferable with his constant bragging about carriages and horses, inability to talk about anything outside of himself and his interest, and his disregard for Catherine and her interests, such as novels, but the question does arise if the character was actually understood from the original work or just remembered as being “Fuckboy John Thorpe.” The question arises is John Thorpe really likely to be an anti-masker, or is he just annoying? Is John Thorpe a fuckboy as the tweet claims?

When thinking about how one might define an anti-masker, it is important to note certain aspects that may define them. They are likely to be ignorant and not understand the general consequences of the virus or be very well informed. They are also likely to be selfish and generally disregard the wants and needs of others. John Thorpe certainly does meet some of these qualities with his general lack of knowledge, which he shows in his disdain towards novels and lack of knowledge about them although he pretends to be quite knowledgable of them. His references to Mrs. Radcliffe, easily disputed by anyone who knows the story or anything about Udolfo, are slightly reminiscent of some of the attitudes of anti-maskers and their proclamations on vaccines. Claims such as vaccines being a government chip, leading to infertility, and other absurd claims that could superficially discredit masking, but with any knowledge of the actual subject matter easily be proven to be incorrect. John Thorpe also is most certainly selfish, as he and Isabella are “regardless of everything but [their] own gratification (Ch. 13, pg. 2). This general disregard for others may make him less inclined to do masks that exist for the safety of others rather than themselves.

The second tweet, which claims he may “obnoxiously make fun of anyone who did [wear a mask]” also may root in reflection of Thorpe’s insecure character. He constantly describes his carriage as greater than those around him and brags about his business deals. Catherine understandably finds this intolerable, but this insecurity that results in making himself sound better than others does align with the behavior of anti-maskers. Thorpe could certainly claim that he has better health and has no need to show the weakness that others, such as Henry Tilney, might for wearing a mask. Thorpe’s general disregard for others, lack of knowledge on important subject matter but confidence in his claims, and desire to present himself above others do align with the actions of many anti-maskers. If Mr. Thorpe a “F***boy” as the tweet author claims? This may be more of the general disdain for him seeping in and a slightly inaccurate description of his obsession with himself and wealth rather than women. Generally, though, the public may be on to what John Thorpe would be in 2021.

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arrowpusher · 5 years ago

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Breaking my silence

After a week straight of insomnia keeping myself awake reflecting on current events, I think I need to write something to collect my thoughts.

Yes, I chose Tumblr because I am not brave enough to display my unpopular opinion on Facebook or Twitter where a lot of my friends and family will disagree, and I don’t want to cause any hard feelings. (It’s like whenever I post about Apple, my older cousin who works at Apple always write lengthy replies, and then I do not elaborate on my beliefs with counter-arguments because I respect my cousin too much.) I just value relationships far above than my political viewpoints, so here I hide.

First of all: I support Black Lives Matter. I am saddened by the tragedies. I believe systemic racism urgently needs to be addressed.

However, there are aspects of recent events that make me uncomfortable and conflicted.

1. “It is wrong to condemn the violence and the looting. This takes away from the BLM Movement. Property can be replaced.” I remember my college professor on Cal tuition protests explaining that if you don’t throw a temper tantrum, people won’t listen to you. But so much looting has absolutely nothing to do with protests, it creates mixed images of the cause locally and worldwide, and the extent of destruction makes me lose faith in humanity. I heard about a local privately owned pharmacy not only suffering significant losses; they run a mental health clinic and because long-acting injectables got stolen, patients are unable to receive their treatment. I saw on the news people stealing cars, women walking out of Victoria’s Secret with designer lingerie, teenagers hysterical getting their hands on “free” stuff... tell me how this helps address racism. Businesses are already suffering huge losses in these uncertain times, and people are just getting back on their feet and likely running on a deficit. Even when property can be replaced, what do we gain from the destruction that cannot be accomplished through constructive means? Do people's livelihoods have to be destroyed overnight to make a statement? I saw a video explaining the looting of a low-income neighborhood, that people are profiting off of the pain (and I noticed someone posted this video on social media and got significant backlash for condemning violence.)

2. “Police are bad. Hence, they need to be de-funded.” While systems-wide changes need to be made to eliminate police brutality, I also find myself feeling bad for the the part of the police workforce who actually are kind-hearted individuals who are doing their job to protect society and putting their life on the line while at it. Policemen went from being first responder heroes to national villains overnight. I do not find it acceptable that policemen have lost their lives amidst the chaos of the lootings (like the retired officer checking on his friend’s store... I saw a poster “You killed him because ‘they’ killed someone?” It reminds me all too much of the primitive eye-for-an-eye argument). Also, I have not seen any mention of 2A. Despite all the recent shootings and massacres, relatively little change has happened on gun control. Until then, there is significant risk to both police officers and the general public. I recall reading that the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting was not catastrophic because the police were able to control the situation quite quickly. I don’t expect gun control and crime to dissipate by itself (especially during economic and political instability) and I actually fear for public safety in the future. Who would want to be a policeman if you get so much hate, have limited resources, yet are still forced at times to make split-second decisions that could cause your life. This spirals further into me being annoyed at how little is said about decisions on the military and warfare, which not only consumes so much funding, but directly causes blatant harm and civilian lives. When I have to Google “current wars in 2020″ as a refresher, I begin to question why the same momentum of the anti-police movement in the US is not given to international conflicts with oppression at much greater magnitudes.

3. “Speaking up about other minority issues takes away from the cause.” I don’t know, maybe I have a conflict of interest as a minority living in America... but I really would like to see this blossom into a larger civil rights movement. I did not see as much outcry, as much action, as many donations by individuals and large corporations, when ICE was hunting down and deporting immigrants, when children were separated from families and detained, when the oil pipeline was planned to invade Native American territory, or when all of the tax changes were made under the Trump administration which perpetuates and accentuates socioeconomic inequalities. There was news coverage, but for the most part, we sat on our couches. I also should not have to worry about my parents being the victim of hate crimes when they go on a walk outside. I know we still need to maintain focus (like when I start to think about the inertia in dealing with climate change... but I’m not going to say wildlife matters because then any movement is a moot point if you try to change everything about the world in one go). I think we still can maintain focus and expand the scope: systemic racism and implicit bias apply broadly. Just because an inequality isn’t trending, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and does not deserve attention.

I try to convince myself to try not to lose more sleep over this (hint: it’s been pretty unsuccessful) because at the end of the day, I’m not going to change anything. This is a sad reality I have felt about current events and the workings of social media--constructive discussion is important, yet it gets stifled in the cyberspace and you get personally attacked. I’ve commented on a few posts on Facebook with a relatively moderate viewpoint, and I got replies that essentially made me wonder if I was unknowingly alt-right. (Then, I had the same discussions with co-workers who agreed with me and brought up other valid points, and I felt less like a bad person). I know I contribute to the problem and I have my own implicit biases, but I don’t think my opinions are really as malicious as some Facebook friends of friends have made me feel. My endurance has dwindled and my mental strength has already grown fragile during these difficult times... I think I need to give myself a little more self care than staying up every night thinking I’m racist because I agree 100%, but not 1000%, with the current movement.

Anyways, I don’t care whether or not I get hateful comments on this post. I wrote this largely for myself, so one day as I revisit my previous blog posts, I can see how I used to think about the world, and inspire myself to make change if I’m jaded.

“You, I, and we all have the right to be respected.”

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lovemesomesurveys · 6 years ago

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Let's start with you: How are you?: Meh. I’m hot and hungry. Yesterday I was at the beach all nice and relaxed and cold, and then I got got back and immediately went back to my usual BS.

What motivates you to get up every day?: That first cup of coffee, really.

Do you have a true best friend?: My mom.

Do you see yourself as a sensitive person?: I’m very sensitive. It annoys me how sensitive I am, like jeez chill.

Have you been upset recently?: Yes.

Do you still leave/receive voicemails?: I don’t leave them, and I very rarely get them unless it’s a telemarketer or a scam call.

Do you live in your hometown?: Yes.

Are you a festive person? Do you enjoy holidays?: Yes. I love Christmastime.

Did you/Will you attend college?: I did and graduated with my BA.

How many alarm clocks do you use?: I tend to set a few on my phone. I’m afraid of just setting one.

Do you consider yourself to be an open-minded person?: Yes.

Do you eat fruit?: No. There’s some that I do like, but I just don’t crave fruit or choose it when I want something to eat.

What is your favorite subject to learn about?: Psychology.

How many meals a day do you typically eat?: I’ve been getting in 3 lately with some snacks in between. That’s pretty good for me.

Music, eh?

Have you seen any live shows?: Yes.

Name three of your favorite bands/artists...: I have too many.

How big of a role does music play in your life?: It doesn’t play a big role. I used to listen to music all the time, but not so much nowadays.

Can you play any instruments?: I played some piano several years go. I regret not keeping up with it and not taking it more seriously.

You're feeling down - do you listen to sad music or happy? Sad music. I like feeling like I can relate to other people through their lyrics. Makes me feel less alone.

If you've ever been to a concert, how old were you and who did you see?: I’ve been to a few concerts, so which one are we talking about? My first one was in high school. Do you prefer music to be meaningful and deep, or purely for dancing/fun?: I like both. Is there a song or artist that you secretly enjoy, but don't want to enjoy?: No.

If you could only listen to music from one decade, which would you choose?: Maybe the 90s. Or early 2000s. Ooh, that’s tough... Has your parents taste in music in any way affected what you like?: Yeah. I like a lot of music they listened to while I was growing up. We like a lot of the same stuff, especially my mom and I. You're looking for some new music - what's your preferred way to discover?: Typically through Spotify. Do you still own any CD's/records/tapes?: I have 2 CDs I forgot I still had until recently. Do you ever hear a new song on tv that you like and find it?: Yes. Just recently there was this song by Zara Larsson that played all the time on this credit card commercial. Speaking of television... (look at that smooth transition!) Do you watch a lot of television? Whether that be shows, news, movies etc.: You could say that. Although, it does serve as background noise a lot of the time or something I tune in and out of. Do you watch the news?: Sometimes I’ll catch segments of the Today Show or local news, but I generally get my news online. I prefer to watch entertainment news shows. What about the weather channel?: Nope. I just use the weather app on my phone. What's your favorite holiday movie?: I have a lot of those. I love Christmas movies. What hooks you to a television show? I like drama, mystery, suspense, craziness... just intriguing stuff. How do you feel about adult cartoons?: Not really my thing. Talk shows - boring or entertaining?: I watch a couple like Dr. Phil, Daily Pop, E! News, The Talk, and Kelly and Ryan. Do you prefer cable, satellite or streaming?: We have satellite TV. I like Netflix and Hulu, too. Have you come across any new shows you like this year?: The Act on Hulu was really good. I don’t think I’ve started a new show other than that, though. New seasons of shows, but not an entirely new show. Do you still watch shows that you grew up watching?: Yeah. What about movies that you grew up with?: Yep. Are you subscribed to any streaming services?: Netflix & Hulu. Reality shows - entertaining or horrifying?: I’m into ‘em. I watch a lot of reality TV. What is the first movie you ever saw in a cinema?: I’m not sure, but the first one I remember is Stuart Little. I know that’s not the first, though. Let's talk about what you don't discuss at Sunday brunch Do you identify with any organized religion?: Christianity. If so - is it how you were raised, or have you found your own?: Well, my parents aren’t religious so they didn’t raise me with any particular one. My grandparents, on the other hand, were. My maternal grandparents were Jehovah’s Witnesses (I say were because they’ve passed away) and my paternal grandparents are Christians. Both tried to push their views and beliefs on me and tell me that their religion was the right one. I went to meetings (what Jehovah’s Witnesses call church) and to church with them sometimes. Due to all that, I was confused and also didn’t like being told what to believe, so I didn’t believe at all for a large part of my life. It wasn’t until about 5 years ago that began to change and I became open to it. Almost 3 years ago now I started reading the Bible and became a Christian. Do you think that marijuana should be legalized?: Yes. If so, would that be for medical use only, or recreational?: Do what you want, but my thinking about it is the medicinal aspect. It has a lot of positive aspects. Pro-life or pro-choice?: Have you ever protested or been on strike?: No. Is gun control necessary or no?: Well yes, absolutely. Are you happy with the political state where you reside?: It’s a mess right now. Should abstinence or sex education be taught in schools?: Sex education. Have you read the book 13 Reasons Why or watched the show?: Both. Should shows like this be available to everyone or could it be a trigger?: I mean it should be available, yeah. You’re not forced to watch it. You know yourself best, so if you think it’ll be triggering than don’t watch. They also did a good job at putting warnings before the episodes. Okay, let's simmer down. Back to happy things. Do you like animals?: Yes. If so, do you have any pets?: I do. I have an adorable, sweetie pie of a dog named Princess Leia. She’s a German Shepherd/Lab mix. What is your favorite day of the week and why?: They’re really all the same to me. Do you have a favorite season?: Fall and winter. How do you enjoy nice scents? By smelling them? Do you live in a large city or small town?: It’s big. Are you happy with that or would you like to change it?: That part doesn’t bother me, it’s other things. Do you have any children?: Nooo. Are there any colors that you think compliment you?: I like to wear black. Do you enjoy cleaning or find it to be a chore?: I definitely don’t enjoy it. What is your absolute favorite food?: Ha, that’ll change from week to week to be honest. I get on these kicks where I’ll really be into something and want it all the time and then next thing ya know it’s something else. Lately it’s been turkey with salami sandwiches with mayo, mustard, and olive oil with this Italian herb mix seasoning mixed in, pasta salads I get from the grocery store deli, breakfast burritos, and Ramen. I’ve had all of these foods everyday for the past week lol. I’ve also had some really good pizza a couple times in the past week.

If you were any color, what would you be?: Hmm. Do you spend a lot of time on social networks?: I check my Facebook and Twitter a few times a day, but I don’t spend a lot of time on it at a given time. I just scroll through for a bit. I spend the most time on Tumblr, but I don’t know if that’s considered a social network.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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bizarre-dollhouse · 7 years ago

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Yana Toboso’s Writing Style: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I’LL STOP WRITING LONG WINDED KURO POSTS WHEN I’M DEAD.

I do my best to stay out of Kuro discourse because...I just hate it and find it’s usually about stuff that’s pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things. But within the past several months I’ve noticed a new point of contention is the author herself, which I think is an actual good point of contention because it opens up an interesting conversation about the work as a whole and how/why Kuro is the way it is (aka good, bad, and...tonally confused to say the least).

And just to make things perfectly clear, this is an opinion piece about Yana Toboso’s strengths and weaknesses as a mangaka. This is not me telling people that they’re viewing the series all wrong and that I’m right. I just want to open up a discussion (in fact, I welcome people disagreeing with me, I just want it to be clear that this is not an attack on other people’s opinions, it’s just my opinions).

Lots of text under the cut.

I’m going to start with what I like about Kuro, since I’ve been reading it for like, 5 years and own 25 volumes of it (including one I just bought like 2 weeks ago).

The Good:

What I think is by far Yana’s biggest strength is her characters. They all have very distinct personalities, but aren’t just one note. There’s also a lot of them; one thing that struck me when I reread all of Kuro was just how big the cast is and how it feels even bigger because a very large portion of the cast have their own arcs, whether it be during the course of the series or in their backstories (or both).

Even the villains are a really good variety of comedic, evil/scary, and sympathetic (except maybe the first mobster guy but the first arc kinda sucks anyway and is mostly just for plot establishment. And I guess the curry contest guy kinda sucks too but that arc is all about Soma and Agni so I can give it a pass). Baron Kelvin is piss-your-pants terrifying in his appearance, actions, and behaviour, but still has a backstory that isn’t at all sympathetic but makes you understand his motivations.

I think that’s the key for all of the villains/characters in general; everyone has motivations that make sense even if they’re not relatable.

I also think the fact that most people in the fandom want spin-offs (about the reapers, Vincent and Dee, the servants, the season 2 cast, etc.) is indicative of how good these characters are. There’s a sense that most of them could hold their own story.

I also think that the characters interact well with each other, whether it be in a fun way or a more serious way. Narrowing it down to the 2 mains, one aspect of Kuro that keeps me coming back is how Ciel and Sebastian work off of each other with their dialogue and general attitude towards each other. They’re both in a weird position where they kind of hate each other (Seb finds Ciel annoying and troublesome while Ciel is always a little afraid of Seb) but also need each other (Ciel needs protection/a weapon of mass destruction, and Sebastian needs food). Due to this weird situation, they’ve developed this comedic dialogue that’s kind of born from their repressed emotions. TBH the way they work off of each other has made them my favourite sherlock/watson duo.

The only flaw with the character writing I think is Sebastian, who’s kind of inconsistent. But chapter 137 served as a kind of reminder that his human personality is 100% an act (aside from maybe his cat fascination...). But yeah, for the most part Kuro has a top notch cast.

Another thing I think Yana is really good at is foreshadowing. This might be a touch contentious, but I maintain my earlier stance that a big reason people hate the 2ct being canon is because of expectations and the fact that it’s a cliche is western culture (and personal taste, of course). Rereading the series was unbelievable because there were so many “AHA” moments and “how could I have been so blind?” moments. I think any plot twist that makes you go back and read a series and say “ooooh thaaaat’s what that waaaaas” like 90 times had some good set up to it. (Actually rereading the Campania and the Green Witch arcs made me feel like it might have even been too obvious...but a lot of people still didn’t catch it so, kudos).

Even in the Curry arc there’s tidbits of foreshadowing for the servants backstories, and I’m sure other speculation that’s going on right now will have some pay off in future chapters (some of it, anyway). All in all, the series made for a great second go because of all the little hints that can be caught once you know future plot points.

Yana Toboso also has a lot of really good ideas. The execution can go either way, but the concepts of most (definitely not all) of the Kuro arcs are like...really great. Some of them are these alternate spins on history that come from these creative supernatural elements (side note: I like how the zombies in the kuro-verse bite people because they want to consume a soul, but can never succeed. It’s both creative and a little fucked up). Or then there’s something like the Green Witch arc that plays out like a Scooby Doo episode but it’s got all of this weird stuff about war and poison and psychology and dreams and other good shit. Even though I think the cricket match went on for way to long, I’ll admit that the idea of this evil genius murderous noble achieving his goals by cheating at the worlds most boring sport is kind of funny.

I hate the boyband arc though I’m sorry that was not a good idea i hat--

Despite some fan-servicy bits (which I’ll talk about A LOT later) Kuroshitsuji feels like a passion project. This is pure speculation, but if you read the extra behind the scenes bits in the manga volumes, Yana talks about all of the books she read to prepare for this, or how she actually took cricket lessons with her editor despite the fact that they were awkwardly old to be in beginner lessons. She also did a shit ton of work for anime-only character designs and other promotional stuff while still publishing a chapter every month.

Even without the “behind the scenes” stuff, the amount of references that can be found in her work and the fact that she never misses a month even when she’s publishing bonus chapters gives off the sense that she cares about this.

Though again, 100% speculation.

I also hugely appreciate the mixture of comedy and tragedy in Kuro. (It opens up some problems, but we’ll get to those later). It’s not a slog to get through but it also doesn’t feel...pointless? I guess?? It’s mostly a dark comedy with action-y moments that then becomes a genuine horrific tragedy. It’s kind of hard to explain why I like this combo, but if it helps anyone relate to what i’m saying, it’s like the tone shifts in Angel Beats and how that show is both enjoyable and a total cry-fest. Same with Kuro except with different genre trappings. There’s a sense that anything could happen since it’s not all tied to one tone. Tone pieces definitely aren’t a bad thing, but I like the huge variety that can be found in this one series.

That being said...

The Bad:

I’ve said this approximately 37359767 times on this blog, but I’ll say it again.

Kuroshitsuji has a pacing problem. A really bad pacing problem.

There’s literally an arc where Ciel goes to a school, makes some enemies Mean Girls style, plays sports, and then finds out the bad guy is the same bad buy from the last arc who’s plans have changed only slightly. This is one of the longest arcs in the series.

This. Strikes me as a bad idea from a structural standpoint. The arc isn’t really a bad idea, but it’s like...a 2 volume idea, y’know?

I’ve already talked at length about how bad the pacing of the blue cult arc was so i won’t repeat myself but, yeah. Unbelievable waste of time also huge missed opportunity for a Phantom of the Opera spoof like are you kidding me ALL OF THE PIECES WERE THER--

A lot of people complain about the Green Witch arc’s pacing since it’s really long and has a weird act structure (which it is and does respectively). This is something that doesn’t bother me at all but I feel like it’s worth bringing up since it bothered a lot of people, so maybe it’s something I just don’t see.

Also even though I like the mix of comedy and horror/tragedy, sometimes it doesn’t flow very well. This is especially apparent in the boyband arc, where the jump from stupid to serious is break-neck, and the lack of interesting events that happen in the school arc.

Kuroshitsuji is also at a disadvantage being a monthly publication instead of a weekly one, which makes the stretched out parts feel even more stretched out. It isn’t tailored to this release schedule (although I wouldn’t know how to fix this particular problem other than to just...tighten things up pacing wise).

Yana also has a tendency to expect her readers to read her mind. What I mean by this is that she’ll say things on twitter/her blog like “Sebastian is the main character of Kuro” or “Ciel and Sebastian have no emotional connection,” and like a million other things.

....She says it like it’s obvious but if you go on tumblr or forums or anywhere...clearly not everyone sees these things and will often ask questions about her posts because they seem so not-obvious.

Which is super weird because (if I remember correctly), she once said that people can interpret her work however they want, but she seems to be actively discouraging that.

This is another thing that makes me think Kuro is a passion project. It’s like she feels the need to make sure everyone sees everything that she’s thought of...but it doesn’t work if it’s not actually weaved into the narrative, then it’s just confusing.

This bothers me a lot because as a university English Major I’ve had “Death of the Author” drilled into my brainstem and Yana’s actively fighting me on it. Please make things more obvious in your story if you want readers to understand them.

Of course there’s a bunch of supernatural inconsistencies like “if Sebastian/the reapers/this supernatural thing could do this, why couldn’t they do this? how does this work?” (like, it’s implied that the reapers can make themselves invisible to humans if they want...so why do Grell and Ron show up to the Campania in full visibility? All the time?). Stuff like this is a problem with literally every supernatural story ever, so I try not to harp on it, but it’s there.

Tiiiiiiime for the most contentious topic.

The Ugly:

I’ll say this a bluntly and straightforward as I possibly can: Kuroshitsuji is kind of perverted.

It is.

While the rumour that Kuroshitsuji was supposed to be a yaoi has been thoroughly debunked, Yana did used to draw BL staring young boys under the name “Yanao Rock.”

....Yeeeaaaah it unfortunately comes through in Kuro. The unbelievably infamous corset scene is played as a joke, but it is the most perverted joke in the history of the universe.

One thing that blows my mind (in a bad way) is that one panel where Ciel’s having an asthma attack (you all know exactly what I’m talking about) and it can be so easily seen as looking pornographic when out of context. There’s also that recent cover page (I believe for chapter 136?) where RC and OC are lying in a kind of state of undress and they look really pretty even though the context is horrifying.

Also that scene of RC swallowing the ring is drawn really pretty which is...a weird scene to have drawn really pretty.

i’ve heard people say that this all means nothing and we’re all reading too much into it, which I don’t buy for a second. I’ve also heard people say it’s for fujoshi fan service to which I’m kind of like....maybe?

This is based on 100% speculation, not at all fact, but I think the most obvious explanation is Yana is drawing beautiful boys in weird positions because she’s good at/likes drawing beautiful boys.

I’m not saying this is a good thing or an ironclad excuse, because it’s noooot. It comes across as pretty tasteless, especially given recent developments. It reminds me of the snake arc in Bakemonogatari or the weird shit that’s in the Made in Abyss manga; like this sexual shit feels very odd in these stories but there’s a sinking feeling that the author threw it in for their own enjoyment, like they were maaaybe trying to be sneaky and failed.

That being said, in that one particular scene in chapter 135 that actually deals with legit sexual abuse, I...didn’t think that sexualization felt perverted outside the context of the narrative (IT DEFINITELY WAS PERVERTED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE NARRATIVE, DON’T GET ME WRONG). And this isn’t just going off of Yana’s bullshit tweet because, like I said earlier, these things should be clear to the audience within the work itself. It was nasty as fuck, but I could see a scene being portrayed similarly in something like Berserk or Game of Thrones or any grim dark story, and no one being as mad at the creator BUT

BUUUUUUUUT that’s the issue! Kuroshitsuji is not Berserk or Game of Thrones! The issue with the series being a tonal cluster-fuck is that scenes about explicit sexual assault don’t fit in a black comedy formula so it feels weird. THIS ISSUE IS EXACERBATED GREATLY BY THE LACK OF TACT DISPLAYED IN OTHER SCENES THAT CAN BE READ AS/ARE SEXUAL. Yana made it really hard for this scene to be okay by being all loose with tone and the visual presentation of younger male characters earlier in the series.

Huge problem. Very unfortunate.

Conclusions:

I felt compelled to make this post because Kuroshitsuji is a series where the artist is not abstract. With most shows or movies people say “that movie was good” or “that show was bad” or whatever. But in Kuro discourse it’s always “Yana Toboso did bad” or “Yana Toboso did good.”

I’m not saying this is bad....(in fact it’s probably good since Yana (and K-san) are being rightfully complimented/dragged based on the merit of their work) It is interesting, though, that Kuro discourse made a sliiiight shift from the work to the author. So, this was me trying to tie the author and the work together.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #Yana Toboso #text

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quetzalpapalotl · 3 years ago

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Okay, this is a very broad overview to not give you the entire Venom history and also I'm writing this from memory.

For context: the previous run, Venom (2016) by Mike Costa was heavily focus on characterization, character development and just the relationship between Eddie Brock and the Symbiote and them trying to mend said relationship and have something healthy despite the personal flaws. Now, these two have always had romantic undertones, sometimes more explicit than others, Costa made the romance aspect very loud and clear. It also had a bone to pick with the mistreatment the characters have had through the years, particulary when the Symbiote was treated more as a plot device/corrupting force than a character. It ended whit them bieng in the best place they've been, emotionally speaking.

Then comes Venom (2018) by Donny Cates, it starts with Eddie taking anti-psychotic drugs to silence the voice of the Symbiote... okay. There were some red flags on it, but it was still the early issues and it didn't seem so bad for some, until an interview with Cates came out where it seemed like he didn't really get Venom, saying that Eddie's relationship with the Symbiote is like alcoholism. Again, putting the Symbiote like a corruptive force, rather than two people who originally had a toxic relationship because they validated each other too much (it bears to mention that originally, the Symbiote got its twisted sence of morality from Eddie and not the other way around).

So people started to talk and complain about this, as one does on Tumblr, and there weren't that many people discussing the Venom comics here, despite the movie popularity. But then Cates made a Tweet where he mentioned being upset at the critics on Tumblr. I don't remember exactly what it said but it wasn't worded in a particulary mean way or anything, still, it weirded people out because despite this being a public platform, you don't really expect an author to directly respond to your complains, but whatever.

This didn't stop people from expressing their displeasure at the current run, especially given that the longer it went on, the more issues became apparent. It just didn't seem to care about all the previous years of characterization, kept retconning things left and right and just... flipping everything about these characters. For example, one of Eddie's most prominent traits has always been his inabilty to accept responsibility for the mistakes he's done, with one of his biggest moments ocurring in Carnage (2016) where he finally accepts that no one else made him a monster, he did that himself. Whereas Cates' narrative seemed to exonerate him of all responsibility. Under Cates' Eddie was a saboi character victim of circumstance and honestly pretty boring.

Even ignoring that this run didn't work as a Venom comic, it still had many issues, like making characters unlikeable, throwing aroung high concepts that never get properly explored or get anywhere, contradicting itself... honestly, Cate sounds like a pain to work with. He himself has admitted to do things like changing things at the last minute so editors can't have a change to demand changes, or thowing the most outstandish concepts he can just so he has more room to negotiate and do whatever he wants.

But Cates kept responding to the critisim on Twitter, getting more and more hostile and speaking like everyone who didn't like his run where just a bunch of fangirls bitching because his run wasn't catering to a ship. Which one, it wasn't about shipping, it was about how it was only Venom in name, and second, symbrock isn't just a ship people like and were mad it wasn't made canon, symbrock is canon, Cates was the one ignoring that. But the way he was talking was very manipulative and his fans ate up the annoying fangirls story.

He even said at one point, iirc, that he doesn't care what 6 people on Tumblr think about his run, but like.... Mr. Cates, you started this, if you didn't care you didn't have to go complain to an entirely different platform. Also shippers weren't the only ones critizing his run, but I never saw him commenting on that.

I stopped reading his run and tried very hard to pretend it doesn't even exist, so idk if there was more drama later. I just know his run ended recently and it wasn't... good. So yeah that's about it.

one of the nice things about tumblr being practically celebrity free is that i can express my opinion on just about any media without having to worry about the creator quote tweeting it to clown on me

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teritcrawfordca · 6 years ago

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Be SEEN in 2019: Social Media, Personal Branding & Making Money at Tradeshows & Live Events

This week on #Smallbizchat LIVE, our show featured three guests: Designing a Powerful Social Media Plan for 2019 with Alex Romanovich, @alexromanovich, How to Make Money with Tradeshows & Live Events with Dianna Geairn, @iSalesGirl, and How to Grow Sales and Your Business By Being a Celebrity CEO with Ramon Ray, @RamonRay.

I pulled three of the best questions from each of them to share with you. Every third Wednesday of the month, Smallbizchat LIVE is broadcast on my SmallBizLady Facebook Page, YouTube channel and on Twitter @SmallBizLady.

Alex Romanovich is the Founder, Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer at Social2B, a digital and social media marketing boutique consultancy, assisting global brands (B2B and B2C) in leveraging new advances in digital and social media marketing, data analytics, and new omnichannel marketing strategies. You can learn more at www.social2b.com.

SmallBizLady: Does influencer marketing help any business?

Alex Romanovich: Yes, if you choose the right persons with a relevant audience. However, recent research and my panel discussion at AdWeek shows that Community based Engagement is much more powerful than influencer marketing, which is now being questioned by the consumer, and the brand itself.

SmallBizLady: How could brands surprise you with social media in the near future?

Alex Romanovich: Video content will become more search friendly and remain as an integral part of marketing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

In 2019, you will see more of:

Live streaming for personalized outreach,

Video product demos,

360-degree videos, and

Personalized video messages from brands and prosumers alike

SmallBizLady: We talk a lot about personalization. What can you say about that?

Alex Romanovich: The first step is to make your future social media campaigns as personalized as possible. So, the personalization as the most powerful trend of the upcoming year should be a must for every brand that wants to get consumer’s attention. Personalization can extend from naming the consumer to embedding personalized greetings into video and other content, to creating personal responses in chatbots and using AI to gather personal information for special promotions.

Dianna Geairn co-founded TradeShow Makeover to help companies STOP leaving money on the Trade Show Floor. With over 45 years of combined trade show experience, TradeShow Makeover clients achieve dramatically improved results from their investment in conferences, summits, trade shows, and expos. You can learn more at www.irreverentsalesgirl.com.

SmallBizLady: What business opportunities are available at LIVE events that you can’t get anywhere else?

Dianna Geairn: Trade shows, conferences, summits and expos create marketplaces with unique business opportunities for companies who know how to capitalize on them. Unfortunately, most companies don’t know how to make the most of what’s available – so they spend lots of money and come home with no new business. The top 3 opportunities that live events make available that are not available (or very hard to get) otherwise are:

Face-to-Face interactions. No matter how popular digital engagement has become, face-to-face human connections are still more powerful than any other kind of engagement. This is where we develop trust, rapport, and a willingness to engage in the future (provided the first meeting went well).

STATISTIC: The cost of a face-to-face meeting with a prospect at a tradeshow is $142. The cost of a face-to-face meeting at a prospect’s office is $259. (Center for Exhibition Industry Research CEIR)

The Decision Maker’s Attention: In our research, executives and business owners tell us that while they are unwilling to answer phone solicitations or emails throughout the year, they specifically attend live events to meet with vendors and explore new business solutions. Think about all those ways you work to get an executive’s attention: Social Media, Content Creation, Emails, Phone Calls, Requests for Referrals. Executives mostly ignore you throughout the year. But, they are open to having these conversations while they are at a live event. If fact, many are going specifically for that reason.

STATISTIC: 92% of tradeshow attendees come to see and learn about what’s new in products and services. (CEIR)

Access to the Decision Maker’s checkbook: Executives come to find new vendors, new solutions. And many come with a budget. Unfortunately, most booth staffers don’t know how to engage them.

STATISTIC: 77% of executive decision makers found at least one new supplier at the last show they attended. (CEIR))

Sad Story: On Friday, I was talking with a CEO. He had just left a trade show of software suppliers and he was looking for a new partner. He had $50k to spend. Each booth he visited, he was ignored. The 2 people he engaged at booths took no time to find out about him and only “pitched” features and benefits. He left the show with $50k in his pocket, super frustrated and annoyed. The worst part? All those potential vendors have NO IDEA that they missed a sale!

SmallBizLady: What are the 3 biggest mistakes small businesses make when it comes to LIVE events?

Dianna Geairn:

They fail to prepare. Done well, a company can arrive at the event with meetings already scheduled, a plan to meet new qualified prospects with the perfect questions to ask new contacts, and a plan to follow up once they get home from the show, including the messaging and mediums you will use.

a. When you prepare for all aspects of the event BEFORE you go, it becomes easy to generate revenue from the show.

b. Much like Sun Tzu says in The Art of War “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war.”

They come to “pitch” their products instead of to create a memorable experience for their ideal customer that will leave them wanting to connect afterward (and remember who you are, so they take your meeting).

They don’t ask for the appointment. When someone is interested and you see a good fit, it is not time to ask for the sale – it’s time to ask for the appointment. Schedule time right there to talk after the show. Everyone has a smartphone or a calendar with them!

SmallBizLady: How do I decide which shows/conferences to attend?

Dianna Geairn: We recommend that, if you’re not familiar with a show, you should “walk” that show first. This will save you money and give you a flavor of what opportunities are available at the show (booth placement, special event sponsorship). If you’re familiar with the show and you know that your ideal customers are there, it may be a good opportunity to exhibit at the show. Work with the organizers to determine the opportunities they recommend for you to put your best foot forward. Ask a lot of questions. They know what works and what doesn’t about their show.

Ramon Ray loves burnt pancakes, bacon and eggs. He is also a four-time entrepreneur, best-selling author, global speaker and event producer. Ramon sold one of the company’s he founded, his third book was a best-seller, and he’s in the process of writing his fourth book “Celebrity CEO”, Ramon is the founder of SmallBizTechnology.com and Smart Hustle Magazine – two leading resources for all things small business startup and growth. You can learn more at https://www.ramonray.com.

SmallBizLady: What is personal branding and why is it so important?

Ramon Ray: Personal branding is NOT corporate branding. It’s about how YOU as a person, the owner of your smaller business are represented to clients and potential clients. It’s important in a marketplace where many services and products are the same—getting people to KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you as a person is important. Also, personal branding is about building a fan base, a community (not customers) who THEN want to buy from you

SmallBizLady: How do you start your personal branding if you are just starting out?

Ramon Ray: Be yourself; don’t copy others. Think about what makes you different from others. What are you doing to enable your community to rally around your brand? The simple way to get started is “social media”—by regularly EDUCATING your audience, you’ll build trust and credibility. As you grow consider things like hosting events or getting media attention.

SmallBizLady: Why is video so important to you?

Ramon Ray: Video humanizes and personalizes your brand. It gets your FACE in front of the customer and prospective customer. “Everyone” loves video (ie Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video). YOU as a small biz owner should use it too.

Watch this Facebook Live #Smallbizchat on Facebook by clicking HERE or you can check it out below:

Do you think you have what it takes to be a guest on #Smallbizchat? Click here to submit your pitch.

Join us every Wednesday from 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter to stay up to date on our upcoming guests.

Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

The post Be SEEN in 2019: Social Media, Personal Branding & Making Money at Tradeshows & Live Events appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss.

from Teri Crawford Business Tips https://succeedasyourownboss.com/be-seen-in-2019-social-media-personal-branding-tradeshows/

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recentanimenews · 7 years ago

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How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Vol. 5

By Dojyomaru and Fuyuyuki. Released in Japan by Overlap, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

There is something of a cliche about light novel fans, many of whom are teenage boys and young men, that when a new light novel is announced and the plot summary appears, the first questions asked by said fans is whether there is sex in the series. (Actually, they tend to say “snusnu’, which is a Futurama reference, for added nerd appeal.) I mentioned on Twitter the other day that if I saw one more fan asking about whether a light novel has snusnu, I was going to flip tables. It therefore amused me greatly that a great deal of the plot of this fifth light novel in the Realist Hero series involves the fact that he hasn’t yet had sex with any of his fiancees, and that it’s beginning to annoy people who want an heir. This being Realist Hero, of course, we get long discussions of why heirs are important, the succession order, and the pros and cons of why Souma should or should not take Liscia to bed before he feels ready. That said, fans may relax. There is sex in this. But it’s offscreen, so they may stay frustrated.

Fortunately, there’s a lot more going on in this book than just wondering when Souma and Liscia will get it on. In fact, I’d argue it’s the strongest volume to date. There are finally hints that we’re going to be getting, if not forward plot motion, at least more just than running to stand still. The religious theocracy country has sent a representative to Souma to ask him to accept their religion as his country’s own, as well as make him a Holy King. Given they’re already angry at Maria of the Empire for daring to call herself a Saint, even though that’s a nickname not of her choosing, the reader is not inclined to hold them in high esteem. That said, the author does not appear to have it in for religion in general, unlike other light novels (hi, Smartphone), and Souma’s solution as to how to avoid the Papal State while not inciting them to foment rebellion is quite clever. We also get a setup for the next volume, showing that we will be meeting the Dragon People, who (given we’re told they can take human form and mate with Knights) I suspect will be providing another fiancee for our busy king.

There’s also some ridiculousness, as we’ve seen every volume. Souma bringing children’s television to the masses is a heck of a lot of fun, combining aspect of Sesame Street with the sentai superhero shows he recalls from Japan. And he’s also trying to think of ways to improve the nation, ranging from aircraft carriers disguised as islands to turning the wyverns into aircycles (which Kaede and Hal are in charge of, in case you were wondering about the cover). And of course the “bridal training” mentioned earlier, which is being handled by Excel Walter (you do remember Walter, right?) with the help of some truth serum spiked in Souma’s alcohol, which I was not happy with, but at least she didn’t try to bed him after that. We even have a discussion of idealism vs. realism, which I found quite amusing given that I myself sometimes tend to forget that this is not supposed to be “about an Idealist Hero”.

Essentially, a very good volume to the series. Also, feel sorry for Liscia, who even her own fiancee says is the standard, ordinary heroine. All she has going for her is her Saberface. Sad!

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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wbwest · 8 years ago

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West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 2/3/17

I saw my first movie of 2017 in the form of M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. A lot of people feel like Shyamalan’s coming off a string of bombs, but I’ve enjoyed the projects he’s been involved with, including Wayward Pines and After Earth. Still, this movie seems to be the one bringing all the boys back to the yard, and for good reason. I really enjoyed it, and feel like I need to watch it again just to catch certain things. If you’re not familiar, three teenage girls are kidnapped by James McAvoy, who suffers from dissociative identity disorders and has multiple personalities running around in his head. You never quite know which identity is in the driver’s seat, and over time you come to realize why, exactly, he kidnapped those particular girls. I don’t know if the movie had that patented Shyamalanian twist ending, but the very end of the movie did make my jaw drop. I’m not going to spoil it here, but I definitely think you should check out this film.

In movie news, it was announced that Ben Affleck is out of the director’s chair for The Batman. Reports say that he didn’t think he could handle being in front of and behind the camera on such a film, but it could be that Warner Bros got a bit gun shy after the box office failure of his recent release, Live By Night, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. It only made $19 million on a budget of $65 million. As far as rumors go, there’s also talk that he may bow out of the film entirely, which would make for quite the awkward press tour for this fall’s Justice League. I kinda don’t think this movie is ever gonna happen. Even if it does, my level of excitement is basically at Star Trek Discovery level, which isn’t very high.

We got out final post for the upcoming Power Rangers film. It’s…something. It’s a serviceable poster, but I’m still not sold on the Bayformers zords. This poster not only showcases them, but also serves to point out their visual weaknesses. They’re just colored beasts, but there’s no real Wow Factor to them. I’m hoping they translate better onscreen, but right now it just looks like a Photoshopped CGI mess.

In TV news, Marvel announced the cast for the upcoming Runaways series on Hulu. I’ve gotta say I kinda forgot about this, and I’m surprised it’s actually happening. I’d name the stars, but you’ve never heard of any of them. They all seem to look the part, except for Molly Haynes – a young White girl who’s now Molly Hernandez, a teenage Latina. I have no problem with the ethnicity switch, but I do have issues with her being aged up, as part of Molly’s charm is that she’s a sweet girl who’s about 11 years old. I don’t want her to lose that aspect of her personality. Oh, and she’s a mutant, which they’ll probably have to change and say she’s an Inhuman now or some shit. I don’t have Hulu, don’t plan to get Hulu, nor does this news make me want Hulu, but it’s still nice to see the Marvel Universe expanding. Maybe I’ll change my tune about the show once we’re closer to its release.

Speaking of Marvel TV, they announced the cast for Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger series, and it was neither of the folks I mentioned last week. Instead of Debby Ryan, Dagger will be played by former Disney Channel star Olivia Holt. Meanwhile, Cloak will be played by Aubrey Joseph, from The Night Of. If I remember correctly, Cloak & Dagger are an interracial couple of runaways who take an experimental drug and get powers? I’m too lazy to look it up, so somebody correct me if I’m wrong. If there are strong ties to the MCU, I might give it a chance. Then again, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has basically shown us the limits of how much they can tie into the MCU, so I’m not optimistic. I don’t really mess with Freeform, as I’m not a 14 year old White girl, but maybe this won’t suck. Maybe.

Peter Capaldi announced that this will be his last season starring in Doctor Who. What is it about that show that they can’t keep an actor more than 3 seasons? It’s an interesting little franchise, and there’s no real American equivalent to it. If you’re an up and coming actor, it’s a great stepping stone, but if you’re established, it’s a nice way to be a part of an institution. That said, why is the role such a revolving door? Are the working conditions grueling? Bad pay? Annoying fanboys? Sure, the story allows for steady recasting, what with the regenerations and all, but just because they’re there doesn’t mean they have to burn through them. Anyway, folks are saying that this would be a great time for the franchise to cast a person of color or a woman in the role of The Doctor. Right now, folks are rallying behing Agent Carter‘s Hayley Atwell and The I.T. Crowd‘s Richard Ayoade. I’d be fine with either of those, and that would actually make me finally check out the show.

In other TV news, it was announced that OWN has picked up a House of Payne spinoff, called The Paynes. Let me school ya a little about television. About ten years ago, a new creature popped onto the scene called a 10/90 deal. Basically, a show would get a 10-episode test run, and if the ratings were good, they’d get an order for 90 additional episodes, instantly taking them directly into syndication. With the exception of Charlie Sheen’s Anger Management and Ice Cube’s Are We There Yet?, the only other shows to successfully navigate this model were the Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne, For Better or Worse, and Meet The Browns. The model has since been retired, as too many shows failed after the initial 10-episode order, but Perry is basically king of the 10/90. It’s probably because he works the shit out of his casts. I mean, House of Payne filmed 254 episodes in 8 seasons. Anyway, I was a big fan of House of Payne because it was ALWAYS on, especially on former UPN stations that were then being branded as MyNetworkTV stations. The show is about the Payne family, led by patriarch and retired firefighter Curtis Payne and his wife Ella. It dealt with all sorts of hot button issues, but it stressed the importance of family. I’m a harsh critic of series finales, but the series finale of House of Payne is one of the worst episodes of television I’ve ever seen (I feel like they didn’t know they were getting canceled), so I’m glad the show is coming back in some form to somewhat redeem itself. So far, it’s been greenlit for 38 episodes, but it’s not clear as to who will be showing up besides Curtis and Ella. It’s set in Florida, where the Paynes are trying to enjoy their retirement until a real estate deal goes wrong. Yeah, I’ll watch it.

I’m the furthest thing from a foodie, as I eat like a 5 year old: if it looks “yucky”, I won’t eat it. So, I eat a lot of fast food. And I’m fat. Anyway, I tried the Grand Mac this week, as I have been lusting over it ever since I learned of its existence. If you don’t have it where you live, the Grand Mac is a bigger Big Mac. I thought it was just a Big Mac with thicker Quarter Pounder patties, but I was wrong. Turns out it clocks in around 1/3 of a pound, and the patties aren’t thicker, but wider in diameter. It’s a LOT of burger, and I ain’t no bitch. It was a nice excursion, but I’m not sure I can handle a Grand Mac on a regular basis. For now, they’re saying it’s only for a limited time, but maybe it’ll stick around like that Bacon Clubhouse that nobody seems to like. At the same time, they also introduced the Mac Jr, which I’d like to go on record and say that I created this sandwich. Of course, I simply called it The Mac, but I tweeted it to the McDonalds Twitter account a few years back, after they retired the Mac Snack Wraps. It’s a Big Mac with one patty, and a standard bun instead of the usual triple decker format. I remember they sent me some kind of dismissive reply, but now, here they are, selling my damn sandwich. I want my credit, McDonalds!

If you’re “woke”, then you realize that it’s currently Black History Month. Now, if you’ve followed me online for the past few years, you know that I used to tweet funny faux facts (well, I guess they’re “Alternative Facts” now) every day for the whole month. Well, last year I kinda had my Dave Chappelle moment, as I noticed some folks retweeting them who were laughing at me and not with me. You know the type. We call them “deplorables” now. Anyway, it was kinda eye opening for me, so I’m taking the year off. Don’t get me wrong – there are a few of those that were comedy gold, and I’ll probably tweet them as they pop up, but I’m not doing the full-on campaign this year. I think it needs to be rebranded.

Last night, I had the honor of joining The Kliqnation’s Comic Book Chronicles for their 200th episode. They are definitely my favorite comics podcast (Hell, they’re the only comic podcast I even care to listen to these days), and I’m really proud of them for doing the good work week in and week out for all these years. I remember their first episode like it was yesterday. Anyway, we had a great time discussing the latest releases of the past 2 weeks, so check it out!

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Tamron Hall left NBC this week, after it was announced that her hour of The Today Show with Al Roker would be eliminated to make room for Megyn Kelly.

The Oxygen network will rebrand itself as a crime destination channel for women. So, if you ever wanted to know how to get away with killing your husband, Oxygen’s got you covered.

Sharknado 5 was announced, with Ian Ziering and Tara Reid returning. This installment will feature them fighting sharks across Europe. Personally, I think this franchise is beyond done, but I know I’ll watch it.

The seventh seal is broken, as Queen Beyoncé announced she’s expecting twins.

The Get Down‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been cast as Black Manta in the Aquaman film, while Nicole Kidman is being eyed to play Aquaman’s mother. Ooh, she’s entered that phase of her career…

Fox has passed on producing the Black Lightning pilot, so now the show is being shopped to The CW to join the other Berlantiverse series.

Nobody had a week like Winona Ryder at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last Sunday. Her show, Stranger Things, won Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series, and Winona’s facial expressions were all over the place. It’s all folks could talk about when they weren’t talking about politics, so I think Winona Ryder had the West Week Ever.

#Batman #Comics #Marvel #Movies #Power Rangers #Race #Star Trek #Syndication #Television #West Week Ever

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