#i just think twitch is so so SO interesting when branding and storytelling come into the picture duuude

[yoylechess]

feeling the twitch hyperfixation come back............

[infinite-xerath]

Xerath Interactions For Every Champ

I’ve done this before, but since we have some new characters and reworks, I figure I’d go and give this another shot.

Aatrox: “Just like the empire you served, Aatrox, you are now but a shadow of greatness.”

Ahri: “The temptations of flesh do not sway me, fox.”

Akali: “Flee into your smoke, girl; it will not hide you from me!”

Alistar: “You are not yet free of your chains, minotaur; join me, and reap your revenge!”

Amumu: “Friends will inevitably betray you, child...”

Anivia: “I needed only one rebirth to achieve greatness!”

Annie: “You hold great potential, child...”

Aphelios: “You conjure weapons from another realm? Show me more.”

Ashe: “You would unite your homeland, but I shall unite the world!”

Aurelion Sol: “I acknowledge your strength, star dragon, but I am power incarnate!”

Azir: “Cling to your precious Sun, Azir; I have no more need of it!”

Bard: “You may witness my triumph, storyteller, but do not interfere!”

Blitzcrank: “Such a crude golem...”

Brand: “A power rivaling even my own... I think I shall take it!”

Braum: “Cower behind your shield; it makes no difference!”

Caitlyn: “Mine is the only law that matters!”

Camille: “I will tear that gem from your chest, machine...”

Cassiopeia: “You sought power in the tomb, serpent, and you found me.”

Cho’Gath: “You think to devour me, beast? I welcome you to try!”

Corki: “I shall blast that infernal machine from the sky!”

Darius: “You are the mightiest warrior of Noxus? How underwhelming.”

Diana: “I tore the Sun from the sky. Shall I treat the moon in-kind?”

Dr. Mundo: “Abomination! You dare to approach me?”

Draven: “Look upon me, mortal, and witness TRUE greatness.”

Ekko: “The power to control time, in the hands of a mere child!? I shall rectify this at once.”

Elise: “You think yourself immortal? Allow me to enlighten you.”

Evelynn: “I will teach you TRUE agony, demon.”

Ezreal: “Surrender that gauntlet, boy, or I will claim it from your ashes.”

Fiddlesticks: “Fear? I have cast such emotions aside.”

Fiora: “Nobility means nothing to a god.”

Fizz: “Your childish antics end here, creature!”

Galio: “You consume magic, but even a titan has limits!”

Gangplank: “Yet another dethroned king, grasping for his lost throne...”

Garen: “Crushing Demacia will be child’s play compared to Shurima.”

Gnar: “A primal rage stirs in this whelp... Interesting...”

Gragas: “Such simpletons are beneath my notice.”

Graves: “Another mercenary? Let us put your skills to the test...”

Hecarim: “A horse without its reigns? I shall soon correct that...”

Heimerdinger: “A dull mind with delusions of brilliance.”

Illaoi: “I claimed what was mine. Now, the world will move as I will it!”

Irelia: “Entertain me, dancer. That is your purpose, is it not?”

Ivern: “Your influence in the desert is lacking, ‘green father.’”

Janna: “A guardian that relies on the strength of others is meaningless...”

Jarvan IV: “What is a king to a god, Demacian? Just a man with fleeting authority.”

Jax: “Join me, Icathian, and I will see the Void itself burned!”

Jayce: “You will not be the first hero I crush, nor the last...”

Jhin: “Mad though you may be, I could offer you a greater stage...”

Jinx: “You think you know chaos, girl? Your rampage is but child’s play.”

Kai’Sa: “If a mere mortal can survive the Void, then destroying it will be easier than I imagined...”

Kalista: “Azir made an oath he could never keep; HE is the betrayer!”

Karma: “They say your wisdom is unrivaled, yet you are still foolish enough to stand against me?”

Karthus: “You mistake eternal damnation for eternal greatness, lich.”

Kassadin: “You fight a battle you cannot win; surrender your relics, and I will finish it in your stead.”

Katarina: “Your sister proved most useful, assassin...”

Kayle: “I answer to no judgement but my own!”

Kayn: “You struggle endlessly for control of one-another; I shall put you both out of your misery!”

Kennen: “You are swift as lightning, yordle, but my fury is the storm!”

Kha’Zix: “I stand at the apex of life; you can never hope to reach my level!”

Kindred: “When next I strike down Azir, ensure he does not return!”

Kled: “A mad yordle on a frightful drakalops? Is this meant to be a threat?”

Kog’Maw: “I shall end your hunger... Along with your existence!”

LeBlanc: “Your petty tricks cannot deceive me, witch!”

Lee Sin: “A pity you cannot see the error in opposing me...”

Leona: “No matter how many avatars of the sun stand against me, I shall strike them all down!”

Lillia: “Dreams are but fleeting fantasies; I have no need of them.”

Lissandra: “You think a prison of ice can hold me? You are sorely mistaken.”

Lucian: “Your weapons may banish the dead, but to me, they are little more than toys!”

Lulu: “I sense the most primal of magics within you, yordle. Where did you obtain it?”

Lux: “Your light is but a spark next to me, girl!”

Malphite: “What sort of imbecile gives life to a mountain?”

Malzahar: “You are no prophet, Malzahar; you are merely a puppet!”

Maokai: “You seek to liberate your home from the dead? That can be arranged...”

Master Yi: “A master of the blade is no match for a master of the arcane!”

Miss Fortune: “Your city requires order, and I alone can restore it.”

Mordekaiser: “You may rule the realm of the dead, but Runeterra is MINE!”

Morgana: “If you would embrace chains, then perhaps you may have mine.”

Nami: “A civilization beneath the sea? Interesting...”

Nasus: “Come to face me again, Nasus? It will end no differently than your prior attempts!”

Nautilus: “I do not pay tribute to false gods!”

Neeko: “My essence is too great for you to handle, trickster.”

Nidalee: “Human, beast, it matters not; you will bow all-the-same!”

Nocturne: “My nightmares ended long ago, demon. Now, yours begin!”

Nunu and Willump: “Naive child. You are merely a pawn, just as I was once...”

Olaf: “No death will immortalize your name, fool; I alone am eternal!”

Orianna: “To preserve your life, you became a mere husk... I almost pity you, machine.”

Ornn: “Forge for me a weapon to shatter these chains, mountain god!”

Pantheon: “You will fall before me, Targonian, just as Asose did...”

Poppy: “The world I create shall have no need of heroes.”

Pyke: “Your mind is already shattered. Now, I shall break the rest of you!”

Qiyana: “Power? Authority? Let me teach you what those words truly mean, child!”

Quinn: “Tell Demacia what you have found, scout. Whatever defenses they prepare, I WILL break!”

Rakan: “Human, vastaya, it matters not; I shall reign over both!”

Rammus: “The beast of legend... Come, let us see if your stories hold true!”

Rek’Sai: “When I am rid of you, the Great Sai will be mine!”

Rell: “Pledge your power to me, child, and let us dismantle Noxus together...”

Renekton: “Do you still recall who imprisoned us, Renekton? Do not forget the root of your hatred...”

Rengar: “I can offer you elusive prey, hunter; her name is Sivir...”

Riven: “You would challenge me with a broken blade? Are all Noxians so foolish?”

Rumble: “Yordles are said to be honored creatures. Looking upon you, I fail to see why.”

Ryze: “The World Runes must be kept from mortal hands... That is why I shall harness their power!”

Samira: “You say I destroyed your home? You will have to be more specific...”

Sejuani: “You survived the harshness of your homeland, just as I survived mine...”

Senna: “Darkness, light, it matters not; no power can rival my own!”

Seraphine: “You seek to unite your home? I will unite the WORLD, child.”

Sett: “You fight for entertainment? Very well... Entertain me.”

Shaco: “I will not indulge your twisted games, jester. Perish!”

Shen: “I alone can bring stability to this world.”

Shyvana: “Such power... Why do you waste it in service to imbeciles?”

Singed: “You are little more than a walking corpse; I will return you to the grave!”

Sion: “You think you know rage? The Butcher shall enlighten you...”

Sivir: “The kin of Azir, wielding the Chalicar... You cannot be allowed to live!”

Skarner: “So the Brackern are more than a fable... But only just.”

Sona: “A fine instrument... Go on then. Play for your emperor.”

Soraka: “You bound yourself to flesh and blood, but I have surpassed it!”

Swain: “Vision, might, guile... I am the embodiment of your ideals, general.”

Sylas: “You and I are much alike... Stand with me, and Demacia WILL fall.”

Syndra: “Your magic is potent, Syndra, but your mind is dull and clouded!”

Tahm Kench: “You have nothing to offer me, demon. Begone from my sight!”

Taliyah: “You will tell me where she went, child, or I will pry it from your dying breaths!”

Talon: “You are not the first assassin I have faced...”

Taric: “My radiance far surpasses any gem, Targonian.”

Teemo: “Your tricks cannot hide you forever, yordle...”

Thresh: “No prison can hold me, least of all your frail lantern.”

Tristana: “You wish to become a soldier? That can be arranged...”

Trundle: “You think yourself clever, troll? That you would provoke me says otherwise.”

Tryndamere: “Mightier warriors have failed to best me. You shall fare no better.”

Twisted Fate: “You confuse petty tricks for magic, gambler. That was your greatest and final mistake!”

Twitch: “It seems the Voidborn are not the only vermin I must exterminate...”

Udyr: “Do you truly control the spirits within, or do they control you?”

Urgot: “I am the ONLY one with the might to stand above all others.”

Varus: “A mighty Sunborn, reduced to a squabbling trio of corpses...”

Vayne: “YOU are Demacia’s protector from darkness? This will be easier than I had imagined...”

Veigar: “You think yourself evil incarnate? How amusing...”

Vel’Koz: “Not even YOUR twisted mind could fathom the secrets I possess.”

Vi: “To think a city that prides itself on brilliance would birth a brute such as you...”

Viego: “You are but the shadow of a man clinging to petty emotions; you are CERTAINLY no king.”

Viktor: “I alone have achieved perfection, and perfection cannot be copied.”

Vladimir: “I congratulate you on your mastery of the most primitive spellcraft known to man.”

Volibear: “Even the storm bends to my will!”

Warwick: “Another dog to hound me? I shall return you to your leash!”

Wukong: “No level of skill may rival pure power, ape!”

Xayah: “Human, vastaya, it matters not; I shall reign over both!” 

Xin Zhao: “They say your will is unbreakable... I beg to differ.”

Yasuo: “What do you know of the girl called Taliyah?”

Yone: “You come to me seeking answer? Prove you are worthy of them!”

Yorick: “You would fight the undead... By raising the undead? Imbecile.”

Yuumi: “The book shall be mine, cat!”

ZAC: “What manner of twisted sorcery gave rise to an abomination such as this?”

Zed: “I will burn away your shadows and armor, and expose you for the weakling you are!”

Ziggs: “I may have use for weapons such as yours...”

Zilean: “You saved your people from the Void, only to imprison them beyond time? Icathia truly was a land of fools...”

Zoe: “Celestial magic is not a plaything, girl!”

Zyra: “The desert is no place you. Return to the jungle, or be pruned.”

[itskateak]

(Preface: this is a really long post as I typed it as I was watching the movie so this is unedited, pure thoughts as I was watching this movie.)

I just started watching the new Cats movie and I’m already having issues with what’s going on

Why did Munk spider man his way down a wall

What’s wrong with Misto

Why don’t they just crawl on their knees Jesus Christ if they weren’t on their toes it would be better

“Are you mean like a minx” that’s not in pitch

ThatS NOT HOW JUMPING WORKS

The choreography is going good though- I knew it would. I’ve worked with that choreographer before.

WHY IS THIS NOW A POP REMIX

I have so many questions

Music is too fast. Tempos are everywhere.

Singing isn’t too bad. I can understand the words better.

Munk is a little too feminine for my taste at the moment but I like his design.

ROMANTICAL CATS (heart hands) IS THE MOST ON BRAND MISTO THING YET

Macavity speaking and singing his own song is disgusting

WHY DO THEY HAVE HUMAN TOES AND FINGERS

Why is everyone bullying Misto

AND HUMAN NOSES

Munk there’s a rhythm to the Naming of Cats. You can’t go off it whole everyone else is on it.

You guys can’t keep a tempo can you

HIS name. HIS.

Munk that’s a little sexual. NO YOU ARE WITH DEMETER STOP

stop cutting the scene up. Just let them dance.

AH REFERENCE TO ORIGINAL CHOREO. I SAW THAT

Misto is on brand except he’s not Misto yet storytellers

Also I’m liking the idea that Victoria is new to everything and the plot is they’re introducing her to the wild and the whole heaviside layer thing

THATS NOT THE MELODY MUNK STOP

they have human eyebrows too what

Munk that note is too high for you

Is Jenny twerking excuse me

JennY IS SUPPOSED TO BE MOTHERLY STOP THAT

that’s also not the melody

The human mice are going to cause nightmares

Wait is Jenny lusting after Munk

Why does he actually look interested

Munk do you have an English accent or American. Please decide.

Jenny that’s not the right notes

HUMAN ROACHES NO

WHY DO THEH HAVE HUMAN FACES

The skiN UNZIPPED OH NO

no one needed that undershot of cockroach crotches

Mm meow

huh what Tugger what was that

Okay Derulo is not bad at all

I’m missing the Tugoffolees banter though

This Tugger is a little gayer than the original

THE NEUTER JOKE OH MY GOD

Tugger is reminding me of Dr. Frank N Furter from Rocky Horror Picture Show

Why does he have an English accent though

VictoriaaaaAAAAA? (The TOES)

Jenny’s humor is eh. Don’t see the reason of putting that in.

The ending is pure Tugger though

Not a bad rendition

Grizz isn’t as rough as I imagined her looking

Oh her VOICE

HER VOICE HITS HARD

Who is this cat singing about Grizz (the first) her voice was nice

NO. WHY THE SHORTNESS ON “that”

Munk why did you grab that queen’s head

Edward Hyde is that you?

Jenny stop trying to be the comedy relief you’re too awful at it

Bustopher please STOP singing your own song

PLEASE KIDNAP HER IDRIS ELBA

THANK YOU

I wish they spent more time dancing since that’s really the point of the show and the draw to it.

Bustopher wearing heels? I’m for it. Gay legend.

“Thanks Tugger” stop this whole sequence please

Bustopher is supposed to be a very prim and proper cat. What happened to him

Still can’t get over Idris Elba being in this

THATS NOT THE MELODY OF MUNGOJERRIE AND RUMPLETEAZER

What have thEY DONE TO THE MELODY GOOD GOD

AND THE RHYTHM THEY DESTROYED THE SONG

Oh. Hey that’s pretty neat choreo though

“I bought that for her myself” “hey” “what?”

My brain is rebelling because it’s not right at all in anything I remember

Did Misto just pull a whole femur from his hat

STOP THAT. MISTO LOOKS LIKE A CLOSETED TWINK STUCK IN A STRAIGHT RELATIONSHIP

is he wearing eyeliner

GROWLTIGER IS BACK

I don’t actually know his song so this is new to me

Jenny and Bustopher being comedic relief hurts because they’re not funny

Munk “where have you been?!” Is there a love triangle happening. What happened to Demeter

Also his voice in Deuteronomy is actually really nice

“Sits in the suuun” that was beautiful oh god

Deut looks more like how I imagined Grizz would look

IS THAT DAME JUDI DENCH

I bet she regrets ever saying yes after this.

What cat is randomly wearing a crow skull around their neck. Is that a witch’s cat

JUDI DENCH CAN’T YOU ACTUALLY SING? WHY ARE YOU STRUGGLING

Why are you singing Munk’s line

Oh the Jellicle ball is next let’s go Andy show me that awesome choreo

Asparagus are you okay

Tempo doesn’t exist in this movie does it

Neither does rhythm or time keeping

IS THAT MY BOY SKIMBLESHANKS

Twirly boy Munk

Munk really just wants to be topped doesn’t he

WhAT WAS THAT TWITCHING AND THE PANTING

Andy I love you man but the traditional and classic choreo would’ve worked just as fine

Skimble and Munk being gay

what happened to Plato and why is there something going on with Misto

TUGGER YOU HAD A MOMENT YOU COULD HAVE INTERRUPTED

Ah okay I understand why that happened. No mating dance or slumber party

Cats wearing shoes disgusts me more than the toes

POINTE WITHOUT POINTE SHOESSSS GROSS

honestly? Jellicle ball is disappointing. They just cut the ten minutes of amazing dancing down to like four.

I don’t like the heavy breathing. That’s not something that was ever necessary.

Okay, the end worked okay with the big synchronized dances.

I’m ready for this Memory rendition. Already getting chills.

Those are very human hands

Oh keep with the rhythm I beg of you

Ooh altered verse

Wait that’s jennifer Hudson???

Oh we just removed a whole verse, bridge, and chorus didn’t we.

Sweet moment? See I like Vic reaching for Grizz

Vic gets a song??? Ooh intrigued

I like her voice

I’m going to cry this song is sad and I’m glad she gets a story

Though it’s kind of “you think your life is hard? Mine’s worse” feeling after Memory

Awww I’m gonna cry what a sweetheart what a lovely dear protect her

Ugh meaning of happiness. I hate this song no matter who sings it.

Wait what happened to Rumpus Cat song :( the battle of the pekes and the pollicles

What do you mean you’re about to make the choice

We still have Gus’s song, Misto’s song, and Skimble’s song.

They got Ian McKellen to do this?? How much was he paid

“Cross paws” no stop

Why is Gus singing his own song please don’t

Munk’s face bugs me for some reason

His song always makes me cry for some reason but this is kind of goofy and cute and I love it

Misto in the background is just strange for me

Is he forgetting the words sometimes and mumbling to fill in because goodness

Misto’s so eager to please what a bottom

“Macavityyy” I hate it

Munk starting Skimble’s song has the same energy as Tugger doing Misto’s songs

I’m glad they’ve kept this song the same as it was

Skimble is SO gay oh my god what a classic twink

Oooh I like this addition of the train getting started via tap

I’m actually really liking this rendition and the tap dancing on the the rails

Though the tap continuing when no one is tapping or the rhythm being wrong is uh not good

Such an iconic song and I love the changes in scene

Oh skimble that note was not good

WAIT OKAY THAT WAS MACAVITY’S DOING WITH THE LEVITATION

Oh hi Taylor Swift

Use more breath. Stop doing the pop voice thing. Stop it.

Is Bombi a drug dealer

MISTO BEING TWEAKED ON DRUGS IS THE FUNNIEST GODDAMN THING IVE EVER SEEN IN THIS LIFE

I can say though that what they’ve done to the song is exactly the vibes it needed. Sultry and pushing the boundaries.

Sad there’s not a Demeter.

SORRY MUNK WHAT WAS THAT

I actually rewinded to see what happened there with the martini glass

OKAY MAN NEEDS TO BE TOPPED OH MY GOD

“Green house glass is broken” was changed and that makes me sad

This was a good song for Taylor to show off her vocal prowess but she just didn’t

Why is Macavity naked

Why is he singing his own damn song

PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON

Munk you’re still tweaking out a little

Oh here’s the sleeping orgy

What’s with this drama now with the choice thing

We don’t have Munk’s fight with Macavity. Robbed

VICTORIA YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TO GET MISTO OUT THERE. IT HAS TO BE TUGGER

If there are no 23 spins, I’ll throw my phone

Munk that’s gay and I’m here for it. Encourage your twink Misto

“Please don’t make me do this” has phantom vibes

Munk that was a lusty look

Where’s the “ooh ahs”

This is weird without Tugger singing it and being an ego for Misto

Tugger come on. Please save this number.

Victoria I swear to god I will beat you

Why do they have one person on the melody in this. And Derulo going through the stratosphere

WHERE IS THE DANCING >:(

That trombone is playing absolutely nothing in the music at all

DON’T YOU DARE KISS HER

oh here’s the fight music

WHY DID WE UNZIP SKIN AGAIN

oh they used the fight music for the escaping of cats

How much longer is there

Oh there’s the daylight reprise thing

I want to die

To the sun, Vic. To the sun.

Munk, Tugger, be respectful. That’s your mother.

Wait that doesn’t work in this universe because Deut is female.

Oh they gave the Asian cat patterns that resemble tiger stripes hmmmm

Why couldn’t they have just filmed an actual stage version and turned that out

Oh that “smile at the old days” was god awful

How much longer oh god

I’m tired man. I wasted 6 bucks on this

Victoria just stealing Jemima’s parts

“Like a flowER as the dawn is breaking”

Okay here it is

OH COME THROUGH QUEEN. WHOLE FILM IS WORTH THIS CLIMAX

Okay so there are some cats wearing clothes and others not. What are the rules for this universe. Are they naked or are they not.

I have not shed a single tear. Usually I have by now from this show. Not a single tear.

Deut X Grizz is still my favorite ship

Is that the intro to Til I Hear You Sing that I hear. Those F to Gm chords Lloyd Webber loves.

Judi Dench stop trying to sing for the love of god.

Ah yes show off that beautiful ballet dancer that plays Vic

Aww Munk bowing to Grizz

Oh so it’s a chandelier this time and not a tire

Where’d Macavity and Bombi go

Oh there he is. What a child. Hate that.

BUSTOPHER CONFIRMED A GAY ICON

Deut being a proud mother to Munk is cute with the hands on the shoulder

Why are we reprising the first song

Also Air balloon.

WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME JUDI DENCH

why are they all staring so intently at her too wait

Munk looks like someone is touching him inappropriately this whole scene.

Munk and Misto looking at each other

MUNK STOPPPP JESUS CHRIST DO YOU NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE SITUATION

The choreography doesn’t even match the beat of the song. Huh???

Misto you’re gay stop

Munk and Misto looking at each other and the shy glances away

So Grizz gets hot air balloned to death is that what I’m seeing

Oh it’s over okay

I want to cry.

It’s not as bad as I heard. Once you got used to the way things looked and just let things happen and say it might as well happen, it became a bit more enjoyable.

It’s still god awful though and let’s pray the furries never get ahold of it.

[letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked]

Words On My Skin Part 16

Bucky Barnes x Reader (Soulmate AU)

A/N: Sorry this took so long! If you guys read my updates, you would have seen that my WIFI has been down for most of the week! Honestly, Century Link can just… burn in hell... They came today to��‘fix’ stuff, and NOPE! Not fixed. Using my mobile hotspot to post, and it’s slow af!

*This part is a filler, but has important information!*

Warnings: Bucky holding a baby... *heart eyes*

Main Masterlist // WOMS Masterlist

 “Alright, kid. Work with me, here.” You huffed out, for the third time, trying to wrangle the squirming baby – Farida’s son, Ilyas – into a good position to burp him. The burp cloth covered the whole left side of your shirt and shoulder, since you’d made the rookie mistake of not wearing it, once before. “You’re going to start getting pretty pissed off, if that burp doesn’t come out, soon.”

The little guy squirmed in response, a little whine squeaking out as he tried to burrow is face into the burp cloth.

You were tasked with the job of babysitting Ilyas, while Farida and her husband went to some work party on the Upper East Side, since Farida had texted you – freaking out that the party was last-minute, and they didn’t have anyone to watch him. She’d begged you to babysit, remembering how good you were with children when you’d met her family back in college, and you’d agreed with the condition that it was in the compound – since you were still technically working, and had mountains of paperwork to do.

She’d been so thankful that she’d brought you a succulent to put on your desk – the cactus with the red ball on top that you had to Google how to take care of – and a giant container of her mom’s recipe of a fish curry. She’d even gone as far as wearing the silky, floral scarf you’d sent her from when you’d shopped with Wanda at some name brand store – claiming it was so nice, she was going to wear it with her black dress to the work party.

“Knock, knock.” You heard from the doorway, just as Ilyas let out a large belch from your consistent patting on his back.

Perfect timing!

Glancing up, you grinned at Bucky – who was coming in with a large bag of take-out and a drink tray, “You’re my savior, right now. I’m starving.”

He startled, glancing down at the little boy who was currently spitting up on the burp rag placed over your chest. You picked a bad day to wear a white blouse. “Who’s this?”

“Farida’s son, Ilyas.” You laughed, wiping the baby’s mouth and turning him around so he could stare at Bucky and bang his slobbery hands on your desk. “She asked me to watch him while her and her husband go to some party for his work, or something. You missed Claire, by the way. Caleb brought her in and she played with the baby, while I finished typing up some forms for the new recruits.”

“Thank god I missed the two of you, together.” He snorted, plopping down in the chair and unpacking the food. “Last time, you both ganged up on me and stuck a bunch of magnets on my arm.” He passed you your container of French fries, stealing one from the open container and popping it in his mouth as he opened more containers. When he was done chewing, he continued, “Also, I had to take a dish scrubber to my hand, because the slime you guys were making got stuck between the plates of my fingers.”

“Poor you.” You giggled, shifting the food away from Ilyas’s reach, and opening the container that housed your sandwich. “You had fun, don’t even whine.”

“Maybe so,” He pointed his fork at you, leaning back in the chair and running his free hand through his tangled hair, “but you and Claire like to scheme when you’re together. It’s dangerous.”

You rolled your eyes, remembering when you and Claire kept sneaking up on Bucky – who probably knew exactly what you were up to, due to his insane hearing – and sticking magnets on him. Until, finally, he’d just grumbled and stuck out his arm for you and Claire to mess around with. Claire had a lot of questions, while playing with some letter magnets and spelling out names.

Anyways, he’d gotten you back on the mats, later…

Okay, that sounds dirty.

He made you do a lot of cardio.

…Still sounds dirty.

Jesus Christ.

“You’re good with him.” Bucky commented, staring at you while you shifted Ilyas around and brushed your hands over his dark hair, “I’ve never seen you with any other children but Claire… When did you become the baby whisperer?”

“I’m not sure that I am.” You smiled, while the baby played with the buttons on your shirt and laid his head on your chest, chewing on his tongue. “I babysat a couple times when I was in middle school and high school… but that was only for my friend’s little sister, when I wasn’t working at the coffee shop.”

“How’d you work at the coffee shop without your mom findin’ out?”

“I was supposed to be making the money by tutoring, but I worked a few towns away, instead.” You nabbed a fry from the container, taking a small bite. It had been a really small coffee shop, one that made specialty drinks but wasn’t popular enough to draw the attention of your parents. There was a slight suspicion that your father knew you were working, having seen your apron in your car once, but he never said a word. Your mother was the one who would’ve had a cow, anyways… and that she did. “I worked on the weekends, early in the morning. I left before my parents were awake and stashed my money in a safe in my closet. Our housekeeper was the only one who knew that I had a stash of money, but she never said anything. She covered for me, a lot… Until my mom found out I was working and forced me to quit.”

“You had a housekeeper?” He asked in surprise, eyebrows almost shooting up to his dark hairline. His dark hair was brushing into his face, which blocked the view a bit. “How big was the house?”

“My parents are pretty loaded.” You shrugged, the usual feeling of disdain in your chest. “They’re the stereotypical rich type. We had hired help, my parents travelled a lot, and we were part of country clubs… all that.” You grabbed your water, taking a sip and pushing back all the memories of forced tutors, forced dates, forced friendships, and diets. “I hated it. Everyone was so… awful.”

“What about other family?” He handed stole another fry from your container, replacing it with the pickles from his burger. “You don’t talk about them much.”

“My grandparents are kind of spread out around the world. I’ve never actually met them.” Ilyas shifted in your arms, pressing his cheek against your chest as his eyes started to droop heavily. “My mom’s parents lived in London for a long time, but I’m not sure where they are, now. I haven’t heard from them in years. I think they’re divorced, now.” You furrowed your brows, trying to remember where your mom’s sister lived. “I think my aunt lives in Paris, or something… I don’t know.”

“What about your dad’s side?”

“My dad was born in South Africa, actually.” You smiled, remembering the story that your dad used to tell you, back in the day. “His parents loved to travel the world, but when my grandma got pregnant, they slowed down for a while. They ended up in an accident, and my dad was born in… I can’t remember where… Close to the coast, I think.” God, it had been so long since you’d heard the story. “The accident was pretty bad, but one of the doctors saved my grandmother and my dad. They named my dad after him. Bokamoso. His friends call him ‘Bo’, though.” You rolled your eyes. “Apparently, they think his name is ‘too hard to pronounce’… which is completely stupid. I like the name.”

“When did they move to America?”

“My dad’s lived in America since he was young, but my mom didn’t move here until college. It’s where they met.”

That one took some prying, because they – surprisingly – met at a giant, booze-fest party. Your mother refused to tell you the story, deeming it inappropriate for her child to know, but your father told you the story – once you got a few beers him.

They’d gotten hammered, rolled around in a ditch for a few hours, and started dating by the next week.

You chose to forget the gory details that you’d received with your father’s colorful storytelling.

“We lived in California after I started middle school, because my mom wanted me to get a decent education and not fall behind from moving, like she almost did.” You finished your last french-fry, moving on to the pickles that Bucky had given you off his burger. “They continued to travel, but I was left home with the nanny.”

“If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?” He suddenly asked, cleaning up some of the mess on your desk with a small smirk lifting his cheeks.

“I don’t… I don’t really know…” With a frown, you handed him your empty container that used to contain your sandwich, dinking some more water before continuing, “I think I’d like to see where my parents are from… Or, maybe, see what Rome looks like.”

“Why Rome?”

“The history is interesting.” Gently, you moved the baby into his car seat, placing his soft blanket over his sleeping body as he twitched once – giving you a mild heart-attack – and fell back into his deep slumber. “What about you? Where would you go?”

“Wakanda.” He grinned, playing with the plates on his vibranium fingers as he talked, “I know I’ve already been there, but I only got to be there for a year or two… I miss it. There’s a lot of cool things to learn. The people in Wakanda were the first people to treat me like ‘Bucky Barnes’, instead of ‘The Winter Soldier’. Especially after I got my trigger words removed.”

“Shuri is the one who did that, right?” The kid who sends him all the memes and funny videos. “She removed them?”

He nodded, glancing up with a large grin. God, he had such a cute smile… “She also made the arm your so obsessed with.”

He had a point. You were kind of obsessed.

“I happen to think it’s awesome. Who doesn’t want a soulmate with a vibranium arm to stick magnets on?” You teased, stacking your paperwork into little ‘done’ and ‘not done’ piles. “Regular arms are boring.”

Glancing down at his phone with a snort, he pulled something up on his phone and showed it to you. It was the ‘notes’ in his phone, with little random reminders and memories saved in them. “I don’t remember much of my own past, but I did remember something that I’ve been thinking about since I saw you holding Ilyas.”

“You don’t have a love-child out there, do you?” You snorted, tone joking. “I heard about your wild times in the thirties and forties. You got all the ladies.”

“If there are, I don’t know about them.” He rolled his eyes, shoving the phone back in his sweatshirt pocket with a small smile. “Anyways, I still have a lot of missing pieces, but there was a random memory that came back when I was in Wakanda. I saw a woman feeding her baby, and it reminded me of when our neighbor had a little one. My sister, Rebecca, used to babysit for the neighbor and bring the baby back into our apartment. I think I helped a few times, but I was more concerned about going out with my friends and datin’ pretty dames.”

“Too bad for all the ladies in this century.” You leaned forward, snatching Bucky’s to-go cup full of pop and taking a sip of the carbonated, sugary, delicious liquid. God, how long has it been since you’ve indulged in sugary drinks? Yesterday, Y/n. Yesterday. Calm down. “You’re taken.”

“That I am.” He raised an eyebrow at you, unamused at the theft. “I was going to drink that, you know.”

“Mine, now.” You grinned, holding the pop close to your chest so he couldn’t steal it back. “Sucks to suck.”

“So, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” His face switched into a neutral look, not betraying any emotion – though, his anxiety spiked slightly through the bond. “We kind of talked a little about it, but… what… What did you and Natasha exactly talk about, the other day? Is she going to be nicer to you?”

Oh… Ugh.

Did you really need to dive back into this topic?

“Yeah… She, uh, she said that she was jealous.” There was a faint twitch in his eyebrow at your words, but his face remained neutral, so you continued, “She told me that you were sleeping together before we got together, but you ended it.” You took another sip of the bubbly liquid, wishing that the cold coke would wash down the awkward feeling in your chest. A lump was starting to form, and images of the two of them together were starting to flash in the back of your mind, but you forced yourself not to react. You were going to be mature about this. You were going to act like the adult that you were, and not freak out. It was before you. “She said that she really liked you and she was jealous, that’s why she was a little… standoffish.”

“A little?” He snorted, lips lifting slightly. His eyes still held no emotion, but you didn’t need to look at him to know how he was feeling. You could feel it, yourself. Anxiety, mixed with a slight anger, and a dash of annoyance. “So… We never really talked about how you took the news. We kinda’ brushed over it.”

“What do you want me to say?” You leaned back in your chair, inhaling through your nose and closing your eyes for a moment, wishing that this moment would end. “I wish that it had been you who told me… though, I understand why you didn’t. It’s really none of my business, anyways. I just… didn’t like hearing it from her.”

“I didn’t want to tell you, because… well… I didn’t know how to bring it up, first of all.” You saw his adam’s apple bob when you finally lifted your lids to look at him. He was starting to trace the plates along his palm, again, which he did when he was nervous. “I didn’t think it was something you’d want to know.”

“It’s really not. That’s why I understand you not telling me.” Glancing down at your cellphone, you realized how late it was starting to get. The lights on that side of the compound were bright enough that you wouldn’t have even noticed through your office window that the sun had already set. “I just… I didn’t like hearing it come from her mouth. Especially the way she said it.”

His body went ridged, “How did she say it?”

“I’d rather not-”

“How did she say it?” He repeated, eyes tightening in anger. His voice didn’t raise in volume, but the annoyance he was feeling bled into his tone – which felt just like yelling. “Was she rude about it? Do I need to talk to her about it? What’d she say?”

“Bucky. Calm down, okay?” You snapped, crossing your arms and looking away, refusing to make eye contact. “It was as if she was trying to pick a fight, but I didn’t fight with her. It wasn’t anything bad. It’s over, and we’re fine. I’d rather drop it, please.”

The room was quiet for a few moments, the only sounds being your breathing and Ilyas’s quiet snores from his car seat. You could faintly hear footsteps from outside your office, and the quiet chatter of agents walking down the hallway, but the room was awkwardly silent.

Which you were awful at handling awkward silences.

You squirmed in your seat, fingers tracing along the hemline of your pencil skirt and glancing down at your freshly painted toes, which were visible since you’d taken your heels off hours ago.

God, someone say something!

Thankfully, you didn’t have to wait long, because he exploded.

“I just don’t get it!” He sprung up from his chair, and you flinched – though he didn’t notice, because he was too busy pacing the length of your office, from one side to the other. “Why the hell does she pick now to talk to you about it? Why the hell didn’t she talk about this months ago?” He stopped, throwing his hands up in frustration. “She still won’t even talk to me unless it’s work related. We used to be friends!”

Ah. So that’s what this was about.

You raised an eyebrow, not moving from your position in your chair, but glancing over at the sleeping baby, praying that he didn’t startle awake at Bucky’s little drama-show.

He continued to rant, frustration ebbing into your chest from the bond, and bleeding into your own feelings – but you didn’t say a word. You just watched him, eyes moving back and forth as he paced like a caged lion, anger coming off him in waves. You were listening to him, and you understood his frustration… but it was a little awkward, you had to admit.

“Are you done?” You finally spoke, as he halted his pacing, opting to cross his arms and stand by your window, watching agents bustle around the grounds like he was judging each and every person down there. “Bucky?”

His shoulders sagged, but he continued to stare out the window. “I just… Since I’ve gotten parts of myself back, I’ve realized just how few friends I really have. I lost most of them to the war, and old age.” A pang of sadness – from your end of the bond and his – tightened in your chest. “There are so few people in my life that I care about, and I don’t want to lose anyone in my new life. I already lost too many people I care about.”

“…and you don’t want to lose Natasha, too?” You supplied, voice quiet and calming, though you were entirely heartbroken for your soulmate. You stood, coming up behind him and wrapping your arms around his middle, resting your forehead on his back. His arms moved so he could rest them along yours, and you felt his breathing begin to even out. You waited until he was fully calm to continue, “I’m sorry.”

A breathy chuckle escaped his lips, and you felt the muscles in his abdomen clench with each little chuckle. “Why the hell are you apologizing, sweetheart?”

“I just… I don’t like that you’ve lost so much.” You sighed, snuggling into the warmth of his back and twisting your hand so you could entwine your fingers. “Breaks my heart.”

He pulled you around, so you were snuggled into his chest instead; and he could wrap his arms around you, tightly. You shifted your arms, wrapping them around his neck and tightly pulling him close. You wanted to wrap him in your arms forever, until all negative feelings in that man were gone. He didn’t deserve it. He’d had nothing but loss since HYDRA. Too long had HYDRA stripped him of his life, his body, and mind. He deserved so much better.

You breathed in his smell, warmth chasing away all the negativity in the bond, leaving you calm and content with staying in his arms for the rest of your life. You listened to his heartbeat slow to a regular pace, his breathing back to normal. You felt the warmth of his breath on the crown of your head, as his face pressed into your hair, breathing you in just as much as you were breathing him in.

“You make it better.” He finally murmured, his voice vibrating through his chest, and the side of your face tingled. “You make me better.”

You hummed, pulling back slightly when you heard a small whine coming from the car seat. Baby’s awake. You shifted so your hands were cupping his face, fingertips lightly pressed against his bearded jaw as you looked up into his ice-blue eyes, which gleamed with adoration. “You should talk to Natasha, okay? Tell her that you don’t want to lose her friendship.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into your touch as the baby’s whines morphed into shrill cries. “Okay… I will.”

“Good.” You smiled, sliding your hands down to his chest, before detangling yourself to pick up the angry child. Spotting the next day’s itinerary, you cursed under your breath. “Oh, I forgot. You have a haircut, tomorrow morning. The whole team have hair appointments, before the show.”

“Do I have to do another stupid interview?” Bucky grumbled, moving back to his chair as you grabbed a bottle from the little cooler to heat up in the hot water of your sink. He held out his arms, taking the pissed off baby while you scurried to warm the bottle quickly. “The last thing I want to do is another one of those shows where they sit you in a chair, in front of an audience, and ask you a million personal questions.” He shifted the baby into the crook of his flesh arm, trying not to use his metal arm; though, that was all the baby was concerned with, once he noticed it. “Makes me feel like I’m back in Dr. Collins’s office. I hate it.”

“Well, everyone’s doing it.” You replied, exiting the bathroom with a bowl of hot water from the sink, and sticking the capped bottle in the bowl to heat it up. “You have more fans, than haters, anyways.”

“No, I don’t.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he gave in and let Ilyas play with his hand, careful that the baby didn’t try to stick Bucky’s metal fingers in his mouth. Wow, he looked damn good holding a baby. Shut up, hormones. “I’m pretty sure that the majority still think I’m a terrorist.”

“You’ve proven that you’re willing to get better.” You insisted, finishing organizing your papers, before nabbing your phone and quickly snapping a photo of Bucky before he could protest. You had to document the first time you’ve ever seen the man holding a baby. It was hot. “Anyways, have you looked at social media? I don’t see as many trolls on your posts, anymore. If anything, it’s a bunch of horny people wondering what else you can do with that metal arm.”

His eyes widened, choking a little as his cheeks tinging red in embarrassment. He looked absolutely horrified. “What?”

“Oh, my god.” You laughed loudly, shaking your head as you grabbed the bottle from the bowl and passed it to Bucky, “You need to read the comments, more. They’re hilarious.”

“You read the comments?” He grimaced, adjusting the baby so he could feed him. He glanced at his phone like it was diseased, “Are they on the pictures of you and I, too?”

“Unfortunately.” You rolled your eyes, grabbing your phone off the desk and scrolling through some of the pictures on your profile. You hadn’t had many photos before your time at the compound, but there were a couple new ones. Mostly of Bucky, Wanda, or food. There was one that Tony had taken of himself when you’d left your phone unattended, with the caption ‘#blessed to be hacked by Iron Man, himself. -TS’. “Honestly, I think people mostly follow my social media to catch a glimpse of you or the team… Though, I don’t really post much else. Maybe some food pictures.”

“Mine’s not much different.” He stood, passing you the baby and setting the empty bottle on the desk. “Are you done with your work?”

“Why? What do you have in mind?” You raised an eyebrow, grabbing the rag to quickly burp the baby before you left your office. “Can I wear sweatpants?”

“Netflix marathon, sweat pants, and popcorn?”

“I’m in.”

Part 17

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Forever tags are open, but WOMS tags are closed!

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[theonyxpath]

Aye, right now we’re becalmed on the Acid Sea! But we know that if we can get closer to Waterdog Port, we can catch the great winds that blow and sail right in! We just need yer help to get there!

In other words: our Pirates of Pugmire has a little more than a week to go and we are 81% funded. So anything you can do to spread the word about this excellent supplement to both Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau would be just the push we need to set us sailing to “funded” and beyond! Just click here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/pirates-of-pugmire-a-realms-of-pugmire-tabletop-rpg

While we were at UK Games Expo, we must have handed out hundreds of cards with the Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter info and url, and we had the great pleasure of talking to folks about it, and Pugmire and Mau, too! And then we directed them to our sales allies at Leisure Games on the other side of the hall. They actually brought more Mau up from London on Saturday because interest was so high.

Which is always great to hear!

There was also a lot of interest in Scion 2e, with a nice number of satisfied KS backers letting us know they loved their books – including one backer who came over pretty much to give us hugs just because she didn’t want us thinking all the backers were as mean as the ones posting in the Kickstarter comments. Most appreciated!

But I think there were more folks there interested in getting the two Scion books than there were backers, which at the time wasn’t possible although we directed them to all the places they could order them. (We later found out that one of our Retailer backers from the kickstarter did have the books there, but I think they were gone almost immediately). So that was fantastic in that it bodes well for the in-store sales for the books that started last Wednesday.

We just never know if a successful Kickstarter has hit most of the potential audience for a project, or if there are enough folks wanting to buy out there to justify the extra print run. It’s certainly looking good for both Scion books so far, both in stores and on DTRPG where the books are #1 and #2 sellers as I write this!

When we weren’t talking to attendees, the booth was a hub for meetings, both planned and unexpected (Hi, DaveB!), and where Eddy and Matthew were recording the Onyx Pathcast UKGE Edition. If you listen to last Friday’s edition, you can hear our latest incredible idea for an RPG: Thomas the Tank Engine and the Trainsformers.

Although completely impossible due to licenses and the basically goofy idea that it is, we left it in because despite the premise, the whole conversation demonstrates the sort of free-form brainstorming we do when examining new ideas for projects. I won’t say it is well-worth the listen, but its good to have that process recorded somewhere!

When not at the booth, most of our crew were GMing/SGing various games, and in particular the debut of our first Onyx Path convention tournament set of games. Throughout Saturday our gang ran Chronicles of Darkness sessions for a handful of the game lines under that umbrella brand, and the players of all of those sessions voted for which player in their game they thought should advance to the final.

You probably read about that last week, but what was particularly gratifying to me was how the players leaving the rooms were excited talking about their games afterwards, which is great, and then when we sat down together to compare notes how the Storytellers were raving about the players and how excellent the sessions were, which is fantastic!

All-in-all, a superlative trip. Hip hip, and all that.

While we were exploring Merrie Olde Englande, it seems that a few projects were teased here as well. For example, I noted that Dixie posted this on the blog when she filled in so very well for me last week (Thanks, Dixie!):

Time to reveal just what this is, and I’m gonna do it! It is the logo for the community content brand for all of our game lines that use the Storypath System. We’ll be releasing the formats, templates, and rules, for each line as it get released, so naturally we’re starting with Scion 2e. Then, as the Trinity Continuum, Dytopia Rising: Evolution, and They Came From Beneath the Sea!, etc, are released we’ll open up that line in the Storypath Nexus.

Expect the Scion Storypath Nexus to be opened once we are done with this month and into July. You’ll be able to post your Scion ideas on DTRPG: characters, adventures, sourcebooks, tips, etc, and set a price and get paid for it by adoring Scion fans everywhere!

Also in July, and at a different Community Content site – this one being the Slarecian Vault for Scarred Lands – is the dramatic start of a mega-adventure series!

Vengeance of the Shunned is a collaboration between nearly two dozen creators which includes:

A 10-part adventure path that takes the characters from levels 1-15

8 side quests to allow additional advancement, flesh out the campaign, and show the impact of these terrible events on the Scarred Lands

A collection of creatures, new and old, optimized for 5e

A gazetteer detailing important locations featured in the campaign

An overview of the Scarred Planes with guidelines for how they function in the 5e rules

We’ll be passing on more news about this project from the creators in the weeks to come!

Finally, I teased something something about keeping your eyes open on June 13th, and I just want to underline that once again. Not going to tell you where to look, but keep an eye on our social media. We’re trying something very different for us as a way to lead into something in July that a lot of you have been asking about, so we hope you get a kick out of it.

The kick part was not a clue, really, just a figure of speech. Although, I guess you could apply it to…

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

Our Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter is nearly 81% funded, and we’re going for the last week Big Push!, so swing over to our ship and check it out!

Pirates of Pugmire is a chronicle sourcebook for both Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau. It’s usable in either game, or as part of a joint experience. Some highlights include: * Two new species for players to enjoy: lizards and birds * Six new callings, including two for dogs and two for cats * Rules for building, sailing, and sinking ships * A trove of new allies, enemies, and treasures * Information on Waterdog Port and Port Matthew * “Going on the Account,” a chronicle of three new adventures, taking characters from 1st through 6th level

You can also hear Eddy discuss the writing and design of Pirates of Pugmire on the Onyx Pathcast on your favorite podcatcher, or here on : https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/)

ONYX PATH MEDIA

Onyx Pathcast art by Michael Gaydos

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast is the second Scion 2e Actual Play with Matthew, Eddy, and Dixie!: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

This week’s Onyx Path News was a bumper live edition, as Matthew talked about new releases, Kickstarter, and the UK Games Expo in some depth: https://youtu.be/9te69TM7pP0

For all your Satyros Phil Brucato and Mage: The Ascension needs, our roving Mage developer has been interviewed by both the Symposium Podcast and Mage: The Podcast crews in recent months. Check his content out at the following links: https://symposium.podbean.com/e/the-symposium-podcast-episode-4-the-evolution-of-ascension/ https://symposium.podbean.com/e/the-symposium-podcast-episode-5-how-to-become-a-writer/ https://magethepodcast.com/index.php/2019/04/13/gods-and-monsters-with-satyros-phil-brucato-hiromi-cota-james-sambrano-and-isabella-price/

Gods and Monsters with Satyros Phil Brucato, Hiromi Cota, James Sambrano and Isabella Price

Red Moon Roleplaying recently concluded their Scarred Lands actual play but have recently started up a new V5 one here: https://www.redmoonroleplaying.com

The Story Told Podcast published a superb overview of Changeling: The Lost, as well as an interview with Meghan Fitzgerald, AND the next part of their Dragon-Blooded actual play for Exalted: https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/

Occultists Anonymous haven’t stopped with their Mage: The Awakening actual play, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list… but if you’re just after the latest episodes, these links will also work: Episode 19: Blood on the Windhttps://youtu.be/4R33Ar-Abe4 The cabal takes on the werewolf pack leader! Episode 20: Take a Breathhttps://youtu.be/kNJ-Efu3FIc The cabal deals with the fallout of their fight

Fandible‘s excellent They Came from Beneath the Sea! actual play concluded after two stunning parts we really recommend you check out: http://www.fandible.com/they-came-fro…

Caffeinated Conquests are still going with their amazingly fun Gauntlet of Spiragos campaign for Scarred Lands: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…

And of course, the ever-fantastic Devil’s Luck Gaming continue to run one of the best Scarred Lands actual plays around today on their Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/DEVILSLUCKGAMING

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

ELECTRONIC GAMING

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can now order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we’re releasing PDF and PoD versions of both the Tales of Excellent Cats fiction anthology and Adventures For Curious Cats for Monarchies of Mau on DriveThruRPG, and Tales will be available on the Amazon and Nook epub stores!

CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con: August 1st – 4th Save Against Fear: October 12th – 14th GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year!

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon) Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Redlines

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Second Draft

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Development

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Manuscript Approval

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

DR:E Threat Guide (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Editing

Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Post-Editing Development

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)

Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Scion Ready-Made Characters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle

Dark Eras 2

M20 Book of the Fallen

VtR Spilled Blood – in the worx.

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds – AD’d.

Trinity Continuum Aberrant – Sketches coming in.

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars

They Came From Beneath the Sea – final art notes in.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

In Layout

V5: Chicago

Trinity Core

Trinity Aeon

CoM – Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel 

Proofing

WtF Shunned by the Moon

Signs of Sorcery – At WW for approval

DR: E

Scion Jumpstart

Aeon Aexpansion

C20 Cup of Dreams – This week.

Ex 3 Monthlies – At WW for approval

Scion Ready-Made Characters – 2nd proof.

At Press

Dragon Blooded – Deluxe Printing

Dragon-Blooded Cloth Map – printed and being shipped to Studio2

Dragon-Blooded Wallpapers – Going out to backers

Dragon-Blooded Screen – Printing

The Realm – Reviewing errata

Trinity Core Screen – Printing

TC Aeon Screen – Printing

Trinity Core Digital Screen and Reference – Going out to backers

Trinity Core Wallpapers – Going out to backers

TC Aeon Digital Screen and Reference – Going out to backers

TC Aeon Wallpapers – Going out to backers

Tales of Excellent Cats – PDF and PoD versions available Wednesday on DTRPG!

C20 Player’s Guide – PoD files uploaded

Adventures for Curious Cats – PDF and PoD versions available Wednesday on DTRPG!

Geist 2e – Gathering Errata

Book of Oblivion – Putting in errata

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD files uploaded

Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss (Scarred Lands) – Advance PDF files getting uploaded

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

It’s still Pride Month so this gets a double week listing! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, so let’s remember Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Brenda Howard, and all the other activists throughout the years who made Pride possible. Happy Pride to all our LGBTQIA+ fans and freelancers, and I hope any celebrations you attend are amazing!

[airadam]

Episode 153 : Audio Visuals

"Seasoning drippin' off of my style, I dress tastefully..."

- Meyhem Lauren

It's Feburary once again, and so we dig into the catalogues of J Dilla, Big Pun, and Big L as we mark the anniversaries of their passings. Alongside those gems. we have some excellent brand new releases and some rarities from the vaults. You should definitely have some tunes to add to your shopping list after listening to this one!

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Semi Six : It's On

I would have called this the brand new single, but Semi Six dropped another straight after this with the quickness! Just heavy business from this Detroit booth incinerator, with the hook and the sample incorporated into it coming from Biggie's classic "Who Shot Ya?" Tuamie, who did the production on the recent "Assorted Fries" EP, comes with the heat again - a modern boom-bap sound with some nice extra touches. And you know that "LOX vs Dipset" line he spit is facts!

Jay Dee : Dreamy

Here we have the more chilled side to the late Jay Dee's style, taken from his "Vintage" EP - which is now available on Bandcamp, and an essential for those who appreciate this kind of vibe.

Big Pun : That's How We Roll

Apologies for the sound quality - I know it's pretty rough! This is a white label I picked up from somewhere, and while it shares the same lyrics as the track of the same name from the "Endangered Species" album, the beat is completely different. I'm not going to mention the sample, but you probably recognise it, and I can only imagine that they couldn't clear the sample. Anyway, I definitely prefer this version, and I've always found it interesting how an MC as rugged and raw as Pun could sound absolutely at home on such relatively gentle instrumentals. 

De La Soul : Goes With The Word

One of the landmark Dilla beats was the monster he delivered for De La Soul's "Stakes Is High", and so they'll always be tightly associated; had he lived, I'm sure they'd have produced many more classics. Sadly, it wasn't to be, but De La remix their "D.A.I.S.Y" as "Da Inner Sound Of Yancey" on this mixtape, combining re-interpretations of their own lyrics with J Dilla beats from the vaults. In this case, the beat entitled "Don't Say A Word" is repurposed underneath a version of De La's "Potholes In My Lawn".

Devin Morrison : No

As well as being a great artist in his own right, Onra clearly knows how to spot talent, signing the Orlando native Devin Morrison to his own label and then letting him do his thing on the way to the release of the 2019 "Bussin'" album. This is the lead single, and is pretty much impossible not to like! Somewhat reminiscent of what is often called neo-soul, this definitely isn't stuck in the past and and Devin's production and tastefully-processed vocals sound up to date with a classic feel. Just dopeness.

J Dilla ft. Amp Fiddler : Let's Pray Together

You're not imagining things if you think you recognise the beat - this was previously used by Common on "Dooinit", but it gets a welcome re-airing on this track from the "Rebirth Of Detroit" album. Amp Fiddler is a Detroit legend who preceded J Dilla, and in fact mentored him and gave him his first MPC!

[Tall Black Guy] Essa : The Middle Man (Remix Instrumental)

It's been a long while since I played the vocal version of this track on the podcast, so I thought I'd break out Tall Black Guy's instrumental. The vinyl is sold out I believe, but you can still buy this excellent single in digital form.

Big L : Casualties Of A Dice Game (9th Wonder Remix)

People in the know tell us that we were yet to see Big L reach the height of his powers before he was tragically taken from the world. That's quite something when you hear the skill level he'd already attained, as demonstrated here on one of his classic street storytelling rhymes. You might know the lyrics from his posthumously released "The Big Picture", but on "The DITC Remix Project" the tense Ron Browz beat is removed in favour of an instrumental by 9th Wonder with a kind of mournful feel - both versions are appropriate, given how the story ends.

Waajeed ft. Invincible : The Place Where We Dwell

This is an interesting record, with the original "The Place Where We Dwell" as recorded by Gang Starr to big up their home of Brooklyn being reinterpreted with a Detroit-based remake. There are some sonic similarities, as Waajeed works the same base sample, but puts his own twist on it. Invincible does their adopted home proud with her bars - as Guru was with Brooklyn, Invincible was a transplant to Detroit. Solid cut from "The War LP".

A Tribe Called Quest : Same Ol' Thing

This is a Tribe cut that might have passed you by - an Ummah production (you'll hear the J Dilla in it) which didn't appear on any Tribe records until "Hits, Rarities & Remixes" but was a highlight of the "Men In Black" soundtrack. The bump and low end is immaculate, and concentrating the beat in that range leaves plenty of space for Q-Tip's comparatively higher tone to cut through as he goes solo on the mic.

Black Moon ft. Tek : Roll Wit Me

As I say on the voiceover, I'd recommend giving "Rise Of Da Moon" album a listen if you haven't already if you're a fan of the golden 90s. Banging boom-bap for the 21st century...they have it! Buckshot and Tek on the mic give you that consistent BCC connection on the mic, and Da Beatminerz are sounding as solid as ever.

J Dilla : Dillatronic 09

I would love to have heard MCs tearing up some of these beats, but they were just offcuts to J Dilla in his time. In contrast to "Dreamy" as heard earlier, this is the grimy and electronic side to his style, which you can hear more of on the "Dillatronic" collection - most of the tracks are very short, but still interesting to hear.

Meyhem Lauren & Harry Fraud : Steamed Monkfish (Remix)

The "Glass 2.0" project was a worthy follow-up to the first project from the Queens MC/amateur chef/fashion collector, and this standout track made my pick for the "Groovement 10" a little while back. Meyhem is always one for a good food reference or a completely off-the-wall intro (as heard here) or adlib, and the rhymes are always top-notch. This remix (both versions were produced by Harry Fraud) definitely outdoes the original in my opinion, with an elegant ruggedness playing the banging drums off against generous helpings of strings.

Kaytranada ft. BADBADNOTGOOD : Weight Off

Even though I predominantly play instrumentals on the podcast as beds between segments, I was enjoying a listen to this and thought it would be a nice one to hear breathe! If you haven't already got the "99.9%" album, you're missing out - Kaytranada is an excellent producer/composer, and this collab with Toronto's BADBADNOTGOOD is just one example.

Curren$y & Harry Fraud : Seven Seas (Miami Nights Mix)

We head to the "Bonus Footage" EP for more of Curren$y's patented rhyme style in combination with the production of recurring collaborator Harry Fraud.  The low boom adds some gravity to the gliding synths and skittering hi-hat pattern, which is a similar construction to the original from "The OutRunners" but with different sounds - you'll get where I'm coming from if you listen to both back-to-back.

Benny The Butcher ft. J Cole : Johnny P's Caddy

I think this is an absolutely outstanding track, and it's a new release I put my money down on immediately even though I'll likely buy the upcoming "Tana Talk 4" as well. Alchemist supplies a brooding instrumental as Benny puts his lifetime in between the paper's lines (RIP Prodigy) on the opening verse, before J Cole - who might not strike you as an obvious choice of guest star - kills it on the second. As I often insist - those who say no good new Hip-Hop is coming out nowadays simply isn't paying attention.

[Harry Fraud] Eddie B : Nike Slogans (Instrumental)

The "The Johnny Utah Story" project by Eddie B and Harry Fraud is one we've visited a few times, and the fact that it came with all the instrumentals as well is great for the DJs among us! I needed something with just a touch of darkness to lead into the final track, and this one fit the bill...

Method Man ft. Iron Mic : Last 2 Minutes

The only appropriate place to play this track is at the very end! An absolutely fire new single by Method Man alongside the battle rapper Iron Mic, if this is indicative of the quality of the upcoming "Meth Lab 3 : The Rehab" then it'll be a must-purchase! The rhymes are razor-sharp and the production fits like a glove, courtesy of Chris Wellz and Genius On The Beat. Definitely nothing to play after this!

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[old-long-john]

(1/2)Ok so I was reading this Silver meta that covers his entire character arc (less episode ten because I think it was written before it aired) that made some very good and interesting points. However, one thing that stuck out to me was his lost leg was kind of glossed over, and one of the assessments regarding his character, while true of many of his actions, contradicts that particular one.

(2/2) It got me thinking. What are your thoughts on it? I came late to the fandom so this has probably been discussed before, but it’s one of the defining points of Silver’s story, and I want to know everyone’s thoughts.

Ok, so this answer got truly excessive. It’s ridiculous. I thought I was barely scratching the surface of things there were to say about the significance of the loss of Silver’s leg to his character arc, but then it got longer than most of the undergrad essays I ever wrote (final word count 3110…). Yikes. I don’t know if I went overboard, or whether there really is just that much to point out, but this became a literal essay with quotes and everything. Suffice it to say, I think my one line tl;dr is: ‘if you write about Silver’s character arc without talking about the loss of his leg then you’re really missing a lot, because it ties into everything’. Either that or I’m reaching and rambling and I need to not do that.

A longer tl;dr: The loss of his leg opened up a whole world of new experiences for Silver. It forced him to feel and do and be things he had spent a long time carefully shutting out, and in doing so it didn’t just turn him into a new person, but a person who was at odds with all of the things he had built his previous life upon.

I’ll put the rest under a cut, because otherwise I’d be a dash-clogging monster.

So this is one of those questions that feels quite difficult to know where to start with, because it’s a huge and nebulous thing, but I’m aware that I actually have a lot of thoughts about it (some only half-formed, and over a year old) floating around in the recesses of my brain. Hopefully I’ll be able to answer in a way that ends up vaguely coherent, but we’ll see. I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on it too (and I know that there are at least two people in the fandom who have similar disabilities and would probably have very insightful and perhaps different thoughts on the whole thing).

It is surprising to me that the profound importance of the loss of Silver’s leg could be glossed over at this point. Perhaps it’s because we haven’t seen him suffer with it quite so viscerally in season 4 as in season 3, but I still think acknowledging all the facets of that loss are critical to understanding his character arc right to the very end. And given the things we learned for certain about him in 4x09, I think it’s kind of incredible how much fascinating context those things give to a plotline that was always in some form set in stone thanks to the novel that shall not be named.

Oddly, I’d somehow managed to forget that one of Long John Silver’s defining characteristics was the missing leg and the crutch (I don’t think I ever read or watched TI as a kid), and so when it happened it was a complete shock to me. I’m strangely glad of that, because it meant I wasn’t waiting for it to happen and it didn’t colour my views of any of the storylines that preceded it. I kind of feel like that particular ‘holy shit’ moment was my plot twist, since I knew about James/Thomas before I watched 2x05. I think perhaps it also meant that I was even more fascinated than I might have been by his actions and reactions regarding it (though I know I’m not at all alone in that), because to me it hadn’t been an inevitability (‘Nothing is inevitable here’…). Also, Luke Arnold is a goddamn majestical actor and his micro-expressions have been murdering me for a long time now. You can tell he’s been acting opposite Toby ‘one facial twitch and you’re crying’ Stephens.

Right from the first moment we met him, we’ve known John Silver was a chancer, and a chameleon, and someone who had very deliberately chosen not to be a joiner. He didn’t need anyone, and he only allowed himself to be needed insofar as it was beneficial to him. I adore Luke Arnold’s line about how Silver’s ‘a guy who’s always had one leg out the door, and then they cut it off’. It’s funny, but it’s also amazingly accurate on multiple levels. When he lost his leg, he didn’t just lose a limb, and his mobility, and a life free of pain (which are awful enough), he lost access to most of the ways in which he had always known how to survive: the ability to be a chancer, and a chameleon, and the option not to be a joiner. It trapped him. The man who had seemingly spent his life demonstrating that ‘there’s always a way’ out of any situation, had it proved definitively that that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t talk his way out of what happened to him, and the futures it left open to him were a much narrower range of options than anyone would feel comfortable with, let alone a man like him. He never wanted to be a pirate, but suddenly making a life on that crew where he mattered looked like the only choice he had.

The one moment I’ve always found most interesting, and I’m not sure whether I’ve seen it discussed before, is the look on Silver’s face at the end of 2x10 when Flint’s being outrageously soft and gentle with his brand new baby quartermaster. Flint’s been talking about transitions and men who can be relied upon, while Silver’s hand hovers over the edge of the blanket, almost but not quite able to lift it and look at the consequences of his decisions, and only half listening to what Flint’s saying. And Flint tells Silver he’s been voted quartermaster, the other huge consequence of his decisions, and then says, ‘It’s a funny thing. The more those men need you, the more you need them, and it drives us to do the most unexpected things.’ And then Silver looks down at his leg again and he pulls this face:

(gif by sorenkingsley)

He looks so angry and disgusted, and I think it’s aimed at himself. It breaks my heart more than a little that one of the biggest lessons Silver learnt over the four seasons was a thing he already knew at the beginning: if you get close to people you will get hurt. The very first time he chose to do something truly selfless, because the crew liked him and called him a brother, he was punished for it by being mutilated. That’s truly fucking awful. In a story full of undeserved cruelties, it’s up there with the worst of them.

Silver said in 4x09 that the only meaning that could be divined from some of the events in his life was that ‘the world is a place of unending horrors’, and that he’d ‘come to peace with the knowledge that there is no storyteller imposing any coherence, nor sense, nor grace, upon those events’. I’d imagine that having it confirmed that no good deed goes unpunished, in a most violent way, only solidified that certainty. And to add insult to injury (literally), it was an event and subsequent state of being that came to define him, as he never wanted to be defined by the horrors of his past.

I find season 3 to be a really interesting time for Silver in a lot of ways. He really does undergo a huge metamorphosis. As much as we’ve joked about how season 3 Silver consistently fails the Flint Bechdel Test (he’s either talking to Flint or about Flint for a huge majority of the time), the other thing that is consistently unavoidable in his season 3 scenes is the impact of his disability on his life, and the ways in which he’s trying (and failing) to cope with it. Right from the outset we have the scene with Howell (RIP lovely sawbones 3) where we see exactly where we are in terms of Silver’s suffering, his struggling, and his refusal to appear weak or compromised in front of anyone. The boy’s a mess, pretending to be ok, and it sets up so much of what we see from him for the whole season. It’s all such a contrast to how he was we first met him. From ‘are you a coward?’, ‘yeah, you too?’ to ‘I cannot look weak. I cannot feel weak. I cannot be weak’. It’s fine to be a coward when you can actually run away. He’s having to hold his world together with both hands, because he doesn’t have both feet.

Weakness and a perceived lack of usefulness are a running theme throughout season 3 (and beyond). Silver has never had to rely on anybody else before, but has ingratiated himself with people by making them rely on him. In the scene where Howell explains that he has to take off the leg or else Silver will die, he is obviously panicking and terrified, but the moment when Muldoon says ‘the crew’ll look after you, don’t worry about that’ is the one where a look of wide-eyed horror settles on his face and he seems to realise all the things that are suddenly inevitable (and once again, ‘nothing is inevitable here’ and ‘there’s always a way’). When he wakes up and tells Flint the ‘truth’ about the gold, he says he’s telling him about ‘what we’ll likely face [in Nassau]’. He already knows he’s irrevocably bound to Flint’s crew now, and I think he knew it for certain the moment Muldoon said it, if not earlier when he called the crew ‘my men’. I love that even though they explicitly revisited and explained that moment with Muldoon later on, Silver’s horror at those words in particular was there for all to see right from the beginning.

When he and Muldoon spoke about it in 3x02, Silver said that he was ‘useless to them up top’ and that he had to ‘do [his] part somehow’, and Muldoon had to explain to him that the security of his place on the crew wasn’t based on utilitarianism and that, even if it was, it wouldn’t work like that for Silver. Basically, they didn’t need to need him, because they liked him. That’s a hell of a long way from the method by which Silver wormed his way back into their fold a season earlier: ‘They can hate me, they just need to need me.’ Losing his leg left Silver living in opposite land, where being a crafty, two-faced, snake in the grass was not going to do him any favours, and he suddenly needed people’s love for him to be genuine and unconditional. And these were men he had been lying to and betraying so recently. I wonder how far their love and respect for what he did in Charles Town would go towards forgiving him if they found out he stole the $5 million out from under them all?

Then, right after having that conversation about being being afraid of being reliant on others and being unable to contribute enough to make it an even and controllable relationship, Silver found himself completely powerless to save Muldoon from drowning. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been able to save him even if he had two legs, but you just know Silver would always wonder whether that was a situation that proved that his being ‘an invalid’ made him both useless and powerless. No wonder the darkness became so attractive to him at the end of the season; the power it gave him, and the feelings of control over his own fate that it restored, must have been such a welcome relief.

I really think losing his leg was a very specific catalyst for a lot of the best and worst things Silver grew into. They were undoubtedly in there all along, and they came out in the forms that they did partly because of all his other baggage and his personality, but the leg was the thing that pushed them into being. He gave a shit about the crew beforehand, certainly - it’s what got him into that whole mess - but the things we saw afterwards, like his angry defence of the men in the doldrums, and the way he held Muldoon’s hand as he died, were the actions of a man who had been forced by circumstance into truly caring about his men as individuals, and who was also terrified of losing their support and love, because it’s all that he had. Not only did losing his leg make Silver a quartermaster, it made him a good quartermaster. At least, up until he and Flint started opening doors for each other and he figured out he could beat the shit out of those men or send them to their deaths and still have their respect. Damn, son.  

The flip side of the caring induced by his loss was the hate, both for himself and for others. He was so unsure of himself with Flint undermining him at every turn. ‘I told you, I just don’t see a way,’ is what he said to Billy. His world had been upturned and he didn’t know what his place in it was any more. If there wasn’t always a way, then what the hell was a chameleon trickster supposed to do about his newfound lot in life? Be honest, as it turns out. He was feeling honest feelings, so he started saying honest words. There’s so much to be gleaned from his shark date conversation with Flint, and the most fundamental thing is that he’s being horribly, painfully honest for the first time. Not just about the gold and the lying, but about himself. He lays all his cards on the table and acknowledges something that Flint used against him months before: where else would he wake up in the morning and matter? ‘Without those men, all I am is an invalid.’

That self-hatred or insecurity was something we saw more than once. Even much later in the season when he had somewhat found his feet again (no pun intended) and was on decent terms with Flint. When Billy suggested he go to the tavern to announce Flint’s return, Silver said ‘who’ll be able to take their eyes off the one-legged creature?’. It seemed as though he was already learning to use it to his advantage, and perhaps that wasn’t such an example of him hating this new facet of himself, but then Dufresne tried to use it against him. His plan had been to use his words to persuade, as he always had, and I think he probably would have continued with that method for longer if Dufresne hadn’t stuck a knife in that one wound that was still festering and painful: you are less than whole, an invalid, a creature, and unworthy of the position you occupy.

For basically all of the first two seasons Silver barely cared about anyone or anything, because he was still that drifter who just happened to be clinging onto this ride for the time being. He didn’t care about anyone but himself and so he didn’t really hate anyone either, because to hate requires you to care. He also didn’t have much pride. We know he had killed for personal gain (the cook), but what happened with Dufresne was something else entirely. I don’t know how much of that violence was in response to Dufresne hitting a seriously sore spot, and how much it was because it happened in front of a room full of people and wounded his newly awoken pride as well (likely it was a perfect storm of the two), but it was an absolute red mist moment. It was his ‘good sense escapes you’ moment. It was his Singleton moment. Deliberately detached Silver was a thing of the distant past. This Silver found himself capable of such blinding rage that he could stove a man’s head in just for insulting him and then turn it into a piece of pirate theatre for his own benefit. He’d spent however long before 2x10 carving little niches for himself in the fabric of the world, wherever there was a space for him to exploit, and all of a sudden he found that he could do it again. This time, though, his act of insinuating himself into a role wasn’t a snaking, insidious thing, allowed to happen because he made himself look innocent and unthreatening, but a brazen and violent statement that he was someone to watch and fear, after being judged to be unthreatening against his will. He took his weakness, real and perceived, and made it a new strength, learning how to use it to bend the world to his will again. 

I suppose, in short, Silver’s disability, the situations it trapped him in, and the path it set him on were instrumental in forcing him to actually feel things, good and bad. But not only that, the loss itself was a fundamental reason behind why he found himself desperately trying to fill a hole that hadn’t been there before. It was becoming truly powerless that awoke his appetite for power to its fullest extent. It was being forced to feel vulnerable and unthreatening, whether he wanted it or not, that caused him to find those things so revolting and unbearable. It was needing to be loved and supported that made him open up to the realisation that the journey into the light felt just as good as the journey into the dark, and as dangerous as it might be in the long run, getting close to people was a comfort he couldn’t go back to denying himself once he’d had it.

Then season 4 happened. I think season 4 really solidified the fact that Silver had some serious self-worth issues going on, deep down and well hidden, before we even met him, and that the amputation and everything that followed only exacerbated them. His ‘would I be enough for you?’ and ‘can that be enough and there still be trust between us?’ take his season 3 insecurities and plunge them down to newly personal and upsetting levels. This wasn’t just a man who felt as though he was robbed of wholeness by one horror he had suffered, this was a man who had been running from horrors his whole life, avoiding being defined by them, and was now defined almost entirely by this one-legged persona that was completely divorced from any other versions of himself outside of the context of the war that he might once have known how to be. He found himself trapped in the body and story of Long John Silver, a fiction who mattered more than he did. Chronologically, his conversation with Flint came first, and Flint declined to answer whether Silver’s true friendship and loyalty could be enough for him. Then Madi declined to answer whether his love and the bare bones of who he was as a person could be enough for her. None of the good things he learned to feel and give through his loss made him enough for anyone, but it was too late to close that door and unlearn how to feel them. And so he panicked, and spiralled, and fell back on old tricks, like lying, and new ones, like hating.

The loss of his leg opened up a whole world of new experiences for Silver. It forced him to feel and do and be things he had spent a long time carefully shutting out, and in doing so it didn’t just turn him into a new person, but a person who was at odds with all of the things he had built his previous life upon. I think it’s incredibly fascinating how his past, present, and future were all woven together by this one event. And I didn’t even touch on the physical suffering of it and how it proved categorically that he was neither a coward nor unable to endure pain. He said in 2x01, ‘I am happy to find some other place to survive’. Perhaps it was learning what clinging on for mere survival really looked like that made him want to live a life that was something more.  

[yeskraim]

Dungeons & Dragons had fallen on ‘troubled times.’ The role-playing game’s fifth edition changed everything

CLOSE

Nathan Stewart had a tall task ahead of him when he and others first looked to revamp Dungeons & Dragons. A tarrasque-sized challenge, indeed.

Nearly eight years ago, the game’s accessibility had come into question ahead of the release of the fifth edition, its current iteration. When Stewart joined D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast, the strategy was to “reinvigorate the tabletop game.”

Their efforts have paid off in almost unimaginable ways. D&D’s fifth edition, released in 2014, isn’t just a success. It’s revivified the franchise, with 2018 and 2019 – the 45th anniversary of the game – consecutively marking the best years for D&D sales. 

That’s not all.

“Beyond the sales, there’s a lot of other ways to look at it, too,” Stewart told USA TODAY. “I think we’re seeing more players than ever. We’re seeing more mainstream mentions and more exposure, impressions, if you will, in terms of the number of references and times D&D comes up in a pop culture TV show or movie, or even just someone’s Twitter. 

“It used to be, ‘Oh hey, cool, D&D got mentioned.’ Now it’s like, ‘Yeah. It’s a weekday.’”

In an age where screen time is synonymous with free time, tabletop gaming surrounded by friends is making a comeback. 

At the forefront is D&D. Thanks to live-streaming services, celebrity endorsements, frequent pop culture references and – above all else – an accessible game, the D&D community is thriving and eager to roll initiative again. 

Dungeons & Dragons: Go on an adventure in a ‘safe, controlled space’

Dungeons & Dragons certainly isn’t new. The game’s first edition launched in 1974, and groups of friends have been led through adventures by storytelling Dungeon Masters (DMs) ever since.

At its heart, D&D is simple. DMs create and guide players through worlds filled with monsters, treasure and intrigue, with dice rolls deciding key outcomes. 

Some tables take on psychic fish-monsters from the dawn of time. Others prefer political debates.

Coming in 2020: ‘Dark Alliance’ video game features iconic Dungeons & Dragons characters, location

But, at its core, D&D is about collaborative storytelling with friends. That spirit was captured in the creation of the fifth edition following a slump brought on by previous editions that led to in-community fighting, Stewart said.

This time, he said, the team focused on cutting out “complexity for complexity’s sake.”

“I think everybody who works here at Dungeons and Dragons take the role of steward really seriously,” Stewart said. “It was such an old, beloved brand at the time, and it was kind of falling on some troubled times.”

Rules were added and scrapped and tweaked to make sure the game was approachable for newcomers but also engaging for longtime players. 

“Every time you put in a rule that took away from friends getting together and telling stories, we were kind of going against the core ethos,” Stewart said. “We play-tested the hell out of it and, also, when we were looking at things, we said, ‘Is this really making it more fun for everybody or this just for one group?’ 

“Whenever it was just for one group, we tried to find a better way to do it.”

D&D’s principal story designer Chris Perkins said D&D allows people to tap into the “human need to escape the confines of our reality and experience other worlds in a safe, controlled space.” D&D’s universe is vast, with pantheons of gods, devils and demons, established villains and heroes. 

And there are always DMs willing to create their own worlds while taking cues from D&D’s preexisting library. 

“The game allows us to be ourselves and someone else at the same time,” Perkins said in an email. “D&D is also a great creative outlet, allowing us to craft our own fictional characters, worlds, and adventures, and that’s very appealing when the real world is quickly burning to a cinder.”

Still, despite streamlining, D&D can be intimidating for new players. It’s not easy to pick up the fifth edition’s “Monster Manual” – a book that has a monstrous floating eye with teeth on its cover – and simply dive into the game. Not everyone can pick up the Player’s Handbook and immediately choose if they’re going to be a barbarian or a sorcerer, either.

That’s where the established community comes in. 

A ‘diverse’ community of players bolsters Dungeons & Dragons

D&D’s community is multifaceted.

There are new players and players who grew up with the game. Young players and old players. Parents teaching their children. Children teaching their classes. The list is endless.

Satine Phoenix, a storytelling consultant and founder of collaborative art studio Gilding Light in Los Angeles and a host of a popular series that provided tips for Dungeon Masters, said the community is more diverse than ever. She’s been playing D&D since 1988, when she found a beginner’s box in her parents’ basement at 8 years old.  

Phoenix is writing a book about how D&D helped her through PTSD and childhood trauma. 

“Throughout that trauma, I held on to my character, I held on to these stories, so D&D is in my veins,” Phoenix said. “It helps me understand the world differently. It helps me escape. It helps me attack problems.”

From Barbie to Matchbox cars: Here’s every toy in the Museum of Play’s Toy Hall of Fame

Eventually, Phoenix started a D&D group at Meltdown Comics, an iconic L.A. comic shop that closed in 2018. 

“People came out that I didn’t expect,” she said. “There were women and there were professionals. The fascinating thing was they thanked me for providing a space. Suddenly, we had Sundays with six tables and six to 10 people at each table. There wasn’t a space and, suddenly, there were people like me in all the major cities going, ‘I’m going to make a space,’ and people just flocked to it.” 

Humans are social creatures, Stewart said. D&D just provides an excuse to come together – like a poker game or a movie night, only with dice and maybe a few kobolds.

“These stories are the ones that stick with us,” Stewart said. “When you think about some of your best friends, at least in my world, half the people tell the story about their best friend and they met them playing D&D.”

David Price, store manager at Game Theory in Raleigh, North Carolina, told USA TODAY that D&D’s popularity has surged in the five years he’s been managing the store. There was a time when there are only two tables reserved each week for D&D.

Now, he said, there are “at least 15 to 20.” 

“If I had to pick a community that is the most diverse, it’s the role-playing community in general, and the D&D community specifically,” said Price, 47. “We have kids 10 years old and up, all the way to people who are close to retirement age – actually, we probably do have a few retirees.” 

The digital age has helped ‘demystify’ Dungeons & Dragons for new players

Some of the most recognizable players in D&D put their faces alongside the game on a regular basis. 

According to a D&D fact sheet, more than 7,500 unique broadcasters streamed live games for more than 475,000,000 minutes watched in 2017. And, D&D’s official Twitch channel streamed about 50 hours of content weekly. 

Shows like “Critical Role” – which recently raised more than $11 million on Kickstarter to back an animated television show – draw thousands of viewers per week. 

“What all of those are showing people is this game is for you,” Stewart said. “I look like you. My group is made up like you.”

The online shows – and in some cases, live shows played in front of sold-out theaters – lower the barrier of entry for D&D, Stewart said. Interested viewers get a chance to see what a game is like in real time – a table of friends goofing around – instead of worrying about the game’s complexities. 

“Technology has helped demystify the game by showing that you don’t need to be a rules expert to have a good time,” Perkins said, and added, “All you need are some dice, a good imagination and some friends.”

Outside of live broadcasts, the digital age has provided new ways for players to get involved with D&D. Meetup.com is a good place to start for anyone looking to join a game. DND Beyond is D&D’s web-based service that provides digital rulebooks and can even create a character for free. Looking for new content? Try the Dungeon Master’s Guild. 

What’s next for Dungeon & Dragons?

So, after back-to-back years of top-tier sales, what comes next? How does the D&D franchise build on its momentum? 

“I think if you just ask people what they want, you’re never going to get an answer that leads to the next product or the next popularity wave,” Stewart said. 

“But, if you’re asking all of the people and you’re really listening and you’re really triangulating in terms of the different ways they’re getting their opinions out there, whether it be on Reddit or Twitter or different surveys … then you can kind of stay ahead of the curve that way.”

“Dark Alliance,” a video game featuring one of the series’ most popular characters that’s set to launch this year on PC and consoles, is one project deemed integral to D&D’s future strategy.

Why?

“When someone comes in through a film or a video game or through a YA novel, they’re getting an experience of D&D, that whets their appetite and then they want to go search out more of the gaming experiences we have,” Stewart said.

This week, D&D also announced a new sourcebook in collaboration with “Critical Role,” which is set to release in March. 

“Dungeons & Dragons has had such a massive, positive impact on nearly my entire life, and I am ever inspired by the endless creativity I see it spark in so many others across the world,” Matt Mercer, DM for “Critical Role,” said in a press release.

Whatever comes next, the storytelling consultant Phoenix is excited for it. 

“Over the past 10 years, America has just embraced Dungeons & Dragons,” she said. “Over the past couple years, Europe has and so has Asia-Pacific, and it’s really going to make a huge difference when we can get all over the world playing together.

“That’s going to be one of the next big, positive changes, is going global and going global together.” 

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[ralphlayton]

Break Free B2B Series: Adam Dunn on Creating Blockbuster Video Content in B2B

Content has many aims. It should inform. It should assist. It should entertain. But as B2B marketers, doesn't it seem like if we don't deliver on the latter – immediately, and convincingly – we don't really get a chance to deliver on the rest?  Given that our job is dependent on earning and keeping an audience's attention, marketers are wise to take cues from entertainment-focused content formats like films and music videos. Even more so, we're wise to take cues from the creators behind them. In a nutshell, that's why Adam Dunn offers a particularly valuable perspective for people in our line of work. As a film and video director who has worked on numerous prominent music videos and Hollywood movies — including “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, for which he and his team won an Academy Award — Adam is fervently focused on creating content that is compelling and captivating for audiences. At TopRank Marketing, we’ve also had the opportunity to work with him on several video marketing initiatives, seeing first-hand how his expertise can take such efforts to the next level.

via GIPHY [bctt tweet="It's often the thing that is imperfect that eventually becomes the thing people like the most, which is why Spiderverse became the thing that everyone loved. — @adamjdunn #VideoMarketing #BreakFreeB2B" username="toprank"] In this edition of Break Free B2B, TopRank President Susan Misukanis and I were thrilled to sit and chat with Adam about a variety of topics pertinent to marketers today. We asked which elements of his work tend to resonate most with audiences, what his recommendations would be for budget-friendly video content, how new technologies like live-streaming and VR are coming into play, and more. This was actually the first episode of the show that was recorded, but we decided to warm you up with some rising stars and familiar faces in the B2B space first. Today we’re excited to share this conversation and branch out to more of an outsider’s perspective.  (Note: There were some technical difficulties with the microphone on our end. But we didn’t want to let that prevent you from hearing Adam’s awesome insights; please bear with us!)

Break Free B2B Marketing Interview with Adam Dunn

If you’re interested in checking out a particular portion of the discussion, you can find a quick general outline below, as well as a few excerpts that stood out to us.

0:30 — Adam’s background

2:30 — Learning from failure and setbacks

4:00 — Movies and music videos Adam has worked on

6:45 — Does “Into the Spider-Verse” represent a new visual frontier?

9:45 — Learning to speak your audience’s language

11:00 — The common traits of his most well-received work

13:00 — The appeal of video marketing

15:45 — Tips for creating video content with a finite budget

18:00 — How will Twitch and live-streaming influence the future of marketing?

21:30 — What is the role of VR and where is it heading?

Nick: As you look back at some of the things you've worked on — I'm especially interested in the music videos where there is a lot of content, a lot of competition, hard to stand out ... When you look at the ones that are the most well received, and gained the most traction, do you see any common elements that are making those resonate? Adam: I don't know if there's one common through point. But I think the biggest thing from all the ones that I've had that are successful is cohesiveness of vision.  So while all the videos are totally different, making sure your team is 100% on the same page when making the content is what makes the most successful stuff on my end, just because you know, there have been videos where things have been a little bit crazy and we haven't had we'd have a ton of time to shoot or anything like that, and we had to just kind of Helter Skelter, throw it all together to make something. And it doesn't come out nearly as cohesive as something where the whole team knows exactly where everything is going, all the pieces fit, and then you make this beautiful piece of art and everyone loves it …  How that could translate into something like B2B would be like, when you do an explainer, making sure you have that exact A to B to C lined up, ready to go. And that way when you make the explainer, everyone knows exactly where all the pieces fit, everything looks beautiful, and you make this amazing piece of content. [bctt tweet="I think the biggest factor in successful video content is cohesiveness of vision. @adamjdunn #VideoMarketing #BreakFreeB2B" username="toprank"] Nick: We’ve had the opportunity to work with you on some B2B marketing projects. What interests you about video marketing and where do you see it going?  Adam: I think video marketing is intriguing, because it brings in real-life storytelling. You bring in these experts and influencers who know exactly the topics are talking about — you get to meet them and watch how passionate they are about what they're involved in. So you get to learn this really cool stuff.  Like, when I first started working with you guys, I didn't know a ton about B2B marketing, but I feel like I at least have a ground framework now from getting to be around a bunch of experts and talking to influencers and stuff. So that's what intrigues me about it from my own on my own personal level, is getting to see these people who are super passionate and know everything. Nick: So for someone who's in B2B marketing and interested in doing video but doesn’t have an Academy Award winning effect specialist on hand, and maybe doesn’t know where to start …  What would be some recommendations for those with a finite budget and limited resources to create something that is high-quality and looks professional? Adam: I would say probably the very first place to start if you're looking to get started on doing video and you have a limited budget would be to invest as much money as you can into your kit, first and foremost, because that's the thing you're gonna have all the time. So your camera, the lighting gear, your microphones, those kinds of things.  With cameras you can make a lot of really professional, nice amazing things even on an iPhone now, so for camera, you have the tools at your disposal. One of the things that trip people up in a professional environment is audio-related. It's like if you have something like tons of hum and pops and things like that, that's something that can trip up professionals. So getting a nice microphone is usually a good spot.  But a really good thing just for starting, and what I say when I end up lecturing back at my old school, is always just start. Just start making things and just dip your toes in the water because you're never going to get great without just doing. So you need to do it in the early days and you know what if maybe the early ones aren't as great as the ones that happened later, and that's exactly what you want. [bctt tweet="Just start making things and just dip your toes in the water because you're never going to get great without just doing. @adamjdunn #VideoMarketing #BreakFreeB2B" username="toprank"] Stay tuned to the TopRank Marketing Blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Break Free B2B interviews. Here are a few interviews to whet your appetite:

Break Free B2B Series: Janine Wegner on Building Brand Thought Leadership With the Help of Influencers

Break Free B2B Series: Brody Dorland on Creating Long-Lasting Content Marketing Strategy

Break Free B2B Series: Clare Carr on Using Data to Drive Content Marketing Success

The post Break Free B2B Series: Adam Dunn on Creating Blockbuster Video Content in B2B appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Break Free B2B Series: Adam Dunn on Creating Blockbuster Video Content in B2B published first on yhttps://improfitninja.blogspot.com/

[samuelpboswell]

Break Free B2B Series: Adam Dunn on Creating Blockbuster Video Content in B2B

Content has many aims. It should inform. It should assist. It should entertain. But as B2B marketers, doesn't it seem like if we don't deliver on the latter – immediately, and convincingly – we don't really get a chance to deliver on the rest?  Given that our job is dependent on earning and keeping an audience's attention, marketers are wise to take cues from entertainment-focused content formats like films and music videos. Even more so, we're wise to take cues from the creators behind them. In a nutshell, that's why Adam Dunn offers a particularly valuable perspective for people in our line of work. As a film and video director who has worked on numerous prominent music videos and Hollywood movies — including “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, for which he and his team won an Academy Award — Adam is fervently focused on creating content that is compelling and captivating for audiences. At TopRank Marketing, we’ve also had the opportunity to work with him on several video marketing initiatives, seeing first-hand how his expertise can take such efforts to the next level.

via GIPHY [bctt tweet="It's often the thing that is imperfect that eventually becomes the thing people like the most, which is why Spiderverse became the thing that everyone loved. — @adamjdunn #VideoMarketing #BreakFreeB2B" username="toprank"] In this edition of Break Free B2B, TopRank President Susan Misukanis and I were thrilled to sit and chat with Adam about a variety of topics pertinent to marketers today. We asked which elements of his work tend to resonate most with audiences, what his recommendations would be for budget-friendly video content, how new technologies like live-streaming and VR are coming into play, and more. This was actually the first episode of the show that was recorded, but we decided to warm you up with some rising stars and familiar faces in the B2B space first. Today we’re excited to share this conversation and branch out to more of an outsider’s perspective.  (Note: There were some technical difficulties with the microphone on our end. But we didn’t want to let that prevent you from hearing Adam’s awesome insights; please bear with us!)

Break Free B2B Marketing Interview with Adam Dunn

If you’re interested in checking out a particular portion of the discussion, you can find a quick general outline below, as well as a few excerpts that stood out to us.

0:30 — Adam’s background

2:30 — Learning from failure and setbacks

4:00 — Movies and music videos Adam has worked on

6:45 — Does “Into the Spider-Verse” represent a new visual frontier?

9:45 — Learning to speak your audience’s language

11:00 — The common traits of his most well-received work

13:00 — The appeal of video marketing

15:45 — Tips for creating video content with a finite budget

18:00 — How will Twitch and live-streaming influence the future of marketing?

21:30 — What is the role of VR and where is it heading?

Nick: As you look back at some of the things you've worked on — I'm especially interested in the music videos where there is a lot of content, a lot of competition, hard to stand out ... When you look at the ones that are the most well received, and gained the most traction, do you see any common elements that are making those resonate? Adam: I don't know if there's one common through point. But I think the biggest thing from all the ones that I've had that are successful is cohesiveness of vision.  So while all the videos are totally different, making sure your team is 100% on the same page when making the content is what makes the most successful stuff on my end, just because you know, there have been videos where things have been a little bit crazy and we haven't had we'd have a ton of time to shoot or anything like that, and we had to just kind of Helter Skelter, throw it all together to make something. And it doesn't come out nearly as cohesive as something where the whole team knows exactly where everything is going, all the pieces fit, and then you make this beautiful piece of art and everyone loves it …  How that could translate into something like B2B would be like, when you do an explainer, making sure you have that exact A to B to C lined up, ready to go. And that way when you make the explainer, everyone knows exactly where all the pieces fit, everything looks beautiful, and you make this amazing piece of content. [bctt tweet="I think the biggest factor in successful video content is cohesiveness of vision. @adamjdunn #VideoMarketing #BreakFreeB2B" username="toprank"] Nick: We’ve had the opportunity to work with you on some B2B marketing projects. What interests you about video marketing and where do you see it going?  Adam: I think video marketing is intriguing, because it brings in real-life storytelling. You bring in these experts and influencers who know exactly the topics are talking about — you get to meet them and watch how passionate they are about what they're involved in. So you get to learn this really cool stuff.  Like, when I first started working with you guys, I didn't know a ton about B2B marketing, but I feel like I at least have a ground framework now from getting to be around a bunch of experts and talking to influencers and stuff. So that's what intrigues me about it from my own on my own personal level, is getting to see these people who are super passionate and know everything. Nick: So for someone who's in B2B marketing and interested in doing video but doesn’t have an Academy Award winning effect specialist on hand, and maybe doesn’t know where to start …  What would be some recommendations for those with a finite budget and limited resources to create something that is high-quality and looks professional? Adam: I would say probably the very first place to start if you're looking to get started on doing video and you have a limited budget would be to invest as much money as you can into your kit, first and foremost, because that's the thing you're gonna have all the time. So your camera, the lighting gear, your microphones, those kinds of things.  With cameras you can make a lot of really professional, nice amazing things even on an iPhone now, so for camera, you have the tools at your disposal. One of the things that trip people up in a professional environment is audio-related. It's like if you have something like tons of hum and pops and things like that, that's something that can trip up professionals. So getting a nice microphone is usually a good spot.  But a really good thing just for starting, and what I say when I end up lecturing back at my old school, is always just start. Just start making things and just dip your toes in the water because you're never going to get great without just doing. So you need to do it in the early days and you know what if maybe the early ones aren't as great as the ones that happened later, and that's exactly what you want. [bctt tweet="Just start making things and just dip your toes in the water because you're never going to get great without just doing. @adamjdunn #VideoMarketing #BreakFreeB2B" username="toprank"] Stay tuned to the TopRank Marketing Blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Break Free B2B interviews. Here are a few interviews to whet your appetite:

Break Free B2B Series: Janine Wegner on Building Brand Thought Leadership With the Help of Influencers

Break Free B2B Series: Brody Dorland on Creating Long-Lasting Content Marketing Strategy

Break Free B2B Series: Clare Carr on Using Data to Drive Content Marketing Success

The post Break Free B2B Series: Adam Dunn on Creating Blockbuster Video Content in B2B appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from The SEO Advantages https://www.toprankblog.com/2020/01/break-free-b2b-marketing-adam-dunn/

[sweethomeme-blog]

9 Social Media Marketing Strategies You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet (That Aren’t Facebook)

Looking for different opportunities in the world of social media that arent Facebook? Here are some potential game changers your brand should attempt in 2018.

In 2016 alone, Facebook is estimated to have traditional on peak of two-thirds of the worlds quantity social media advertising spend. By now though, the social media giants dominance is antiquated news.

If youconcerning looking for ripe opportunities for your 2018 social media budget, see no adding. Here are 9 alternatives.

1. Promoted Pins about speaking Pinterest  Image Credit: Social Media Examiner According to Pinterest, cold than 75% of Pins saved to Pin Boards are Promoted Pins created by brands. By any standards, thats pretty damn impressive. Promoted Pins as well as see just as soon as any auxiliary Pins obtain bond of, so no compulsion to afflict whether or not your ads will appear spammy or invasive to viewers.

2. Ads and influencers on Snapchat Because of Snapchats poor discharge adherence around Wall Street by now their IPO, the company is looking to make their ads more objector and their ads overseer more fanatic-available. With auxiliary ad formats as soon as enlarged reality placements, interactive games and more, Snapchat could present brands as soon as a fun and interesting every other to happening to venerated text, photo and video ads.

To learn how to locate Snapchat influencers, watch this awesome video by Virginia Salas Kastilio:

3. Instagram ads. According to AdWeek, Instagram is growing faster than any appendage social media platform taking into account it comes to advertising spend. Additionally, promote on March of 2017, the number of advertisers taking advantage of Instagram has doubled from 1 million to 2 million.

Because of Instagrams supreme buildup, terribly visual content, and the inability for users to have a million tabs dealings to distract them in report to the mobile app, the platform could prove groundbreaking in your companys upholding efforts.

4. Instagram influencers For most B2C brands, Instagram is arguably the most dexterously-suited platform for seamless influencer marketing. Influencers can showcase a product even though making it discreet ample as to not distract or position off their partners.

To discover influencers to potentially handbag in crime bearing in mind, attempt out tools as well as Klear. Also, recall that, unlike connection social media channels, you can implement message people concerning Instagram without both of you needing to follow each added, appropriately dont be scared to manually search for influencers via hashtags or the Discover credit.

5. Pre-roll ads concerning YouTube Youve probably seen countless ads from Tai Lopez (and subsidiary wannabe Tai Lopezs) pop up though you wait to watch your favorite YouTube series. As annoying and cringe-worthy as Tais ads may be, theyalong along together then suggestion to the whole memorable. This year, present YouTube pre-roll ads a attempt. They might submission the same results for your company.

6. Podcast sponsorships Alright, I profit it. Podcasts arent technically social media channels. That creature said, I dont think satisfactory brands are taking full advantage of the medium, for that footnote I had to mount occurring this one in here.

Since 2013, monthly podcast listenership has increased 75-percent, and the trend isnt likely to ensue less anytime soon. By favorably establishing associations taking into consideration podcasters who share your brands values, your watchfulness and revenue could skyrocket in the coming year.

7. Brand deals once YouTube vloggers  Casey Neistat: The God of YouTube Vlogging Vlogging has been concerning the rise subsequent to reference to YouTube in the set against ahead than the totaling few years, and could be a colossal mannerism for your brand to collective watchfulness.

One of the greatest support of your brand mammal featured a propos a vlog is how casual and definite the storytelling style inherently is. People watch vlogs for the vlogger, not because they following a fictional mood or are waiting for a punchline. This allows the YouTuber to construct an authentic, trustful attachment once their fans, which could have tremendous sustain for your company if you choose to scarf gone them.

8. Deals gone extremity Medium writers Because this platform is still relatively adjunct and writer reward is in its infancy, summit creators could be more hungry to fashion tote going on in crime taking into account brands relative to creators coarsely accretion channels.

To profit in be against subsequent to a writer, dig occurring their email, Twitter or depart them a Private Note upon one of their articles introducing your brand and the potential partnership.

9. Brand deals when Twitch influencers. For those who dont know, Twitch is a breathing streaming video game platform that was acquired by Amazon bolster in 2014. The number of monthly spectators upon Twitch exceeds 100 million. More importantly, the user base is a community of individuals all sharing a be crazy very very approximately for gaming, consequently a product thats a fine fit for gamers could potentially go ahead gone wildfire clearly by word-of-mouth.

Whether you test out one, two or every portion of nine of these options, my dream is that 2018 is the most plentiful year nevertheless for your brand upon social media.