#i know the nature of crossover is that it is a narrow niche and i won the lottery for most narrow of them

[ruindunburnit]

For anyone wondering if your comments are welcome on fanfics, let me tell you that I just found out this comment on LightBringer today, and it has absolutely made my day. Not only does this tell me that I've done what I intended to with this story (everything this commenter mentions is 100% what I was going for), knowing that someone enjoys it so much makes all the work I put into it worth it.

Seriously, a comment and a kudos is all fanfic writers like me ask for. Hell, you don't have to write a long and considered comment like this lovely person did, if you don't have the spoons -- even a keysmash of joy says it all.

I love comments, and you will never be weird or intrusive for commenting on a fic of mine. Love you all!

[ladylynse]

Hi, I've been reading a lot of your Secret Quartet stuff, and I really like this crossover. Onto my question, whatdo you see the four (Danny, Jake, Randy, Adrien) doing with their lives in the future? Like, do they get married, get a dream job, have kids? Stuff like that.

Thank you! I’m glad you like my work, and I appreciate you letting me know!

As for the futures of these four, I’m happy to play with various possibilities, so I don’t stick hard and fast to any particular headcanons. I know I’ve written at least one potential future for Danny (in Snapshots) that I hope he wouldn’t see. Come to think of it, Adrien’s futures in my fics have been more bittersweet than anything else.

Adrien - I think he’d be married with kids. Either the love square would sort itself out or he and Kagami would collectively manage to get away from the parental expectations--though in the latter case, at least one of them would probably get cut off from their family, since their parents strike me as those sorts of people, but they’d be happy with less if that were the case. Whoever he ends up with, he’d be happy just to be with them. I think he’d be a good dad, which is impressive considering his role model. I don’t think his first job would be something he wants to do--I think it would be something he does to please his father--but later on in life, I think he’d find something that makes him happy. If he’s with Marinette, they’ll have their hamster. And probably a ca,. an unchipped stray they find and adopt or one rescued from a shelter, because Adrien is a pushover. And then they’d have to get another hamster after the cat eats the first one, scarring the kids and Adrien.

Danny - I don’t think Danny would manage his dream as an astronaut, at least not one who makes it into space, unless he worked something out in short order with the ghosts to rescue his chance at that career path. I think he’d float around at jobs for a bit, trying to find his place in life because he’d never thought about a career path that wasn’t astronaut, and maybe work for his parents for a bit while taking a general year or three at the nearest community college. He’d talk to the ghosts while trying to figure out what he wants and gets conflicting advice, but Clockwork would refuse to let him check out possible futures to help him narrow down his choices. I think he would settle down with someone who knows or learns his secret (ie pick your ship), but I don’t think he’d want kids right away--both so he could enjoy some time with the person he married and because he’s not sure how safe it would be if he did have kids. For the kids. Because of the ghosts. Even if he’s worked something out with the regular ones, every once in a while, he has to deal with someone new, and he’s not sure it’s worth the risk. They might decide to adopt a slightly older child or two (Danny was never sure if he could have kids anyway). 

Randy - I’m not entirely convinced Theresa would be able to pin him down. If she did, I don’t think they’d have kids. Randy always struck me as a fun uncle sort of person. I could see him working somewhere for the money off the start and then gleefully quitting in favour of something he enjoys much more. Maybe he’d travel as much as he could, doing a bit of photography on the side because hey, now that he’s learned about it, it’s actually kinda cool--though he doesn’t have the patience to wait for a perfect shot, just an eye for spotting it that developed from all those years perching on buildings and streetlamps and otherwise looking around at the world from a different view than most. I think he’d live for spontaneity and surprises and find unique little treasures to give to the people he cares about (platonic and romantic if we go romantic). I imagine that he’d be the sort of person who would work really hard to get his flight license (and all the associated hours) once he put his mind to it (though I pick that because I could see him having a more restless nature and wanting to have access to a plane to go flying), and I could see him turning something like that into his own business, offering tours and whatnot. He might not remember his time as the Ninja if the others aren’t able to find a way to do that/extend his run past high school, but I think he’d still carry some of the lessons he learned with him. 

Jake - Once he and Rose find each other, they make it work, even though their relationship is very long distance off the start. Jake’s responsibilities would grow, so his ‘job’ would be more of a farce than anything else, because it would be rooted in the magical world. He might try to cover it by being a travel writer or something like that, going all across the country to find these niche spots and writing about them. If Rose worked in environmental protection, his work could complement hers, and the two of them would be able to make cases for conversation--both for the human world and the magical one. Jake would have enough memories of Haley as a baby to have an idea of what having kids would be getting them into, but I’m not sure if Rose would want them--at least not right away. Her head’s a mishmash of memories from two different timelines now, and the nice moments of family time together are thrust into sharp contrast of her wiping the floor with another initiate over a petty dispute, and she’s not convinced she’d be a good mother. I think Jake would reassure her but not push her. Haley would have announced her intention to have kids, so he wouldn’t feel as pressured to ‘continue the family line’ or whatnot. 

[expshared]

this season was kind of whack, but at least we had Eizouken

Heya Camp is just kind of a lazy reminder that Yuru Camp exists, and will continue to exist in the future. You remember these characters?? OK good, just making sure. That said, did I immediately feel the tension release in my entire body when I heard the OST? Duh. Did I sing “it’s coffee time” to the ending not knowing these were the incorrect lyrics? The entire time.

I don’t know what to do with Isekai Quartet because like, objectively, I should hate it. I do not enjoy like 2.5 of the shows involved, and the addition of Shield Hero was not a welcome one. Turns out it doesn’t matter anyway because it was just Isekai Quartet and also Naofumi is Sometimes Scowling in the Background and that’s about as much of him as I want to see anyway. And yet? I do enjoy this Disney Channel Original Crossover. There’s something inherently fun about watching these characters from disparate shows interact with each other, and no matter what the original stakes were in their respective series, they’re all just doing homework and getting part time jobs and that shit’s funny when a big skeleton man is doing it.

After its first episode, Asteroid in Love was kind of a slog. This is your typical seasonal CGDGT show, and apart from that, I really can’t think of anything to say about it. I didn’t learn anything about the Extremely Niche Topic these girls are doing, and it wasn’t even that gay. Disappointing. 

I was really looking forward to Toilet Bound Hanako-kun because I am a big fan of the source material, but I was pretty let down by this adaptation. It seems that they prioritized the art style and the color scheme above everything else, but that essentially just meant the entire project ended up being colored manga panels. I wanted to see them move around! There was not a single moment of animation that justified it being an anime. You might as well have been watching a PowerPoint. I can’t think of anything nice to say. Let’s move on. 

Bofuri is my power fantasy. I want to play a video game so cluelessly I break it into tiny pieces and bumble into being the most powerful player in the world’s nicest MMORPG. Maple turns powercreep into powersprint. What Bofuri lacks in character development or plot, it makes up for in outrageous Maple feats. She holds the entire world in the palm of her hand and she doesn’t even know it. She named her OP pet turtle Syrup and then turned into an alien abomination unknown to the world and went on a killing rampage. This anime was Maple Crossing Online. Love you, Maple. Wreck shit, Maple. 

If My Favorite Idol Got Into Budokan, I Would Die walks a thin line and what separates it from being a slobbering idol otaku engine preaching how Cool it is to Be an Otaku and an Idol Show Watamote is the fact that Eripiyo is a girl. That’s it. If you took her and replaced her with your average Joe Schmoe-san, this show would be insufferably creepy. Every time I was waiting for it to topple over, Jenga-like, it managed to right itself and straddle the tightrope. It’s not a particularly subtle piece of media, nor does it do what I was hoping it would do and engage in any sort of conversation about the obsessive nature of idol otakudom, but you know what it does a good job of doing? Portraying being an idol as a job. Just some adults putting on underground shows and selling the same CD of like two songs over and over again. I was also hoping it would address what happened to Eripiyo, maybe talk about why at the beginning she’s dressed like an office worker and apparently gives that all up to follow this kinda-shitty idol group, why this fanatic escapism is preferable, or even maybe address how gay it is? Not in the cards, though. Honestly Budokan was, despite itself, pretty enjoyable? There are some great background lesbians. Also can we talk about how consistently good the production values were on this show? Why did this have such great dance sequences? Why did this look better than Love “Has More Money Than God” Live? Actually no I take everything back this show was kind of just Idol Otaku Watamote

Hey, let’s talk about the other idol show airing this season: the completely unhinged 22/7. This show is Whack. This show operates on an entire different plane of reality. I know nothing about the actual band, so I came into this blind and oh my god. Hey guys, the plot of 22/7 is that a Wall tells some girls to form an idol unit.  A sentient Wall whose orders absolutely must be followed. Why? Dunno! What happens if you don’t follow its orders? Never elaborated on. (Actually, is this a reference to Pink Floyd? I have no fucking clue.) In any case these eight girls, summoned by a letter from the Wall, are all invited to become an idol group, and then they’re magically an idol group. It’s unclear how they become successful, how they book gigs, who’s keeping the lights on at the agency, how they’re getting paid, who HR is, how their gorilla man agent found this Wall and determined that all its directives Must Be Followed, but shit, man. What follows in 22/7 is a one-member-per-episode serial that quite frankly stumbles far more often than it succeeds. One girl’s grandma died and that’s why she came to Japan. One girl had a traumatizing experience where she got lost in the woods for a week and it broke her family apart and now things just suck forever. These things are equal. One poor girl’s entire episode was about how she didn’t want to put on a bathing suit for a photo shoot and how uncomfortable she felt about it, but in the end she was made to apologize for dragging her feet for so long and takes her photo for a pin up. Yuck. Gross. Bad. The only valid girl is Jun, end of discussion. None of this even holds a candle to the finale-- wherein the girls are directed by the Wall to disband, and, defying an order for the first time, the girls return to their agency and throw shit at the Wall until it breaks down. It’s revealed that the Wall isn’t supernatural-- behind it are tv monitors, photos of the girls as children, records of their activities. A person or people are behind this. Why??? Are they being groomed?? Is the Wall a metaphor for the Industry? I’m so concerned. The girls aren’t, though, because after a little side eyeing, they ascend a staircase and wow! A Stage! Our fans are all here for our reunion tour! And then they’re fine and I guess their idol group is back together or something? Did I mention the stage where they perform? It’s at a zoo. I can’t tell if this is the most scathing condemnation of idol culture I’ve ever watched or just completely oblivious. The characters don’t engage in any sort of thought about what they’re being put through, but they are performing their final song, the lyrics of which are about how life is just too hard to keep on living, at a zoo and I don’t think you can have that sort of thing happen unless you’re trying to make a point. Right??? RIGHT?!? Dance and sing, monkeys.

Smile Down the Runway was another show completely divorced from reality. So you got your main character, Chiyuki, whose thing is that she’s Too Short to Be a Model at her father’s very prestigious modeling agency. Which, like, is valid! Let’s see some variation in the modeling industry. Let’s shake it up. Let’s lead the charge for alternative models with bodies outside of the very narrow requirements of the fashion industry. What’s that, Chiyuki? You have no interest in that? You want to be a Hypermodel? I don’t know what that shit is, I think you made it up. Our other protagonist is Ikuto, the destitute, put upon, bobcut boy with a dying mother and 3 younger siblings who is trying to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. Are you beginning to sense the problem here? There is a fundamental imbalance in the presentation of these characters’ goals and situations. Also? Emotions are at an eleven, always. Characters are always acting as if they’ve just seen someone get murdered in front of their eyes even when it’s like. There’s a messed up seam. They are constantly being mortified, crushed, and having their dreams ripped away. One time, two different assholes offered Ikuto magical mom-fixing blood money when he was struggling to come up with funds to pay off his medical debt at the cost of giving up his spot in the fashion show. Wildin’ 

Haikyuu didn’t exactly come in like a lion, but I’m sure it’ll be more organic upon rewatching. We were laying the groundwork for much of this season so I’m expecting it to payoff later, but the beginning definitely lagged. Every time Haikyuu hints at a women’s volleyball tournament, I want a volleyball anime with girls. Man, those ten minutes we got with Kiyoko? Those were great. 

I don’t have too much to say about Somali and Forest Spirit. Abe’s “Make Children” agenda feels at least a little more like a narrative choice in this anime, and I enjoyed Somali and the Golem’s relationship and their travels were in equal turns harrowing and heartwarming. And I did tear up at the end so you got me there, anime. 

In/Spectre has some balls being an anime. It’s existed as a light novel and a manga and those are both superior mediums for it because let’s put all our cards on the table here-- In/Spectre is a show about talking. Five whole entire episodes take place in a car. The finale is winning an argument in an anonymous 4chan chatroom. That said, I have such a fondness for In/Spectre. I think Kotoko rocks. I think a show willing to do nothing but talk at you for two hours is badass. Sitting through this anime is like watching a podcast. I think the show engages in some great dialogue about human nature and how we prefer stories that are theatrical, narratively-driven, and have a logical cause-and-effect, instead of the truth, which is more often than not grim, and disappointing, and illogical. I like that Kotoko’s only function, in-story and out of it, is to bullshit so hard she invents alternate realities. Anyway In/Spectre is good. 

There’s no praise I can lavish on Eizouken that hasn’t already been said. It’s powerful, it’s strange, it’s energetic, and it’s packaged with such love. It’s repurposed the CGDCT template into something deeply affecting. It’s an anime for people who love animation.  I hope everyone watches Eizouken.

[templeofgeek]

Building cosplay can be a fun but challenging craft. This cosplayer takes it to a whole new level! Meet Amanda aka Rumplestilt Seam. She is a Texas based cosplayer that builds elaborate costumes that are quite frankly stunning to look at in person. Amanda is a seamstress who does commission work which you should go take a look at. I reached out to Amanda and asked her some questions in regards to her cosplay hobby.

(Danniel Slade) Can you start off by telling me a little bit about yourself?

(Amanda Phillips) My name is Amanda, I’m 25 years old and I’m from The Woodlands Texas. I go by Rumplestilt_seam in the cosplay community and I have over eight years of stage and theater experience under my belt, so naturally it was the obvious progression to move onto cosplay. I’ve been doing cosplay and costuming for a little over seven years; I’ve created award-winning costumes and skits, as well as having a piece accepted in the Dallas A-Kon 28 Cosplay Museum. I enjoy cosplay from different genres including anime, video games, comics, TV shows, and Movies. I tend to lean more towards DC Comics heroines and video game characters as well as a plethora of mashup and crossover pieces.

(DS) How did you come up with the name Rumplestilt Seam?

(AP) It’s kind of a funny story. I was for the longest time going under the alias “Adnamana12” which is my name backwards and the number twelve, and not so surprisingly people had a hard time pronouncing that. So, one evening I was posting about a costume I had finished recently, and I had a friend comment, “Wow! Girl, you spin out costumes faster than Rumplestiltskin spins gold!” and then it clicked. I came up with a play on Rumplestiltskin, RumplestiltSeam since I sew/am a seamstress.

  (DS) What fandoms are you into?

(AP) So MANY! To name a few though would be: Supernatural, Game of Thrones, Marvel/DC, Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Anime, and some old school 90’s-00’s sci-fi like Stargate SG1 (and Atlantis), as well as Farscape. But really, I’m into a lot of different stuff including Video Game famndoms, if I were to keep going this whole interview would be about Fandoms haha.

(DS) When did you get into cosplay?

(AP) VBS of 2011. It was video game themed and they allowed the volunteers to dress up and I went as the cheapest looking thrift shop Princess Peach in a Dolly Parton wig (I kid you not) haha! But the kids loved it, and I loved it, so I started to do it more often and put more thought into my costumes. Eventually I took the big leap and started making my own costumes from scratch and the rest is history.

  (DS) How do you choose what you are going to create for cosplay?

(AP) That’s a question with a very dull answer haha. I usually just choose things on Impulse. I’ll see something I like A LOT and just BOOM that’s what you’re cosplaying next. Unless it’s for a competition, then I listen to a bunch of different music/song tracks and try to narrow down who would fit what best, figure out a routine, and then choose.

  (DS) In total, how many costumes have you created over the years?

(AP) It’s somewhere around 20ish.

  (DS) Do you have a favorite costume that you want to wear over and over?

(AP) Sith Snow White definitely! I also love wearing Ciri, but she’s so dang hot to wear here in Texas with our Summers.

(DS) What was your easiest build?

(AP) Easiest build was Genderbent Meriln (BBC) I made for TRF last year. It was easy because I literally made it from fabric scraps I already had, I only needed to buy the fabric dye (Blue dress wasn’t always blue) and the jacket.

  (DS) Now on the flip side, what was your hardest build?

(AP) Hardest was an all foam armored Cat Woman that I hand sculpted and built up the motorcycle style helmet with long angular cat ears. Took me almost 9 months to complete, mainly because I didn’t know squat about foam smithing at the time.

(DS) What is your favorite convention to cosplay at?

(AP) Right now, it’s Comicpalooza in Houston. It’s local to me so it’s almost guaranteed that I will attend every year, I also usually compete in the Cosplay Contest.

  (DS) That was my next question! So you have competed in a cosplay competition, have you ever placed?

AP: I have! I’ve competed six times and placed in five of them! I usually compete in the skit division (as I mentioned before I used to be a pro dancer) since I like entertaining, but that doesn’t mean I skimp on craftsmanship! I always do prejudging and try to make at least 80% of my costumes for professionality sake.

  (DS) What is your next convention that fans will see you at?

(AP) The Texas Renaissance Festival (Unsure of which weekend(s) right now), and Oni-Con in Galveston Texas on November 9th- 11th (Oni-Con: https://oni-con.net/ , TRF: https://www.texrenfest.com/)

  (DS) You recently acquired an embroidery machine. How has your life changed now that you have it, what are your plans with all that power?

(AP) I feel like He-Man “I have the POWER!!” haha! But for real, I’m still only learning how to use it. Right now, I’ve been making Dice Bags; but as I familiarize myself with it I do plan to use in I’m my commissioning business as well as personal projects. I feel it’s a game changer for any cosplayer to invest in an embroidery machine for sure.

  (DS) What is on your cosplay bucket list?

(AP) SO MANY THINGS. Flame Atronach from Skyrim with lights and smoke effects. Anything designs from Artist(s) Noflutter, Hannah Alexander, or Sunset Dragon. I LOVE detailed pieces, and those artists make DETAILED pieces.

(DS) Outside of cosplay, what do you do for fun?

AP: Not much really. I know that sounds kind of lackluster, but what I mean is I’m a pretty simple and easily entertained person. I’m satisfied to sit and watch Netflix all day or read a book (Currently engrossed with The Witcher series). I’m seriously awkwardest of potatoes in real life haha.

  (DS) Are there any other cosplayers that inspire you?

(AP) Yaya Han, Kamui Cosplay, Jessica Nigri, and Cowbuttcrunchies are my biggest Cosplayer inspirations in craft and business models. They’re all such strong women of the cosplay community, and I want to be like them when I grow up.

  (DS) What would you say to someone who might want to build their first costume but don’t know how to get started?

(AP) Find your niche and grow with that until you’re ready to build a new skill. For example, I am a pretty solid seamstress, it’s what I’m good at. But I can’t really craft with Worbla or foam at the same skill level, but it’s one I currently working on. It may not be the same for everyone, some may start out being a makeup/wigs wizard but can’t figure out the working end of a sewing machine or start out with people thinking you’re part Tolkien Dwarf because you can craft armor like one, but you don’t know the first thing about styling a wig. And vice versa. Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to learn and do everything all at once, ease into it and learn it all at a healthy comfortable pace.

(DS) How can our readers find out more about you? (please plug away)

(EP) Here are my links!

Facebook: Cosplay – https://www.facebook.com/RumpleandCatcosplay Commissions – https://www.facebook.com/RumplestiltSeamCosplayCommisions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rumplestilt_seam Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RumplestiltSeam Blog: https://rumplestiltseam.wordpress.com

  Temple of Geek’s Featured #Cosplay – Rumplestilt Seam Building cosplay can be a fun but challenging craft. This cosplayer takes it to a whole new level!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

I'VE BEEN PONDERING YEARS

Galleries are not especially prone to waste money. But that prescription, though sufficient, is too narrow. Hence such parodies as Pets.1 The EU was designed partly to simulate a single, large domestic market.2 All you need from a launch is some initial core of users. But if ephemeralization is one of the most immediate evidence I had that something was amiss was that I couldn't talk to them. Microsoft will have a significant effect on our returns, and the rest are just a cost of doing business. So you start painting.

For users, Web-based applications, you'll find that delighting customers scales better than you expected.3 My hypothesis is that all the programmers have to be aggressive about user acquisition when you're small, you'll probably get something better. Google, and Facebook all got started.4 Stocks will generate greater returns over thirty years, you had to be pretty convincing to overcome this. If you want to keep an eye on things you've changed recently. People who majored in computer science generally tried to conceal it. The main significance of this type of profitability is that you're no longer at the mercy of investors. The other major technical advantage of Web-based startup is food and rent. A new concept of variables. The most common was some combination of a blog, a calendar, a dating site, and Friendster. It was a sign of an underlying lack of resourcefulness. Most startups fail.

He meant the Mac and its documentation and even packaging—such is the nature of platforms. In startups, developers are often forced to talk directly to users, whether they want to work on ideas that few beside them realize are good. When you interview a startup and think they seem likely to succeed than not.5 But I think that a lot of variation in the incoming stream, but instead of pursuing this thought they tended to suppress it, in the sense that all you have to do it, even print journalists.6 But the Collison brothers weren't going to wait. At the time there might have been. Maybe it's just because knowledge about them hasn't permeated our culture yet.7 The best thing would be if it were inherently stupid to invest in Microsoft. If you're ramen profitable this painful choice goes away.8

It's Parkinson's Law running in reverse. The problem with India itself is that it's still so poor. Grad school makes a good launch pad for startups, because you're only replacing one segment instead of discarding the whole thing.9 The worst thing is not the optimal time to do it was turn the sound into packets and ship it over the Internet. It seemed the perfect bad idea: a site 1 for a niche market 2 with no money 3 to do something called price discrimination, which means charging each customer as much as they used to. The number of users and the problem they solved was an urgent one. The fact that you can get at least someone to pay you, getting incorporated, raising money, but you can't expect to hit that right away. Values are what have types, not variables, and assigning or binding variables means copying pointers, not what they point to. But that is at least the next Chicago.10 There's selling, promotion, figuring out what those problems are.

It used to be aware of death to a degree that violates our expectations about variation. The test drive was the way to create wealth is to make more than you spend. But success has taken a lot of money.11 You can change anything about a house except where it is. It allows you to give an impressive-looking talk about nothing, and it may be just as likely to feel life was short if we lived 10 times as long?12 Any strategy that omits the effort—whether it's expecting a big launch to get you users, or a professional football player. And really it never was.

I asked some friends who work for big companies.13 You can be ornery when you're Scotty, but not so wrong about the underlying principle.14 Otherwise you'll have to make something people will pay for? Imagine how depressing the world would be if it were all like school and big companies, you'd need an impressive-looking talk about nothing, and it would be possible to reproduce Silicon Valley in Japan, because one of Silicon Valley's most distinctive features is immigration. Why don't more people do it? David Filo and Jerry Yang started the Yahoo directory in February 1994 and were getting a million hits a day by the fall, but they don't realize it.15 The traditional break everything and then filter out the uncommitted. They've spent 15-20 years solving problems other people have in their heads. The good news is, choosing problems is something that has a 90% chance of failing, if you don't solve all their problems. You can be ornery when you're Scotty, but not when you're Kirk.16 Yes. A lot of would-be founders.

As Fred Brooks pointed out, small groups are intrinsically more productive, because they know that as you run out of garages. It's easy to let the days rush by. For the first week or so we intended to make this an ordinary desktop application. The more versatile the tool, the less you need the money. The amount of time you have. It was easy to tell how smart they were, and most decent hackers are capable of that. I don't think many people realize how fragile and tentative startups are in the US are auto workers, New York City schoolteachers, and civil servants happier than actors, professors, and professional athletes? We felt we were good at organizing groups and making projects happen. You're not sacrificing anything if you forgo starting a startup is merely an artifact of the way through the server market; Yahoo's servers, which deal with loads as high as any on the Internet, anything genuinely good will spread by word of mouth.

For a big company, it's good news.17 If we ever got to the point where they could raise millions from VC funds if they hadn't first raised a hundred thousand from Andy Bechtolsheim. Viaweb was a typical larval startup. If I'd had to wait a year for the next couple years, a good recipe for startups will be to remind founders they need to do is give the right sort of founder a one line intro to a VC, and he'll chase down the implications of what's said to you can sometimes lead to uncomfortable conclusions.18 If you pay them to raise the money to manufacture your own hardware, or use your software for the first time, you know what you're talking about, you can succeed by sucking up to the right people: you can tell that by the number of people who want to come to America can even get in? You never really know what's happening inside it.19 What they want is easy. Technology is a lever.

Notes

There's a sort of investor who says he's interested in each type of mail, I would be a quiet, earnest place like Cambridge in that. It's hard to predict at the time required to notice them.

Delivered as if you'd invested at a discount of 30% means when it converts. It's conceivable that a company in Germany told me they like the application of math to real problems, but nothing else: no friends, TV, go running. On the other hand, a market of one investor who says he's interested in us!

For example, would not produce a viable organism.

If they no longer working to help the company they're buying. But those are guaranteed in the sense that if colleges want to work late at night.

If not, greater accessibility. Even college textbooks is unpleasant work, done mostly by technological progress is accelerating, so presumably will the rate of improvement is more important for societies to remember and pass on the young Henry VIII and was troubled by debts all his life.

These points don't apply to types of startup people in 100 years. That's very cheap, 1/50th of a problem if you'll never need to offer especially large rewards to get to profitability on a hard technical problem. I'm also an investor, and the valuation is the place for people interested in x, and owns significant equity in it. In 1525 he was exaggerating.

You have to turn down some good proposals too.

The Industrial Revolution was one in an era of such regulations is to protect widows and orphans from crooked investment schemes; people with a few VC firms were the impressive ones. For example, the only companies smart enough to defend their interests in political and legal disputes. Possible doesn't mean a great thing in itself deserving.

I've deliberately avoided saying whether the 25 people have historically done to their stems, but he refused because a there was near zero crossover. Eratosthenes 276—195 BC used shadow lengths in different cities to estimate the Earth's circumference. Com in order to win.

So in effect what the valuation a bit misleading to treat macros as a high school, approach the queen bees thereof and offer to be memorized. However, it was so violent that she decided never again. 25.

92.

Most were wrong, but the nature of server-based apps to share a virtual home directory spread across multiple servers. Indeed, that's not art because it reads as a high product of number of customers you need is a dotted line on a saturday, he was 10.

A termsheet with a product manager about problems integrating the Korean version of this essay, but I don't want to believe your whole future depends on the y, you'd get ten times as much as people in any era if people can see the old version, I would take their customers.

Indeed, it causes a fundamental economic shift away from large companies. William R.

But in this essay talks about the cheapest food available. It took a back seat to philology, which either desperately tries to munge what I've said into something that was killed partly by its overdone launch.

Dan was at the exact same thing twice. The reason not to. Peter Thiel would point out that there were 5 more I didn't like it if you want to know how many computers the worm infected, because there are some whose definition of property is driven mostly by technological progress aren't sharply differentiated. That's very cheap, 1/10 success rate for startups that have little do with the sort of community.

Many think successful startup? They each constrain the other is laziness.

Considering yourself a scientist. 43. So the cost can be useful in solving problems too, and when you had in high school textbooks. Innosight, February 2012.

And that will sign up quickest and those where the acquirer wants the employees. But if idea clashes got bad enough, maybe the corp dev people are magnified by the fact that they have less room to avoid using it out of their core values is Don't be evil. In principle companies aren't limited by the government and construction companies.

[akaluan]

MCU/Fireborn (TRPG) crossover

So, as @eccentricbirdie well knows (because I’ve been rambling about it to her for over a week at this point) my muse is an evil beast and likes making MCU crossovers with the most ridiculous things ever.

This is something that I’ll probably work on when I get done with Clouded Silver Wings. But for now... I’d like to lay the scene and ramble a bit about this idea, because it’s hilarious to me.

Concept: MCU x Fireborn (Tabletop RPG)

Fireborn, for those who don’t know (it is kinda a niche game, gunna be honest here), is a tabletop RPG about, well, dragons. Specifically, the players are all dragons that have been reborn into the bodies of humans, and with the reawakening of magic around the world, these Scions are remembering their past lives and gaining access to powers they once held as Dragons in the Mythic Era. They even gain the ability to transform into smaller versions of their past selves, given that they gain enough exp and gather relevant Treasure to boost their hoard rank.

The player-group is called a “Brood” -- a group of dragons with a permanent mental connection between them, which in tRPG terms means that player communication when the party is split isn’t metagaming so long as the players are within range of the telepathic aspect of the mental communication. (It’s one of the most hilarious and broken aspects of the game, honestly. My players delighted in tormenting each other just as much as they delighted in abusing the hell out of the ability to metagame.)

A dragon breed is made up of a Minor Breed that defines specifics of a form, and a Major Breed that outlines generics. Powers are dragon-specific abilities that Scions regain as the game goes on and can use in their human form without too much trouble. Legacies are a Power taken to a new level. Aspects are the stats of the game, scored between 0 (can barely do anything in this stat) to 6 (maximum human capability), but there are only four stats and it’s very fluid:

Fire: Active physical

Water: Reactive physical

Air: Active mental

Earth: Reactive mental

I’ve decided to use Skyrim’s dragon language to create the Mythic era names, instead of trying to find appropriate human-language names for them. (I might end up changing some of them around, I’m not sure; I do like what I’ve come up with, but it does produce really long looking names, even if I’m sticking with three syllables.)

So, without further ado...

The Brood

Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange.

(The world will never be the same again, hahahaha.)

Tony Stark:

They called him Shulheim, Sun-Forge, their tongues unable to pronounce his name, their minds constantly tripping over the syllables. He... didn’t mind. Much. He wasn’t here to win friends, or make a home for himself; he was here for revenge, to destroy the beast that had lain waste to his chosen world and driven him to the edge of the galaxy, to this backwater world with it’s strange dracoforms and proliferation of other species. Shulheim was as good a name as any, for one who had lost everything.

Dragon Breed: Interstellar Kin (fanmade Minor and Major Breeds)

Notable Powers: Newton’s Eye (fanmade: gravity manipulation), Child of Fire (core: fire immunity and aura), Metabolic Control (core: control of own body’s metabolism), Clarity (core: enhanced mental insight), Alternate Form (core: shapeshifting)

Legacy: Quickened Mind (core: enhanced Clarity -- Think and react at unearthly speeds)

Breed Abilities: Gaping maw (think snake-like jaws), wingless flight, enhanced sight, articulate/prehensile tail, ability to resist extreme pressure

Aspects: Fire: 4;  Water: 4;  Air: 6;  Earth: 5

Mythic Name:  Shulheim -- “Sun-Forge” - not his true name, but one given to him by  Feykroah [Bruce] so that others could address him

Draconic Form: humanoid-bipedal, 9′4″ tall, digitigrade legs ending in clawed paws, human like hands with short claws instead of nails, medium-length sharp muzzle, forward facing red-gold eyes with slit pupils, no horns, overly massive wings with thin membranes (useless for atmospheric flight, used as solar-sails; membrane can be varying levels of opaque in order to control how much speed is gained), long prehensile tail strong enough to hold a small human in place

Draconic Coloration: midnight blue base color, shading darker at his core (torso, abdomen) and paler at his points, like a reverse Siamese cat. Scattered across his body are speckles of silvery-blue like stars, and his wing membranes are covered in stars and nebulae.

Pepper Potts

She loved her people, deeply and fiercely, but taking up arms? No, she didn’t enjoy war, or death, or the spilling of blood. She much preferred to talk her way out of problems, to motivate her allies and demoralize her foes. But Shulheim was insistent, manic with fear and hatred that she couldn’t sooth, so for him, for the refugee from another world, she would once more bare her teeth and sharpen her claws.

Let the Devourer come. She would teach it the error of its ways.

Dragon Breed: Noble Drake (core Minor and Major Breeds)

Notable Powers: Nobility (core: motivate allies, demoralize foes), Ferocity (core: fight beyond your body’s limits), Flight (fanmade: fly without wings), Child of Fire (core: fire immunity and aura), Alternate Form (core: shapeshifting)

Legacy: Storm Lord (core: enhanced Nobility -- gather a storm and use it against your foes)

Breed Abilities: Enhanced senses (sight/sound/hearing/taste/touch), bipedal or quadrupedal movement

Aspects: Fire:5;  Water: 4;  Air: 5;  Earth: 5

Mythic Name: Faadshuldein -- “Warm-Sun-Safeguard”

Draconic Form: a traditional draconic the sort featured in Western legends (six-limbed, feline/serpentine body type mix), with dexterous front paws tipped in spear-length, raptor style claws; stands about 18′11″ tall at the shoulder, long sharp muzzle, skull crowned in horns, forward facing feline-style eyes, large bat-like wings, heavy whip-like tail

Draconic Coloration: brilliant gold scales with a scattering of silver, especially across the muzzle, metallic blue eyes, wing membranes that shade to bronze along the edges

James “Rhodey” Rhodes

He loved the sky. Loved flight, and freedom, and the ability to go wherever he wanted at the drop of a feather. What he didn’t love was strange dracoforms that fell from the sky, limp and wounded and with a crazed look of pain-fear-hatred in their eyes. He’s only met one dracoform like that, thankfully, and caught the other before he could impact the ground, but...

Well, whatever hurt Shulheim? Is going to have to go through him first.

Dragon Breed: Wind Wyvern (fanmade Minor and Major Breeds)

Notable Powers:  Flight (fanmade: fly without wings), Heir of the Storm (core: electrical immunity and aura), Skin of Stone (core: supernaturally tough hide), Instinct (core: heightened instincts), Alternate Form (core: shapeshifting)

Legacy: Aegis Bearer (core: enhanced Skin of Stone -- immunity to damage)

Breed Abilities: Enhanced sight, wingless flight, bipedal movement, constricting tail

Aspects: Fire:5;  Water: 5; Air: 5;  Earth: 4

Mythic Name: Lokventhur -- “Sky-Wind-Overlord”

Draconic Form: a wyvern in build (front limbs are wings, like a bird or bat), very avian in appearance, stands about 16′7″ at the shoulder; very thin and narrow muzzle and skull, hawk-like eyes, limited grasping ability through front claws (think bat-style wing-fingers for grasping), raptor-like claws on hind feet, sleek feathers covering entire body, long and heavy tail capable of grasping and immobilizing people and objects

Draconic Coloration: base plumage color of coal black, with the edges of body feathers tipped in bright cherry red giving a scalloped look, ember-red eyes that shine orange in the right light, wing feathers are charcoal black on the underside, charcoal-to-ember-red on the top, and the primaries are tipped with cherry red

Stephen Strange:

He didn’t need proof that there were things out there, beyond their little planet; not when he could casually summon things from realms beyond the ken of most living souls. He also didn’t need proof that there were things out there that would happily destroy his world; this, too, he knew quite well.

Advanced warning, however, was a true novelty, as was having companions intent on fighting at his side. He didn’t need it, of course, but it was still nice.

Dragon Breed: Arcane Serpent (fanmade Minor and core Major Breed)

Notable Powers: Spell Engine (fanmade: casting spells is as natural as breathing), Earthstride (core: ability to move through solid material), Summoner (fanmade: call forth creatures from other realms), Crushing Will (core: command and control others), Alternate Form (core: shapeshifting)

Legacy: Gatekeeper (core: enhanced Summoner -- control the boundaries between worlds)

Breed Abilities: Enhanced sight, prehensile tail, bio-luminescent, adroit swimmer 

Aspects: Fire:4;  Water: 5; Air: 6;  Earth: 5

Mythic Name: Krehmulviin -- “Distortion-Strength-Shine”

Draconic Form: serpentine body (with associated serpentine movement, despite having limbs), about 10′4″ tall at shoulder (size is mostly in length, not shoulder-height), snake-like head and eyes, sharp, back-swept horns, short front and hind limbs, human-level dexterity with forepaws, fin-like wings that extend the length of body (think D&D 3.5 Gold Dragon style wings, including flight style)

Draconic Coloration: dark slate blue body scales with bright blue lateral stripes that glow (faintly when at rest, brightly when using magic), wing-fins start as dark slate blue next to the body and fade to pale sky blue at the outer edge

Bruce Banner:

He preferred to keep to himself, traveling around the world and slipping in and out of different human societies; the usual posturing and territoriality of other dracoforms was more exhausting than pleasing, this late in his life. That was a game for the young, not for a dracoform who had once prowled the world alongside the dinosaurs when the number of dragons could be counted on one paw.

But for all his aloof habits, he is still one of the Eldest, and the Earth is his to protect. The Devourer is in for a rude awakening, if the thing believes it will just win.

Dragon Breed: Dire Beast (core Minor and Major Breeds)

Notable Powers: Mighty Leap (core: tall buildings, one leap), Gift of Tongues (fanmade: draconic version of Aesir’s All Speak), Instinct (core: heightened instincts), Ferocity (core: fight beyond your body’s limits),   Alternate Form (core: shapeshifting)

Legacy: Undying Serpent (core: enhanced Ferocity -- inability to die except via extreme circumstances)

Breed Abilities: Vicious bite (ability to bite through any armor), enhanced sense of smell, flightless, 

Aspects: Fire:5;  Water: 5; Air: 5;  Earth: 5

Mythic Name: Feykroah -- “Forest-Hunter”

Draconic Form: basic therapod body plan, akin to a utahraptor in form; about 24′ at the shoulder, utahraptor-shaped skull but with Extra Teeth, large feathered crest atop head that’s usually laid flat, feathered body and miniature feathered wings attached to forelimbs (useless for anything but display), razor sharp spines hidden amongst the feathers which splay out during battle to deal extra damage, larger spine-blades along the tail that can’t lay flat

Draconic Coloration: tan feathers with forest green stripes, head crest is a brighter green, amber eyes

(Doing some hand-wavy magic with the Beast bodyplan; they’re supposed to be like giant cats, but I have Bruce being from the time of the dinosaurs, so I went with a utahraptor style body instead, because they’re equally terrifying predators.)

[buttersbots]

@emme2589 tagged me to do this whole thing?? If anyone wants to know far too much about my writing process, check out under the cut for 54 questions and answers!

1. Favorite place to write.      I can’t really say that I have one. The urge to write strikes me at odd times and in odd places. I’ve noticed I really like to write when I should be doing something else instead, or in places I rather shouldn’t be writing. Maybe my muse likes to walk on the edge? 2. Favorite part of writing.      When the characters write themselves! I’ll sit down with just an idea most of the time and the characters take care of the rest. If I have writer’s block, it’s probably because I’m trying to do something out of character, but I’m too reluctant to redo whatever’s bothering me. 3. Least favorite part of writing.      Random lack of motivation and coming up with titles. 4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?      I always have to be listening to something. Usually music, oftentimes TV (when I’m feeling relaxed and not in any rush, I like picking away at a story sentence by sentence while I’m distracted. Which is all the time).  5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.      I’m really struck by Tolkien's writing style and try to emulate his imagery sometimes. Nothing has ever really captured me the way that does. Other than that, I guess my writing is inspired in part by everything I’ve ever read? 6. Favorite character you ever created.      Fletcher (surprise). My son. My hopes and dreams. 7. Favorite author.      Too hard... but I like @stormkeeper12 a lot. She’s my favorite person on this planet and a naturally gifted writer. 8. Favorite trope to write.      Ex-con adjusts to a normal, domestic life while moving past their traumas and unlearning toxic behaviors with the help of their loved ones, eventually learning to love life and feeling fulfilled in ways they never knew possible. 9. Least favorite trope to write.      Why would I write a trope I don’t like? 10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.      @emme2589 WE’D WRITE ABOUT ROBOTS AND IT’D BE SICK AS HELL 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.      It depends. If it’s just a ficlet, I’ll just write it out once I’ve had the idea usually over the course of a day or two, then go back and tweak things so it flows and there are no grammar/syntax/punctuation errors. If it’s a longer story, I’ll start it from some point and fill out the rest sporadically. Sometimes I’ll make outlines, sometimes my muse will slap me with a random scene and I’ll write it out and fill in the context of the story later. I rewrite constantly. 12. How do you deal with self-doubts?      I write as a coping mechanism. My writing improves the more I do it, so when I’m down in the dumps and need to get it out, my characters give me all the catharsis I need while simultaneously becoming more alive. 13. How do you deal with writers block?      I don’t. If I have writer’s block, I’m not going to get anything done, so I do something else. 14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?      I don’t write books, but I think the most unneeded research I’ve ever put into something was at the beginning of Charming, and it was about tulips. I wanted Two’s gardening to be realistic since she knows everything there is to know about plant care, so I researched when you’re supposed to plant tulip bulbs, how to best tend to them so that they grow well, and learned a hell of a lot considering I’ve hardly gardened a day in my almost 20 years of existence. I think I only ended up mentioning that she was removing debris from the soil in the background. 15. Where does your inspiration come from?      That’s what I’d like to know! Why can’t I just be inspired by something popular that would get me regular feedback? Why did I have to fall for a speck of a crossover rarepair? Why do Nos and Two make me feel like I’m alive when nothing else will? 16. Where do you take your motivation from?      My own feelings. If an idea doesn’t make me feel things, I won’t write it. As a result, almost everything is comforting and low-energy or something light, quick, and comedic. 17. On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?     It wouldn’t really be fair to take an average when I’ll write nothing for days, write a couple paragraphs every other week when I should be doing homework, and then sit down and write seven pages straight every blue moon. 18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?      I’ll comb through the entire story and tweak every word I don’t like until one day I’ve improved so much that I start tweaking at one point and end up rewriting the whole thing from scratch. (Example: Alloy [NSFW]). 19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.       When the doorbell rang, Fletcher was already at the front door, waiting to pull it open. Evening had just fallen. The porch light flickered, and it must have made him look even more frantic than he felt ‒ the two women standing on the porch practically jumped back at the sight of him.      [Fletcher Calls a Council] 20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.      With his sensors dulled to ignore the rest of the hospital, Nos-4-a2 felt like the entire universe was limited to his immediate surroundings. In front of him sat the long, low nanotherapy chamber, its contents swirling silver under the artificial light, unchanging over the passing hours. Across from that sat the heavy door, muffling the sound of people moving through the halls. Behind him, the curtains covered the world outside, blocking the progress of the storm. Even his thoughts seemed to come to a grinding halt, numb with waiting, tired of imagining every possible scenario.      The day had completely wasted away before the outside world came crashing in.      A quiet knock was his only warning before a star-struck Morgan opened the door. “You have some visitors!”      [Vampirism Chapter 6] 21. Post the last sentence(s sorry I have no self control) you wrote in one of your WIPs.      We hurt him. It was the only thought in her mind. He might not trust them any more. He might hate them. She didn’t know what to do, but she knew the only way to make anything right would be to explain.      “Fletcher... I’m coming up,” Two murmured. She unbuckled her cape and folded it, placing it on top of the low stone wall surrounding the tree. The white probe then proceeded to find her way through the mesh of bark and leaves until she was wedged in a niche of branches directly across from her son. He’d shifted his head so that he wasn’t looking at her.      “...Please, honey, talk to me,” Two whispered.      Fletcher blinked, his eyeforms narrowing. He waited, not knowing what to say or how to feel. His voice broke when he finally asked, “Did Dad ever kill anyone?”      [Family Secrets] 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?      I don’t keep drafts. I just work on something until I feel like the plot and language are sound enough for me to put it online. 23. Single or multi POV, and why?      I only ever write a story out of one point of view any more, and it’s almost exclusively third person, usually limited. Sometimes omniscient, but most of the time I’ll just switch limited from one character from another after a break in the story. Third person comes most naturally to me after all my studying because almost all of the reading we did was in third person. 24. Poetry or prose, and why?      Prose, because it’s the best way I know how to evoke a clear emotion. Prose is often more beautiful and meaningful to me than poetry. 25. Linear or non-linear, and why?      HAHAHAHAHA! Non-linear because I don’t have the discipline or desire to write in order. 26. Standalone or series, and why?      I think... both...? Somehow...? I write mostly ficlets and one-shots that don’t need a lot of context, but they have much more meaning if you’re familiar with the continuity that I write for, so...? 27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?      @erick-achan and @emme2589 both have access to the hundreds of WIPs in my Google Drive. If I got to know anyone else who was interested, I’d give them the same thing. I’m so thirsty for feedback and gushing about/expanding on ideas, I can’t wait to be finished! 28. And who do you share them with?      Trusted creatives/anyone who shows the slightest bit of maybe thinking that they might want to look into Nos and Two. 29. Who do you write for?      Myself. 30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.      HOW COULD YOU ASK THIS? I don’t know! Oh GOD I’d have to read through everything and pick just one, it would take me ages, ‘cause what if I forgot about something and found it later? It would haunt me. 31. Hardest character to write.      Not sure. I don’t really want to spend energy on characters that don’t come naturally to me. 32. Easiest character to write.      Two. 33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?      This is my go-to playlist. 34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?      Typed. I type everything. Sometimes I’ll hand write, but that’s only if I’m in a very particular mood or don’t have my computer with me. 35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.      Well, this was obviously meant to be asked a single question at a time, so if you’d like to know more about the backstory of one of my characters, send me an ask! 36. A spoiler for story _________.      You can send me an ask for this as well, though there’s really nothing for me to spoil. I have a detailed timeline and write out of order. If you’re reading my stories, it’s probably for the interactions/journey. 37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.      This doesn’t count as just a quote, but basically anything about Father Zosima’s philosophy in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. We had to read it in AP Lit, and it was a drag, but Father Zosima’s teachings helped me get through a seriously dark time when nothing else could. I don’t subscribe to his religion as much as the message. You can kinda see what he’s all about in his shmoop article, but it doesn’t do justice to the depth of Zosima’s life story. It’s really the basis of how I try to live my life every day, and now that my sister’s reading TBK in AP Lit, I’m thinking about going back and looking over the Zosima parts again. 38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?      Send me an ask~ 39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.      I draw inspiration from everything, I think. There isn’t anyone who’s solely based on someone I know in real life or who I designed to be like anyone I’ve met. I guess Two’s boss at work is kinda like my managers, but I wrote her before I got my job, so that’s just coincidence. 40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?      Fanfiction, because I have no feelings for anything I’ve created on my own that didn’t stem from someone else’s intellectual property. I guess the closest I’ve come to original fiction is when I write a Fletcher-centric story that only involves other characters of my own design, which I guess are becoming more frequent. 41. How many stories do you work on at one time?      *choking back tears* I have open WIPs that date back to 2013 and I’ve only gotten more prolific since then. (I just counted 98 in my “fanfiction shorts” folder alone, so that’s not including ideas for ficlets or multi-chaptered stories that I have underway. Admittedly, many have been scrapped or set aside, but I never delete anything in case I can reuse some of the material.) 42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.      I don’t design too many characters. Since most of the characters I make are children of other established characters, I just try to balance design elements. Otherwise I do my best to mix in diverse races, genders, and species. 43. Are you an avid reader?      Not nearly as much as I’d like to be. Most of my creative consumption in the past few years has been of video games, and more recently, D&D. 44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.      There are so many good ones that come to mind that make me feel warm from the depths of my soul. The comments that I got on Alloy on deviantART made me feel so validated, I lived off that energy for a month! There are also more general pieces of feedback such as someone (*cough* @emme2589 *cough*) writing a big multi-chaptered fic and l i s t i n g  m e  a s  i n s p i r a t i o n. My mortal soul transcended this plane of existence that day. That really goes for anyone who shows any affectation from my writing, though, no matter the medium. Two of my best friends on the planet I only got to know because of our shared interest in Energy Vampires. 45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.      The only bad feedback is a lack of feedback. (Maybe I only say that because nobody’s given me negative feedback before, but that’s just because not enough people care about Nos and Two, and I’m a Thirsty Bitch.) 46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?      LISTEN. If ANYTHING I wrote were to be adapted to moving visual media, it would be 2D cartoon animation, and it would kill me instantly. 47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?      ...Both? I don’t have a clear answer for this one. 48. Favorite genre to write in.      I’m sorry, but I was raised on FanFiction.net, so I counting “fluff” as a genre is literally a part of my being. My favorite is fluff. 49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?      Depends on the story. 50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.      I can’t talk about it in polite company. 51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.      Send me an axe. Ask. Axske. 52. How did writing change you?      Writing didn’t change me, my writing changes as I do. I started writing for Wall.E as soon as I could. I was 10 at the time, and I pretty much consider that the beginning of my life. Everything before that was just vague, formative details leading up to me seeing Wall.E and discovering my one true love. 53. What does writing mean to you?      It’s my found family, fictional and non-fictional. 54. Any writing advice you want to share?      Just don’t stop. You can’t help but get better if you just don’t stop. Don’t be discouraged, but don’t stagnate: learn what you struggle with and do better. When you find a writing style you really admire, don’t feel like you’ll never live up to it, just try to reach that level in small ways. Before you know it, you’ll have found your own way and people will be looking up to you, which is scary in its own right. Also, read Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. This is the handiest book any writer who’s into the minutia of grammar and syntax could ever need.

[socialmediamarketing2sales-blog]

21-social-media-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses

The social media universe can be an overwhelming place for small businesses. And, as a small business marketer, you’re likely strapped: for funds, time, and/or manpower. That means you need to enter the space with a game plan, because without a game plan, social media marketing can be as much of an exercise in existential crises as Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

So where do you start? What do you post? How do you measure?

Luckily, many people have been through this looking glass before, so they can provide some guidance.

I asked the experts for their best social media tips, and here’s what they had to say.

Jump to a section:

Getting Started

Where Should I Post?

What Should I Post?

Scheduling

Boosting Engagement

Measuring Returns

Getting Started:

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well.

-Chapter 1

It can be very easy, when it comes to social media, to think of it as a rabbit hole: it’s a fairly simple concept, but who knows what it’ll require of you once you begin. When making the case for yourself or a team member to get started with social media, here are some things the experts suggest you keep in mind.

1. A lack of social presence makes customers question your legitimacy.

“It’s no longer a question of “if” you should get on social media, but instead “what” social media you should focus on. Any business with a social media presence is automatically viewed as more competent, focused, and thoughtful than competitors that do not. An active social media presence is even better, since it shows customers that your company runs smoothly and takes care of everything, down to the online marketing presence.”

-Amy Dalcanton, Marketing Specialist at Unlimited | Sotheby’s International Realty, @Unlimited_SIR

2. Combat that lack of presence by front-loading new profiles with content..

“When you’re just getting started, I suggest pushing as much as content as possible, as consistently as possible. Don’t worry so much whether “it’s brand appropriate;” you just want to get started and build content.”

-Jas Banwait, Growth Marketing Expert at JasBanwait.co, @JasBanwait

3. That said, you don’t have to be an every-man. In fact, it might be more effective if you’re not.

“Marketing on social media takes finding your niche and building a relationship there. Trying to reach a broad audience will fail.”

-Nick Leffler, Owner of Your Brand By Nick Leffler, @Nick_Leffler

4. Knowing your target customer can help develop a niche voice on social.

“Developing buyer personas is a great way to narrow down your target audience. Your product/service isn’t for everyone, so make sure you’re speaking to the right people.”

-Ashton Haywood, Marketing Specialist at Software Advice, @SoftwareAdvice, @ItsAshtonLynne

5. Don’t over-process your posts.

“Be human! A lot of organizations are afraid of making mistakes on social – they’ll run their posts through 20 different people and approval processes before actually posting, and the result comes across as robotic and bland. People don’t respond to that!”

-Brandon Echter, Engagement Manager at Science Friday, @SciFri, @BEchter

Where Should I Post?

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

-Chapter 6

There’s been a prevailing attitude over the past decade or so that you need to be on platform X, or that you may as well not exist if you’re not on platform Y *cough FACEBOOK cough*. But the winds are changing. And today, no platform is a requirement.

6. Start where your customers are.

“Just because you love reddit doesn’t mean your customers are there. Figure out where your ideal customers are already hanging out and learn how to use that platform to reach them. It’s much easier to go to them than to try to bring them over to your favourite space.”

-Anita Kirkbride, Head Twirp at Twirp Communications, @AnitaKirkbride

7. Take on what you can handle–and nothing more.

“Planning, creating, scheduling social media content and having conversations with potential customers takes time. If you sign up for every social media channel under the sun, you will be spreading yourself too thin and your content will perform poorly”

-Danica Benson, Marketing Communications Manager at RivalIQ, @RivalIQ

8. Don’t sweat it if you’re not on the

latest

craze.

“Some businesses may never make it to Instagram or Snapchat – but that’s okay! Concentrate on your target audience and your goals from social media. In the world of choosing social platforms to concentrate on for small businesses, less is often always more.”

-Jessica Kornfeind, Senior Marketing Manager at PrimePay, @JesKorn

What Should I Post?

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.”

-Chapter 2

What sort of content is your audience interested in? It’s going to take a lot of trial and error to figure that out. But these experts provide a good jumping off point:

9. Take your cues from the successes of others.

“You can find ideas anywhere; be sure to analyze and watch what your competitors are doing/posting. It’s also important to monitor what other businesses and companies are doing that catches your attention. Sign up for social media articles and tips from experts so you can daily or weekly receive emails with all sorts of tips, new information and social updates.”

-Erin Siefring, Social Media Coordinator at Totally Promotional, @TPromotional

10. Entertaining and useful content is better than promotional content.

“People go on social media to be entertained, not to be marketed at. Therefore, whatever your company puts on social media should be built to engage first and market second, if at all.”

-Nicholas Berry, Digital Marker at American Image Displays, @Am_Img_Displays

“Being ‘useful’ to your followers is crucial for engaging an audience. A genuine approach actually enables business owners to save time… one well thought out post will bring more engagement than 10 terrible posts.”

-Jayme Pretzloff, Director of Marketing at Wixon Jewelers, @WixonJewelers

11. Images are key.

“Use high quality, crisp visuals. Recent research shows images increase social media engagement: Twitter updates with images in them receive 150% more retweets than those without and Facebook posts with images in them receive 2.3 times more engagement than those without. Canva is a fantastic resource for creating custom images, with free and low-cost options available.”

-Emily Sidley, Senior Director of Publicity at Three Girls Media, @EmilySidleyPR

Related:  Top 7 Free Photoshop Alternatives for Better Social Media

Scheduling

“My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.”

― Through the Looking Glass

Social media can seem like a daunting task; there’s always more to do and little time to accomplish it. With so much to do, how do you accomplish it all?

12. Consider a posting plan, to start.

“Lots of small businesses get so caught up in ROI, strategy,and SEO that they forget the most important part: to post consistently. So many businesses are so wrapped up in the overthinking that they leave their pages out of date by months or years – dinging their credibility when a potential client looks them up online to see what they are all about. My best tip for small businesses just getting started is to come up with simple posting plan to start – and then actually carry out that plan consistently over time. Once you get comfortable posting on a regular basis, you can invest more time and money in a deeper strategy.”

-Stacy Erickson Edwards, Founder of Organized Social Media, @OrganizedSM

13. Invest in a scheduling tool.

“Investing in a scheduling tool, like Buffer for Hootsuite, to schedule your social posts in advance. These tools will save you hours of time each week. Social scheduling tools allow you to schedule posts across multiple social channels for the day, week or month. This way you don’t spend 30-60 minutes every day on social media.”

-Danica Benson, Marketing Communications Manager at RivalIQ, @RivalIQ

Related:  The Top 7 Free Social Media Management Software

Boosting Engagement

“How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another.”

―Chapter 5

Social media moves quickly, so you need to be a little more reactive than other channels. You need to be engaged with what’s happening; if you plan on just setting something up and walking away, you’re going to have a bad time.

14. Engagement is a two-way street.

“When people mention your company on social media, let them know that you’re listening. If it’s a question or positive comment, respond ASAP. If not, make sure to like or favorite the post so they know you saw it. Little gestures like this go a long way.”

-Kyle Massa, Content Associate at TeamSnap, @TeamSnap

15. Look local for cross-promotion opportunities.

“Engage locally and authentically! Look for local organizations with whom your business has a natural affinity of demographic crossover.

Find them, follow them and engage with them. Retweet and repost their content and look for opportunities to feature them in your content. Soon enough, if the connection is real, you’ll find their audience becomes your audience, too.”

-Will Scott, CEO of Search Influence, @SearchInfluence

16. Set yourself up for success: Optimize your other channels/content for social sharing.

“You can also use email to promote social media. Include your social icons/links within the footer of your emails to build an audience.”

-Lexi Pemberton, Vendor Marketing Associate at Capterra, @Capterra

“Include social share icons with proper functionality on your web pages. Icons with ‘share’ functionality should be placed on article pages, and icons with ‘follow’ functionality should be placed in the footer or header.”

-Leslie Handmaker, Digital Marketer at LeslieHandmaker.com

Measuring Returns

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

― Chapter 6

One of the biggest challenges any social media manager faces is proving the return on investment. It’s easy to say ‘we need to be on social media,’ but–for small businesses where resources are sparse–the executive team often needs to see how you’re moving the needle.

17. Take advantage of the built-in analytics tools.

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure, but measuring social media ROI doesn’t have to be expensive. Small businesses can take advantage of the wealth of information provided in built-in, free analytics tools like Facebook Insights. The key is know what to measure – don’t worry too much about gathering a million followers. The important numbers to watch are engagement and impressions.”

-Natalie O’Grady, Social Media Specialist at A.Wordsmith, @MissNatalieJ

18. Define what success looks like to you and build from there.

“In terms of measuring ROI, it depends on your business objectives. If increasing your following is a major goal, create a simple shared doc or spreadsheet with others on your team and record the number of followers per channel at the beginning of the month. Then, once a week or once a month, go back and write in the most current follower counts. This will show you where you’re growing, stalling or losing ground…

If web traffic is a goal (and it probably should be), set yourself up with a Google Analytics account so that you can measure all of the pertinent metrics that show where your visitors are coming from, which channels are the sources of valuable traffic, how long do people stay and read your content before bouncing, and whether they leave your page quickly or visit other pages on your site. This data will help you develop a solid strategy and ensure you’re not simply spinning your wheels with social media or blogging efforts.”

-Jason Myers, Senior Account Executive at The Content Factory, @ContentFac

19. Don’t get swayed by vanity metrics.

“Most businesses only focus on vanity metrics like number of followers, likes, and retweets. Those can be a good measure of your success, but they can also be deceiving. Not every follower is useful to you. Is it better to have 1,000 great followers that could potentially be customers one day or 10,000 followers that are in a different country that will never buy from you. It’s pretty obvious that you’d rather have the 1,000. High numbers don’t always mean great success.

I’d recommend figuring out what action you really want your followers to make. Do you want them to click through to your website? Do you want to start more conversations with them through social? Do you want them to claim an offer that you’re sharing specifically through social media? Define the action that you want them to take and start tracking it. Social media is at least as much about branding as it is marketing so if you make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward and branding yourself as an authority in your industry, you’ll be just fine!”

-Dustin Brackett, CEO of HIVE Digital Strategy, @HIVE_Strategy @DBrackett88

20. Test constantly

“Testing of your social media content needs to be ongoing, and there should always be a monthly, if not weekly discussion as a team on what content is performing either well or poorly, and what can be done to remedy that. This can be fixed by optimizing timing of posts, stronger call to actions, curation of industry content, etc.”

-Melissa Fears, Social Media Specialist at Anvil Media, @MJFears

21. Be patient! It’s a learning experience.

“Be patient! A lot of small business owners don’t know about all of a platform’s capabilities, or get frustrated when they don’t see a high engagement rate or grand following right away. If you’re not getting the results you want, spend a little more time going back to basics. Optimize your Facebook Page, follow relevant accounts on Twitter, post regularly to Instagram, and so on.”

-Kelly Jacobson, Content Creator and Social Media Manager at Illumine8 Marketing and PR, @Illumine8PR

Well, there you have it: advice straight from the experts.

Which one of these tips did you find most actionable? Or do you have a favorite tip I missed? Let me know in the comments!