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songbirdsingingthings · 4 years ago

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This request (if it's still an option) might be a little odd and will admittedly stay more feminine, but if i may?

Might i request a small shoto x reader story where the reader is a practicing witch? It's something i personally am into and i think it would be fun to read. Imagine shoto learning about spell candles, crystals charging positive energy, tarot cards, that stuff, because the person he likes uses them a lot.

It might be a touch vague, plot wise, but from west I've read it's sure to be something you can make amazing. Thank you very much. (Anonymous because this is my first time ever requesting something like this and I'm way to shy about it.)

Intuition - Shouto Todoroki x Reader

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Kohei Horikoshi

MHA Masterlist - Main Masterlist

WARNINGS: Fluff, Swearing (It’s Bakugou, so, that’s kinda a given)

Requested by Anonymous:

A/N: Hi!!! I am so sorry that this took me freaking AGES to write. In between trying to research and find reputable sources to learn from about what you requested and dealing with school stuff (honestly, my teachers just think that all of my free time should be filled with school work smh) I finally FINALLY finished! I really hope you enjoyed, and I really found it interesting learning about all these things! <3

Word Count: 1.5K

“Y/N, may I ask you a question?” Shouto’s smooth voice cut through to your senses, rousing you from the book you currently had your nose in. Sitting just inches away from you was the red-and-white haired boy, the textbook he had been consulting now bookmarked and set next to him. With a raise of your eyebrow in curiosity, you marked your page and nodded.

“What’s on your mind?” You ask, leaning a bit closer to him. Shouto, being your boyfriend for now 2 months and comfortable with touch, wrapped a light arm around your waist.

“I was just curious about your choice of decor for your dorm, it’s quite unique.” A knowing smile graced your lips as your gaze left his handsome face and flitted around your dorm. On top of shelves, all over your desk, and even on the balcony windowsill you had, crystals and candles dotted the room. A smile graced your lips as you saw Shouto’s eyes on the various beloved items.

“I guess you can say it’s unique,” You start to say, standing from your spot on the floor and going over to your desk and taking your favorite crystal into your hand. It was a simple clear quartz cluster but it’s been with you the longest. You motion for Shouto to stand up next to you so he could see it more clearly. “This one is a clear quartz,” you explain as he bends down so that his eyes are eye-level with the crystal.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs, his gaze transfixed on the quartz. With a laugh, you carefully place it back down on your desk.

“Well, it’s not all just a pretty face. It’s actually charged with a lot of healing energy, so it’s provided some real tranquility in my life.” Shouto’s eyes narrow in confusion, looking back up to yours.

“You’re not telling me that this crystal has a quirk, do you?” He asks, genuinely perplexed. With a bark of laughter, you shake your head.

“No, no, it doesn’t have a quirk. I’ve just been charging the crystal myself.” Still sensing some bewilderment from your boyfriend, you grab a few different items - the quartz, a spell candle from your windowsill, and a pack of tarot cards from your desk - and lead him over to your bed to sit down. “A lot of the things I have in my room have a more… spiritual side to them. Basically with things like crystals, I charge them with positive energies. I do this by cleansing them and then emanating positive thoughts, intentions, or words to the crystals themselves.” Shouto nods, seemingly understanding that concept.

“Are the candles and cards similar?” He wonders.

“Well, they’re all similar in the way that they’re part of witchcraft. People who are practicing witches usually have some, if not all, of these things and probably a lot more. I’m kind of in the low-key part of witchcraft since I don’t really cast spells or am part of a coven or anything, but I really enjoy it.” You gush, causing Shouto’s cheeks to heat up a bit. He’s always loved seeing you so passionate about things whether it be in classes or during hero training, but your passion here was on a whole other level.

“Interesting,” he says, “so what purpose do the candles serve?” His interested tone causes a giddy smile to flicker across your face, sending you into ‘explanation mode’.

“The candles are actually pretty cool. Like the crystals, it’s recommended that you cleanse and charge them in order for them to work. I usually buy these from that crystal store on mainstreet, and this one is one of my favorites! It’s actually one for my zodiac sign,” you tell him, holding the glass holder up in front of him so that he could read the label.

“And the cards?” He asks, leaning over to view the pack of cards.

“Oh! Those are tarot cards.” “I’m assuming they are pretty different from regular cards?” He asks, a little smirk on his face.

“You would be right in assuming that, yes,” you say, giggling while sliding the deck out of its container. You give the deck a few shuffles. “They can help to gain insight on peoples’ futures by drawing cards that represent your past, present, and your future.” Shouto’s eyes widened.

“They can tell your future?” He exclaims, a little wary but also excited about the prospect of it.

“Yeah, you want me to give you a reading?”

“Yes!” Shouto says quickly. Your heart warms at his enthusiasm as you let your shuffling come to a stop. Spreading the cards out in your hand, you hold them face down in front of your boyfriend.

“Okay, pick three.” You say simply, yet Shouto still hesitates.

“Is there a strategy for picking them?” He asks.

“Just go on your intuition. Pick what your heart tells you to.” You murmur. Shouto nods slowly and lets his fingers hover over the cards. He lets his fingers dangle for only a minute before picking his three cards and setting them on your bed covers. With a satisfied smile, you straighten up the rest of the cards, set them aside, and turn your attention to the three he picked. You turn them over one by one. His first card, representing his past, is The Tower. The second card, representing his present, is the Death card. And finally, representing his future, he picked the The World card. As Shouto’s eyes rake over his cards, they settle and widen comically at the middle card.

“Uh, oh no, Y/N I picked death.” He said, his breathing becoming a little shallow at his sudden spurt of panic.

“That’s okay Sho, just let me give you your reading, yeah?” You soothe, urging him to calm down. With a hesitant nod, he settles down a bit. “Okay! So for your first card, you chose The Tower. Now this card represents sudden upheaval, broken pride, and disaster. Think back to your past whether it be just yesterday or years beforehand. I know you had a tough childhood and growing up was never easy for you,” you say, trying to empathize with Shouto. He nods acceptingly, having already acknowledged his past.

“Yes, this card makes sense.” He simply says. Your gaze focuses next on the middle card - Death.

“I know this card can look a little scary, but I promise it’s not.” You say, trying to gently ease Shouto into the idea that his current present is represented by death. “The Death card represents the end of a cycle, new beginnings, and metamorphosis. Think and turn your consciousness to your thoughts right now. Think about how much you have changed from your past, and find solace in the end of that cycle and the beginning of a new one.” Shouto closes his eyes and unconsciously begins to smile, causing your own to shine brighter.

“That is a comforting thought. I never thought I could find relief from a card that says death on it.” He remarks, opening his eyes back up to yours. You could tell he was eager to hear about his last card - his future.

“And your final card is The World. I’m not being biased or anything, I promise you I’m not, but this is one of my favorite cards.” You admit, earning a sparkle to show in your boyfriend's eyes. “The World card represents fulfillment, harmony, and completion. Try and imagine your future. This completion and fulfillment could come in the form of many things whether it be your career, your friendships-”

“A romantic relationship?” He asks, his cheeks now burning with red. You feel yourself begin to fluster and the silly smile across your face causes you to look at your hands.

“Yes, this card could potentially apply to a romantic relationship.” You murmur softly. You busy yourself with cleaning up the cards and putting them back in their container, still flushed with the thought of Shouto hoping for harmony within your relationship. However, your thoughts are put to a halt when Shouto has a soft hand beneath your chin, gently angling your head so that your eyes meet his.

“I like the thought of a fulfilling relationship with you.” He confesses, his doe eyes causing you to melt.

“I, uh, Shouto the card might not be referring to that though.” You stammer, your eyes flicking in between his and his lips.

“You said that I should go on intuition beforehand, yes?” He asks, wanting you to confirm. When you nod your head, his smile turns into a smirk. “Well then my intuition tells me that the card is referring to us.” And in one fluid motion, his lips are on yours. Like always, they’re soft, slow, and sensual… and you can never get enough of them. With one hand going up to play with his hair and the other one wrapping around his neck, you press yourself closer to him as he kisses you more feverishly.

“Thanks for my reading,” he says breathlessly, each word in between kisses. You yourself are breathless as well, sinking into his embrace like puddy.

“Anytime.”

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recentanimenews · 4 years ago

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Bookshelf Briefs 6/20/21

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 12 | By Matoba | Yen Press – When you have a main couple as innocent and naive as this one, it’s going to take a lot of struggle to get them together. Indeed, even figuring out what love actually is is tough for Miss Beelzebub, much less that she’s in love with Mullin. And then, just as she’s ready to tell Mullin how she feels, he’s seized by self-hatred and doubt, thinking she’s far too high a station for him. This leads to her being depressed and avoiding him, which… repeat as needed. Thankfully, they do eventually manage to confess to each other. The series may not end with the wedding on the cover, but this is good enough. It was sickly sweet at times… but that’s why everyone read this series in the first place. – Sean Gaffney

BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 4 | By Kaori Tsurutani | Seven Seas – While the series is based around the premise of a teenage girl and an elderly woman bonding over BL, it’s become apparent that this is Urara’s book. Which makes sense—she’s the one searching for a goal. The creation of the doujinshi is very much an up-and-down process, one which we see throughout this volume. It ends at “Comitia 128,” with our unlikely friends manning their own booth. Sadly, said booth—at least so far—has no actual buyers. Honestly, I would have hoped the sheer oddity of the pairing behind the table would have been a draw, but I suppose it’s hard to look beyond the tables. I think this ends with the next book, so it’s time to binge before the finale. – Sean Gaffney

Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry, Vol. 1 | By Kou Yatsuhashi | TOKYOPOP – This seems to be a classic case where I’m really intrigued by the ideas this brings to the table, but the execution is not as stellar. A young woman has it all—powerful magic, her isekai’d-from-Japan boyfriend, and a kingdom who loves her—then it’s all destroyed and she’s killed. When she wakes, she’s in the body of a noble far into her future. Magic is a sad shadow of its former self, and she herself is, essentially, a villainess. Most of the book, unfortunately, then sort of slips into standard shoujo romance, but I like the idea that she doesn’t HAVE any memories of her current self, and has to fake it and deal with everyone’s hatred. I might check out the second volume. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 12 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – It amazes me how this book can still be so funny even after all this time, and I credit this to its central premise, which is that everyone in it is a complete dumbass—but never all at the same time. It’s a comedy rule; there has to be someone to react. Sometimes it’s Sakura, despairing about a relay novel that gets out of hand. Sometimes it’s everyone else in the cast watching the continuing car crash that is Seo trying to get Wakamatsu to recognize her feelings. And sometimes it’s Hori and Kashima, where his confession turns out to be, perhaps appropriately, a giant excuse for drama. These kids are all terrible at life, and are all so endearing, I don’t know what I’ll ever do without them if this ever ends. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 13 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – It’s good for you! Builds character! That’s what it feels like most of the first part of this volume feels like, as Shirayuki is off to the North, meaning she and Zen will be spending a long time apart. That said, it’s as much about their little group of five than it is about the couple, as it’s clear Shirayuki is going to miss Mitsuhide and Kiki just as much. And as for Obi… well, the love triangle that dares not state its name comes pretty close this time around. (It’s a well-known fact that a majority of the series’ fans, at least in the West, want her to hook up with Obi instead, so the plot twist is not surprising.) All this plus a long, unrelated short story to pad out the volume! Still great, though. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 5 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – A large chunk of this book focuses on Anya and her difficulties at school—not only is it an elite private school, but she’s a girl who spent her life as an orphan, experimented on and abused, and she’s lied to Loid about her age to seem older. So, needless to say, schoolwork is proving tough. Normally she can get by by using her powers (i.e. cheating), but that doesn’t work during the new moon—which matches with exams. It’s tense, but also leaves us plenty of choice hilarious bits. Elsewhere, Yor attempts to learn to cook, and we introduce a colleague of Loid’s who is obsessed with him and VERY upset she was not chosen to be his fake wife for this mission. Everyone should be reading this Eisner-nominated manga. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 11 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – One of the reasons that folks seem to be more tolerant of Takagi than they are of Nagatoro or Uzaki is that, for the most part, Nishikata enjoys hanging out with her, and while he finds the teasing frustrating, it’s not because she’s bullying him, it’s because he’s so competitive. Half the time Takagi doesn’t even need to tease him—he shoots himself in his own foot. Even when he literally ends up fanning her like a queen, it’s on him. And, once again, the fun comes from realizing they already ARE a couple, it’s just he can’t really admit that. The most interesting chapter has one of their friends briefly ponder using Nishikata as a fake boyfriend, but it doesn’t even last long enough for Takagi to ponder jealousy. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 15 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical Comics – The back cover blurb for this volume says, “A hard-working middle-aged gay couple in Tokyo experience new challenges both at work and at home.” Really, that about sums it up. Kenji has taken over management of the beauty salon and must figure out how to delegate some of his new responsibilities so that he’s still able to have dinners at home with Shiro. Most of Shiro’s story is about his parents, who are considering selling their house and moving into a retirement home. In between, there is some shopping for ingredients, a lot of veggies getting chopped, many burbling pots, and incalculable TBSP of soy sauce. Oh, and also everyone tries not to eat too many carbs, which is extremely relatable. I’m particularly keen for the next volume, as Shiro will be meeting Kenji’s family for the first time. Good, as per usual. – Michelle Smith

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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azrielsiphons · 8 years ago

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Reading List! (Not of the YA or NA Genre)

Yesterday I got a question in my ask about any wisdom from yours truly and I said to read more things that challenge your worldview and force you out of your comfort zone. I gave a short list of suggested books but I have expanded it upon request. So here you go!

-Confessions, by Augustine (I read this at least three or four times a year, it’s an autobiography and testimonial based in a Christian worldview but valuable for anyone in my opinion)  -The Art of War, by Sun Tzu  -The Analects, by Confucius  -Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand  -Plutarch’s Lives vol. one and two (autobiography)  -Socrates: A Man for Our Times, by Paul Johnson  -No Hiding Place: An Autobiography & Asylum: An Alcoholic Takes the Cure, by William Seabrook (this book man… read it.) -Ann Judson: The Missionary Life for Burma (Ann Judson is one of my personal heroes) -Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston -Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, by Edward Albee (a play, necessary read in my opinion) -Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller (yet another play, I’m a theater person and honestly that’s a whole separate list) -1984, by George Orwell (most people read this in high school but if you haven’t DO IT) -Night, by Elie Wiesel (much more well known as of late, but it you haven’t read it it will change your life. Read it twice a year at LEAST) -The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, both by John Steinbeck -Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan (fun fact: this book has NEVER been out of print since first being published) -Anthem, by Ayn Rand -A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf -The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood (holy SHIT) -The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka -A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking -A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, by Elisabeth Eliot (Elisabeth Eliot is one of my other big heroes, honestly if you like or are interested in any Christian literature read this - you don’t have to be a believer to appreciate it) -The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, by Giorgio Vasari (literally SO COOL) -The Man Without a Country, by Edward E. Hale (if you’re like me and got interested in early American history thanks to Hamilton, READ THIS) -12 Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup (I don’t care if you’ve seen the movie or haven’t, read this) -Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King -Hunger, by Knut Hamson (reading this is an odd experience on it’s own, even more odd knowing that Hamson was a Nazi sympathizer) -Why Don’t We Learn from History, and Strategy, both by BH Liddell Hart (I haven’t read these yet but apparently they are a must) -Ask the Dust, by John Fante -Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther (a profound reading experience) -Losing the War, by Lee Sandlin (I haven’t read this yet either, apparently it’s an essay about WWII that’s a necessary read for everyone. My theater professor recommended it and I trust the hell out of him. I think it’s free online) -The Measure of My Days, by Florida Scott Maxwell (READ THIS) -The Power Tactics of Jesus Christ and Other Essays, by Jay Haley (I promise, this isn’t what you expect it to be)

That’s it for now! Hope this list helps someone expand their reading comfort zone!

#fuckyeahazriel recs #book recommendations

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bestdestined-a-blog · 8 years ago

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Kat’s Guide to TOS

so you wanna get into star trek, huh ?? well, that can seem like a daunting task, considering there’s so much to dive into. now if you’ve never watched any trek, I actually recommend starting with the reboot series. they’re trek for the Modern Audience and there’s only three of them out so far, so they’re much more accessible for budding trekkies. but if you know the characters and know the world and wanna explore it further, it can be hard to know where to begin. now, the list below the cut is ENTIRELY MY OPINION. people can agree or disagree to their heart’s content, but these are the episodes as I see them and enjoy them. if you wanna watch all of tos, I encourage you to !! but if you’re looking for a taste, this is what I recommend. if you’re looking for some second opinions, someone ranked the eps from worst to best HERE, and there’s a skippable list HERE.

before I get to the list, I should point out that TOS can be watched in any order. it isn’t serialized at all (except for the two part Menagerie) and each episode stands alone. you can watch whatever you want and you won’t be lost. also please approach the series with an open mind. it came out in the 60s. it’s presented in a much more theatrical manner than modern television, and had an infamously low budget. don’t let that distract from thetruly good things. I’m breaking this down into a few categories: must watch, ones I like, and infamously bad. not all episodes will be listed, any episodes I don’t mention are ones that didn’t stick with me, personally, and you can watch at your discretion. doesn’t mean they’re bad, they just aren’t ones that resonated with me. there’s 79 episodes of TOS proper, I’m not gonna talk about ALL of them.

a note on ‘the cage’ - this is the original pilot that didn’t get picked up. the only character who carries over into tos proper is spock, and he’s quite a different character here than the one we know. you can watch this one for curiosity’s sake but you can get away with skipping it. the show revisits it in ‘the menagerie’ anyways.

MUST WATCH:

the naked time: the crew acts strange, we get shirtless swashbuckling sulu, sobbing spock and bones brutally ripping jim’s shirt to give him a hypo. a fun ep to watch tbh. maybe not the greatest introduction to the show but a solid ep nonetheless. balance of terror: introduces the romulans. arena: this is the gorn ep, widely considered a classic. does the gorn look a little cheesy? yeah but overall it’s a solid ep. space seed: it introduces khan. especially good to watch if you plan to watch the movies (which I’ll talk about in a separate post) the devil in the dark: the horta ep. it explores some neat concepts and there’s some good moments between jim and spock. errand of mercy: klingons !! city on the edge of forever: widely considered the best trek episode, and quite justifiably so. it might seem a little silly to modern audiences, but it has a good story, some good humour and some excellent emotional moments. amok time: pon farr. mirror mirror: MIRROR UNIVERSE !! journey to babel: sarek and amanda the trouble with tribbles: chances are, even if you’ve never seen star trek you know about this episode. it’s worth a watch.

PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS:

where no man has gone before: the pilot that eventually got picked up. it’s a little different from the rest of the series but worth checking out. the enemy within: there are some uncomfortable moments in this, but it features the unicorn dog and super hammy shatner with eyeliner. the corbomite maneuver: it can be a little silly at times but there’s a few moments I like in this ep the conscience of the king: can be a little grating if you don’t like shakespeare but there’s some important kirk backstory and also features kodos. shore leave: mostly I recommend this one for the line spock pulls on kirk but it’s pretty fun nonetheless. the galileo seven: it’s neat to see spock wrestle with command tbh. the squire of gothos: I mean, this one is really a personal preference. the timeline is way off bc they hadn’t quite decided the dates of the series, and the character of trelane can be a bit grating, but idk I have a soft spot for it. court martial: mostly I like this ep bc I like areel shaw. she’s one of jim’s former flames but she’s a good character. this side of paradise: the spores episode. the doomsday machine: decker is pretty much the defining example of an asshole starfleet higher up, but there’s some complex motives here I, mudd: the first mudd episode is. meh. but this one is just wild fun a piece of the action: gangster planet. spock and jim in suits. jim trying to drive stick. I really like this one. the ultimate computer: jim goes through some interesting existential stuff, and it’s a neat examination of how much power we should give technology. the enterprise incident: the romulan commander lady kinda rocks my socks the tholian web: I know that Enterprise references this ep, and there’s some good spones ish moments in it the empath: not the greatest of eps on this list but worth it for the wonderful mccoy moments the savage curtain: jim, spock, abe lincoln and surak fight genghis khan and a few other baddies. all our yesterdays: good spones moments yes yes.

a couple eps worth mention

metamorphosis: this ep makes me a little uncomfortable with the way it treats a lady character (then again it’s not unique in that regard) but it is of note because it introduces zefram cochrane, a big figure in trek lore. plato’s stepchildren: wow. this episode is. kind of a wild ride. most of it is weird af but it’s notable for being the first televised kiss between a black woman and a white man. this is the controversial ep. idk if that makes this ep worth watching bc the kiss itself is kinda. in a weird situation. but if you were curious this one’s the one. let that be your last battlefield: this is the one with the aliens who are half black, half white, and hate each other because of which side is which colour. sort of a ham-handed look at racism but you may have seen this one referenced. I’m not particularly fond of it but it’s interesting.

INFAMOUSLY BAD:

most of these are from season three. there’s a reason s3 is called the turd season by fans. skip these or watch them at your discretion.

the alternative factor: tbh I barely paid attention during this ep, and it’s just kinda weird. spock’s brain: when trek fans talk about bad trek, this is the finest example. it almost veers into ‘so bad it’s good’ territory tho. its campy and crazy and absurd. the paradise syndrome: racist shit. and the children shall lead: children. a lawyer who can’t act playing a role. weird magic shit. ehh. the way to eden: space hippies. it’s. yeah. turnabout intruder: I hate this episode. it’s so sexist and just. not a good time. women can’t command starships my ass.

I might go back and edit this if others pop up but these are some of my personal highlights !! I encourage you to also check out the rest of the eps, reading the descriptions and watching them as you see fit.

#╢╰☆╮ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᶜᵃᶰᵃᵈᶤᵃᶰ ᵗʰᵃᶰ ˢʰᵃᵗᶰᵉʳ ⁻ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ˢᶤᶰᶠᵘˡ ᵗʰᵃᶰ ᵏᶤʳᵏ (ooc)#{this post is LONG just fyi}#{I had a few friends who wanted to get into trek}#{so I made this mostly for them}#{if anyone else has any other opinions}#{or eps they wanna add}#{feel free to comment}#{I'd prefer if this didn't get reblogged tho}

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hghsecrets · 5 years ago

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‘Magic’ Words To Build Your Business Exponentially

It's fine to build your business gradually, a step here and a step there. But it's so much better, faster and just plain more FUN to build it by leaps and bounds.

Below you'll find the magic words that will help you to do just that. Forget taking the long, slow painful route and resolve to achieve a quantum leap, or true metamorphosis in your business.

1 Magic Word That Quadruples Productivity And Profits

There are a myriad of tasks any one online marketer needs to perform, and the faster and better those tasks are completed, the more profitable the business can be. But struggling marketers who are trying to balance administrative duties, product creation, social media, customer service, formatting and uploading books to Kindle, writing blog posts, setting up JV's, recruiting affiliates, writing emails, setting up autoresponders, doing research, writing sales copy, answering emails, forum posting and all their many other marketing tasks might be better off doing less, not more.

If you've ever been on a ship, you probably noticed the captain doesn't cook the meals or swab the deck. Nor does he maintain the engines, hoist the sails, plot the navigation or the other 101 duties that are done aboard a ship. Rather, he is the pilot of the entire operation, instructing everyone else on what to do.

Perhaps it's time you think of yourself as the pilot of your own business. Do those tasks which you are extremely good at, and OUTSOURCE the rest to professionals who excel in those areas. You will not only get far more done, but odds are the work will be completed faster in a more professional manner. And when you can quadruple your efforts by adding a few part time outsourcers, you can also quadruple your results and your profits.

Don't kid yourself – you cannot do it all and make the kind of money you want. As soon as you can afford to, start outsourcing. It's not only one of the most profitable things you can do, it also gets you away from the grindstone and able to see the big picture so you can better navigate the waters of your business.

2 Magic Words To Make You A Marketing Rockstar

If you want your content to be seen and shared, and if you want it to make a lasting impression of prospects, then the written word is seldom enough anymore. Let's do a test: Tell me everything you can about the person who wrote the blog post you read yesterday. Drawing a blank? Now tell me everything you can about a video you saw yesterday. Different story, right?

What if someone calls you on the phone to sell you something you're interested in, versus someone that shows up at your door. Which one are you more likely to buy from? Assuming you're not freaked out that a salesman appeared out of no where with the product that adequately fits your needs, you're going to buy from him, not the faceless person on the phone.

Obviously you can't visit your prospects in person, but you can do something almost as good – USE VIDEO People remember video over the written word because it engages more of the senses. If you only use the written word, you're simply not going to make nearly the same level of connection that you could have with video.

Now then, you might be afraid to get in front of the camera. If so, you can start out with slideshow videos, animated videos or screencast videos. Then move up to videos of yourself because this is the real pay off. This is where people start to feel like they can really connect with you and they KNOW you. Remember, content is more important than quality. You don't have to be the next Steven Spielberg to make this work, you just have to be authentic with something to say that people want to hear.

3 Magic Words That Can DOUBLE Your Sales

You should be doing this every single time you sell a product or service because it will invariably increase your bottom line. Marketers have added hundreds of thousands of dollars to their sales funnels by simply incorporating these three words into every sales system they create.

What are the 3 magic words? ALWAYS BE UPSELLING. Every single time you sell anything, offer an upsell / downsell sequence because it can turn your original $47 sale into a $300 sale or more, simply by offering the customer additional options.

Offer something that is complimentary to the original offer. It might make the original offer easier or faster to implement, go into more depth, offer more options, or even perform a service for them. It could be coaching, an additional information product, software, a membership program or anything else that helps the customer to achieve the result they want.

What if you don't have a product or service to offer as an upsell? Then find an appropriate affiliate product that matches your original offer. And here's a secret: When a customer turns down an upsell, they are typically more open to buying a lower cost (downsell) product. It's almost as though the higher ticket item warms them up to the downsell offer. This is why car dealers and real estate brokers like to show cars and properties that are too expensive for the client. Once they show the client something more affordable, the client is more likely to make an offer than if they'd been shown the lower cost model in the first place.

4 Magic Words To Get You More Clients

If you're selling big ticket items or services, I'm about to utter the 4 words 9 out of 10 marketers dread: PICK UP THE PHONE. Nothing sells as well as face to face contact except perhaps the phone. Let's face it – your prospects are inundated with emails and shout-outs on social media. If you really want to connect and make the sale, you need to pick up that 500 pound phone and establish a real one-on-one relationship.

If you're phone-a-phobic, start with existing customers. Find out how they're doing with the product(s) they've purchased and what you can do to help them along (coaching, perhaps?) Next, move on to your lowest hanging fruit – those prospects you deem most likely to bite. Make it a rule to call 5 people each day, and within 3 weeks you'll notice 2 things: First, being on the phone isn't so scary anymore. And second, business is definitely picking up.

5 Magic Words That Virtually Eliminate Any Competition

Whatever your niche, there are others who are doing very nearly the same thing, better known as your direct competition. For example, if you're a weight loss coach, there are thousands of other weight loss coaches you're competing against to gain clients.

That's why you've got to find a way to stand completely apart from the crowd, and the best way to do this is to CREATE A UNIQUE POSITIONING POINT for yourself and your business. Find that one thing that makes you totally different from all the other weight loss coaches out there, that thing that draws customers to you like flies. And mind you, saying that you're better, that your work is higher quality, that you've got more experience, etc., isn't unique. Everybody says those things.

Can't think of anything? Try this: “I will show you how to lose weight while NEVER feeling deprived and still eating the foods you love.”

Sign me up!

Here's one from a carpet cleaner: “If I don't remove your stain and get you sparkling clean carpets, I'll pay you $50 for your time.”

You're hired! I wouldn't need to hear another word in order to choose this carpet cleaner over all the others – would you?

A Chiropractor might advertise: “I'll get you immediate relief from your back pain or your visit is completely free.”

That's what I want to hear – make me an appointment now!

6 Magic Words That Double Subscribers

You already know how crucial it is to continually build your list. But are you being aggressive enough? The vast majority of websites are missing opportunities to grab more subscribers because they don't PLACE OPT-IN BOXES ON EVERY PAGE of their website. Yet this simple step can as much as DOUBLE the number of subscribers you get from your site.

Most websites have an opt-in box on the homepage or none at all. But very few have an opt-in box on every single page. And fewer still place opt-in boxes on both the right sidebar above the fold, and again at the bottom of each post. But adding these boxes along with a great incentive to sign up will increase the number of subscribers you get. And make sure your opt-in box stands out with clean lines and no clutter.

And go ahead and place opt-in boxes in unexpected places as well. Do you have sales pages? Place an opt-in box on each one. Do you have more than one sign-up incentive? You might place one incentive in the right sidebar, and the other at the bottom of the page. This way if one incentive doesn't interest them, then the other one might. You can then position your follow ups according to the incentive they chose.

You might even place a video with your opt-in boxes, instructing the reader to fill in their email address and press the button to get the incentive. By telling people what to do, you increase the chances they'll actually do it.

Can you make a short, snappy and powerful quiz people can take? This is another way to capture email addresses. Once they finish the quiz, you request their email address so you can send them their confidential results via email.

7 Magic Words To Build Your Visibility And Reach a Larger Audience

If you're not on Google+ yet, you're missing the boat. Google+ will increase your visibility, help you boost traffic to your site, improve your search engine ranking, improve your authority, increase the distribution of your content, and connect you to your potential customers, affiliates and joint venture partners. That's a LOT of benefits you're missing out on if you're not already on Google+, but it gets even better.

Google+ has a feature called Hangouts, which brings us to your 7 magic words to increase your audience and your visibility: HOST REGULAR GOOGLE PLUS HANGOUTS ON AIR. Hangouts are multi-participant video chats. When you host a hangout, you can carry on a training or conversation.

Your Hangouts might be informal chats, scripted or anything in between. You can keep the Hangout private, or you can live stream and broadcast your Hangouts on Live Hangouts On Air. By publicly streaming your show, it's automatically recorded and added to your YouTube account. It's streamed live on your Google+ profile, and you can embed it on your website.

If you don't want it to go live, you can make it private, download it when you're finished and edit it before posting it.

This is a great way to reach a huge audience and cement your reputation. Make a plan on how and when you will use Hangouts on Air, and set up a regular schedule for broadcasting. Think about using Google Hangouts for teaching and lecturing, for coaching, consulting, interviews, webinars, product demonstration, hold question and answer sessions, etc. The possibilities are exciting and nearly endless. For more information on how to use Hangouts on Air, go here: https://ift.tt/KE3v5K

8 Magic Words That Increase The Money In Your List 10 Fold

A list full of buyers is worth at least 10 times more than a list full of people who haven't purchased anything from you yet. In fact, in most cases a buyers list is often worth closer to 100 times more than a list of prospects, and here's why: When someone purchases anything from you, even if they only spend $1, they are now in a vastly different mindset concerning their relationship with you and your products. They now have an OWNERSHIP mindset because they own one of your products, and because of this they are far, far more likely to purchase from you again and again and at higher and higher price points.

So what are the 8 magic words that increase the money in your list 10 fold or more? TURN PROSPECTS INTO BUYERS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. In the beginning it doesn't really matter if they are spending $1 or $100. The important thing is they have crossed that threshold from prospect to buyer.

How do you get prospects to immediately buy? The easiest way is to get them pre-sold by people they already know and trust. This means having affiliates refer people to you. If you cookie the affiliates in so that they receive commissions on anything prospects purchase for a long period of time, such as a year or even lifetime, affiliates will be more than happy to send you referrals.

Other ways to get people pre-sold on you before they even hit your site is to guest blog, to do joint ventures, and to create products that others in your niche can give away as a bonus to their own product. Whatever it takes, turn your prospects into happy customers as quickly as possible and you'll be able to continue to sell to them for a long time to come.

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jonathanbelloblog · 6 years ago

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Inside the Cocoon: What to Expect from Automated-Vehicle Interiors

We don’t know when the autonomous-vehicle revolution will start, how it will look, or what to expect—apart from a tangled mess of red tape and legalese—but we know it will inspire change, like any worthwhile revolution. In the case of the automotive interior, it’s not difficult to imagine the metamorphosis it will soon undergo will be its most dramatic since inception.

“The traditional automotive interior is built around the driver and the steering wheel for the best possible control and view of the vehicle’s surroundings,” says Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen’s executive director of design. “The autonomous interior, however, is based on the passenger’s needs. The autonomous interior gives passengers time to do what they want while getting where they want to go.”

Manufacturers and suppliers are on the scent, early in development of basic passenger cocoons that coddle and encourage free play. No idea is too perverse, audacious, or unrealistic, and no one knows what will stick. Some manufacturers refuse to comment on the subject at all because they see no point in discussing something in such flux. Others are less timid, wandering eagerly through undefined space as they engineer solutions to never-before-seen problems posed by the six graduated levels of automated driving that range from Level 0 to 5.

Infiniti’s design boss Karim Habib believes the first step toward the ideal autonomous interior is simplification: strip away excess to create a warm, minimalistic space.

As the revolution arrives in stages, so will aspects of the next-generation interior, first in semi-autonomous vehicles that don’t appear all that different from today’s automobiles. They drive among us even now: Cadillacs with Super Cruise, Mercedes-Benzes with Drive Pilot, Teslas with Autopilot, and Volvos with Pilot Assist offer stints of autonomous driving with occasional human inputs. Tesla designed its Model 3 from the outset to be an “open, liberating space” with fewer physical buttons and controls so it would be upgradeable and hopefully avoid obsolescence in an autonomous world.

The VW I.D. Vizzion (pictured above), Volvo 360c, BMW Vision iNext, and Mercedes-Benz F 015 showcase open-concept autonomous interiors with similar layouts but different aesthetics.

All semi-autonomous cars require means by which to steer. A number of automakers have released concept cars with retractable steering wheels that automatically fold up and store themselves during autonomous driving scenarios, freeing up precious interior space. Mercedes’ director of interior design, Hartmut Sinkwitz, wonders if we need a steering wheel at all. “Maybe we only need a joystick or something that gives you a perfect interaction to really conduct or to really steer and control the car,” he says. “Just yesterday I was test-driving a car with joysticks and enjoyed it very, very much.”

We’ll control whatever steering appendage from the comfort of a three-axis seat that twists and slides through the cabin to support both active driving and autonomous relaxation. The seats might articulate, according to Motivo Engineering, a Southern California-based product design and engineering firm. A fabric skin will stretch over a “flexible skeleton,” and the seats will shapeshift depending on use. Domagoj Dukec, head of design for BMW i and M, says the movable seat won’t debut until the “seat belt issue” is resolved: Will cars be so predictably safe that there’s no need to buckle up? “We’d need a highly intelligent airbag system that will know immediately how each individual passenger is sitting at that particular moment,” he says. “The foldaway steering wheel tech will be the extent of things for the time being.”

Infiniti’s design boss Karim Habib believes the first step toward the ideal autonomous interior is simplification: strip away excess to create a warm, minimalistic space. He also believes black slabs of touchscreen will be difficult to interact with in the changing interior of a self-driving car and that screens have to “be much more organic, blend into the environment—actually have the screen adapt to the space and be used in the space.” Some screens will be subtle, like Continental Corporation’s “see-through” A-pillar concept, which wraps bendable OLED screens around a car’s roof pillars to reveal, via camera, whatever occupies the not-so-blind spot.

Unconvincing models discuss 2024’s business trends in the Volvo 360c’s rolling office, which also features a full-size bed.

Other screens will be less subtle. “Energized glass coupled with augmented reality opens up new opportunities for connection,” says Chris Rockwell, founder and CEO of Lextant, a user-experience and design consultancy. “Imagine the windscreen becoming a window to the world. You drive through a new city, see where relevant services are located, get information on history and culture, and then use virtual-reality services to tour the sites en route.”

The keystone of any successful semi- or fully autonomous interior will be a seamlessly integrated user interface (UI), i.e., non-sentient artificial intelligence (AI) working in conjunction with finely tuned voice and gesture controls. Without a thoughtfully developed, intuitive system for two-way, human-to-machine conversation, there will be no relationship, no trust. User-experience (UX) designers research potential customers to better understand and empathize wants and whims in hopes of breathing life into a UI that understands routines, habits, emotions, and desires.

“The interior of the future needs to be about psychology as much as technology,” Rockwell says. “The goal is for the experience as a whole to not only meet needs but to anticipate them, inspiring connection, collaboration, and relaxation.” But the hardware and software developed for autonomy will go to waste if an interior can’t sympathize with its occupants, who will likely be understandably wary of the “ghost” driver.

The VW I.D. Vizzion comes with a “Hololens by Microsoft” for augmented reality fun.

That trust won’t come easily, but Tim Shih, vice president of design for Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, believes the transitional period preceding full automation will be surprisingly short because vehicles built to accommodate both driving and non-driving scenarios will inherently compromise both.

With the mass adoption of Level 5 automation, expect to see a shift from traditional interior to living environment, where higher roofs allow more fluid movement, consoles rearrange on the go, and automatic lighting reflects the mood; an integrated sensor pack will monitor your temperature, heart rate, actions, and more, and share that information with the AI. “The manufacturer may choose to provide more of a blank canvas than a beautiful completed painting,” Shih says, “and the passengers and users could then determine what happens in this space as much as—if not more so than—the manufacturer themselves.”

That blank canvas will be most common because fully autonomous vehicles will generally be of the shared-use variety and need to accommodate many different people and their varied interests. Trying to imagine all possible uses and adaptations is an overwhelming exercise, which is why manufacturers typically group predicted actions into broad, wide-reaching categories. General Motors considers three areas of use: productivity (email, work), relaxation (read a book, take a nap), and social (interacting with the vehicle or other individuals). Volvo adopted a similar approach for its 360c concept, an autonomous pod built for four scenarios: living room, office, party, and sleeper. The autonomous cabin will amplify whatever parts of life accompany you into it, becoming a spa-like oasis after work, a rolling wet bar for a party on the move, or a bottomless media trough.

The inside of the Mercedes F 015 is a blend of Apple store and high-end hair salon.

Humans stream 500 million hours of YouTube content every day. “It’s clear that users will continue this behavior in their autonomous vehicles’ personal space,” despite voiced desires to relax or work while not driving, says Jose Wyszogrod, chief designer of interior styling and UX/UI for Honda R&D Americas. If he’s right, hungry advertisers and content providers will find a way to stream nonstop ads and entertainment to insatiable passengers, who will blindly agree to “all terms and conditions” as they do today.

An interior uncorrupted by greedy perversions sounds much nicer, if we let ourselves have it. Wyszogrod sees it as a social space that a wanderlust generation uses for learning and discovery. Sofia Lewandowski, interior and UX designer at Hanseatische Fahrzeug Manufaktur GmbH in Berlin, sees an interior that celebrates connectedness and equality and brings new freedoms to individuals with limited mobility. “We all age into disabilities,” she says. “Designing for the disabled is including all.”

Hungry advertisers and content providers will find a way to stream nonstop ads and entertainment to insatiable passengers, who will blindly agree to “all terms and conditions” as they do today.

Mercedes-Benz’s Sinkwitz sees handcrafted woodwork and luminous metals that remind occupants of the analog world they left behind, and ArtCenter College of Design student Santiago Diaz thinks augmented and virtual reality will be digital veils that help us interact with cars in ways we can’t yet fathom, if you can stomach the motion sickness.

“I think we’re going to discover a lot of that, the fact that you have glass around you, showing things whizzing by you,” Infiniti’s Habib says. Maybe windows will be replaced by energized glass, projecting images of the outside world via a 360-degree camera, darkening to opaque when you ask.

Autonomy faces a lot of these odd obstacles. Gesture control, for example, will be a building block of the interior, but it won’t be intuitive to use if you’re traveling abroad because different countries use different body language. But right now no one really cares about those obstacles because autonomy has much bigger issues to overcome and a lot of tough questions in need of good answers sooner rather than later.

The BMW Vision iNext displays images on its Jacquard-weave rear bench through “intelligent projection.”

For instance, how do we protect personal privacy in a complex, hyperconnected world? Will there be global compatibility between competing digital devices, and will in-vehicle Wi-Fi and other entertainment outlets require paid subscriptions separate from what you already have and pay for in your home? Will seat belts indeed be nixed, and who’s at fault if your autonomous car causes a crash? Will politicians embrace or smother autonomy? The list of unknowns that must be dealt with is exhaustive.

“Legislation regarding liability, unconventional seating positions, and alternative-use cases are frequently being discussed but not yet defined on paper,” Yanfeng’s Shih says. “Designers and manufacturers are operating in a gray zone between legislation and speculation. This ambiguity has given designers greater latitude and, from the creativity standpoint, has already unleashed refreshing new thoughts and philosophies around the automotive interior.”

Today, freethinkers unconcerned with convention can disrupt and inspire and be wrong without any real consequence because maybe their dream becomes a reality in the new automotive era. “It’s fantastic to be able to think that our generation could really be the one that changes the way you live in a product that’s more than 100 years old,” Habib says, “but it’s daunting, definitely. There’s a big chance of failure with all the startups and all the established companies creating new things. Some are going to win, and some are going to lose.”

Motivo Engineering CEO Praveen Penmetsa says the company that delivers the most engaging mobility experience will rule the automotive world. “However, we don’t know what that secret combination is yet,” he is quick to point out. “The interior of the automobile will dominate our lives and will be our work desk, play space, creative blank sheet. The car will be more integral than ever before, not less like some people are saying. We’ll work more in cars, have more fun, and will have more life experiences in a car than we could have ever imagined.”

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jesusvasser · 6 years ago