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webedragons · 10 months ago

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What I read in 2023

And what I thought about it. Pretty much all Scifi/YA, read on if you want book reccs or just to be nosy <3 Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Do you have a favorite book of 2023? please let me know <3 Images and image descriptions included below the cut.

I will be using a 5 star system to rate each book.

(Image Description, 4 books covers in a collage including half a soul, the house of lost wives, Saint Deaths Daughter, and The stargazers war). Half a soul By Olivia Atwater. I picked this book up on sale on kindle, and I liked it! It was easy to read but covered some interesting topics. The main character is cursed by the fae as a child and the book covers her dealing with this curse as an adult in victorian england. Think pride and prejudice but with curses and wizards. 4/5 stars. The house of lost wives by Rebecca Hardy. This was another kindle sale book and while i liked it, I think it could have used another run through editing as the pacing was strange. This book follows a young woman who can see ghosts and is trying to find answers behind the death of her sister. 3/5 stars. Saint Deaths daughter by C.S.E Cooney. This book was probably my biggest surprise of 2023. I loved this book, its beautifully written and very fresh. It follows the daughter of 2 famous necromancers as she struggles with family members both alive and dead. 5/5 stars, excited to see more from this author. The Stargazers war by JP valentine. This author has become one of my favorites this year. I love his sense of humor and the fact that his books often have found family feels. 5/5 stars, cannot wait for the next book.

(Image description, 4 book covers in a collage including Briar heart, The false princess, Nona the Ninth, and This quest is Bullshit). Briar heart by Mercedes Lackey. This is a fairy tale retelling that plays with the usual tropes of that genre. Any book by this author is very comforting to me and this one was fun but not stunning. 3/5 stars. The false Princess by Eilis O'neal. This felt like a book 12 year old me would have been obsessed with, and 24 year old me really liked it too. It follows a princess who finds out she was a body double this whole time, and her journey after leaving her childhood home. 4/5 stars. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Listen, this is Tungler dot com, I do not need to sell this book here. 5/5 stars, I will break into your house and leave copies of this series for you to start reading :) This quest is Bullshit! By JP valentine. This is this authors second appearance on this list and for good reason. This book was my first foray into LitRPG - fiction written as though the characters are in a roleplaying game. It was extremely funny and very fresh and exciting to me. If you enjoy playing DND or baldurs gate, you will probably like this series. 5/5 stars.

(image description; 4 book covers in a collage including Terrier, A coup of tea, Wolfsong, and Hyperbole and a Half). Terrier by Tamora Pierce. This was a reread! I love Tamora Pierce, she is one of my go-to comfort authors. This series is not my favorite of her Tortall series, but it still stands up! 4/5 stars. A coup of tea series by Casey Blair. This series follows a princess who chooses her own path - which turns out to be making tea! If you loved Uncle Iroh, you will like these books. 5/5 stars, I wanted more! Wolfsong by TJ klune. This was my first TJ klune book and it delivered. This book will have you asking "Did TJ klune grow up reading high quality werewolf fanfiction?" because it reads like high quality werewolf fanfiction. 4/5 stars. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. This is the only nonfiction on the list but for good reason! It is an absolutely hilarious collection of true stories that had me hooting like a goose. 5/5 stars.

(Image description; Just one book cover, Girls made of snow and glass by Melissa Basherdoust). Girls made of snow and glass by Melissa Bashardoust. This book is an honorable mention because I'm pretty sure I read it in 2022, but I really loved it. This book was special to me because it involves a positive relationship between a stepmother and stepdaughter and nice sapphic representation (NOT between stepdaughter and stepmother you guttersnipes). 5/5 stars for me :D

#long post #book reccs #what i read in 2023 #sci fi and fantasy #tamora pierce #mercedes lackey #tamsyn muir #melissa bashardoust #JP Valentine #Oliva Atwater #CSE cooney

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uncle-fruity · 1 year ago

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My continued documentation of these misogynistic ass ads that Tumblr seems to be hellbent on forcing me to watch. @staff give a fuck, please.

In this one a girl sees this guy (boyfriend? crush?) doing (?) Something with another (conventionally attractive) woman. Immediately runs off crying because she feels sooo disgusting/unattractive in comparison, and goes into the makeover portion of the misogyny-themed game so she can (assumedly) win the heart of this dude.

From there the ad needs to make sure that women know that to be attractive to a man, they have to have clean shaven legs and clean shaven armpits. But if you shave all her hair off or cut it short, that's bad and she cries (like in all of the ads, seriously every single one). I guess fuck you if you're a woman who doesn't want to shave and has short hair? This game, as advertised on Tumblr Dot Com, wants you to know that they think you're ugly. And if you ever have any body odor, you might as well put a bag over your face for the shame of it.

Look, @staff, this shit is disgusting. Do you see the space you're cultivating? Should I be required to pay you so I don't have to see something that fills me with rage and disgust every damn day it shows up to ruin my whole ~☆Tumblr Experience☆~? Because I will NEVER pay to stop seeing an ad that should never cross my path to begin with. So maybe give me a damn option to STOP SEEING ADS I CONTINUE TO FLAG AS INAPPROPRIATE AND OFFENSIVE!

What's the point of reporting an ad if I'm going to have to continue to be harassed by it? Does anyone have two halves of a brain cell to rub together to get it through that these fucking ads are sending out harmful, disgusting messages and that I DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM??? Not only do I not want to see them, but ideally NO ONE would see them. You don't get to play the woke corporation card and then further body shaming narratives for money. And you sure as fuck need to figure something out so I don't have to make multiple posts begging and screaming for you to take this offensive dogshit away from me.

I know I'm just screaming into the void (sorry followers). But goddammit I am sick and fucking tired. Capitalism is a fucking scourge. Advertising is the rotting apple of the internet barrel. And these particular ads are toxic & hateful. And these fucking social media websites all wanna pretend to be your friend but would sell your soul for a penny in their pocket. Or, in this case, put you through mental & emotional distress for whatever amount Project MakeWomenFeelBad pays them.

Fuck! FUCKING FUCK! I'm losing my goddamn mind in this hell hole. Must I really give up every damn website I've ever been on just for some peace and fucking quiet? FUCK

#staff #tumblr staff #misogyny #advertising #offensive ad #shitty website #staff give a fuck challenge #jesus h fucking christ #i'm so pissed off rn

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huxleyenne · 1 year ago

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Stardew Valley Huxverse, An Overview

(Last Updated: 6/9/2023)

What is the Stardew Valley Huxverse?

The Stardew Valley Huxverse is fanfic author Huxleyenne's take (or hot take, if you'd rather) on the characters and setting of the video game Stardew Valley, created by ConcernedApe. Huxverse is canon-derivative but not fully canon-compliant. It is a not-for-profit collection of transformative fanworks created primarily (if not only) by me, Huxleyenne. The purpose of creating a Huxverse label is to distinguish it from canon out of respect for both ConcernedApe and fans who may or may not want to engage with the Huxverse.

Note: Not all fan theories explored or supported in the Huxverse are my original ideas. In fact, most of them aren't. I acknowledge that. They're fun ideas/theories to explore in fanfiction.

What is Stardew Valley canon?

For details regarding what is canon in Stardew Valley, visit stardewvalleywiki dot com, or purchase the game yourself on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS or Android and enjoy it!

Characters in the Huxverse (all surnames are non-canon, with the exceptions of Mullner and Rasmodius)

Note: No two farmers exist in the same universe.

Protagonists:

Huey DeBeers (Male Farmer OC, marries only Shane) - Set in a universe where the farmer completes the community center and kicks Joja Co. and Morris to the curb. This farmer is very domestic, loving, and farm-centric. He is a somewhat self-absorbed, impulsive and neurotic workaholic who empathizes deeply with others.

Blayn Belcourt (Male Farmer OC, marries Emily or Abigail) - Set in a universe where the farmer sells his soul to Joja Co., but makes up for it by protecting the village from the monsters who invade it. This farmer is not so domestic, preferring a life of treasure hunting and combat. He loves horseback riding and hates fishing, much to Willy's dismay.

Those are the only two farmers I've created at this time.

Primary Characters:

Shane Hahn, eventual chicken husband to Huey in a slow burn, on-again-off-again relationship with sobriety. He suffers from depression and feelings of inadequacy. His only potential lovers are Huey, whom he marries, or Emily, in the event that Blayn marries Abi.

Note: Shane is my favorite bachelor and marriage candidate. I completed 100% perfection and 40/40 achievements married only to Shane as Huey and I'd do it all again. Search Huxleyenne on Steam if you want to confirm this.

Jas Carina (Shane's goddaughter) and Marnie Forst (Shane's aunt) are Huey's southern neighbors, business associates and eventual inlaws located in Cindersnap Forest. Marnie is sweet, loving, and very accepting of Shane's marriage to Huey. Jas adores Huey, fully recognizing his positive effect on Shane's mental health (psst, kids are smarter than you think.) To Jas, Huey is Uncle Huey.

Emily and Haley Sidney are half-sisters who live together on 2 Willow Lane. Emily is an important friend of Huey and Shane. Alternatively, Emily is one of two people who marries Blayn in the Joja Co. fork in the road. Either way, she'll be her usual cheerful, albeit eccentric self.

Caroline, Pierre, and Abigail Padmore live together in Pierre's General Store. Abigail strongly suspects that Pierre is not her biological father and has a strained relationship with both of her parents because of this. She spends most of her time looking for adventure and/or romance with Blayn, or friendship and/or romance with Sebastian (or Sam and Sebastian simultaneously, for my poly readers out there.)

Secondary Characters:

George, Evelyn, and Alex Mullner are townsfolk who live on 1 River Road. Alex and Haley occasionally hook up but are both noncommittal for Reasons.

Sebastian Berg, Robin Silva-Berg (heck yeah, that's a Suikoden reference!), Demetrius Silva, and Maru Silva are a family all farmers often do business with on 24 Mountain Road. Sebastian may date Sam and/or Abigail in either Huey or Blayn's world. Maru may try to date Harvey or Penny but holds back mostly due to her father's meddling. Maru and Sebastian both identify as bisexual, regardless of who they are with or if they end up with anyone at all.

Harvey Whitaker is the one doctor in town who resides in the town's Medical Clinic. He has feelings for Maru, his employee, but suppresses that because he knows it's inappropriate. All around, Harvey tries his best to be good.

Elliot Lew is a formerly wealthy man who threw it all away to pursue his passion for writing and nature. Leah Sagan is a former city girl who threw it all away to pursue her passion for art and slow-paced living. He and Leah are friends and occasional collaborators. Their dynamic is being the two folks who are told they ought to be a couple, but they never click, thus never hook up. Hey, if it ain't it, it ain't it.

Sam, Vincent, Jodi, and Kent Reed are a family who live on 1 Willow Lane and they all have struggles. Sam is self-conscious, somewhat immature, and terrified of angering either of his parents, though he's very protective of his little brother. Vincent is a sweet, if simple-minded child who is friends with Jas. Jodi became a wife and mother young, which has made her high-strung, overbearing and not too easy to get along with (unless you're Caroline). Kent is a veteran who has PTSD and is controlling but tries his best to integrate back into society.

Pam and Penny Lynch live together in a trailer on River Road. Pam is an alcoholic, and Penny is the tutor of Jas and Vincent. Penny is also a potential love interest for Maru or Sam.

Lewis Monday, a lowkey terrible, no good, very bad mayor whom no one does anything about unless Marnie breaks up with him, which I suspect many of us are thirsty for.

Morris Tesmetazon (too on the nose? Oh well, lol) is the big bad exaggeration of a store manager whom many of us love to hate, and for the purposes of the Huxverse, he'll stay that way.

M. Rasmodius, the wizard and mysterious estranged father of both Emily and Abigail, unbeknownst to both of them. Emily and Haley have the same mother, but are unaware that they have different fathers, explaining Emily’s penchant for forest magic and Haley’s lack thereof. Abigail is also unaware that Pierre is not her biological father, though she strongly suspects because a) she knows her mom’s cheated before and b) purple hair. Hey, if the Huxverse is gonna be soapy, it's gonna flood with suds. Embrace the drama, you nerds!

Note: There will not be any surprise incest between Emily and Abi. I hate that trope, so I'm not doing it. Sorry, not sorry.

Tertiary (for now) Characters:

Clint Moore, the town blacksmith. Whether he's a shy, yet harmless man who fancies Emily, or a full-blown creep who feels entitled to her affection depends on what the story needs him to be. I generally lean toward Clint being (mostly) harmless, rubbing people the wrong way at worst, though the Huxverse will never see Clint and Emily become an item.

Marlon Forge and Gil Simmons are members of the Adventure Guild. Marlon may be an alternative love interest for Marnie if she leaves Lewis.

Gus Mariano, owner of the Stardrop Saloon, employer of Emily, feeder of the homeless, and enabler of alcoholics. Whoops.

Willy Melville, a fisherman. Not much else to say.

Sandy Merchant, a friend of Emily, a business owner, turns a blind eye to the illegal casino operating in her store's basement. Hey, it's good money, and Sandy only gets one customer. Think about it.

Gunther He, the museum guy.

Linus and Leo only go by Linus and Leo, and live simple lives in nature by choice.

Whew. I think that's everybody.

Additional Characters (all non-canon):

Todd Hahn (high school quarterback) Doug Hahn (high school perfect grades) Shane’s two older brothers whom I made up to add to his sense of inadequacy. Ted and Shirley Hahn are Shane’s divorced and volatile parents, from whom he felt no love and hasn’t spoken a word to since he moved out of their house. Shirley’s maiden name is Forst, and she’s the older sister of Marnie.

Jonas and Jean Carina are Jas’s parents who died in a car crash when she was three. Shane, her godfather, Jean’s ex and Jonas’s best friend, temporarily took custody of Jas, and moved to Pelican Town from Zuzu City where his Aunt Marnie, a relatively stable business and homeowner, took permanent legal custody of Jas out of the kindness of her heart, explaining why Jas stays with her after Shane marries Huey and moves in with him.

Freya and Brady DeBeers are Huey and Shane’s children, whom Shane raises at home five days a week while Huey works. Emily is the surrogate mother of both of their children, and both are biologically Shane’s kin (Huey’s first marriage in his early twenties failed partially because he was biologically incapable of impregnating a woman, which is one reason he became a workaholic, and why he identifies and sympathizes so deeply with Shane’s sardonic nature as much as he’d rather not at first.) Yeah, I went surrogate rather than adoption. I'm not gonna lie. I just want to see Brady be a mini-Shane. And yes, I did name him after Tom Brady.

Will I post screencaps of my farms on tumblr supporting the Huxverse?

Heck yeah I will. Give me time and I'll make some good ones.

If others want to make Huxverse fic or fanart of their own, is that OK?

I have no problem with that, as long as it's understood that this is non-canon, not-for-profit, and just for fun; however, to be fair, these are gaps filled, connections made, and surnames researched and decided by Huxleyenne, so credit to Huxleyenne would be appreciated, whereas lack thereof will be considered poor etiquette and frowned down upon.

Note: I do encourage you all to engage with the world of Stardew Valley in your own way. It's only one take, which is already derivative not just of canon, but theories I've read about on various social media outlets. Project the concepts you want to see into your own work.

If someone creates work that is similar, perhaps identical to ideas presented in Huxverse without giving credit, what will Huxleyenne do?

At the end of the day, Stardew Valley is not my IP. I don't have much right to complain. Besides, I'm not the Internet police, and neither are the rest of you. Let's not condone the harassment of any randos on the Internet who might be kids and teenagers for all we know. Plagiarism is only plagiarism if someone copies my work word-for-word and presents it as their own. At the end of the day, that's the only thing that would truly bother me.

Could you let us know why you created this monolith of a post regarding canon-derivative concepts about Stardew Valley characters?

This post primarily is a resource for myself, so I can refer back to it and practice writing consistently without missing details that are important for my fanfiction. I also want to observe how helpful this approach is as I tackle original fiction.

Also, if readers want to know more about what I think as I write, they can use this as a reference if they want, but my hope is that my stories are clear enough and stand well enough on their own so that readers consider this post auxiliary, rather than necessary.

And now the fun question: Which ships will the Huxverse observe?

Shane/Male Farmer (Huey), Emily/Male Farmer (Blayn), Abigail/Male Farmer (Blayn), Shane/Emily, Alex/Haley, Sam/Sebastian, Sam/Penny, Abigail/Sebastian, Abigail/Sam/Sebastian, Jodi/Caroline, Rasmodius/Caroline, Penny/Maru

Also, the necessary question: What are the ages of the farmers, Bachelors, and Bachelorettes in Huxverse as of Spring 1, Year 1?

Huey (32), Blayn (24), Shane (30), Emily (28), Alex (21), Haley (21), Sebastian (24), Abigail (23), Sam (22), Penny (23), Harvey (35), Maru (22), Elliot (33), Leah (27)

Is any part of this post subject to change?

Yes, except for the S1Y1 ages. That I'll commit to. The rest could change based on shifting interests and new ideas as I interact with readers and fellow writers.

I read this whole post. What do I win?

Damn, you just won my respect. Good for you!

What?? Come on. What did I really win?

Well, would you look at the time? Gotta run! I'm a writer with a day job, and it's time to go. Later gator!

#sdv huxverse

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linka-from-captain-planet · 1 year ago

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Modern AUs are usually not my thing but I’m bored at work and have Further Thoughts ⬇️

Wyll’s scars and prosthetic eye are from a LAX accident ✊😞

Wyll is working on advanced studies in education/social work; his goal is to work with at-risk youth. Lae’zel is a foot soldier in her family’s evil empire (digital marketing)

Wyll was raised by his single dad, Governor Ulder Ravengard. His godmother is Counselor Florrick, whose bitch ex wife Mizora (shh don’t question it, I have a vision) almost convinced Wyll to sell his soul (go to law school) after his falling out with his dad

Wyll and Ulder’s falling out over [something political / trouble he got into as a dumb teen / something to do with Mizora (political rival?)] led Wyll to leave home as soon as he turned 18, which opened his eyes to The Real World outside his rich bubble. They’ve since made up, but Wyll still prefers his circle of regular friends over rubbing elbows with the elites

Lae’zel was adopted at hatching by her gay dads Voss and Orpheus. Vlaakith is her aunt from whom Orpheus usurped the company because she was betraying the family by refusing to bring it into the dot com era. She has 30 cousins and they all work at the company (it is surprisingly not a front for organized crime (anymore))

They started talking toward the end of college after meeting through their mutual friend, Karlach

They bond a lot on early dates over reptile enthusiasm (Lae’zel’s family has a bunch of dangerous and illegal lizards and Wyll has a 🐍 snake), sports (fencing and tennis, as rich kids do), and the outdoors

Lae’zel has a flip phone held together by duct tape because she thinks “smart phone” is an oxymoron and social media is a mind control psy op (she’s right). Wyll learns a bunch of old school emoticons to woo her with —<—@ (it’s a rose)

Lae’zel lifts in a full face of makeup and acrylics as a show of dominance. She only knows what instagram is because of work, and refuses to join it. She lets Wyll post pics of them tho because she does like being shown off and stunting on the thirsty hoes in his comments. She’s become kind of a cryptid on his account and his followers are obsessed with her

They DO often go to The Club because they both love dancing despite not being big on “partying” in general. They’re also members of a queer social dance club (like full on square dancing) for a non-drinking non-partying scene. They’re also a Certified Annoying Pickleball Couple (they’re both too competitive)

Ulder can’t decide if he approves of Lae’zel or not tbh, he knows her family company from legal cases against them and doesn’t want his boy mixed up with that kind of thing, but also admires her grit and straightforward nature. And he doesn’t want to lose Wyll again

Voss, Orpheus, and all her cousins don’t HATE Wyll but they definitely don’t respect him which is somehow worse. He’s convinced he’ll win their favor one day (def not until he gets that 8 STR bench up tho, Voss asks about it every time they meet)

Vlaakith DOES hate him bc she was this 🤏 close to convincing Lae’zel to betray the rest of her family and help steal the company back, but Wyll’s do-gooderness rubbed off on her and she’s thinking of leaving the industry altogether due to being unethical and wasteful

They SHOULD be at the club, but actually they’re in the gym because Lae’zel said Wyll needs to get his bench up before meeting her family over the holidays and he likes the quiet quality time

Wyllweek days 3 (modern AU) and 6 (favorite ship)!

#wyllzel #wyll x lae'zel #wyll ravengard #lae’zel #technically this is fanfic #wyllweek #linka's fanart

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divinemanicstate · 3 years ago

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bro i just gotta say your anatomy is killer. where can i sell my soul to draw like you do

i sold my soul to 50 entities to draw like this

actually i just practiced a lot! i know this is the most basic reply ever but it's the only way to learn the fundamentals

i still need to look up references for certain gestures because i don't want to draw from memory (and make it look bad) but overall i'm way more comfortable with drawing humans now because i learnt how muscles, proportions work

i recommend using quickposes dot com for good clear references (especially for perspective shots)

#hoping that this is a genuine ask cuz i cant really tell without any tone indicators #but yeah thats about it #oh and also you can look at other peoples art (esp muscle artists) but make sure the artist you ve selected is at least somewhat of a #professional

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actordougjones · 5 years ago

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Helen Chavez 1959 ~ 2020

Sitting in silent conflict today, some numbness, many tears, grief, and the happiest memories that make my heart smile. To lose a close friend (whom I referred to as my big sister for the last 16 years) to complications from covid-19 and other health issues, is a blow I could not be prepared for. Yet to sit with my memories of her is a relished joy.

Many knew her as “Hellmistress” on the Sony Pictures Hellboy message boards in 2003. As I was an occasional visitor in those boards while filming Hellboy, I took special note of the witty, gentle, sarcastic, encouraging posts from this woman I found myself wanting to know more of.

She made her way into those message boards by way of her love for Ron Perlman, as she also was a contributing writer for a site called ThePerlmanPages dot com. But once in there, and once we got to interacting, Helen and I both found kindred spirits in each other, about the same age, about the same irreverent sense of humor.

She jokingly described herself as “windswept and interesting.” When we finally met in person the first time around the premiere events Guillermo del Toro had arranged for these fans of Hellboy in April 2004, I found this description of her to be true. All I had to hear was that Helen had sold a cow to finance her flight from Scotland, and I knew I was right about this one! Yes, she and her husband Mark raised cattle on their rural farm outside Aberdeenshire, Scotland. But she was also a highly knowledgeable archivist at the local museum there. With a thirst for learning, and a lover of history, artifacts, classic film, TV, music, literature, science fiction, and all things geekery, she did indeed earn her “windswept and interesting” title.

(Our first in-person meeting after “Hellebration” 2004 with Sony Pictures Hellboy message board regulars, Left to Right: Maurice Mpayamaguru, Dougie, Pat Paone, Helen Chavez - who was so excited to be having a burger with American ketchup!)

She flew away the next day in 2004, but that would not be the last of this Helen. Upon returning home to Scotland, her friend and ThePerlmanPages creator Pat Paone (who had also been on this trip) said something to Helen that lingered in the air... “After this entire ‘Hellebration’ weekend in Los Angeles, do you realize you haven’t stopped talking about Doug Jones?” which struck Helen odd since she was a devout Perlman fan who was gushing about someone other than Ron after a weekend to celebrate a movie in which Ron held the title character.

That’s when I received an email from Helen proposing an official website she wanted to create for me. So was born TheDougJonesExperience dot com, a site that was lovingly poured over and updated by Helen as her pet project that she never let me pay a dime for, no matter how I tried, from 2004 to 2014, when her own life required her to take pause. That pause from the site included finishing up her Masters Degree, still working full time at the museum, still tending the cattle, and now caregiving to her husband’s failing health ... followed by her own health issues.

She was ever the stoic type, though, who never ever, EVER wanted to be a burden on me, so I would rarely hear of her trials in life unless I told her, “I’m not hanging up until you start talking.” She would always brush off her own issues and turn things back around to doting on me like the protective big sister she loved being. She also took in Mrs. Laurie as her little sister with great pride.

To sum up the amount of life shared with this incredible woman would take volumes. Volumes that could be tied together with one thread.... “cheerleader.” She championed me personally and professionally with the kind of care and tireless energy that gave my own mother and Mrs. Laurie a run for their money!

Her cheerleading came in the form of not only that exhaustive website with endless fan correspondence as she wrote with a voice that was uncannily like my own, then later helping administrate “The Tank” forum on DelToroFilms dot com where “FanSapiens” would gather to chat about little ol’ me, but also trips to see me when I was in the United Kingdom for a fan convention in Birmingham, or a make-up trade show in London. She also ingratiated herself to Guillermo del Toro and was invited to visit our Hellboy II: The Golden Army filming set in Budapest with her old friend Pat Paone, spending a large part of that visit with me through my whole day, from make-up, to the Troll Market set, to lunchtime, to afternoon naps in my trailer for all of us, to touring the city on a rare day off.

(During Hellboy 2 set visit 2007 at Budapest, Hungary’s “Hero Square” pictured Left to Right: Pat Paone, Dougie, Helen Chavez)

And I could never tally up the countless hours of phone chats, messenger chats, book-length emails, where she was often celebrating successes with me, calming my nerves when I had failed, giving me some well-needed big sisterly advice on life, or playfully nagging me to sleep and eat more. Boy, was she ever stern about those last two. If I even hinted that I had been pushing myself too hard, not sleeping enough, not eating right, she would give me “the look.” You don’t want “the look.” It was that raised eyebrows, all-knowing eyes searing into me kind of look, with a probing stare over the top of her glasses into my soul kind of look. You could hide nothing from her when she gave “the look.”

I adored hearing all her tales from her museum, getting history lessons all the while about who used what in what century in what country for what purpose, everything from farm tools to ancient toilet paper. To keep me in her loop, one year for Christmas she sent me some ancient Roman coins, after I had mentioned how I love looking at coins, waving it off with, “those things are so easy to come by.” Her gifts were always accompanied by authentic Scottish shortbread cookies. But my favorite story of hers was the mummy head she had no better place for, so he lived under her desk ... for years. And of course, she named him “Marlon.”

I’ve always been a hugger, but Helen is the one who taught me about “Bosies.” The difference being that a Bosie is a huggle that doesn’t need to end anytime soon, where you envelop the other person in a cradle that makes them feel safe. She was masterful at those Bosies.

I could tell Helen stories for hours, as could so many of you puppies whose lives she touched with her listening skills, mentorship, and her tireless encouragement to keep all of us creatives reaching for our dreams.

(Pictued at “Hellebration” 2008 with “FanSapiens” Left to Right: Tim Rosenberger, Katie McGregor, Helen Chavez, Stephanie Metz, Dougie, Kate Daley, Seth Lombardi)

(Pictured at Hellboy 2 premiere after party 2008 with DelToroFilms regulars; Top row: Paul Kindschi, Gary Deocampo, Maurice Mpayamaguru. Bottom row: Helen Chavez, Dougie)

But I’ll leave you with one last story. It was 2008, and we flew Helen out to Los Angeles (I didn’t want her to sell another cow) to join all the festivities for the premiere week of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and to see the finished product of the film set she visited with me the year before. Everything from having a salon day with Mrs. Laurie to get all done up for the red carpet premiere, and the next day she was sporting a fancy fish-print top to dutifully lead Team Blue (those beloved FanSapiens) at the Del Toro sponsored “Hellebration” party and screening night. Another experience I wanted to give her that week was her first press junket, so Mrs. Laurie gladly went to her own job that day, and Helen went with me down to the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, where many film press junkets take place on a floor full of press suites. These are high energy days, as one after another, TV, radio, print, and dot com journalists interview us back to back all day. Helen watched from behind the monitors with Publicist John, and every time I glanced over, she was just beaming as she gave me a thumbs-up. At the end of this marathon day, we were heading home in the back of the studio-hired limo, and my eyes were getting droopy in the dark. Helen glanced over the top of her glasses with “the look” and said with all the doting mother, favorite auntie, protective big sister she had in her, “Awe, little brother mine, come here.” I leaned my head onto her shoulder, while she pet my hair and told me how overjoyed she was with this phase of my life, and how watching me handle all the press that day made her “buttons burst with pride,” a phrase she used many a time. She always knew how to bring such peace, such calm, such encouragement, such a safe harbor. The next thing I knew the car stopped in front of the house, and I awoke with her still holding my weary head.

Oh how I wish for one more limo ride. One more chance to soak in her uplifting words, so I might know how to handle whatever comes next.

She went by many names -- Hellmistress, Webmaster Helen, or her preferred “Webmistress” Helen, Auntie Helen, Mentor Helen, Therapist Helen, Dear Friend Helen, Big Sister Helen, but there was only one Helen in this wacky world. She leaves a void that no one else can fill. It’s painful how much I miss her already.

I pray the angels gave her a thrilling ride to her rightful place in Heaven. I can almost feel her gaze again right now, as she sits at the edge of a crescent moon, tilts her gaze down over the top of her glasses and gives me “the look”.....

Alright, Big Sis, I’ll eat something and get to sleep now.

#rip #hellmistress #webmaster helen #sister #dear friend

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antikate · 4 years ago

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The lovely @racketghost tagged me in this list of 10 niche interests and so, here we go! I am a bit of a dilletante who knows a tiny bit about a lot of things, but I know enough about these topics to be boring about them at dinner parties. (Like I go to dinner parties. Like anyone goes to dinner parties.) Anyway I digress;

1. Textile arts. It’s not very niche but I like making things with my hands, and knitting is my very oldest love. I also like sewing and embroidery. Right now I’m thinking a lot about indigenous textile art and how important it is culturally, and how once all humans used to care so much about individual items of clothing, and how we need to get back to that view of clothes as important items rather than throw away trash. Clothing is protection and adaptation and labour and women’s rights and history and love and culture and it’s so important.

2. Thru-hiking. I am not a thru-hiker, I like day hiking specifically so I can have a hot shower at the end of it, but I love reading about people sawing the ends off their toothbrushes to save weight.

3. Ancient Egypt. One of those childhood obsessions that has lingered. Now that I know better I have many feelings about the ransacking of Egyptian artefacts by western archaeologists (not unique to Egypt of course) but I was in heaven when I visited the Egyptian wing of the Louvre.

4. Space. It makes me feel small, but in a good way, and profound and awed. I’m not a religious person, but when I look into the night sky I feel that we are all part of everything. I watched the original Cosmos when I was young and it made such a huge impression. Thank you Carl Sagan.

5. Birds? I am not exactly a birder but I am trying to learn to identify birds by sight. I also have binoculars and a bird guide. Omg I am a birder.

6. Film theory and analysis, which is a pretentious way of enjoying movies. Catch me thinking about framing in Knives Out, a lot. Mise en scene baby. That movie has all the mise en scene you could ever want.

7. Clouds. Seriously what even is “clouds” as an answer but I have several books on identifying clouds. I’ll show myself out.

8. Photography ... wait no that’s not niche. Photographs of powerlines. That’s better.

9. Japanese coffee pots. I have a small collection. I am also, not coincidentally, banned from EBay, Etsy and other websites that sell vintage Japanese coffee pots.

10. I’ve been doing a lot of beta reading lately and thinking a lot about grammar and communication and how we arrange words on a page and somehow that reveals our very souls? What a brave and wonderful and terribly futile thing writing is. And I’m very much not a prescriptivist about grammar, so I love seeing language as a living, changing thing, irregardless of the rules. (See what I did there? Send your hate mail to languageisalwayschangingandyoucantstopit dot gmail dot com.) Anyway I’ve just started reading a book about commas. Exciting times.

Tag? People? In this economy? Ahhhh how about you do it if you like?

#niche interests #10 things about me #hello im interested in things im not a real doctor but i am a real worm

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gunnerpalace · 5 years ago

Photo

And I’m 💯 sure that you’re blocked and you can eat it.

But I would like to talk about this idea a little, actually. So, here are a couple of points:

The thing that a lot of modern-day “Bleach fans” don’t get is that as far as Japan is concerned, the only thing that really sells Bleach to the mass-market general audience is Ichigo and Rukia interacting. The hard truth those “Bleach fans” refuse to accept is that most of fights sucked, most of the mysteries sucked, and other than the two of them (and maybe Toushirou and Byakuya) most of the characters aren’t interesting to the average person. If you liked Bleach for any of those three reasons (or any other minor reasons), then you are in the absolute minority of nerds.

The cold, iron truth of economics is that you sell media properties in one of two ways: either by drilling down to a highly dedicated fanbase (e.g., moe-blob anime with extremely jacked-up Blu-ray prices) or by appealing to as wide and shallow an audience as possible (e.g., the Marvel Cinematic Universe). The interesting thing with Bleach is that those two audiences, by the numbers, are actually interested in the same thing: Ichigo and Rukia, and more particularly, IchiRuki.

Bold claim, I know. But you don’t have to look hard to see it. This is why the musicals were focused on them. This is why the LA movie was focused on them. And this is why both of those deemphasized other ancillary characters, especially Ichigo’s human friends like Chad—or Orihime: because they are essentially irrelevant to that largely singular fixture of the series and are forgettable other than to some hardcore nerd. (The only other thing that comes remotely close to being as iconic are the Soul Society fights, especially Ichigo vs. Byakuya.)

This is also why every time the property has been reinvented for a new market (again, e.g., the musical and the LA movie) the focus has always been on early Bleach: because it most showcases their interactions and establishes their foundational emotional connection. This is in large part why arcs that more and more deemphasized their interactions suffered increasingly worse sales, to the point that Bleach was consistently ranked 20th out of 20 in Weekly Shounen Jump’s ratings on a week-to-week basis. Less Ichigo and Rukia, and especially less Ichigo and Rukia together, means less sales. This is why TYBW and WDKALY sold abysmally, and I’m willing to bet that CFYOW’s numbers aren’t too great either considering it features neither of them at all.

This is furthermore why Studio Pierrot gave them so many moments, like the ice-skating and fireworks date that they used to send off the anime: because IchiRuki sells. And not much else does.

So, having established that, let’s talk about your idea.

Ichika and Kazui don’t make sense, because their existence in TYBW isn’t established. They simply appear, like the rest of the ending, with no buildup or explanation. In other words, there is no reason to invest in them as characters; they are simply designs walking and talking on a page. (And surprise, the only people who cared “about” them at all were people like you who were pleased as punch that it was evidence that Ichigo and Orihime, and Rukia and Renji, fucked. And even you lot don’t care about them, because there is nothing about them to possibly care about. You care about them as symbols and nothing more.)

However, what would make even less sense is to introduce them without having TYBW at all. For the anime to jump from Ichigo and Rukia having an ice rink not-date to having Ichika and Kazui running around in their places would be a bit like jumping from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, to Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens in 1983, instead of having Return of the Jedi. It really isn’t possible to overstate how much that big of a leap would lose an audience, whose reactions would be, “What the fuck is this? What happened?”

As I have previously calculated, animating TYBW would take about 4–5 seasons and about 3–4 years of production. So, unless you wanted to pull one of the strangest continuations ever in media history, you’d be waiting for that to wrap first, and presuming its financial success (which is dubious, for the above outlined reasons, and its relative historical print failure which got the manga cancelled).

Setting all that aside, Ichika and Kazui are not photocopies of Rukia and Ichigo; they are genderflipped photocopies of Renji and Orihime. There is a reason why, despite the best efforts of IH here on Tumblr Dot Com, the IR community has never warmed up to them: why would you take a cheap clone knockoff that can’t even trace the original properly when you could just have the original? This will likewise hold true for a general audience. If a random-ass person in Japan knows anything at all about Bleach, it’ll be Ichigo and Rukia. Going, “This isn’t them, but here’s the same great taste but less filling!” is going to get you a response of, “No thanks.”

Setting that aside, what exactly would be the premise? The Espada were retconned in from the aether and people were fine with them, since they were basically just the inverse and mirror of the Shinigami. But people didn’t much care when Xcution were retconned in from the aether. And they didn’t like it when Yhwach and the Sternritter were retconned in from the aether. And they really don’t care now that Tokinada, Hikone, and Aura were retconned in from the aether. Are you really going to have a fifth group of baddies we never even vaguely heard of before showing up? Or are you going to just recycle a set? “Oh, no, Aizen has escaped Muken and has made the Super Fullbringer Espada…” Please. The concept is tapped out: it either has to keep inventing new bullshit and pretending it was always around, or it has to recycle the same ideas but in a less exciting way. Or it has to be rebooted.

It is clear that something or other is happening with regard to Bleach for this “anniversary” event, but the evidence, in my eyes, doesn’t match what you would see for TYBW being animated, let alone for some kind of Boruto-style series.

The event has been marketed in a rather low-key fashion, which is weird considering the 2020 Olympics are a once-in-a-generation event which provide the perfect hype vehicle (and which Shueisha has been using to push other WSJ properties). If you were working on a large or risky project, you’d want a lot of hype—either to prepare the audience, or to maximize your initial buy-in and returns if it’s going to flop (e.g., Anthem). Being cautious indicates both the scale and risk are small.

The emphasis on the voice actors who are appearing at the event are all for classic and popular characters: Ichigo, Byakuya, and now Rukia. You know what fans don’t like? Having a bait-and-switch pulled on them where their classic faves are affiliated with something, only for them to be radically deemphasized in the actual final product. (Just look at the three recent Star Wars movies for some proof of that one.) It is far more likely to be something focused around them.

MegaHouse is making new Bleach figurines this year. But the designs they’ve chosen so far are… Fake Karakura battle Armored Yoruichi (who I’m excited for), and Hueco Mundo style unreleased Grimmjow. If you were going to make merchandise for TYBW or a next-generation show, it’d make a lot more sense for that merch to be… actually related to those events, rather than “classic” designs, now wouldn’t it? To go to the Star Wars well again, they weren’t trying to sell Qui-Gon Jinn or Lando Calrissian toys with The Last Jedi.

To me, all the evidence indicates that whatever it is will be some sort of “Greatest Hits” OVA or something like that, with a focus on the Aizen era of the series. Maybe a lot of the “best” battles redone in really high quality. Maybe a video game. Maybe a reboot of the series from the start. Hard to say. But it doesn’t look an awful lot like TYBW, let alone a next-generation effort.

Now, I’m not saying that either of those things are impossible. I’ve been wrong before in this life (for example, I didn’t think Putin would invade Crimea), and I will be wrong again. I could be wrong about this too. I can only speak in probabilities.

But what I will say with confidence is that committing to TYBW would be fairly dumb as a business decision given everything that is evident about what makes Bleach sell.

And committing to a next-generation series at this stage before doing TYBW would be even dumber.

And doing a next-generation series without doing TYBW would be even dumber still.

Now, stupid people are in ascendancy worldwide in all kinds of endeavors, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that someone greenlit something so dumb. But if they did, I don’t think it’s going to do so hot.

So, good luck, I guess.

#Asks

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haich-slash-cee · 5 years ago

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Is the print publishing world picking up online/fandom terms? How they are using them? How do we feel about this?

So this is... attention-getting, for folks who like to follow publishing and meta stuff.

https://twitter.com/sapphicxrey/status/1215065948677443584

https://twitter.com/TorDotComPub/status/1233391556750647299

(2nd tweet -- TW, mentions of non-con)

Are we seeing the beginnings of book publishers directly borrowing from online/fandom culture in promoting their books? How do we feel about these examples?

More below cut.

Exhibit #1: screenshots of Bonds of Brass promo from Jan 8 2020. (Which is probably going to have reactions of “haha, cute” at most.)

Transcript of blurb:

“If you like...

forbidden romances, “there’s only one bed”, cityships, weaponized umbrellas, powersuits, secret princes, best friends, best friends PINING, fake dating between PINING best friends, tactical streaking, the minivan of starships, cigar-chomping cyborg ladies, scary empress moms, galactic-level bisexual disasters, LEGACY (WHAT IS A LEGACY?), rooftop hopping, golden trios, rumblin’ drums, bootleg fireworks, BIG SPACE BATTLES PEW PEW, a surprisingly functional public transit system, mob trouble, one hell of a pilot, the inherent DRAMA of empire, a nice interlude in a river, smoking a joint that’s been on the floor, sick stunts, slick grifts, hiding in a dumpster, or any combination of the above,

Then you might like

BONDS OF BRASS”

The Twitter responses seem to be generally enthusiastic. (And also, “FinnPoe! FinnPoe!”)

Personally, I’m intrigued from a meta-view of “oh so that’s definitely pulling from online world and fanfiction world, interesting. I wonder how much fanfiction culture is starting to influence print book culture and promotion.” Maybe I’ve got some questions like, “Ok so moneymaking companies such as Penguin are now using culture developed by the not-moneymaking-world of fanfiction? How do we feel about this?” Anyway, the book looks cute, I’m interested enough and I might get it from the library.

I suspect many people’s reactions are along the lines of “hm, interesting”, “sounds like a lark”, or “haha they’re using AO3 tags as promo”, etc.

Exhibit #2, screenshots of DOCILE promo, from Feb 28 2020 (today is March 1 2020), and screenshots of Twitter responses so far:

(*CW, non-con discussion)

Tweet transcript:

“DOCILE by @KMSzpara:

-Dubcon/Noncon

-Dramatic Trillionaire Content

-BDSM and then some more BDSM and then a lot more BDSM

-Hurt/comfort and hurt/no comfort

-Cinnamon roll of steel

-The most scandalous kink: love

-Courtroom, bedroom, & Preakness drama

[Tor book website link]”

So this is getting mixed reactions on Twitter. All dozen or so reactions, so far. Here’s text transcripts and bio info from repliers, below. I’m being a little obsessive, mostly to show that there’s a mix of queer, book-ish people in the replies (including the author).)

Noncon is nonconsentual sex, rape. Even in fandom it's a content tag, not a promotional term. I can't imagine being a rape survivor and seeing this come across my TL. -- @WriteSomeGood [queer rainbow] [Cis queer homemaker, aspiring author, maker of incredible cinnamon buns. She/her] [has a Tumblr page]

I’m not a survivor but it was an instant “no thank you” from me. And I was sincerely looking forward to this prior to. This is the most immediately off-putting marketing push I’ve seen for a book in a long damn time. -- @AGAWilmot [Author, editor, artist. Co-EIC of @anathemaspec. @SFU alum. The Death Scene Artist/W&W 2018. Ace/enby. They/them. Horror is my comfort food.]

Whichever intern wrote this tweet, deserves a full time job. With benefits. -- @simeontsanev [Aspiring writer, post-aspiring musician, and overall geek He/Him /[queer rainbow]/ To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now! http://simeontsanev.com]

Idk why everyone thinks it’s always an intern writing copy and not a team comprised of extremely skilled social media experts, editors, publicists and marketers, and their assistants I worked on those tags with my editor and a good friend!! -- @KMSzpara [Kellan. [queer rainbow] Speculative fiction writer. Queer agenda. Hugo & Nebula finalist. DOCILE 3/3/20 from Tor Dot Com Publishing. He/him. Rep @suddenlyjen] *The author, bio page and twitter page.

this is CUTE! -- @MSSciarappa [queer rainbow] I do books. he/him.

I am Extremely Ready for this content thank u -- @JessicaBCooper [Journo ☽ Writer of faerie, villain fuckery & cruel desires ☽ Lestat & Loki's love child ☽ Aleksander Morozova's side-hoe ☽ Rep'd by Kate Testerman @ktliterary]

I’m listening -- @MerynLobb [Government worker. Weightlifter. Nihilist. Aspiring cult leader. Avid user of words, often bad ones. #AMM R6 Mentee. she/her]

Soon! Soon!! -- @castrophony [Geek. Gamer. Cosplayer. Bibliophile. Scientist. She/Her.]

[happy reaction gif] -- @TorDotComPub [Providing a home for writers to tell SFF stories in exactly the number of words they choose. All our titles are available globally in print and DRM-free ebook.]

[throwing stuff in dumpster, unhappy reaction gif] -- @cursedgravy [name's xavi, im a transman and i like to daydream about making content]

For more context, here’s the blurb from the author website. Below is the blurb from the publisher’s site:

“Docile

K.M. Szpara

K. M. Szpara's Docile is a science fiction parable about love and sex, wealth and debt, abuse and power, a challenging tour de force that at turns seduces and startles.

There is no consent under capitalism.

To be a Docile is to be kept, body and soul, for the uses of the owner of your contract. To be a Docile is to forget, to disappear, to hide inside your body from the horrors of your service. To be a Docile is to sell yourself to pay your parents' debts and buy your children's future.

Elisha Wilder’s family has been ruined by debt, handed down to them from previous generations. His mother never recovered from the Dociline she took during her term as a Docile, so when Elisha decides to try and erase the family’s debt himself, he swears he will never take the drug that took his mother from him.

Too bad his contract has been purchased by Alexander Bishop III, whose ultra-rich family is the brains (and money) behind Dociline and the entire Office of Debt Resolution. When Elisha refuses Dociline, Alex refuses to believe that his family’s crowning achievement could have any negative side effects—and is determined to turn Elisha into the perfect Docile without it.

Content warning: Docile contains forthright depictions and discussions of rape and sexual abuse.”

So that’s a lot of info and reactions.

Personally: at first glance, I absently skimmed the tweet and “hurt/comfort” popped out, and I was like “What? Mainstream publishing is cool with this now? I was wondering if ‘hurt/comfort’ would one day become commonly used in publishing [related post]. But this is way sooner than I thought.” And then I read the rest of of the tweet and thought, “Wait, what?”

And then I started reading through the tweet replies and thought, “OK, at the risk of getting a bunch of Tumblr drama, I want to bring this to the whump community and see how people feel."

As for myself, one of my squicks is non-con, and I’m not really interested in hurt/no comfort. So just from the tweet, I know the book is not for me. The official blurbs confirmed that. In this sense, this is like skimming Ao3 tags on a fic and saying “pass” on a story.

However, I have questions about the specific promotion of the book. So the official blurbs are pretty standard. What about that tweet, which Tor (and the author, who helped put it together) put out? Because I think an official publisher’s Tweet comes with different context than Ao3 tags.

First, the different internet spaces. You can filter tags on Ao3 and Tumblr. I know you can mute words on Twitter, but is that the same thing? Also, would people be expecting these tags on Twitter? Compared to Ao3 or Tumblr or Tumblr Whump spaces?

Within the Tumblr Whump community, from what I’ve browsed, the community attitude (guidelines?) seem to be “Write and discuss what you want. Be sure to tag it, use content warnings, or otherwise clearly communicate if you have things that may be triggering. Respect people’s squicks/triggers. Walk away from what you don’t like.” Like, tumblr whump has a very specific culture of trying to balance discourse/stories about potentially very dark stuff, but also wanting to make sure the IRL people and Tumblr users are okay. There’s always posts going around about how to do this, are we doing this in the right way, ethics, so on. Also -- and people can correct me -- the whump tumblr space might be where tags are content warnings for people to stay away, and also what people might actively look for. So if any space is going to discuss if this promotional tweet checks out, I feel like it’s this space.

Also, to note again, Tor Tweets are in the money-official-publisher-world, not unpaid-tumblr-people or unpaid-fanfiction-fandom-world.

Maybe I just want to ask, “Hey those first two tweet responses, does they have a point? Tor using ‘noncon’ as official promotion? On Twitter?” I mean, I’ve previously written, “The CW and TW tags that Ao3 writers use, I really wish those were used with published books as well.” But somehow, the Tor tweet was not quite what I was expecting. Maybe for reasons similar to that first tweet response. (I guess one could debate if a tweet is really promotion or just information... you know what someone can correct me, but I’m gonna say that a Tor.com tweet is promotion, compared to information like Ao3, and that tweet was there for promotion.)

Those tags operate within specific Ao3 and Tumblr cultures and infrastructure. I don’t hang around Twitter for whump stuff, IDK what the culture is. Anyway, does dropping these tags into a promotional tweet from Tor.... translate?

The tweet is evidently gathering the people who are there for it, and the people who aren’t there for it are quickly realizing that they are not there for it. But personally, the Tor website blurb does a better job at that, using writing that I’d expect from a publisher for communicating fictional non-con situations. (Maybe the blurb content warnings are what I wanted more of, when I said I wished for CW and TW in books.)

Anyway, there’s no huge drama about that Docile book promo on Twitter, as far as I can tell. So this is a niche thing, right now. But. The promo for Bonds of Brass and for Docile might be the beginnings of a trend of well-known book publishers borrowing from online writing / fandom culture and terminology in order to promote or categorize their books. These two promos might set a precedent or have other significance.

So if anyone has discourse on the tweets or potential future trends...

#meta #discourse #publishing #bonds of brass #Docile #publishers #future trends #maybe #non-con #trigger warnings #content warnings #fanfiction #ao3 #tumblr #whump #hurt/comfort #hurt/no comfort #books

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evabellasworld · 4 years ago

Text

I Give You My Heart

Chapter 3

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

13+ and above for cursing and mild violence

——————————————————————————————

Summary: When Riyo Chuchi’s life was threatened, Commander Fox and Jedi Knight Ava Lira and Eva Bella Young are assigned to bring the senator back to her home planet Pantora, where she will be safe from harm. But when the assassin knows her whereabouts, it’s up to Fox, Lira, Eva, and Riyo to work together and stop the assassin.

————————————————————————————-

Scratching below her chin, Riyo stared at the checkerboard as Fox glanced at her, tapping his fingers on the lamp table. She moved her eyes around the board and focused on his chess piece, which the queen. According to her knowledge, the queen is the most powerful piece in chess and could eliminate hers if she’s not careful.

Chess has always been a favourite game, especially when she’s playing with her parents. Her mother, who was descended from nobles, would emphasize the importance of playing chess and how it is applicable in life, especially law and politics.

“In your career, you must learn to study your opponents in order to push yourself to success,” Riyo recalled her advice. “If you give away your position, they will take advantage of you and pounce on you like feral dogs when they see the chance. That is the first rule of law and politics, never open up your vulnerabilities to others, no matter how nice they seem.”

It was ironic, really, because Riyo finds herself opening up to Commander Fox, despite her mother’s warning when she delved into politics. He was no politician, only a soldier bred for war. He doesn’t take bribes or cheat or even tell a lie just for his personal reasons. No, that’s not Commander Fox that Riyo knows. The Commander Fox that she knows was honourable, brave, and honest, and right now, he’s waiting for her next move in the game.

“Are you going to move or what?” Fox groaned, resting his face on his palms. “I’ve been sitting here for hours, waiting for you to move your chess piece.”

“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Fox,” Riyo let out a chuckle as she moved her pawn sideways, taking the queen out of the game. Fox’s eyes widened as he watched Riyo placing his chess piece beside her on the lamp table, with the other pieces that she had taken from the board.

He grunted as he desperately counted his chess piece that was left on the board, with only his king, his knight, his bishop, and his rook spared, for now. Since this was the first time he’s playing this game with someone else, it’s no surprise to him that he would lose to a senator, who was born at the rice farm and was formally educated at a prestigious law school.

Despite that, Fox is determined to win this game, even when the outcome is not in favour of him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath as he pushed his rook forward, pushing away one of her pawns. “Your turn, senator,” he reminded her, giving her a cocky grin.

Riyo could only let out a mischievous grin as she moved her queen sideways, facing his king. “Checkmate,” she declared, making Fox’s smile disappear. “You should move your king to a safer place.”

Fox blinked and sighed sheepishly as he moved his king one step away from the queen, only for Riyo to gestured her head at his chess piece. “My rook is a few steps away from you.”

“Goddammit,” he whined as he moved his king to his right, only to notice her knight, that could ambush him in an L-shaped. Fox felt a drip of sweat on his forehead. With nowhere for his king to move on the board, the only thing he could do now was to admit defeat towards his opponent, who he also finds intelligent, something that most senators, besides Senator Amidala and Senator Organa. “Alright, Riyo, you won. Congratulations on your victory in chess.”

“Why thank you, kind sir,” she smiled to herself, as she placed the board away, adjusting her legs that are buried underneath a thin blanket. “You were good too, just need a bit more practice, yeah?”

“I guess you're right,” he got up, helping her to pack the board game for her since she needed plenty of rest from the blasts. “Anyways, how are you holding up so far? Good, bad, or neutral?”

“More on the bad side, unfortunately,” Riyo sighed. “I can't help but worry about my friends, especially Bibi. I want to wish that she was alright, but at the same time, I feel like she may not be able to make it through, considering the blast was...well, intense.”

Fox tightened his lips as he sat beside her and squeezed her hand, much to her delight. “I understand where you are coming from, Riyo, but worrying too much won't do any good to you. You need to relax if you want to get better as soon as possible.”

“I know, Fox,” she squeezed his hands back. “But I can't help it, especially since it was rather unexpected.”

“Yeah, it was. I didn't think that the assassin would be smart enough to put a bomb in the Senate building, especially if it's a tripwire, you know. We're trying to figure out how did that person snuck in, or how did they set the bomb, but so far, there was nothing.”

“It's a shame, huh? There are people willing to let go of their morals just to gain some credits, even when they know they are in the wrong.”

“Yeah, it is. I guess assassins and politicians are no different, except for their willingness to get their hands dirty. While bounty hunters and assassins would openly admit that they killed someone, senators cower when things don't go their way, no offense to you, Riyo.”

“None was taken, actually,” Riyo chuckled. “You have a good point there. It is unfortunate that those same senators who swore to serve their people are the ones who won't hesitate when they accept luxury gifts in exchange for selling off their soul.”

With all the talks of negativity between the both of them, Riyo felt like changing the subject instead just to ease her worries about Bibi, whom she heard she's in a critical condition from one of the nurses that served her with kindness. “Anyways, how are you and your siblings? I heard from Lip that your duty as a Coruscant Guard has expanded. Is that true?”

“Yeah, it has,” he nodded. “The Chancellor wanted us to take most of the Senate Guards' duty since there was a spread of corruption within their ranks.”

“I hope you are getting yourself a good rest, Fox,” she advised him. “Yves told me that she caught you dozing off in your office a few nights ago. Are you alright?”

“Well, the Chancellor gave me a massive pile of paperwork yesterday for me to complete them by this week. I ended up dozing while I was doing half of them, and then Yves woke me up.”

“Oh dear, please don’t overwork yourself, Fox. You need to rest if you want to perform well in your job.”

“I just can’t help it, Ri. If I don’t get all of my paperwork done, then I have to deal with the consequences of the Chancellor himself, and you know how he is.”

“He is particular in every paperwork we sent,” she sighed. “And if it's not perfect, he'll ask us to do it again, until he is satisfied with his answer. But he won't say it directly to your face, though, he would be-”

“Subtle about it,” he finished her sentence, letting out a chuckle. “Yeah, I know how things work when it comes to the Chancellor.”

“At least he's tolerable, unlike most senators I've worked with.”

Fox doubted Riyo's words, but then again, she is a sentient being. The Chancellor puts on a charade and acts all nice to the senators and the Jedi, but when it comes to the Corrie Guards, well, things could have been worse for him and his siblings.

Before he could utter a word, his comlink beeped, prompting him to pick it up. “Lip, anything so far?”

“Sir, you have to get Senator Chuchi out of here,” the trooper warned him. “There is an assassin in his hospital.”

“What the-” Fox exclaimed, springing out from his seat. “Where is he?”

In a moment, there was a red dot pointed on Riyo's chest, prompting him to shield the senator in his embrace. The windows shattered as the wall was shot with a sniper rifle.

Riyo finds her breathing turning rapidly as she holds her grasps around Fox's arms, praying that she doesn't get hit by her killer-for-hire.

It felt like a second to be discovered and almost get her own life taken away. She could do nothing but to get herself to safety and hope for the best. But at the same time, she worries about Fox.

What if Fox gets himself killed while he catches the killer? She thought as she saw the nurses rushing inside her ward, wondering whether she is alright.

“The killer is in Level 39 of the Enterprise Tower,” Fox commed his troops. “All squad, set your weapon to stun and reprimand this suspect immediately.”

“What about you, Commander?” Riyo asked, addressing him by his rank.

“I'll be taking you to safety, Senator, now come on.”

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ofdivinegrace · 5 years ago

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Out of Context Things Said In The Discord Server Part II

“All hail the brazen angel who broke Michael.” 'In the words of the Archangel Gabriel "Bite me".' “Chuck is the fish Pudge” “ok but lowkey 'enemy of creation' is a badass title” “-dabs in Scorpio-” “-cries in Leo-” “I’m a stop sign.” “I shall never know the truth of my signs.” “ I'm a libra idk what that means.” “ It explains why u are always blocked.” “angry tea sipping is an art form.” “Scuse u, my phone is a Lady.” “we need to have labels for them; Michaels red, blue, and yellow.” “-smacks friend with a newspaper.- YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP.” “why is the server horny now?” “tigger was my main bitch growing up” “i refuse to drink milk cause i don’t want my skeleton to become strong enough to leave my body.” “-incoherent hellish daddy issue screeching-” “they sing to him together;for double gay power.” “i'm glad i can build my own canon with blackjack and hookers.” “ill swallow it whole don’t test me” “ -sssssssssssssssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipppppppppppp-” “-smacks with a broom-” “-hisses; climbs the fridge-” “Apparently I'm transcending my human form to become a tiger." “y’all ever? [screams into the abyss]” “ *sips red bull* ....sometimes.” “ i'm at school and A NAKED MAN APPEARED ON TUMBLR DOT COM.” “cleaning nasty cat butts is like peak cat parent task.” “ plot twist the GOD stands for Great Old Dragons” “Glib Overbearing Dad” “Grumpy Omnipresent Dick” “If you won't let me or try to stop me having fun, I'm taking all the toys with me" “#fuckcanon” “wow i've been messaged by 4 spam bots and got followed by 3 porn bots in the past 2 days like i love a functioning website.” “ -throws confetti for the free day-” “Celestial Pikachu” “strangers on tumblr say the darndest things” “ I will fight and kick ur teeth out then cry about whatever you said to me.” “ he only want to be insulting when he prays right now.” “Dear Lord; Fuck you. Amen. Easy” “-high pitched noises of alarm that only dogs can hear-” “icb this car has more furniture than my place.” “ -puts him on his camel-” “ON HIS WHAT?” “Camel.” “I said no bitch -turns to goo and slithers away-” “ Who gonna smite me so I can get some goddamn rest” “ also theres a dick museum there so” “the one with a lot of dICKS FROM ALL SPECIES? I WANNA GO THERE” “ yeah and an occasional fucking volcano explosion.” “ I read ‘occasionally fucking a volcano’” “He was the original gross angel” “WAS?” “i can't believe tumblr made me read the words "shark apologists" with my own two eyes” “ not sure if kink or cannibalism.” “ -giggling over Poseidon HOOKING up with people.-” “HES LITERALLY LOADED UP WITH SO MUCH AMGER OK” “ amger is amor and anger combined.” “ mini army of michaels ready to Throw Down” “An archangel; having self care? IN THIS ECONOMY?” “Look I’m 300 years old I don’t know slang” “What’s his name?” “Precious Mcperfectface” “More like Nerd Mcnerdface.” “ Hit it till u dont feel it” “ cut it off and reattach it afterwards” “Creamy crimes sounds kinky” “ i don't have pale people problems, i have my-mom-had-nice-olive-skin-but-she-didn't-pass -those-particular-genetics-onto-me-i-only-got-the-dark hair problems” “ the amount of straighteners i burned through in my emo days” “ ...............how do you burn a straightner??” “Sold my soul to the dark lord” “It was so easy to sell your soul back then;Now they ask for your credit score like fucking hell” “ The historical data demands paranoia” “STARS STREAK ACROSS THE SKY IN THE SHAPE OF A MIDDLE FINGER” “ah, stars, the twitter characters of the celestials” “ THIS IS WHY GOD DOESN'T FUCKING LOVE YOU” “ he's build your own angel now :1 ikea version” “ he can't even carry his limbs to raphael for reattachment” “ STARVED OF AFFECTION AND FOOD” “LISTEN” “STARVED” “ and i've only stolen a gerber” “ i thought that read gerbil and i was like....” “ Wasn’t me I don’t even own a pair of eyes” “ what are you jack?" “you’re Jack?” “BRAINLINK” “Drunken moose antics”

#Mind Your Memes #general cw

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klaineccfanficlibrary · 6 years ago

Note

hey there, im very sick and sad at the moment, do you have super fluffy(preferably multichapter) fics?

Hey Nonnie,

Fluffy multichapters? I’ll see what I can do :-) Most multichapters will contain some angst, though, even when the story is mostly fluff.

Here are some virtual hugs for you in the hopes of making you feel a bit better XOXOXO

Marjan

A Month, A Week and Three Days by @it-avi

"Why does everyone take me seriously when I talk about that?" Kurt mused. "My Step-Brother, my Dad, my-" he stumbled over his words for a second. "-Blaine." He finished lamely, his cheeks turning quickly to a rosy, adorable pink.

A Place to Stay by ItsNotEasyBeingQueen

Kurt is a blogger who has reserved a room at a hotel for Fashion Week - a hotel which just happens to be managed by the charming Blaine Anderson. Circumstances force them into each other's lives for the week in a way neither of them expected. What exactly will happen when Blaine gives Kurt a place to stay?

A Universe Where Prop 8 And Other Related Homophobic State Laws Have Long Been Defeated by @rockinhamburger

Fast-forward several years in the future. Kurt and Blaine are navigating the waters of marriage, and everything that entails.

Along for the Rides by @slayediest

AU. Blaine and Kurt get their summer romance on. Mostly fluff, awkward flirting, a side of misunderstanding and some hanky panky.

Another Time, Another Place by elfinder

What if Kurt had met Blaine a year earlier? How would his life have changed? In his sophomore year, during the spring, Kurt Hummel ends up by chance meeting a charming young man named Blaine Anderson, who turns out to be in his own Glee club. The two begin down the road of becoming friends and then the journey that their relationship takes them. Will they be able to face any problems ahead? No matter what they may be?

Black and White by rainjoy

Kurt and Blaine do a crossword. Amongst other things.

Click and Press Send by @loveheartlover

Blaine Anderson is 18 years old and in his final year at McKinley High. His best friends know everything about him- apart from that whole thing where he's in love with an online blogger.

ThreeDomsToRuleThemAll are the best thing to ever happen to Blaine; three friends who post audio and video that more than satisfies his need to submit, and Kimber is the man who makes every Thursday the best day of Blaine's week. It's just a shame that Blaine is little more than another number, another follower to him. He doesn't even know Blaine exists.

Until one day, he does.

This is their story.

Crema verse by @twobirdsonesong

Kurt’s just landed a job at Vogue as Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant. One of his tasks is to bring her coffee in the morning. Enter Blaine, the barista. This is the story of how they change each other’s lives.

Equality by idoltina

Obligatory 'gay marriage becomes legal in New York and the boys react' fic.Also: Blaine just wants a blowjob. His elderly neighbor, Kurt's parents, and a plan that's been in the making for three and a half years all serve as sources to Blaine's seemingly never-ending sexual frustration.

Excited about things by @a-simple-rainbow

"It's not fair because I'll never get to make fun of your pictures!" He whines and Kurt stops dead on his track. The silence is thick and then Blaine sighs and laughs "Relax, I'm kidding." "I'm… I…" "You're gonna have to get used to blind jokes if this is gonna work." Blaine announces, smirking as he leaves the kitchen, glass in hand. (Blind!blaine, Skank!Kurt, FLUFF)

Gourmet Rhapsody by @hazelandglasz

Kurt has been working as a designer in a high-end fashion house but he just reaches his emotional limit.He goes through a burnout and during the time he has been given to recover, he goes back to what has always been his way to cope with stress : cooking and more particularly baking.It acts as an epiphany : why does he keep on working for someone else who doesn’t really let him make the right decisions and put too much pressure on him, if he can try being his own boss ?With Blaine’s support and Adam’s collaboration, he opens “Nibble on”, a bakery that cares about feeding you, body and soul.

How Kurt Hummel Loses His Virginity by @scatter-the-stars

Tired of being a virgin, and not having anybody be interested in him, shy and insecure, Kurt, decides that for his twentieth birthday, as a present to himself, he will hire an escort and lose the big V. Little does he know, that when he meets Blaine, his escort, everything will change.

How Many Days... by @fictionallylost

How many days does it take to fall in love? For Music Producer, Blaine Anderson it’s just another day at the office working on a valentines record for an international, top selling artist; with the idea of love as far from his mind as possible…that is until he meets lead backing vocalist, Kurt Hummel.

In Want of Magic by @trufflemores

3.01-4.01. "I just want my senior year to be magic."

Italian Boy by @kookaburrito

Every Saturday morning Kurt takes the bus to Little Italy. During the ride he keeps seeing the same cute boy who reads Italian books, and decides to learn the language, you know, just because it might turn out useful in the end.

Jump by @scatter-the-stars

It's been over a year since the injury that took away his dream. No longer able to take the questions and concerns, Kurt has escaped to a small town to think about what he wants. What he doesn't expect to find are Blaine and his little girl, who both quickly steal his heart. And it's not long before he has to make the choice of where his heart truly lies.

life is like a song (i want you to sing to me) by @luthien82

Kurt and Blaine have been best friends since college. They would do anything for each other, which Blaine proves when Kurt confesses he has to go home for a wedding - a wedding where everyone expects him to bring his long time boyfriend. The thing is: Kurt doesn't have one. But he has a Blaine, who is willing to help. Enter one group of crazy, well meaning friends, a week full of wedding preparations, and lots of sexual tension and you've got yourself a mix that's just bound to blow up in their faces...

Loving You Is Easy by @mrscriss2012

Single parent Kurt is moving back to Ohio. Having been hurt before, will he ever find anyone to love and trust again?

Make the Yuletide Gay by @razorsharpquill

When the invitation comes, Blaine Anderson is delighted -- he can't think of a better way to usher in the holidays than an impromptu Warbler reunion to celebrate one of their own getting married. Unfortunately that includes ALL of the Warblers, including his ex-boyfriend Sebastian. Avoiding the ex might just call for drastic measures -- and Blaine knows just the man for the job.

Missing Pieces by @sunshineoptimismandangels

Even after living in New York City for three years Kurt Hummel still hasn't found love. He thought that the city of his dreams would make all of his dreams come true, but maybe he just isn't made for romance. That is until Kurt is home for the summer, helping his father run his growing Android Repair shop and getting to know hid dad's latest acquisition, a handsome and sweet android with curly hair, and a kind smile and a love for musicals. Maybe Kurt will discover that love isn't what he always thought it was.

NYADA Crushes by @notthetoothfairy

Kurt doesn’t think it’s going to be a big deal if he posts an anonymous message on the NYADA Crushes Facebook page about the cute guy he just saw fall on his ass in front of the NYADA main entrance. Little does he know that Blaine is going to be his dance TA once the new school year starts, and that Blaine has a history with NYADA Crushes, too.

Operation Secret Santa by @ckerouac

Kurt can't stop staring at the cute guy who comes by the coffee station near his desk every morning, but can never muster up the courage to say hello. Until the assignment for their office Secret Santa is revealed and his reads 'Blaine Anderson'. Written in pieces for Klaine Advent 2017.

Shiftings by @chazzam (check out the entire verse, it’s lovely!)

Shiftings 'verse #1 - The shift in their relationship didn't come out of left field at all. Beneath the surface, things had been changing all along. Set right after THE KLISS. Kind of fluffy.

Somebody to Love by @bazllton

Klaine Coffee shop AU in which Kurt is a barista and Blaine is a dorky customer. Basically just lots and lots of fluff.

Sum verse by flaming_muse

The whole of Kurt and Blaine’s relationship is greater than the sum of its parts. Scenes of two boys in love.

Three Weeks of Summer by @antarcticbird

Kurt just wants to get some work done, Rachel just wants him to relax, and Blaine shows up and makes everything even more complicated than it is already.

Written On My Heart by @gingerfic

Kurt draws Blaine’s name in a massive secret pal exchange at work. He doesn’t know Blaine, and thinks he is giving to a female. Will he decide to reveal himself and actually meet Blaine at the end of the six weeks?Meanwhile, he has started noticing an attractive stranger...

Also, if you don’t mind me reccing one of my own fics:

Catch Me A Catch by lilyvandersteen

Blaine is a hard-working pre-law student and part-time barista, whose brother Cooper has snagged a role in Funny Girl. Kurt is a diligent NYADA student and intern at Vogue dot com, whose roommate Rachel is the new Fanny Brice. Cooper and Rachel hit it off immediately, and then start scheming to get Kurt and Blaine together.

#klaine #klaine fanfiction #fluff #multichapter #fic finder #Anonymous

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macaroni-rascal · 6 years ago

Note

why do you want to delete your twitter account?

i can only handle one sell site at a time and i told my soul to tumblr dot com back in april of 2011 and there are no take-backsies

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personalcoachingcenter · 4 years ago

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How great Industrial leaders inspire action

New Post has been published on https://personalcoachingcenter.com/how-great-industrial-leaders-inspire-action/

How great Industrial leaders inspire action

How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, they’re more innovative than all their competition.

And yet, they’re just a computer company. They’re just like everyone else. They have the same access to the same talent, the same agencies, the same consultants, the same media. Then why is it that they seem to have something different? Why is it that Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement? He wasn’t the only man who suffered in pre-civil rights America, and he certainly wasn’t the only great orator of the day.

Why him? And why is it that the Wright brothers were able to figure out controlled, powered man flight when there were certainly other teams who were better qualified, better funded — and they didn’t achieve powered man flight, and the Wright brothers beat them to it.

There’s something else at play here. About three and a half years ago, I made a discovery. And this discovery profoundly changed my view on how I thought the world worked, and it even profoundly changed the way in which I operate in it.

As it turns out, there’s a pattern. As it turns out, all the great inspiring leaders and organizations in the world, whether it’s Apple or Martin Luther King or the Wright brothers, they all think, act and communicate the exact same way.

And it’s the complete opposite to everyone else. All I did was codify it, and it’s probably the world’s simplest idea. I call it the golden circle. Why? How? What? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren’t.

Let me define the terms really quickly. Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP.

But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by “why” I don’t mean “to make a profit.” That’s a result. It’s always a result. By “why,” I mean: What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? As a result, the way we think, we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in, it’s obvious.

We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations — regardless of their size, regardless of their industry all think, act and communicate from the inside out.

Let me give you an example. I use Apple because they’re easy to understand and everybody gets it. If Apple were like everyone else, a marketing message from them might sound like this: “We make great computers.

They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. Want to buy one?” “Meh.” That’s how most of us communicate. That’s how most marketing and sales are done, that’s how we communicate interpersonally.

We say what we do, we say how we’re different or better and we expect some sort of a behavior, a purchase, a vote, something like that. Here’s our new law firm: We have the best lawyers with the biggest clients, we always perform for our clients.

Here’s our new car: It gets great gas mileage, it has leather seats. Buy our car. But it’s uninspiring. Here’s how Apple actually communicates. “Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo.

We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?” Totally different, right? You’re ready to buy a computer from me.

I just reversed the order of the information. What it proves to us is that people don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it. This explains why every single person in this room is perfectly comfortable buying a computer from Apple.

But we’re also perfectly comfortable buying an MP3 player from Apple, or a phone from Apple, or a DVR from Apple. As I said before, Apple’s just a computer company. Nothing distinguishes them structurally from any of their competitors.

Their competitors are equally qualified to make all of these products. In fact, they tried. A few years ago, Gateway came out with flat-screen TVs. They’re eminently qualified to make flat-screen TVs.

They’ve been making flat-screen monitors for years. Nobody bought one. Dell came out with MP3 players and PDAs, and they make great quality products, and they can make perfectly well-designed products — and nobody bought one.

In fact, talking about it now, we can’t even imagine buying an MP3 player from Dell. Why would you buy one from a computer company? But we do it every day. People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.

The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe. Here’s the best part: None of what I’m telling you is my opinion.

It’s all grounded in the tenets of biology. Not psychology, biology. If you look at a cross-section of the human brain, from the top down, the human brain is actually broken into three major components that correlate perfectly with the golden circle.

Our newest brain, our Homo sapien brain, our neocortex, corresponds with the “what” level. The neocortex is responsible for all of our rational and analytical thought and language. The middle two sections make up our limbic brains, and our limbic brains are responsible for all of our feelings, like trust and loyalty.

It’s also responsible for all human behavior, all decision-making, and it has no capacity for language. In other words, when we communicate from the outside in, yes, people can understand vast amounts of complicated information like features and benefits and facts and figures.

It just doesn’t drive behavior. When we can communicate from the inside out, we’re talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do.

This is where gut decisions come from. Sometimes you can give somebody all the facts and figures, and they say, “I know what all the facts and details say, but it just doesn’t feel right.” Why would we use that verb, it doesn’t “feel” right? Because the part of the brain that controls decision-making doesn’t control language.

The best we can muster up is, “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.” Or sometimes you say you’re leading with your heart or soul. I hate to break it to you, those aren’t other body parts controlling your behavior.

It’s all happening here in your limbic brain, the part of the brain that controls decision-making and not language. But if you don’t know why you do what you do, and people respond to why you do what you do, then how will you ever get people to vote for you, or buy something from you, or, more importantly, be loyal and want to be a part of what it is that you do.

The goal is not just to sell to people who need what you have; the goal is to sell to people who believe what you believe. The goal is not just to hire people who need a job; it’s to hire people who believe what you believe.

I always say that, you know, if you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money, but if they believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.

Nowhere else is there a better example than with the Wright brothers. Most people don’t know about Samuel Pierpont Langley. And back in the early 20th century, the pursuit of powered man flight was like the dot com of the day.

Everybody was trying it. And Samuel Pierpont Langley had, what we assume, to be the recipe for success. Even now, you ask people, “Why did your product or why did your company fail?” and people always give you the same permutation of the same three things: under-capitalized, the wrong people, bad market conditions.

It’s always the same three things, so let’s explore that. Samuel Pierpont Langley was given 50,000 dollars by the War Department to figure out this flying machine. Money was no problem. He held a seat at Harvard and worked at the Smithsonian and was extremely well-connected; he knew all the big minds of the day.

He hired the best minds money could find and the market conditions were fantastic. The New York Times followed him around everywhere, and everyone was rooting for Langley. Then how come we’ve never heard of Samuel Pierpont Langley? A few hundred miles away in Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright, they had none of what we consider to be the recipe for success.

They had no money; they paid for their dream with the proceeds from their bicycle shop. Not a single person on the Wright brothers’ team had a college education, not even Orville or Wilbur. And The New York Times followed them around nowhere.

The difference was, Orville and Wilbur were driven by a cause, by a purpose, by a belief. They believed that if they could figure out this flying machine, it’ll change the course of the world. Samuel Pierpont Langley was different.

He wanted to be rich, and he wanted to be famous. He was in pursuit of the result. He was in pursuit of the riches. And lo and behold, look what happened. The people who believed in the Wright brothers’ dream worked with them with blood and sweat and tears.

The others just worked for the paycheck. They tell stories of how every time the Wright brothers went out, they would have to take five sets of parts, because that’s how many times they would crash before supper.

And, eventually, on December 17th, 1903, the Wright brothers took flight, and no one was there to even experience it. We found out about it a few days later. And further proof that Langley was motivated by the wrong thing: the day the Wright brothers took flight, he quit.

He could have said, “That’s an amazing discovery, guys, and I will improve upon your technology,” but he didn’t. He wasn’t first, he didn’t get rich, he didn’t get famous, so he quit.

People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. If you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe. But why is it important to attract those who believe what you believe? Something called the law of diffusion of innovation, if you don’t know the law, you know the terminology.

The first 2.5% of our population are our innovators. The next 13.5% of our population are our early adopters. The next 34% are your early majority, your late majority and your laggards. The only reason these people buy touch-tone phones is because you can’t buy rotary phones anymore.

We all sit at various places at various times on this scale, but what the law of diffusion of innovation tells us is that if you want mass-market success or mass-market acceptance of an idea, you cannot have it until you achieve this tipping point between 15 and 18 percent market penetration, and then the system tips.

I love asking businesses, “What’s your conversion on new business?” They love to tell you, “It’s about 10 percent,” proudly. Well, you can trip over 10% of the customers. We all have about 10% who just get it.

That’s how we describe them, right? That’s like that gut feeling, “Oh, they just get it.” The problem is: How do you find the ones that get it before doing business versus the ones who don’t get it? So it’s this here, this little gap that you have to close, as Jeffrey Moore calls it, “Crossing the Chasm” — because, you see, the early majority will not try something until someone else has tried it first.

And these guys, the innovators and the early adopters, they’re comfortable making those gut decisions. They’re more comfortable making those intuitive decisions that are driven by what they believe about the world and not just what product is available.

These are the people who stood in line for six hours to buy an iPhone when they first came out, when you could have bought one off the shelf the next week. These are the people who spent 40,000 dollars on flat-screen TVs when they first came out, even though the technology was substandard.

And, by the way, they didn’t do it because the technology was so great; they did it for themselves. It’s because they wanted to be first. People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it and what you do simply proves what you believe.

In fact, people will do the things that prove what they believe. The reason that person bought the iPhone in the first six hours, stood in line for six hours, was because of what they believed about the world, and how they wanted everybody to see them: they were first.

People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. So let me give you a famous example, a famous failure and a famous success of the law of diffusion of innovation. First, the famous failure. It’s a commercial example.

As we said before, the recipe for success is money and the right people and the right market conditions. You should have success then. Look at TiVo. From the time TiVo came out about eight or nine years ago to this current day, they are the single highest-quality product on the market, hands down, there is no dispute.

They were extremely well-funded. Market conditions were fantastic. I mean, we use TiVo as verb. I TiVo stuff on my piece-of-junk Time Warner DVR all the time. But TiVo’s a commercial failure.

They’ve never made money. And when they went IPO, their stock was at about 30 or 40 dollars and then plummeted, and it’s never traded above 10. In fact, I don’t think it’s even traded above six, except for a couple of little spikes.

Because you see, when TiVo launched their product, they told us all what they had. They said, “We have a product that pauses live TV, skips commercials, rewinds live TV and memorizes your viewing habits without you even asking.”

And the cynical majority said, “We don’t believe you. We don’t need it. We don’t like it. You’re scaring us.” What if they had said, “If you’re the kind of person who likes to have total control over every aspect of your life, boy, do we have a product for you.

It pauses live TV, skips commercials, memorizes your viewing habits, etc., etc.” People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it, and what you do simply serves as the proof of what you believe.

Now let me give you a successful example of the law of diffusion of innovation. In the summer of 1963, 250,000 people showed up on the mall in Washington to hear Dr. King speak. They sent out no invitations, and there was no website to check the date.

How do you do that? Well, Dr. King wasn’t the only man in America who was a great orator. He wasn’t the only man in America who suffered in a pre-civil rights America. In fact, some of his ideas were bad.

But he had a gift. He didn’t go around telling people what needed to change in America. He went around and told people what he believed. “I believe, I believe, I believe,” he told people.

And people who believed what he believed took his cause, and they made it their own, and they told people. And some of those people created structures to get the word out to even more people. And lo and behold, 250,000 people showed up on the right day at the right time to hear him speak.

How many of them showed up for him? Zero. They showed up for themselves. It’s what they believed about America that got them to travel in a bus for eight hours to stand in the sun in Washington in the middle of August.

It’s what they believed, and it wasn’t about black versus white: 25% of the audience was white. Dr. King believed that there are two types of laws in this world: those that are made by a higher authority and those that are made by men.

And not until all the laws that are made by men are consistent with the laws made by the higher authority will we live in a just world. It just so happened that the Civil Rights Movement was the perfect thing to help him bring his cause to life.

We followed, not for him, but for ourselves. By the way, he gave the “I have a dream” speech, not the “I have a plan” speech. Listen to politicians now, with their comprehensive 12-point plans.

They’re not inspiring anybody. Because there are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to.

We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s those who start with “why” that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.

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