#tma just ... made some aspects stronger

[siarven]

👁️ Cireon: Goddess of Manipulation & Chaos (Ellariel profiles 4/4)

she/her | neutral evil | Pair-partner to Mikaën | Natah; Ascended

1. seems and acts insane on the first, second and third glance ... but she really isn’t.

2. casuistry

(n.) deceptive or excessively subtle reasoning

3. All that blood looks good on you. It really brings out your eyes.

Cireon, like Mikaën, is a Sixth Generation Ellariel – the first Generation after the Split; the first Generation that was born into their faction alignment.

Ellariel are non-human, non-physical entities that create themselves from (some) of the (usually similar) memories of deceased earlier generation Ellariel.

Cireon pulled herself together from a collection of memories originating mostly from the 4th and 5th Generation... to be specific: Cireon is fuelled by an infinite rage and need for revenge because, at her very core, she was created from the most painful memories of Ellariel who’d died as a direct result of humanity’s abuse of the First Pact between them and humans--the pact the Ellariel subsequently broke. The pact that fuelled their decision to Split into Nanaël and Natah so that every human would be bound by two opposing Ellariel instead of just one.

Cireon’s rage and need for revenge at humans and at the Split and at the consequences of the Broken Pact are her core.

She’s extremely good at deceiving herself and others into believing that this isn’t the case, but, well, Ellariel are only vaguely human-passing in both shape and being. Combined with her powers, she’s someone who essentially knows exactly what to do and who to influence to get what she wants, who uses chaos to her advantage as the only one who’s in constant control of the situation. And all she wants are 2 things: to regain the level of power past Ellariel had (= leading to her Ascension), and her need for revenge (=which then lead to her causing the past Apocalypse, and subsequently being sealed away by the other Ellariel).

And then there is also Mikaën. Sweet, gentle Mikaën, who fell for her so easily... who she fell for as well, even if she will never admit it to anyone, including herself. Who still turned his back on her, even if they both knew that she was right. Whom she scorns for his “weakness”; who wasn’t grateful for the power boost he got when her Ascension pulled him up as well, to maintain the Balance of the pair-partner system.

And as much as she despises Mikaën, maybe, deep, deep down, she still cares?

Ben is the first child Mikaën has Bonded in centuries because he did not want to provide Cireon with a tool as powerful as a human child. Until he caved into Amber’s request to save Ben. Unfortunately for Ben and Mik and basically everyone else, Cireon does indeed have Plans. And contingencies; and contingencies for the contingencies. :)

In a really unsurprising turn of events, Cireon is indeed the main antagonist of both Dream’s Shadow and its sequels! Unfortunately for everyone (since Ellariel can shapeshift to a degree) she usually doesn’t look so obviously evil :D

 Dream’s Shadow: WIP Page | WIP Powerpoint | Ellariel Profiles

Ellariel are vaguely humanoid basically immortal entities with certain shape-shifting abilities from a non-physical realm adjacent to the physical realm. They are directly connected to the Essence, which both sustains and gives them the basis of their (magical) abilities. Ellariel can’t influence the physical world directly by themselves, so they bond humans who can then channel the Essence, using them as a conduit. Every human is bonded to two Ellariel, who are in turn Bonded to each other: one of the Natah order (destruction) and one of the Nanaël order (creation).

Mikaën and Cireon are lesser Gods when compared to Eiwara and Shama’an, the original (ascended) Gods of Aelaris. Thus, any Ellariel is either Nanaël or Natah, and either Chaos or Order.

♡ You can find out more about them and the worldbuilding on the WIP page! ♡

[the-z-part]

A Personal List of Lietners, or Book Recs for Each TMA Entity

These are not all horror novels (although some of them are), but I think they speak to themes that will resonate if you’re particularly into one fear or another.

Feel free to add your own recs! I’m obviously limited by what I’ve read (ie I suspect that Wilder Girls is a good corruption book, but I haven’t read it yet). 

Books with canon queer characters are marked with an asterix! 

The Eye

- The Children’s Hour* by Lillian Hellman. An accusation made by one of the students brings scrutiny and heartbreak to a girls’ school. OG queer tragedy. (CW: suicide)

The Spiral

- Finna* by Nino Cipri. Two exes working at fantasy!IKEA must find a lost customer by travelling through even-more-fantasy!IKEAs.

- “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gillman. Imprisoned by a husband who thinks he’s helping her, a woman sees a figure in the ugly wallpaper of her room. You read it for English class, but read it again.

- Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman. Caden’s a normal teen whose friends and family are starting to notice that his mental health is not quite ideal. Caden is on a ship heading for the Marianas Trench, torn between loyalty to the captain and the allure of the deep. (You know that song Ship in a Bottle?) (CW: forced institutionalization)

The End

- They Both Die at the End* by Adam Silvera. Two teen boys get a call that they’re going to die (this is normal in the world). They meet, and decide to spend the day really living.

- Scythe by Neal Shusterman. In a utopia that has moved past natural death, two teenagers learn to kill for the greater good.

The Stranger

- The Murders of Molly Southborne by Tade Thompson. Every time Molly bleeds, her blood creates a perfect clone of her that wants to kill her. This is inconvenient to say the least.

- The Call by Peader Ó Guilín. In a fantasy future Ireland, teenagers train for the day they’ll be transported to the fairy realm, where they’ll be hunted for sport.

- Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Coraline finds a secret passage to a house just like hers, but full of delightful, magical things--and another mother who wants to keep her forever.

The Lonely

- Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. The food Tita cooks make those who eat it feel her emotions--it’s the closest anyone comes to understanding her.

The Desolation

- The Fifth Season* by N K Jemisin. Geology-magic causes an apocalypse, but it might also keep a grieving mother alive.

The Slaughter

- The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion* by Margaret Killjoy. A spirit summoned to protect a commune starts killing people. Queer and punk rock af

- The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley. “They said the war would turn us into light.”

The Vast

- To Be Taught, If Fortunate* by Becky Chambers. A group of astronauts jump from planet to planet, cataloguing the life they find. But then their updates from home stop arriving...

- Into the Drowning Deep* by Mira Grant. Killer mermaids, hard science, and genuinely every kind of rep you can think of! (also has some Stranger stuff going on in it)

The Buried

- The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett. Teens are trapped in a cave while hiking, and something is hunting them through the dark. (Ok, I couldn’t actually think of a book for this fear, but I asked the inimitable @acesaru and she recommended it. She hasn’t steered me wrong yet!) 

The Dark

- The City in the Middle of the Night* by Charlie Jane Anders. Humanity struggles to survive on a tidally-locked planet: one side is pitch dark, the other blazing with light. Sophie, a student, is exiled into the darkness.

- The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. Ember is the one bright spot in the darkness, but blackouts are becoming more frequent as the city falls apart, and only Lina and Doon seem to be paying attention.

The Corruption

- The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Ebola!  It’s the only nonfiction on the list but Oh Boy. (CW for graphic depictions of illness)

- Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney. Can you get smallpox from a book? Mitty isn’t sure, but these terrorists seem to think so...

The Web

- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. “No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within” (It really does have themes about, like, manipulation, but also join me in mixing Hill House and Hilltop Road up 100% of the time)

- Jane, Unlimited* by Kristin Cashore. An orphaned artist goes to a spooky house. She has to make a choice, and we see every possible consequence for that choice. Genre-bending and bi!

- Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. Psychically-linked twins, Rodger and Dodger, are manipulated by the alchemist who created them and controlled (almost) every aspect of their lives. Weird timeline shit!

The Flesh

- The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. Girls with the power to mold bodies and make people beautiful vie to become the Queen’s favorite in the beautiful, dangerous court of Orleans.

- Unwind by Neil Shusterman. Three teens scheduled to be “unwound” and have all their organs sold to other people flee their fate. Some really gnarly body horor.

The Hunt

- Vicious by V. E. Schwab. Victor and Eli used to be best friends, but after years in prison, Victor will stop at nothing to get his revenge on Eli. Also, they both have superpowers. 

- “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Cornell. A long short story about. the hunter becoming the hunted. Spoiler: the most dangerous game IS man. 

The Extinction

- Borne by Jeff Vandermeer. The Company destroyed the world, and then a giant bear destroyed the Company. Only a few survivors remain, including Rachel, a scavenger, who finds a creature called Borne and decides to care for it, even as it grows increasingly stronger and more terrifying. 

- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. A girl who literally feels others’ pain quietly develops a religion while America crumbles around her. (CW: sexual relationship with a really big age gap)

- All the Birds in the Sky* by Charlie Jane Anders. A witch and a mad scientist fall in love at the end of the world. The most real-feeling apocalypse I’ve ever, ever read. (Not really a CW but if reading things that remind you of Current Events makes you uncomfy, beware, because Charlie Jane really nailed it) 

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

eyooo!! i listened to firesorrow girl [TUMBLR | SOUNDCLOUD] by @gerrydelano and HAD A MIGHTY NEED (to also analyze this)

disclaimer: I have only listened to TMA through one (1), read it ONE time, so if you read something that seems wrong it probably is because my memory is not The Best (the seasons are 40 eps long and 30 mins each, Jonny why) and I’m probably straight-up not remembering or misremembering some aspect or detail about a character/a relationship/a part of their narrative

(and before you say it, i absolutely CANNOT just go relisten to an ep out of order. my nd brain Will Not Let Me until i have listened thru all 4 seasons, In Order, several times)

ALSO: i speak very definitively here, but it doesn’t mean i’m right abt my analysis

italics and bold are lyrics, normal is analysis. if there’s a way i can make this more accessible, lmk!

analysis under cut

little girl tries sleeping in the fireplace at home no one banished her inside it, she just lay down on her own she stares up into the darkness of the chimney and she hopes that someday she may go up in smoke this makes me think abt hilltop road first and foremost (but i have a feeling i’m missing something aljlkdjf) this is also the first hint to agnes’s wavering thoughts abt her being “the chosen one” for the lightless flame she’s already wishing she could burn, or in other words be normal

oh, the ends of her hair curl into embers in the wood beneath her head like a pillow, splintered shoulders in the soot flickers turn to flame and moves in kisses up her arms it loves her, so refuses her a scar i really like the imagery here bc, aside from the splinters, it evokes a softness embers are pretty, pillows are soft, “moves in kisses up her arms” really evokes a gentle intimacy, even before the line “it loves her” but then the last line really solidifies agnes’s relationship with fire--she wishes it would burn her but it loves her too much to do that, so she doesn’t

she doesn't burn oh, she learns again, reinforcing the motif agnes’s relationship with fire--the layers of 1) her not wanting this but 2) the first doesn’t care and loves her anyway i also see it as foreshadowing, or at least leading up to what she learns (put a pin in this)

pretty girl sits quiet in the coffee shop alone staring empty out the window like she used to do at home she feels his eyes fall down upon her from the counter, like a doe the ache of yearning blisters in her bones jack barnabas! hilltop road the use of doe, evokes the visual of “wide eyes,” which, in turn, evokes naivety--jack doesn’t know who agnes is, what she is, or that she could hurt him, even if she didn’t want to love, love, LOVE the fire motif here and used throughout the song--using fire metaphors bc it’s so fitting (put a pin in this)

he follows her up to the hill where water never works to send him down she broke his crown and blessed him with a curse her only kiss a smear of kerosene, a desperation unrehearsed and love made sure to let her know it hurts (love made sure it hurt) this only hit me like after the 5th time listening in a row, but LISTEN, “jack and jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.” i think it could also mean hilltop road, but i do think the stronger theme lies in that nursery rhyme. his name is jack and then to solidify that, “to send him down she broke his crown” vs. “jack fell down and broke his crown” i really love the contradiction of “blessed him with a curse” *ben from parks and rec voice* it’s about the layers. so listen, love is often seen as a blessing. but coming from agnes it’s a curse bc she burns anyone she touches. this is also in reference to her momentarily transferring her curse (the love from the lightless flame/fire) to him through her kiss “smear of kerosene”--another way of using a metaphor that evokes images of fire, and I LOVE IT “a desperation unrehearsed” MORE LAYERS YO. she knows what her touch will do to him but she’s so desperate to feel normal for even a second, she kisses him anyway “and love made sure to let her know it hurts”--going back to her curse, the love from fire/flame, and the destruction is causes bc of this. it could also be representative of how love can be very destructive. ppl often describe “the fires of passion” or passion as being like fire/hot *eyes emoji* i think the addition of “love made sure it hurt” could also communicate how the fire’s love for agnes is possessive--she cannot be normal or human or have any other relationship except with the lightless flame

he burns oh, she learns a parallel to “she doesn’t burn”--the striking difference between her and jack (the lightless flame and the rest of the world) what she learns here, tho, is also a parallel between what she learns at the beginning of the song there she is learning abt herself, here is is learning about everyone else

learns that breathing screamsmoke blackens hearts as much as lungs a heart motif, representative of love another fire-related metaphor that breathing in smoke doesn’t just fill your lungs with soot, but also covers the heart (love) in soot, as well a toxic love, as soot is bad for lungs and hearts it can’t be coughed back out and she can’t glisten like the sun using fire-related metaphors--the soot in her lungs and on her heart cannot be “cleaned” or cleared from her body with the body’s natural reaction to something obstructing breathing, which is coughing listen, i’ve said this before AND YOU’LL HEAR IT AGAIN: i really love “she can’t glisten like the sun” bc the whole point of fire, as the lightless flame sees it, is what the fear is named for: desolation. BUT fire is ultimately a neutral thing. if you respect and carefully control it, it can give warmth and life--like the sun (tho you can’t control the sun lmao). so there are positive aspects to. but not for agnes, given her upbringing and literally how she was conceived there’s no one left to save with love and no one she can touch affection is the pyre built on wildfire in the brush reinforcing her being unable to connect with normal humans bc of who she is ALSO i’m pretty sure this is referencing the bonfire she was born in--the ritual that made her the lightless flame’s messiah also, also, the use of the word “affection” uses the theme that fire itself love agnes, in it’s own, twisted way

her hands were only ever made to press through burning flesh and boiling tears won’t put it out but scald it like the rest referencing her birth again--that she was made to be this messiah for the lightless flame, for their ritual to remake the world through the lens of the desolation also more fire-related metaphors that i am IN LOVE with ugh, and, okay “boiling tears” communicates what agnes is feeling again--that she Does Not want to be their messiah, she just wants to be normal. she doesn’t want what the fire has given her but even her tears burn bc that’s what she is, what she was made for and the love of waxen women makes no difference in the end if never she can make and keep a simple human friend reference to jude, specifically, but other members of the lightless flame, as well. from what i remember, they all loved her but in the way that the fire loves her: possessive and toxic (like soot in the lungs) and then the reinforcement that she’s not human and cannot have the connection with humans she desperately craves, even if it’s just a tiny sliver

she can’t burn oh, she’s learned YO the difference between “she doesn’t burn” and “she can’t burn”--there’s a passiveness to it in the first line, but it’s more active in the second. here me out: as i said before, the “learn” lines communicate the inner thoughts of what agnes is thinking, the revelations she makes as he grows and lives. so “she doesn’t burn” communicates her learning and get used to the fact that fire doesn’t hurt her. versus “she can’t burn” communicates her knowing and accepting that the fire doesn’t hurt her, but she can hurt others with that very same fire. lowkey it’s so hard to articulate this difference, but this is the best my brain came up, hope it makes sense

YOOOO GIVE ME A MOMENT THIS NEXT PART IS MY FAVORITE PART

firesorrow girl says, “hang me up; i’d like to go” (i would like to go) referencing her death--her realizing that bc she’s fallen in love with jack, she can no longer lead the ritual for the lightless flame. but bro, listen, the addition  of “i would like to go” is a direct line to what agnes is thinking and feeling. more than not being able to lead the ritual, she doesn’t want to live like this anymore; doesn’t want to live her life unable to make connections with humans this isn’t quite a chimney she can column up to choke (i choose now to choke) a throwback to the first lines about her lying down in the fireplace and looking up through the chimney ALSO has a double meaning here, reinforced by what agnes is thinking: you can choke on smoke. her death involves literal choking the ���i choose now to choke” again is a direct line to what agnes is thinking/feeling BUT ALSO a decision she finally gets to make autonomously the weighted hand upon her waist is chained there like a ghost, (always been a ghost) i know you’re probably tired of hearing but i ain’t gonna stop saying it. I REALLY LOVE THIS LINE. the lyrics say one thing, agnes’s internal thoughts say another bc raymond fielding is a ghost. not just like a ghost. he is one to her. i believe it was distortion helen who said that there was a scar on hilltop road. and we find out later that it’s bc hilltop road belonged to the web and even tho agnes burnt the house down, the web still left a mark on her. part of that mark is fielding, who i assume, was an avatar for the web. and it’s quite literal, as agnes never got rid of his hand he literally is a ghost haunting her bc of this but the rope she wears is woven cold with hope (yearning to be cold) THIS LINE BRO,,, i’m gonna say it I FUCKING LOVE IT. of course, referencing the rope she uses to hang herself BUT LISTEN “woven cold with hope” YOOOO THIS IS TAKING THE FIRE LOVES HER THEME AND TURNING IT ON ITS HEAD COMPLETELY she has been burning with fire this entire song, her body a raging inferno, contained in a body that appears human but hurts anything she touches. BUT AT THE END OF THE SONG WE GET THE COLD fire is often associated with warmth is often associated with hope, right?? but this time bc of the circumstances and what fire means to agnes and the lightless flame, being cold, not burning everyone she touches horribly, is her hope ”yearning to be cold” strengthens that message coldness is also associated with death, and here it’s quite literal but it’s also important to note that it’s also still agnes’s hope. so it’s still a very positive thing, even tho it’s associated with very negative things. bro,,, i gotta go lie down

those who can remember sing her name out like a prayer (i am not your prayer) the lightless flame, of course, bc they are a cult. don’t @ me, i’m right BUT “i am not your prayer”: again, a direct line into agnes’s thoughts. she never wanted, nor asked to be their messiah. she was thrust into the position against her will as she was literally borne in flames. from birth she had this shouldered on her. and she doesn’t want it, even in death the music to it hollow of the truth in her despair (hollow with despair) goes along with the “prayer” for her above: the lightless flame sing and mourn her but they’re not mourning her, not agnes, they’re mourning their messiah, the one who was going to lead them through a ritual that would remake the world. their words ring hollow bc of this. and it hurts even more with “in her despair” bc even in agnes’s despair at not being able to connect with a human, as well as not being able to lead the lightless flame like they wanted her too, they’re only mourning the idea of agnes they’ve created in their minds, not who agnes really was in wickerwind the crackleburn of candles cries for fate (i rewrite my fate) and firesorrow girl may someday be chosen again (firechosen girl, again) i LOVE the use of “wickerwind” and “crackleburn.” no analysis i just love the way they sound okay but the “cries for fate.” i think this has a lot of meanings. one is the fire crying out either about agne’s ultimate fate (having to kill herself or die, anyway) and/or crying out for another to fill her position (putting agnes’s fate onto someone else’s shoulders). another is the lightless flame also crying out for the same reasons. and the third is agnes, herself, crying out about her unfair fate. i think that last one is strengthened by “i rewrite my fate.” a common but powerful theme in many stories of a character defying fate bc it’s unacceptable to them. it’s also wholly contradictory to what the lightless flame wanted and then, of course, the second line strengthens the idea that they’re already looking for another messiah for their ritual

and so the wheel turns ‘round and ‘round

final note abt the music that is probably wrong bc i’m not musically inclined BUT i have been listing to sideways on youtube, who is very musically inclined. and that makes me an expert right? /s anyway, what i wanted to note abt this musical structure is that the beats aren’t the usual 4/4 that most popular songs use these days.

and what that means is that you get gratification ever 4 beats. (sideways describes it way better than i ever could here) this song doesn’t follow that structure (i think lakjlkdjf again, i’m not musically inclined at all) and i think it really adds to the theme of how agnes feels: trapped with this fire burning inside her until she finally chooses freedom (tho i know it’s more complicated than that in-verse).

now whether was was purposeful or not, i have no idea. but still a cool detail i, personally, noticed.

--

again hope it was semi-coherent. as with my other analysis, i just listened to the song and wrote what i was thinking, stream of consciousness

bloodwater ballad analysis | bonus meme i made for these analyses bc it’s funny and i wanted to share

[yellowocaballero]

⭐

OKAY I just did MATDB so let’s do *throws dart* Feste!

“So?” Martin said, instead of what he was thinking. “My family’s dead. Everyone’s gone, or a monster. I don’t have anybody to be human for.”

Daisy’s mouth tightened, and she stood up. “You have me. And the others. We’re still here. We’re not gone.” She extended a hand, and Martin stared at it for what felt like an agonizingly long time before he let himself reach out and take her hand. It was warm, and small, and coarse, and real. She pulled Martin up, and for the first time let him go. “Go home, Blackwood. Get some sleep. I’ll clean all this up.”

“Are you going to tell Jon?” Martin asked, smaller than he intended. He felt like he had just had a bonding moment with Daisy fucking Tonner, who was basically the third to last person on Earth who he wanted to have a bonding moment with.

“I think that’s a conversation the two of you need to have.” Daisy stepped forward, and jabbed a finger in his chest. “If you ever do anything to endanger Jon and Basira again, I will rip out your throat with my teeth. That is a promise.”

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for them,” Martin said weakly. “I never wanted -”

“None of us wanted this. You said that you don’t care what happens to you. I don’t think that’s true. Humanity still...it still has a point , Martin.” She ground her teeth, as if her thoughts and feelings and emotions were just too big for whatever small words could approximate what she knew. “Choices. You have to make a choice. Nobody is forcing you. Nobody can manipulate you if you don’t let them. You can choose if your trauma and pain and coldness makes you a monster, or if it makes you stronger.” She exhaled slowly, and Martin noticed for the first time the hint of yellow in her icy blue eyes.  “We don’t get to decide what hurts us. But we can decide if we take that hurt and - and use it to hurt others, or if we make it into something good. Okay?”

Martin opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn’t know what to say.

Feste wasn’t really written to be published - I was just really caught up in wondering what Martin was up to all day while Jon was having his dramatics, and I ended up writing this out. I didn’t really know how the season would end, but now that I’ve listened to it I think it’s mostly thematically compliant! 

There is always a ‘thesis sentence’ to my work, where I just hit you on the head with a big mallet. I’m not subtle. This is the thesis sentence for Feste - importantly, it’s Daisy who delivers it, because she is both the only person who a) has gone through what Martin’s been through and understands and b) is not attached to the situation, and doesn’t have a ball in the game. 

I think it’s important that in TMA, there is always ultimately the choice to become the ‘monster’. Part of it is circumstance, part of it is being pushed to that brink, but there is ultimately that aspect of choice. It’s up for debate as to if it’s a false choice, but there is a moment where you can refuse. You can refuse to play the game (It’s part of why I don’t know how I feel about the mastermind villain, but that’s a different discussion). Elias’ speech to Jon in S2 stuck out to me - that he made a choice to go down this path, even if that choice was coerced. 

Martin has been justifying his decisions to himself by saying that he has no ‘choice’. He views things in black and white: as prey or predator, as boss or as assistant, as light or as shadow. He has been jerked around basically the entire story, and he’s tired of it. He has been victimized a thousand times, and he’s ready to bite back. Martin doesn’t...know how to bite back, but he wants to, and that’s enough! His understanding of the world has been warped to meet this worldview, that there’s powerful and the powerless, that there’s those who would hurt me and those who want to help me. This is emblemized through Jaisy: (Also Jaisy was hilarious) how when you’re depressed, you don’t really live in the real world - you live in your own world with its own rules, where everything is always bad and the world has no sunlight or hope. 

It is important that Martin goes through this. Daisy went through it. It is important that Martin hurts other people, that he hurt himself, and that he was a dick for a while. It’s normal and healthy to feel what Martin is feeling, when you’ve been through as much as he has. PTSD is ugly. But there is another side to it, and another step in the journey of recovery, and Daisy is showing that to him. At a certain point, you get tired of the hatred, and the bitterness, and how you’re pushing away everybody. You can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and you can decide whether or not you want to chase it down. You see a choice. But sometimes you need to be that ugly person before you can decide to be the good person. It’s a hard journey, but every step in it matters. 

(Daisy and Melanie have all of the emotional maturity this season, but it’s important to note that Daisy is also reacting in ENTIRELY the wrong way to her self-improvement journey, and she’s spreading those harmful ideas onto Jon, but that’s another post. Really the only sane one here is Melanie.)

It’s tempting to try to put the things that happened to us in a narrative: that it happened for a reason, that we deserve it, that we need it to be ourselves. But when bad shit happens, all it means is that bad shit happens. The only meaning is in what we assign to it, and how we react. Martin is reacting to his awful life in a way that I tend to have him react, and is trying to organize it within a fictional, things-happen-for-a-reason framework, but that’s not healthy. 

It’s his story. He gets to write it. It’s not Shakespeare, or Prufrock, or The Story of Jon’s Life. It’s his life. And there’s no point in sacrificing everything for power if you don’t get to do what makes you happy with it. 

[mentorup]

2017 MentorUp | Session #1

Session Outline | 60 minutes 

Introduction | 2 minutes

Mentee’s Perspective | 4 minutes

News | 8 minutes

Work | 8 minutes

Technology | 8 minutes

Trend or Topic | 10 minutes

Dialogue | 10 minutes

Flex-Time | 10 minutes

Introduction | 2 minutes

Brilliant colleagues, welcome to MentorUp 2017!

If you haven’t already, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for committing to invest time in 1) staying up to date on the latest industry happenings 2) building stronger relationships agency wide and 3) challenging yourself to apply the innovation learned and inspired here directly to our work.

Remember why you said “IN!” and for the next hour or so, put that pesky To-Do list aside, grab something warm to drink and make sure you have a way to take notes… let’s do this thing people! 

Mentees’ Perspective | 4 minutes

Before we officially begin talking about this month’s items, lets take the time to look at this session through the lens of the mentees’ business they work on and/or are responsible for.  It’s important to gain that perspective (for the mentors) and to be reminded of it (for the mentees) before we begin our session.

 Here are few questions to help get that discussion flowing… (these are merely suggestions, please use your creativity!) 

1) What are some of your client’s focuses this year in regard to innovation and improving?

2) What are some of your focuses this year in regard to improving the quality and innovative nature of your work/ideas?

3) What areas of growth are there for the business you work on?

4) How could you being more knowledgeable about the latest industry news and trends affect your team and work?

5) Is there anything you’re really interesting in learning about or focusing on this month?

Now having gained valuable insight and perspective, let’s proceed strategically!

News | 8 minutes 

1. Snap Inc.’s IPO

How could this be an official news section if we didn’t at least mention the Snapchat IPO. ;)   

There are a TON of articles currently out there on this… here’s what you need to know… Snap Inc. (because remember how they rebranded last year?) is going public this month.

Currently valued at 22 billion, Snap Inc. is hoping to be the largest IPO since Allibaba back in 2014. For a company that’s known for being discreet and secretive, in their application, for the first time many details had to clarified.

 A few details in their IPO are listed below... 

The question of “why now?” could be answered in a variety of ways, but with their recent launch of Spectacles (now widely available online!) and them clearly stating their a “camera company” with endless possibilities makes this an interesting time to have the IPO. They’re no longer an app, but a large tech company focused on the camera and the content it can create. 

Luring Wall Street with numbers and the possibility of what they could create next could work for Snap Inc. or it could not… what are your thoughts? What do think is their biggest strength? What about weakness?  

Now Snapchat isn’t the only platform putting it’s best foot forward for an upcoming IPO…

2. Pinterest’s Lens Tool

We’d all like our entryway, our pantry, and our closets to look a bit more like something off Pinterest… right? How to turn that perfect pin into an actual item in your home? Enter Pinterest’s Lens.

Pinterest announced and some exciting new tools on their platform that will be rolling out in a few weeks, with Lens being the star of the show. Have you ever played with Shazam? The app that can listen to a clip of music and tell you exactly what it is? Well, Lens is exactly that, but for products!

That perfect chair you’ve been eyeing… by using the Lens feature, Pinterest will find buyable pins that match the item you love. If the exact item isn’t available, no worries, Lens will show you other options that are similar.

Pinterest calms the ruckus of options by curating ideas and items and this new update is simply taking their service a step further to help consumers get exactly the look they pinned. Of course it also helps their platform be more profitable. “Brands like CB2, Macy's, Target, Neiman Marcus and Wayfair are already on board, the company said.” This update could be the push Pinterest needs to successfully prepare for their “inevitable IPO.” 

How could this update touch your client? What about your client’s consumers? How will this tool change expectations and attitudes towards shopping?

3. Google Home Is Now Shoppable

The AI device that made its entrance this past fall has been impressive thus far and done well in competing with Amazon’s already established Echo and Echo dot. However, there was a key difference their initial capabilities, Echo was shoppable via Amazon and Google was not a shopping device… yet.

Beginning this month, Google announced that Google Home owners will be able to shop “by voice via participating Google Express retailers including Costco, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, PetSmart, Bed Bath & Beyond and more.”

By setting up payment information in the app, users will be ready to shop! Google has also mentioned that a variety of shopping updates will be rolling out in the coming months.

This latest move by Google “gives Home a capability that has helped Amazon gain a leading edge in the category, as placing orders via the Echo has proven a natural fit for the devices.”

Voice is an interesting topic right now… although this piece of news is merely one update to an already existing device, it has huge implications for consumers and our industry. So far we associate digital innovation most often with something visual, whereas many experts (need resource) are saying the future of digital is voice. This past month, a study revealed that 35% of searches are now voice.

How could your client use an AI device? How would voice shopping change and/or affect your client? What about other aspects of voice?

Work | 8 minutes

1. Amazon Studios #ZTakeover

Amazon has produced a new mini-series that looks almost as fabulous as the legend herself, Zelda Fitzgerald. In order to promote “Z: The Beginning of Everything” (that’s now available to stream on Amazon), Amazon brilliantly went the experiential route, creating memorable and pampering experiences for young women. Amazon Studios head of marketing said, “we wanted to find entertaining and engaging ways to bring audiences into the world of Zelda Fitzgerald. Our integrated strategy was to recreate themes from our show and craft personal experiences for our consumers, giving them the opportunity to connect with Zelda’s character and live through the same transformation that she experienced. We recreated the ’20s in a very modern way.”

The way Amazon accomplished this was two-fold. First, in select Dry-bar locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, women watched the first two episodes air while receiving free blow-outs, with 20’s styles available such as the “Zelda Cosmo.” Second, in classic 1920’s form, Amazon took over some of the best speakeasys in Los Angeles and New York City, featuring “bartenders in ’20s attire and actors dressed from the period who mingled in the crowd. Fan dancers and burlesque performances, aerialists and jazz music added to the ambiance. “Zelda” or “F. Scott” signage designated the men’s and women’s bathrooms, where “Z” branding also appeared on the mirrors. A photo booth experience for social sharing offered ’20s mug shots with the guest’s name and caption “Arrested for Violating Prohibition.” Guests received a printed copy and a “Z” black flask as they left the event.”

This item perfectly displays how bringing a fictional world into consumers’ reality never does go out of style. How could the brands you work with be more experiential focused? What dry-bar equivalent have your clients not tapped into yet? See if you can come up with an idea!

2. Trolli Beardsketball + Spectacles

Ever since Snap Inc. Spectacles were announced last fall, there has been anticipation around how influencers and brands were going to use the new product. Enter Trolli… who has been working with James Harden, a well-known NBA player, for about a year now mostly in TV spots. Being known for his thick beard, Harden and Trolli have partnered to create “Beardsketball, a Trolli-and Harden-branded basketball activation that let’s fans shoot hoops into a net that looks strikingly like that famous busy beard.” The game will debut the night of the Houston Rocket – Golden State Warrior game with on online presence for those not attending.

Now, what makes this interesting… coming back to Spectacles, is that each Beardsketball player will wear a pair of Spectacles while playing that will be connected to Trolli’s Snapchat account, “with content pushing out throughout the game.” Harden will also wear a pair for a the shootaround before the game, to give Trolli’s Snapchat followers some up close content.

How could your clients use Spectacles? Have you gotten to try them out yet? TMA Labs has a few pairs on the way! #getexcited

3. Cracker Barrel + The Grammys 

Yes, it’s true… biscuit lovers’ heaven actually had a part in the Grammys this year! How do you ask? The restaurant’s music and entertainment brand, historically focused on merely selling CDs in its general store (alongside taffy and Yankee Candles of course), began innovating in 2015 by creating original content for their CDs and social media channels. 

Cracker Barrel’s VP of marketing said, “Music has always been a part of the Cracker Barrel brand, but over the last year, we’ve become tighter in understanding the value proposition of music to our business.” The biggest way in which they’ve done that is by partnering with groups like Pentatonix to create orginal content. This past year the brand brought together Pentatonix and the legend, Dolly Parton to create a “funky” remix of the beloved classic, “Jolene.” The YouTube video has more than 22 million views and then of course… it won a Grammy. Nbd.

“Our future success is going to come from families just starting out as well as those who grew up with the brand with their parents,” he said. “They have to see Cracker Barrel as a brand that appreciates things they’re interested in. Music and entertainment allows us to fuel that interest.”

(Also, if you’re a NEEDTOBREATHE fan (#love), check out this other Cracker Barrel content.)

What music opportunities are there for your brand?

Technology

1. Digital Playground Installation

INITL collective, a creative platform for audio-visual research that created a digital playground installation. By using a “combination of motion-tracking and projection-mapping,” the installation allows players to interact with a displayed object on any surface.

Check out this video to see how it works.

How could technology like this be used for your client?

2. Mattel’s AI for Kids

  AI has been a big topic in the last year. As technology such as Google Home and Amazon’s Echo sweeping the market, what about an option for kids? With reasons ranging from tone of voice to ways an AI device can actually be helpful/entertaining to a child… it’s actually a bit different than what Google Home and Echo is designed to do… or that’s what toy maker, Mattel believes. 

Mattel has designed Aristotle, “a $300 Wi-Fi speaker-based voice assistant that functions like Google Home or Amazon Echo, but is built to live in a child’s room—and answer a child's questions—rather than rule the entire home. In this most intimate of spaces, Aristotle is designed to be something far more specific than the generic voice assistants of today: a nanny, friend, and tutor, intended to both soothe a newborn and help a tween with their foreign language homework. It’s an AI to help raise your child.” 

Being equipped with a camera that can stream to a parent’s phone, Aristotle can even be a baby monitor. Being designed to understand the voice of a toddler and older, Aristotle is built for education and play as well as to help parents. Check out more here about details but before we move on… what are your thoughts on this? How do you think a generation would be different if they had grown up with Aristotle? How does this make you think of the voice conversation?

This Month: Cultural Trend

To set the mood before we begin this session, please take a quick look at the below statements and then evaluate how you’re feeling… 

1. “Let’s meet for dinner this week!” – an old friend

2. “Coffee on Saturday afternoon?” – sibling who’s in town

3. “Why don’t we go out and try that new place with the outdoor bar?” – colleague

4. “You have 4 new Event invites” – your Facebook notifications

5. “[Insert friend’s name] is always going to such cool places” – your thoughts while scrolling Instagram

6. “Why am I paying $14 for an appetizer Kale salad?” – your thoughts while ordering at the new “cool” restaurant in your neighborhood.

Raise your hand if you’re feeling some quality at-home time right about now? Me too. While much of your reaction was most likely personality based, it seems that it could be culturally trend based as well.

We’re all familiar with the phrase FOMO (fear of missing out), but in a world of constant connection and endless opportunity for entertainment, could perhaps the age of FOMO be ending?  Stylus certainly thinks so in their new consumer lifestyle trend titled, “Here Come the Homebodies.”

They quickly sum up the title by saying, “more people are prioritizing housebound pursuits, delighting in the joy of missing out and enhancing their homes with DIY projects. The trend is manifesting globally, with cultural influences including Scandinavian philosophy hygge and Chinese subculture zhai.”

Let’s focus in a bit on ways this is playing out… here are 3 categories.

1) JOMO (joy of missing out) is the new FOMO (fear of missing out)

A growing number of millennials are completely losing interest in going out, particularly at night. In a study done in the UK in 2016, the average millennial spends 17.5 hours at home per day. Looking to the US, the environment doesn’t look too different with “almost 80% making excuses to avoid going out at times and 10% doing so regularly. Some 30% of US adults would rather do chores at home than leave the house.” Lastly, 72% of US millennials and teens would rather stay in on a weekend night than leave the house and go out.

What factors do you think are contributing to this so called JOMO? Yes you guessed it… Netflix and other streaming services are a big contributor. Stylus reports that “obsessive consumption of box sets have become a social phenomenon.”  27% of Brits are engaged in 3 or more series at any given time and 12% of 16-34 year olds in the UK would rather catch up on a show than have sex with their partner. 

Here’s a quick brand example utilizing this trend and specifically targeting couples who watch shows together.

Cornetto’s Commitment Rings

Lastly, influencers have a huge impact on the JOMO movement. In the report, it’s written that “celebrity homebodies are proudly admitting they prefer to stay in – further elevating JOMO’s appeal. These include actors Jennifer Lawrence and Mila Kunis, and singers Rihanna and Taylor Swift.” Check out these examples below. 

Now we can’t talk about JOMO without mentioning the Chinese subculture, zhai, who are characterized by being internet obsessed. Stylus writes, “Frenetic urban centers and a lack of offline entertainment options in many inland cities mean zhai boys and girls prefer staying home… some 277 million Chinese millennials are online and spend 27 hours on the internet each week (whereas US millennials spend 21.7 hours online each week).” The zhai lifestyle is becoming increasingly trendy being predicted to hit mainstream in the next 5-10 years (according to Stylus). With the rise of zhai, services like home delivery, online gaming, entertainment and music are on the rise. To give you an idea of how large, “the food delivery industry in China alone is worth over 2.4 billion, with millennials placing half the orders. “

2) Hygge

Ah yes, the secret to Scandinavian contentment. How do you say it extactly. This excerpt from a recent New Yorker article gives a short history on the word. #etymology

“The Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 “word of the year” shortlist was heavy on neologisms that one wishes didn’t have to exist: “alt-right,” “Brexiteer,” and this year’s winning term, “post-truth.” Among the finalists, though, there was one bit of solace: “hygge,” a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Pronounced “hoo-guh,” the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close. It derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” which is related to the English word “hug.”

As the world becomes more and more connected and because of that individuals are more aware of the hardships, wars, and tragedies (to name a few) in the world, uncertainty and anxiety have been more-so present in past years due to various events. Stylus suggests this is why “people are embracing the Scandinavian lifestyle concept of hygge.” They go on to say that “there’s more to it than chunky cardigans and scented candles, however – note a new take on mindfulness and healthy indulgence.” With the word coming from “Old Norse hyjjaa, which meant to be or to think – so it’s a mindful philosophy” rather than lifestyle items (blankets, cakes, and candles) that can be bought… brands should be careful to not sell hygge but cultivate it.

“Brands should focus on the life-enhancing aspects of hygge with products that speak to a back to basics theme or celebrate family traditions. On of the ways to sell it or recognize it is experiential… rather than buying things, it’s about coming together over activities. For example, learning a new skill of doing the things our grandparents had to do out of necessity – knitting, making your own clothes, learning how to cook.”

Healthy hedonism is a hygge focus as well. Johansen, the author of “How to Hygge” told Stylus, “Nordic regions were poor for a long time and people had to make do with very little. They learned to really enjoy life, which is why I call them healthy hedonists. IT’s about respecting what life gives you and making the most of it. It’s not about punishing yourself, or feeling guild or shame.”

Examples of brands taking advantage of this are... 

Hygge Box

Zillow’s Home campaign

3) Hacking Homeliness 

Lastly, this section simply speaks to how homebodies “are willing to spend time and money on personalizing and upgrading this cherished space”… their home. 

A few ways this has changed in recent years DIY growth. Stylus writes, “in post-crisis America, many homeowners are opting to stay put and renovate, as low numbers of houses for sale push up property prices.” In renovating and re-decorating, more than 20% of people worldwide buy something new for their home every week with 37% making or modifying their living space.

In an IKEA 2016 Life at Home report, it’s stated “our homes are a work in progress. Whether it’s buying new cushions, putting up a photo of our loved ones or giving an old chair new life by painting it. We often try to improve the feeling of hominess.”

[Note: “not all home-improvement experiences go well. Around 2 million UK households had a DIY disaster in the March 2016 holiday weekend and spent 73 million to fix mistakes.”(Privelege, 2016)] 

A few final stats for you… “60% of US consumers will take on a DIY home project, rather than hiring professionals or buying pre-made” and only 39% of those 60% do it for budget reasons. Who are these DIYers? It’s a diverse group with “around 50% female and over half afre aged between 24-44.”

Lastly, brands are “democratizing expensive interior design services” as the wave of this DIY and project culture gains speed. Services like Modsy and Decorist are raising millions in funding and giving people quick yet beautiful designs.

Application:

How does all of this effect your work? Why does it matter? 

Ways for your clients to dive a bit deeper are

1) giving homebodies what they want

2) embrance JOMO  

3) tap into DIY

For the full report, download here: 

https://themarketingarm.box.com/s/sea3ep51tgyficj0r6smql6mv38luvgm

Content Highlight

App of the month

CALM 

At the end of 2016, we featured the iPhone Watch app Breathe, which focuses on mediation and… yep you guessed it, controlled breathing. ;)

I don’t know about y’all (excuse my Texas accent), but in 2017 keeping my stress level low and work-life balance in check is a top priority. Technology often times competes with those two things… but with the apps like Calm you’re bound to find some much needed Zen. 

Did you know that over 18 million Americans practice mediation? Jump on the chill bandwagon… life is good when you make the time to be mindful.

Conclusion

Session #1 complete! If you have any resulting questions, don’t hesitate to send a note my way! cdelahchapelle@themarketingarm.com

Thanks!