#where yall can download any book

[and-stir-the-stars]

Alright, it's come to my attention that there are people desperately in need of media hacks, so here's my list of hacks that yall should absolutely be using.

Use Firefox. It's got a great collection of extensions, and the biggest plus, it ISN'T google.

Firefox extension: Dark Reader. Allows you to switch between light and dark mode, mess with brightness and contrast settings, etc.

Firefox extension: Leechblock NG. Lets you pick times to block websites so you can be more productive.

Firefox extension: Ublock origin. Blocks ads and pop-ups-- and it works on youtube, so long as you watch youtube on your browser instead of through the app. Might seem inconvenient, but it's definitely worth it, especially because...

Firefox extension: Video background Play Fix. Allows you to play youtube videos in the background (so long as you're using the browser, not the app) without paying for youtube red. Ublock + video background fix basically gives you all the benefits of spotify premium for free, imo.

Firefox extension: Unpaywall. Gets around article paywalls by automatically searching for free pdfs of any article you click on.

Firefox extension: Ghostery. Blocks ads and protects your privacy from trackers.

Firefox extension: sponsorblock. Automatically skips sections of youtube videos where the youtuber asks you to like/subscribe, talks about their sponsors, etc etc. You can go into the extension and modify what it does and doesn't automatically skip. Unfortunately, this is the one hack in this list that won't work on mobile; this extension is bugged on mobile (it fucks with your landscape vs portrait video playing mode on youtube), but works perfectly fine on pc and laptops.

Pc App: Keepstreams. Allows you to download youtube videos for free. The app WILL constantly tell you that you have to buy the premium version and/or update the app to use it, but this is A BLATANT LIE. Close out of the "you must select which plan to buy" pop-ups when they appear. If you copy and paste a youtube url, keepstreams will automatically open a little window to download the video (you can choose between mp3, mp4, etc). Downloading keepstreams will make the app start up every time you open your laptop, which can be annoying af, but you can easily stop it from happening by going into your computer settings. Go to settings > app > startup, then find keepstreams and toggle it off.

Website: upmovies. Lets you watch pretty much ANY movie/show for free; but you NEED to use adblockers if you use this site.

Website: sflix. Same as above. Use adblockers.

Discord server: BreaTheBook. Helps you find free pdfs of books to download, from fiction books to college textbooks. Dm me if you want an invite to the server, and I can help you figure out how to use the server (it's not complicated). However, because it gives you pdfs of books, these pdfs can take a long time to open, so plan accordingly and open any textbooks you need before in class in advance so it's ready for you when you need it.

Mobile app: Galarm. Lets you easily set repeatable alarms and reminders. You can use custom alarm sounds!

Website: addic7ed. Lets you download movie subtitles.

Wesbite: cram flashcards. Lets you make digital flashcard sets and organize them into folders. I use this instead of quizlet because cram lets you put pictures on the flashcards for free. You do have to get the premium to tweak the formatting (change font, bold/italicize words, etc) but it's pretty easy to make flashcards without that anyway.

Firefox extension: untrap for youtube. Lets you hide irrelevant youtube features, from comments to related videos and more. There's a bunch of different things you can do with this extension.

Happy not paying for shit <3

[person4924]

yall does anyone know any websites where u can download pdfs for books for free

[chiyoso]

hiraeth! how are you doing today?

got a 59, 35, 42. 56 and 57 for your ask game.

it's a lot BUT I AM I N T R I G U E D

hehe! hey pretty <3 feel free to ask more, because i love intrigued people 🤭

35) favorite subject

i've ALWAYS, always had an affinity for music no matter what. i realized it late though, but because of my mom's wants of me being good at music in general, i developed a natural talent for teaching violin/piano in my own way that amazes her.

e.g. i helped a clearly struggling student of hers, and it was the day of the performance + we only had 1-2 hours of practice left, a piano student, she was having a hard time with counting the beats, and being on beat, having trouble with pacing as well, which i picked up almost immediately, and my mom was busy making preparations so she couldn't help. but i stood up and decided to because i just- idk? i really just wanted to help!

and i wasn't aware that this certain action of mine would lead to a successful performance, with a damn headmistress of a school offering me a free college scholarship because of my own performance + my sudden deeds

bam. (i think i overshared and retold my story about the free college scholarship lmao)

more info under cut! ❤︎

42) favorite books

hrm, i don't have a lot of books to read in this time now BUT

my favorite books growing up was diary of a wimpy kid (i swear i was so addicted to it, and i finished all books of it, PLUS THE MOVIE??? RODRICK??? OMG)

those fairy books i forgot the names but i think the titles were literal names of the fairies? idfk

bridgerton (cough) i'm a sucker for this genre

i can't think of anything else since i dont read much anymore, but i want to say that my favorite genres are; fantasy, romance, dark mature content (no, not 50 shades of grey) smut duh, sci-fi and i think thats pretty much it!

need recommendations... i wanna read some books where we flirt with some shadowy, dark eldritch horror or even the grim reaper himself (im so fucked omg)

56) favorite food

ITALIAN FOOD BABY, but i've been growing fond of uhh... chicken liver. i'm also really open to trying lots of things

ranking: most favorite

1. italian cuisine

2. fried japanese foods

3. korean cheese tteokbokki and tteokkochi

4. tbh convenience stores go hard too for my broke ass

5. philippines food

pizza reigns supreme.

...along with fries dipped in ice cream.

57) favorite animal

cats. any cat. (except for the furless ones im sorry)

cats remind me of scaramouche, lyney, neuvillette, blade and jing yuan so much, i wanna have a black cat along with a white one with gold eyes.

59) why i joined tumblr

now this... hrm

i genuinely forgot why i suddenly downloaded the app... shit.

dammit, i forgot. fuck. i just know i joined when me and my ex were at an all time low and the verge of breaking up.

i remember why i stayed and decided to write myself, i got inspired, heavily inspired and horny from the star rail fics i kept encountering, like my sexual drive just went through the roofs because of this certain welt yang x stellaron hunter blowjob fic, and some aspects of it, like welt and her not trying to get caught — my cynosure reader is inspired by that, doing lewd shit in secret.

and then i kept encountering fics, over and over. showering support to all which was so rejuvenating for my mental health, and then i encountered nat's al haitham fic, encountered you through my first story, and nat's mutual who guided me when i received anon little shits talking about my tagging lmao, yall were the three pillars that kickstarted my writing career genuinely

but if i can try harder to remember why i joined tumblr... i was uhhh, i was heavily depressed, dealing with my ex's shit, life, etc, and i was just mindlessly looking for something, anything, to give me energy, anything eventful for my overly draining situation.

that's all! ehe, ily aine <3

[makingloveinvskitchen]

Can God trust you with #stewardship ? 👉🏾 That is the Question! See my next post for the details. 👀 This is #justatouchof_j .. Everything else is God. I’m just tryna put it all out there in pieces for you Baby! And a big thank you to y’all for the over 80,000 Plays on my entire JustATouchof_J Podcast. For making my App #1 and for making it trend “WHATS HOT” for the past 14 weeks! #newpodcast is playing! Now.. Go Listen to my JustATouchof_J Radio Show on my podcast too. Ep. 492 is now playing on iHeart Radio as well. Yall really have my Podcast Poppin like Popcorn BABY!Playing in 150 different countries! & Im still pleased to announce that I’m CO-AUTHOR in the book DESTINED TO WIN Vol 4. “Pierced for a Purpose!” 8,000 of you showed love towards my new book via my mobile app! @mynameisroni76 @makingloveinvskitchen @justatouchof_jsfitness @werjustatouchof_j @thejatoj_podcastnetwork Download my JustATouchofJ App to listen to any of my492 episode’s 🌎 for free! Just tap the (ListentoV) icon for #vspodcasttopics Podcast is also available on over 50 streaming networks! @spotify @iheartradio @pandora @spotifypodcasts @applepodcasts @makingloveinvskitchen ✍🏽 Is where I do my food thing. New recipes are on “The JustATouchofJ App” & my JustATouchofJ blogs too. The JustATouchof_J 🌱 Line has released my “première édition numéro un” rolling papers! These French European Rolling Papers are exquisite. Remember All you need is #JustATouchof_TheJ And check out “MY FIT” 👉🏾#jsfit ... #fitnessapparel and Clothing online store and so much more. #JsFitTips @justatouchof_jsfitness To listen my #podcast , radio show, new music, & also view my new blog #recipes, #foodporn, and #fitnessmotivation see my link in bio! #Google JustATouchof_J #chef #ceo #businesswoman #femaleentrepreneur #mobileapp #podcasts #jesuschrist #trust #fitness #god #selfhelp #quoteoftheday #pmjbeonit #pmj #godsword #pastormikejr (at Gwinnett County, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl41cTcLDKj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thaliasthunder]

grecia reading In Deeper Waters

just let yall know i started reading this and the cover is the prettiest thing i've seen in my life

[itlivesproject]

could we get a peek at the writing process for ILW? like did you make character playlists? pinterest moodboards? storyboards about how scenes will play out that you then have to write or anything like that? are there any abandoned plotlines you initially wanted to add but they didnt make the final cut? and who was the first person to want to create this project? was anyone at all friends before or everyone was atrangers? when did the project start? did yall have zoom meetings or sorted everything out on tumblr through text? sorry for the amount of questions! its ok if you dont want to/cant give answers to everything, i just really admire the ILW team for coming up with this masterpiece a lot haha

Ooh this ask looks fun! I'm gonna add a read more because this is getting long.

So once upon a time in the summer of 2020, the choices fandom was getting more active (I think) because of COVID. A bunch of people were bored and lonely and playing choices. So I got involved in the fandom and replayed It Lives, and it got me thinking about a book 3. I became obsessed with the craft of telling a choice based story. I was analyzing choices books, noticing things I thought they could’ve done to make more impactful choices, trying to figure out how to go from novel writing to VN novel writing where there are multiple paths, etc. So I started talking to my sister who also plays choices and we came up with the basics of ILW. We created the bare bones - character sketches, basic lore, potential endings, etc. I then downloaded renpy and started to teach myself coding.

Cut to January 2021, when It Lives 3 was officially canceled. I made this post:

I got my original recruits from this post, including mod maggie and mod eri! Aside from my sister and me, none of us knew each other before the start of the project, aside from being vague acquaintances, though I think maggie and I were actually mutuals at that point because we'd bonded over noah x mc a couple of times. Once the project was further along, we ended up getting more writers/artists/programmers who are active on the team now, including mod sugar, mod m, mod evie, and other members who aren't mods on this blog.

Anyway, after I got some recruits, I made a discord server and shared google folder. The server has a million channels, channels for each writer, artist, for backgrounds, for music, for characters, for programming, for nonsense. In our drive folder, we have different folders for art, planning, writing, and each writer has their own folder where they put their scenes into. Once their scenes are finished, I copy the scenes into a compiled folder where I put everything together and we can freely edit the scenes.

When we first started, the most important part was planning and sequencing out the story. We didn't start writing until we had everything planned from beginning to end (mostly). We had the endings and figured out how everything would work, we planned out all the lore docs and complex background lore. The only thing we didn't fully plan out beforehand are scene details, but we had the general arc/main point of each chapter from the beginning. While planning, we used to talk basically nonstop every day. We had voice calls on discord once or twice a month on the weekends, and we made a chart with google sheets that had everyone's time zones so we could plan times that everyone could attend.

Anyway, once the planning stages were ready we made the outline. We took the different arcs and interspersed them through chapters. We try to make each chapter have a mostly cohesive arc as well. The outline has the short version, which is split by scene with a small description and an assignment of who's supposed to write it. Then we have a detailed outline that the writers refer to before starting their scenes. In the detailed outline, it has more information about what's going on in the scene. For example (ch 8 spoiler) the short outline scenes were:

Scene 1 - Linc shows up at Matthy's house/argument - Lindsay

Scene 1A - Lincoln diamond scene - Lindsay

Scene 1B - Abel diamond scene - Maggie

Scene 2 - Annie convo - M

Then if you go to the longer outline, there are more fleshed out descriptions. However, often times there's just a short paragraph explaining the scene, like "Linc shows up and gets mad that rowan is with matthias. you find out matthias is lincoln's dad, rowan can either side with him or not. they get back to the cabin, linc and abel get into an argument about matthias, and again you can either side with linc or abel or neither." So important plot points are mentioned in the scene description, but it's still up to the assigned writer to flesh out the scenes. Often times, in our personal writer channels, we'll ask other team members to help us come up with ideas, figure out how to make things happen, improve dialogue, etc.

In addition, we often have little writing parties on the weekends. We have a bot that does word sprints for us, and the winner of the writing retreat will sometimes get some kind of reward from yours truly. You know, to increase motivation and whatnot.

We don't really have pinterest boards, moodboards, or playlists. I just don't bother with that because it's not something that particularly interests me I guess, and I haven't seen anyone else do any of that either. Mostly we just talk a lot and when we finally sit down to write, we're constantly messaging each other in the channels haha.

There are some things we were thinking about including that have been cut or changed. But I feel like for the most part, we surprisingly have somehow managed to keep a lot of our original ideas. I guess a lot of them just evolved from one form to another, so even if it's not the same thing as the original idea, I feel like it is because I was there for the process of how it changed.

Anyway, hope this answered your question! It was fun to write up <3

[yostresswritinggirl]

1.5 Update Stream Summary

Spoiler warning for the upcoming update; watched and taken from KeqingMains Twitch stream of the CN Genshin Impact stream.

S T O R Y

Eula Story Quest

Zhongli Story Quest Part 2

N E W  C H A R A C T E R S

Eula, 5* Cryo Claymore User

Yanfei, 4* Pyro Catalyst User

N E W  W E A P O N

Song of Broken Pines, 5* Claymore (Eula’s main weapon)

B A N N E R

Zhongli banner, Yanfei included

Eula banner

E V E N T S

Energy Amplifier Event

Find Irminsul Fruit Fragments around the map.

Activating an Irminsul Fruit Fragment will spawn enemies, beginning a challenge

Activating Fractured Fruit Fragments requires energy which scales based on characters’ LV, and there is a max limit to how much energy you can use. You are able to borrow your friends’ characters to increase the energy max limit, maximum of 3 characters.

Finishing the challenge will award you with Fractured Fruit Fragments of three rarity: 2-4 stars.

Can equip these fractures to gain buffs for the Geovishap symphony.

Only a maximum of 11 Fractured Fruit Fragments can be activated: 6 2*, 4 3*, 1 4*.

4 stages, can choose buffs and debuffs just like Hypostasis Symphony

Rewards include The Crown

You can also obtain Diona as a reward.

Mimi Tomo

Locate and defeat the Unusual Hilichurl to obtain various rewards, including furniture

Windtrace (Hide and Seek/Prop Hunt)

A prop-hunt game where players split into two teams: Rebels and Hunters.

Rebels need to hide from the Hunters and avoid getting caught, while the Hunters needs to catch them all within a time limit.

Rebels can turn into various objects within the current map, place baits or temporarily go into a hidden state.

Hunters can detect the location of the Rebels

“Favors” will descend randomly upon the area, picking up this “Favor”can be decisive in determining victory or defeat.

Take part in Windtrace to obtain Windtrace coins, which you can use to unlock various rewards. Forming your own party to take part in the game or when the current amount of Windtrace coins have reached its maximum will not give any additional coins.

5 different maps (Qingce Village, Springvale, etc.)

Gives special name card

Overflowing Mastery

Similar to Leyline Overflow Event

Talent books drops increased, 3 times a day

Misty Dungeon (Dungeon Crawler)

No elemental resonance, no food buffs

Can only use certain characters

Turrets in your way

Getting buffs after completing challenges (Rejuvenation revive, plunge? attack increase, movement speed increase?)

G A M E  C O N T E N T

Housing System/Homeworld

Enter via Serenitea Pot gadget (gifted by Madame Ping)

Three different background maps to unlock and choose from

Materials used to create items can be gathered in the overworld

Obtain Realm Currency which can be used to buy various items

Hangouts

Diona added to Hangout Event!

Noelle Part 2 added to Hangout Event!

New Artifact Domain

Located at the top right of Sal Terrae (at the foot of Dragonspine)

Pale Flame Set (Physical Damage Set)

Tenacity of the Millelith Set (HP/Shield Set)

Azhdaha Trounce Domain

New weekly boss; Azhdaha, the ancient dragon

Eula and Yanfei Talent LV Materials

Might require you to finish Zhongli story quest to access

Changes elements midfight multiple times (Electro, Hydro, Cryo, Geo)

Domain stage changes too

Cryo Hypostasis

Located in Dragonspine

Eh, not much to say other than I hope yall suffer

Abyss Lector: Violet Lightning

Enemy attacks drain Elemental Burst Energy

S Y S T E M  C H A N G E S

Weekly bosses resin cost change

- From 60 resins per boss, it will reduce to 30 resins for the first three rewards you collect from weekly bosses, goes back to normal cost after that.

Friendship EXP

- Receive more friendship experience in Co-op

Warning before ending of limited events

- Players will now receive in-game mail with 1k mora to notify them before an event ends

Better management of voice packs

- You can now download and remove voice packs of your choice (for storage!)

C O D E S (Global)

FS6SU367M279

4BNSD3675J8D

ATPTUJPP53QH

D E V E L O P E R  D I S C U S S I O N

There’s a developer note published in the Mihoyo page, questions and answers are usually about the security and other stuff.

P I N K  H A I R E D  G I R L

Please know that the identity of this person was not confirmed at all, only that she is a (good, old?) friend of Zhongli and Baal. But she is definitely not the electro archon. She is nicknamed Miss Fox, Yae.

[coffeebuoy]

so i made the boys’ houses on the sims for my fic

this is a couple angles of naruto’s apartment. it’s much smaller, think like ~450 sqft, but it was pretty hard to make something that small in the sims and still have room for how i wanted the kitchen set up. also, it wouldn’t be alone like this, it’s an apartment so it’d be connected to other units on both sides, maybe even behind as well. it’d also be in a run down part of the city, not somewhere green and sunny like this location in the sims. 

this is modeled after my best friend’s old apartment, actually! but he lived in a much better area heh.

if you’d like to read my fic, it’s called You’re My Favorite Place and it’s on ao3, where i have the same username as my url! it’s a sasunaru fic and it’s a/b/o. like, omegaverse. kind of a study of how classist that society can be. extremely high class omega sasuke meets extremely low class alpha naruto. :D

screenshots under the read more so i don’t clog up any dashes.

small things i added after i had sasuke move in in the sims, like the bookshelf and that chair and his laptop on the island. i also used to have clutter everywhere all over the place, and dirty laundry, but i had to pick it up when sasuke moved in cause he’s a neat sim LOL

sorry it’s kinda misshapen. and badly decorated. i’m actually really bad at building in the sims. and interior design. i’m proud of what i did with sasuke’s room tho~ 

edit: i forgot the little dish by the door that sasuke bought for keys and mail and such. so i went to add one but all i could find is this bowl of fruit. just pretend there’s no fruit in it ok

anyway here’s sasuke’s room!

there’s supposed to be a kind of wooden thing he can climb on next to his window, but i don’t have the romance pack and the custom content i downloaded for it won’t show up for me to buy in game??? so i’ll just post a reference of it

maybe not those grapes tho. lol. also he’s got a lil table out on his patio with some forgotten books!

also here’s his bathroom. sorry for all the screenshots ;;

and that’s all i have for you! whew. *wipes brow* 

i was super afraid that sasuke’s room would be like. GONE cause i had him move. and i’d have to rely on old screenshots. BUT THANKFULLY TWAS NOT THE CASE

hope this helps yall visualize their homes!

[vincent-frankenstein]

different anon, but heck yeah u should definitely infodump about lucid dreaming!! im really interested in it

aaaaa okay !!! uh hold onto ur ears yall im abt to talk em off lmao

so !! if u didnt know, lucid dreaming is basically when you become aware that you’re dreaming while youre in a dream. once you’re aware, you can take control of the dream in literally any way u want — u can do anything, go anywhere, meet anyone, all with the knowledge that nothing can hurt u and nothing can stop u

its a fascinating concept and, the feeling when u actually become lucid for the first time? its better than anything else in the world. its the most invigorating thing u can ever feel, i think. but actually becoming lucid is, ,, , , hm. a time and a half. 

putting the rest under a cut bc, hooooo boy this is gonna get long

first things first! you absolutely have to keep a dream journal. forgetting ur dreams is all well and good when ur not trying to accomplish anything in them, but if you become lucid and then wake up with only the vaguest memory of what you actually did? thats painful.

u can either go all out and get a fancy journal and write them down physically each morning, or u can do what i do and just download an app. i personally use the app Dream Catcher, which lets u tag ur dreams for easy organization. just get in the habit of writing down your dreams every morning, and if you really, really cant remember anything, just write down that you didnt dream anything that day. you’ll train your brain to remember your dreams better

secondly! reality checks! are absolutely imperative! the idea behind them is that, if you do something throughout the day that “proves” your reality, eventually you’ll start doing it in your dreams as well. for example, a common thing in my dreams is that i’ll have extra fingers, so i check my hands a lot throughout the day. 

it can’t just be a casual thing, too. if all you do is glance at your hands and b like “yo looks normal, we gucci”, then you’ll do the same in your dreams even if you have Weird hands. trust me, Dream-You is an idiot, you gotta be obvious with this stuff. take a few moments, look at your hands, count out your fingers, and really think to yourself “am i dreaming?”

try to get in the habit of doing that at least 15 times a day, and eventually you’ll start doing it in your dreams too. 

now, if you just stick with doing those two things — which is what i’m doing right now — your chances of becoming lucid will raise astronomically. even just those two tiny things can train your brain into realizing when the world around you is real and when it isnt. you can also attempt something really easy called a MILD — a mnemonic-induced-lucid-dream — which can help your chances even more without upping the effort 

whenever you go to bed, just take a few moments — even just five minutes can help — and just. lay there. and think to urself, again and again “the next scene will be a dream” or “i will become lucid in my dreams tonight” or something similar. get ur brain really focused on lucid dreaming right before you fall asleep and chances are, those Vibes will bleed over into ur dreams and you’ll become lucid

practice those three things consistently, every day, and pretty soon you’ll start becoming lucid. it takes time, though! dont be discouraged if you end up not becoming lucid for the first few weeks, or even months. sometimes your brain just needs a bit of extra training

that’s what ive been doing for the past year or so — bc damn do i Not have the energy to actually put in too much effort — but!!! there are other techniques!!

my personal favorite is the WBTB, or wake-back-to-bed method. with this technique, you set your alarm for roughly 5-6 hours after you go to sleep so you’ll wake up inside of one of your REM cycles, specifically one where your dreams will be the most vivid. dont do anything, just roll over and go right back to sleep. 

you can even use a MILD along with this, repeat whatever mantra u usually use as you fall back asleep. you should start to see hypnagogic imagery — blobs of color and vague shapes floating before your eyes. just observe them. at one point, they’ll start forming more familiar shapes, and places, and maybe even people — and there should be a moment, a snap, where you go from observing these images to actually being in the scene. you literally build the dream around yourself, its magical

i have read that WBTB can cause sleep paralysis, but i’ve never personally experienced any problems with it, aside from the fact that im always tired the next day.

another thing that could severely increase your chances of being lucid but also involves Effort — meditation. specifically mindfulness meditation. the act of bringing full awareness to your Existence, honing in on just Your body, Your mind, Your breath, will make you a more aware, mindful person, which in turn makes you more perceptive of dream signs. also, the ability to clear your mind and center yourself with a moment’s notice really comes in handy when the dream becomes destabilized and you have to take control

if ur an adhd lad like me — or neurodivergent in any way, really — the idea of meditation can be,,,, terrifying. honestly, i havent meditated in like six months now, because it really wasnt?? doing anything for me?? mostly because im absolutely incapable of sitting still for that long without Something to stimulate me

so! loophole! guided meditations. having someone else guide you through the process can make it a bit easier to focus. just find one that works for u on youtube. there are even guided meditations made specifically to prime ur brain for lucid dreaming!

so thats how you get lucid. now for when youre lucid

at first, lucid dreaming is going to be extremely hard. dreams fall apart very easily — if you get too overexcited or if a dream-character looks at you the wrong way or if you cant seem to do what you want to do, your lucidity can fade and you’ll either go back to being your normal dream self or you’ll wake up. dreams are volatile and hard to control, and even harder to master

thats where meditation comes in handy. youll have a much easier time controlling your dreams if you can look at the world around you, take a breath, center yourself, and know that you can control it. that being said, you can absolutely learn to take control without ever having meditated a day in your life. its all about your mindset!

you have to go into it with confidence. the key to controlling your dreams is knowing that they’re your dreams. you cant forget that you’re in control. thats why i feel like learning to lucid dream doubles as a lesson in self-confidence — you have to learn to trust yourself, trust that you can handle any scenario thrown at you and come out on top.

if you can achieve this mindset, you can literally do anything. ive had maybe 50 lucid dreams since i started learning about them — which… is honestly a really low amount, but. i havent really had the time/energy to really throw myself into it  as much as i want to. but just in those dreams, ive flown, ive shapeshifted, ive met my sides, ive teleported to vast, gorgeous lands and seen some of the most beautiful things ive ever seen. anything is possible in a lucid dream; thats why its so worth it to put in the effort

but when youre first starting out, itll be extremely hard to maintain that mindset. like i said, Dream-you is dumb as shit — you’ll forget youre dreaming, you’ll be unable to control anything, you’ll wake up before you manage to accomplish anything. more often than not, the dream will destabilize, which is Not Fun

if the dream starts to destabilize — basically, if things start going fuzzy or vague, if you suddenly cant see, if you can feel ur body in bed, basically anything that points towards you waking up — there are ways to fix it. literally just spinning around helps for some reason? spin around, fall down, run ur hands along anything u can find and feel the texture, or just demand that the dream stabilize itself. most of the time, thatll work

and if it doesnt, dont be discouraged. theres always another night to dream

so basically: start a dream journal, do reality checks, mmmmaybe meditate if youre up for it, and your dreams will become like. at least 10x more interesting. trust me, try flying: its literally the best feeling in the entire world

its just !!! such a huge, incredible thing, and its so fascinating to learn about too. all the different ways you can train your brain, all the different things you can do, all the studies done on the subject. i suggest reading about Steven LaBerge or keith hearne. hearne led the study that proved lucid dreaming existed in the first place! he got a lucid dreamer to signal to him that he was conscious while asleep using REM (rapid-eye movement), because lucid dreaming happens during the REM state. also, robert waggoner’s book Gateway to the Inner Self is really fascinating too!

hm wow i really went ham here lmao

thanku for giving me a chance to infodump im very happy rn

[inspiringwhilerespiring]

Yall know i love this survey shit<3

1. List 5 things you want to do before the year ends.

-finish 5 books

-lose 20 lbs

-produce more art

-travel out of the state & country

-heal my heart and love myself a lil more

2. What color are your pants?

not wearing any

3. Favorite motivational quote.

damn, there’s A L O T. prob something simple and to the point. I like “proud, but never satisfied” and “the distance between your dreams and reality is called action”

4. When was the last time you drank coffee?

yesterday; got a new french press for christmas<3

5. What was the last thing you ate?

lmao the weirdest shit. hot cheetos, some hummus, and a bar

6. Favorite animal.

soo many; always been fascinated by sharks. Elephants are up there too.

7. Favorite song.

currently anything Kid Cudi - he soothes my soul

8. Last movie you watched?

National Lampoon family vacation I think?

9. Any turn ons?

of course; im one of those gay people who gets turned on by having an emotional connection first and foremost; but if were strictly talking physical shit - any neck action is sexy af. or just taking breaks to make eye contact.

10. Any turn offs?

bad breath lol and just being a dick in general or inconsiderate

11. List 4 big words off of the top of your head.

cognizant; superfluous; compelling; anguished

12. What are some meaningful movies?

First ones that come to my mind that left an impact or a meaningful message are Shawshank Redemption, Avatar, Wall-E (lol), Forest Gump

13. 2 most important people in your life right now?

Myself honestly 

14. What are 3 things you want to do before the month ends?

Find a desk, order a blender, and form a morning routine

15. When was the last time you read a good book?

Currently reading Michelle Obama’s -Becoming; before that I read the Alchemist and it was good

16. How long do you study for usually, if you study?

I don’t

17. Do you have any nicknames?

Pollo, Hayls

18. Favorite kind of perfume? (fruity, alluring, etc.)

Viva la Juicy, but honestly all of them - been sticking to essential oils or all natural shit lately - anything with Amber is good.

19. Do you have any international friends / friends who live out of state?

yes<3

20. What is something unique that you do every single day?

lol shower? I dont really do anything special i dont think?

21. If there was a movie based on your life, what would it be called?

“Becoming” lol because I feel like I am always growing and changing and adapting and learning and ill never just be one thing

22. When was the last time you bought a gift for someone?

Recently - christmas time

23. Are you a shopaholic?

no - but i just got an amazon prime account and thats game changer fa real

24. What are some songs that always make you feel better?

Love - Kid Cudi, 

25. List 3 activities that you can only enjoy by yourself.

Sitting in the tub (otherwise that shit is too crowded lmao)

Reading a good book

Masturbating prob?

26. If you could live in any biome (and survive) which biome would you live in?

Tropical island

27. How do you like being roused in the morning?

cuddles and soft music (prob reggae) and if i aint got shit to do a bluntttt fam

28. How was your day? What did you do?

it was ok - fighting some inner demons lately and feeling really low :/ but i got a little bit done so im giving myself a break

29. What did your last text message say?

“bye”

30. Do you respond to texts quickly?

depends on who it is lol

31. Who was the last person you called?

my mom

32. List 5 things that are on your wish list.

i wanna learn another language

I wish to be able to see more things change for the better in our world

i wish to skydive

i wish to live in another country for a while

and i wish to love myself

33. If you were famous, what do you think you would be famous for?

maybe being a host of a talk show lol

34. Winter or summer?

both

35. What is a quality that all people should have?

empathy

36. If you could have a large collection of one item, what would that item be?

my inner white girl and materialistic ass says shoes - but idk i think it would also be cool to have a collection of books or photographs - ya know that sentimental shit i be on

37. What have you been thinking about lately?

wow so much - a lot of reflecting honestly about who i have been and how i’ve treated others and how i am trying to change myself - so ironically enough, i’ve also been thinking about the future and trying to focus on who i want to be and where i want to be

38. What is the secret to a happy life?

taking it day by day im sure

39. What are some phrases you say often?

“nice” lol to my clients a lot

40. Favorite food?

lately its been asian - like thai and vietnamese. fuck now i want some dumplings and curry and egg rollllz

41. List 3 wishes.

already fuckin diiiiiddd fam

42. What are some of your greatest fears?

memory loss, dying, losing others

43. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?

idk whats app prob

44. Most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen (in real life)? 

machu picchu

45. Spicy food:Like or dislike? 

LOVE

46. Scary movies:Like or dislike?

Depends

47. Do you like to travel?

Do you know me lol

48. Any regrets?

yeah always, but i try to live my life without any and honestly id never go back and change em

49. Do you like rain?

obsessed; fav weather actually

50. What do you spend most of your money on?

food

51. Would you rather visit the past or the future?

past bc im a sentimental person; future is exciting and i like surprises and the unknown and dreaming about that shit - id rather not know.

52. Favorite clothing store?

depends - urban outfitters is my style but i like goodwill just as much

53. What is the best advice you can give to those who are feeling down?

this too shall pass

54. How often do you think about your future? Does it scare you?

honestly not often enough, i try not to over think things or it tends to give me anxiety. why worry about things that are far out of our control? I just take shit day by day

55. What angers you the most?

ignorance. and rude ass people. when someone isnt being genuine

56. When was the last time you got majorly angry?

yesterday

57. When was the last time you got really sad?

today

58. Are you good at lying?

im sure everyone is to some degree

59. What foreign language would you like to learn?

spanish

60. How many languages can you speak and what are they?

just one - semi fluent in spanish

61. How often do you go to parties? If you don’t, what do you do instead?

lol 

62. What books do you plan to read this year?

not sure! I have a couple but we shall see

63. Do you have breakfast every morning?

yes i try to - its my fav meal

64. Tell us a secret.

then it wouldnt be a secret

65. How many concerts have you been to?

a few

66. Last hug?

wasnt long enough

67. Who knows you better than anyone else?

myself

68. Baths or showers?

ooooooh damn, depends

69. Do you think you’re ambitious?

i could be a little more

70. What song is stuck in your head?

lmaooo wake up in the sky by gucci mane and bruno - thats been my shit lately

71. Countries you’ve visited?

Peru, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Caymans, Philippines

72. What do you most value in your friends?

Communication and laughter

73. What helps you to sleep better?

putting my got dang phone away from me

74. What is the most money you have ever held in your hand?

prob like 2 grand or some shit

75. What makes you nervous?

when i over book myself or take too much on and have a lot on my plate - so time management i suppose

76. What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

to live in the present moment; and to take care of myself 

77. Is it easier to forgive or forget?

forgive for sure - i dont really ever forget

78. First mobile phone?

ayyy a flip phone and it was see thru and lit up and had a walkie talkie!

79. Strangest dream?

lmao ew no im so ashamed

80. Best dream?

flying or something

81. Who is the smartest person you know?

my grandpa it seems

82. Who is the prettiest person on tumblr?

idk

83. Do you miss anyone right now?

very much, always

84. Who do you love? Why?

everyone, because life is too damn short for hate

85. Do you like sharing?

yeah lol bc i expect ppl to share w me in return

86. What was the last picture you took with your phone?

idk actually

87. Is there a reason behind everything that happens?

yeah id like to think so

88. Favorite genre of music?

i was raised on hip hop so i feel like that is my go to but honestly i love reggae, alternative, a lil bit of electro chill shit, R&B, oldies, jazz, anything 

89. If you had one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

Understanding

90. Describe your life in 5 words.

roller coaster. fun. emotional. loving. growth.

91. Describe the world in 4 words.

crazy. beautiful. strong. vast.

92. Craziest thing you’ve ever done?

skinny dip?

93. First three songs in your favorite playlist?

cocaine model - zhu

is this love - bob marley

tadow - masego

94. Are you more creative or logical?

def without a doubt 100% creative/emotional/empath/sensative/does things based on feelings rather than reason type person lmao

95. Would you rather lie or hurt someone with the truth?

truth always

96. What are you most proud of?

my ability to communicate and understand people

97. What personality trait do you admire in other people?

strength/humility 

98. When you imagine yourself as really, really relaxed and happy, what are you doing?

smoking a fat ass blunt doing yoga on a sunny day while its 68 degrees out and im on a beach 

[makingloveinvskitchen]

Heal that pain!👌🏾 Did yall miss my JustATouchof_J ‘s Inspirational Tuesdays on my JustATouchofJ Mobile App, Instagrams, Facebooks, Tumblr, Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Blackvibes.com just to name a few? If so.. “Did You Know..That If you can feel the pain you're still healing?” #linkinbio And a big Thank you to y’all for the over 80,000 Plays on my overall JustATouchof_J Podcast & For making my App #1, and For making it Trend “WHATS HOT” for the past 11 weeks! 🙌🏾#newpodcast is now playing! This is #justatouchof_j .. Everything else is God. I’m just tryna put it all out there in pieces for you Baby! And..! Go Listen to my podcast on my JustATouchof_J Radio Show! Ep. 492 is now playing on iHeart Radio! Omg.. y’all got my Podcast Poppin like Popcorn BABY!. Playing in 150 different countries! Over 38,000 Plays in the past 4 months! & Im still pleased to announce that I’m CO-AUTHOR in the book DESTINED TO WIN Vol 4. “Pierced for a Purpose!” 7,000 of you showed love towards my new book via my mobile app! @mynameisroni76 @makingloveinvskitchen @justatouchof_jsfitness @werjustatouchof_j @thejatoj_podcastnetwork Download my JustATouchofJ App to listen to any of my 479 episode’s 🌎 for free! Just tap the (ListentoV) icon for #vspodcasttopics Podcast is also available on over 50 streaming networks! @spotify @iheartradio @pandora @spotifypodcasts @applepodcasts @makingloveinvskitchen ✍🏽 Is where I do my food thing. New recipes are on “The JustATouchofJ App” & my JustATouchofJ blogs too. The JustATouchof_J 🌱 Line has released my “première édition numéro un” rolling papers! These French European Rolling Papers are exquisite. Remember All you need is #JustATouchof_TheJ And check out “MY FIT” 👉🏾#jsfit ... #fitnessapparel and Clothing online store and so much more. @justatouchof_jsfitness To listen my #podcast , radio show ,new music, & also view my new blog #recipes, #foodporn, and #fitnessmotivation see my link in bio! #Google JustATouchof_J #chef #ceo #businesswoman #mobileapp #podcasts #goddid #jesuschrist #fitness #godsplan #quoteoftheday #pain #fear#selfhelp #healing #god #godsplan #trustgod #havefaith (at Gwinnett County, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj8Xq33rkTM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[banditchika]

noelle and akarsha’s very fun, very gay (study) date

word count: 4560

fandom: butterfly soup

ship: akarsha/noelle 

author’s notes: i can’t believe i’ve done this? i mean. i can, just as i also know that i stayed up till four to finish this fic, and that w/o my friends i wouldn’t have had completed this at all. thank you @nytenchanter @trashikino @thereforebucket for beta-ing this hot mess!! i couldnt have done this without yall!! anyways please enjoy this fic, it isn’t of course any way associated with butterfly soup canon beyond being set immediately after the game. i really loved playing butterfly soup, n i hope other ppl give it a try too! you can download the game at itch.io!

This is a terrible idea. An awful idea. An idea of catastrophic potential, and she means that in the worst possible way. Just last night, Noelle had sat at her desk and scribbled out a full page of equations to calculate how terrible of an idea this is. Unfortunately, Akarsha is not someone who can be contained within equations.

Noelle drums her fingers against her leg, trying not to stare at her mother from the corner of her eye. The silence presses down on Noelle like a library’s worth of books, and she struggles to bite her tongue. The quiet makes her skin itch — but silence, at least, is bearable. It’s hardly as though speaking with her mother would be beneficial, anyways. Conversations always devolve into screaming matches unless Noelle bites her cheek hard enough to taste iron. No, she doesn’t need that today, of all days. Handling Akarsha in general is trial enough; she doesn’t need an argument with her mother on top of it. Speaking of Akarsha — where is she? Noelle chances a glance at the dashboard, watches the numbers blink green: 12:33, 12:33, 12:33, 12:34…

Her mother sighs and turns the radio on. Mandarin crackles through the speakers of their car. Noelle folds her arms, presses her forehead against the window. She hates this program. It’s news in the barest sense — opinion pieces at best and superstitious fear-mongering at the very worst; and not to forget, a commercial every intermission for beef balls that Noelle thinks Diya would like if Noelle didn’t hate them to the point of refusing to eat them. Noelle’s been listening to that same commercial since she was in fourth grade.

12:53. Noelle squints. Over fifteen minutes past the time they agreed to meet. She scans the front of the library for Akarsha’s ridiculous jacket, or even her stupid buns. Nothing. A few teenagers linger on the steps: a girl with glasses and a denim jacket, a man with spiky blonde hair and a red suit, and someone Noelle vaguely recognizes as an upperclassman.

No sign of Akarsha.

Noelle shifts uneasily. She pulls out her phone and flips it open, keying in Akarsha’s number with practiced efficiency. She could have set her to speed dial like she did Diya, but. Noelle won’t give Akarsha the satisfaction. She can already imagine the teasing that would ensue, and Noelle has better things to do than enable Akarsha’s tomfoolery.

“What are you doing?”

Noelle’s teeth find her cheek. She thinks better of biting down and shows her mom the phone screen, holding her tongue as her mother leans over the console to squint at it. Thank goodness Noelle hasn’t pulled up Akarsha’s contact page. She doesn’t know what she’d do if her mother decides to question Akarsha’s ridiculous icon.

At least her username is no longer YAOI SEME.

“Akarsha is late,” Noelle explains, voice strained. “She’s not here.”

“Then call her. Your friend is so irresponsible.” Noelle bites down. She agrees, but the way her mother twists her words burns at her. So Akarsha is her friend and not competition; but only when it’s convenient? Noelle should be used to this by now, but her patience wears thinner and thinner by the day. It’s worrying. Noelle, of all people, should have control over her emotions.

“How is this girl giving you so much trouble when she can’t even be punctual to a study date?” Noelle’s mother continues. Her teeth cut into her cheek: it’s beginning to feel tender. “You aren’t working hard enough. I’m going to buy new workbooks for you. Finish them when you come home.” Noelle tastes iron. Her mother takes her silence as acquiescence; she turns the knob of the radio with bony fingers. Noelle takes a deep breath and presses call.

Akarsha picks up on the third ring. “What’s cooler than being cool? Iiiiiice cold! Alright alright alright alri — ” “Where are you?” Noelle spits, chancing a glance at her mother. She does not look impressed, but is at least transfixed by whatever story the program anchor is spinning. “You’re twenty minutes late. You said you would be on the steps.”

“… Uh.” Noelle can picture Akarsha’s smile grow strained, eyes flicking away. “I am?”

“You are not!” “Seriously, I am! Come on dude, you’ve got your contacts on, right? I’m in front of the library.”

Noelle frowns. If this is one of Akarsha’s games —

She rolls down the window. The girl sitting on the steps, innocuous in her oversized glasses and denim jacket, raises a hand like a salute. She has a phone pressed to her ear.

“Hey, Frenchman. Missed me, now you gotta kiss me!” Akarsha’s grin is infuriatingly smug, even from thirty five feet away.

Noelle hangs up.

“What’s wrong with your hair?”

“That’s the first thing you say?” Akarsha whispers. “I guess you don’t want none unless I got buns, huh?” She swings her bookbag over her shoulder. Noelle glares at it. A bookbag — an actual, honest to goodness bookbag, without a hint of rainbow or iridescence anywhere. There aren’t even pins decorating it. Noelle didn’t think Akarsha owned anything that wasn’t calculated to be ridiculous and irritating.

“Be serious!” Noelle jabs her in the side. Akarsha stumbles and grabs at her arm, breath whooshing out of her lungs. Noelle doesn’t dare look over her shoulder, where her mother hovers like a vulture over a battlefield. Or Diya racing after a foul ball, or something requiring a similar amount of fervent focus.

“I am, dude, I am.” Akarsha pulls out a seat at a table hidden just behind the stacks and swoops into a bow, gesturing grandly at it. Noelle seethes. “C’mon, where’s the trust?”

She also pulls out a chair for Noelle’s mom. When she shakes her head, Akarsha favors her with a smile that doesn’t turn up the corners of her eyes and sits down. Noelle loathes the sight of it. Akarsha doesn’t look like herself — her foolish, irritating self. She’s wearing pants, for one thing. That should be a good sign. It’s not a good sign. Noelle pulls her things from her bookbag, and Akarsha does the same. Her school supplies are thankfully still her own: there’s Akarsha’s stupid bending pencil, an eraser shaped like a crayon, and — is that one of Noelle’s pens!? Akarsha said she’d returned it!

Noelle’s breath hisses out of her, and she wishes she were close enough to stomp on Akarsha’s toes.

[“Stop that.”] Her mother’s voice is gratingly loud from where she looms behind Noelle. [“You’ll sigh all your virtues away.”]

[“That isn’t scientific.”] Noelle tears a sheet of notebook paper more forcefully than she should. Akarsha doesn’t even lift her head, much less comment. [“It is impossible for virtue to manifest physically, much less have a unit of measurement.”]

[“Still. It’s a bad habit. Concentrate on your work.”] Noelle bites her cheek and writes her name with a heavy hand: upper right hand corner, name, date, and period.

Noelle isn’t one to put stock in miracles — those are for idiots and slackers, and she is neither — but Noelle is almost willing to become a believer when Akarsha — somehow! — manages to restrain herself from doing anything foolish in front of Noelle’s mother. It’s terrifying, frankly. Akarsha cups her cheek in her palm, turns her gaze towards her work, and then scribbles away without pause with Noelle’s (stolen!) pen. She doesn’t lift her head from her textbook, not even once. Her assignment, aside from sloppily boxed answers, is immaculate; no sign of little green men or ridiculously large-eyed anime characters in the margins. Akarsha hasn’t asked a single question: not even if pigeons have feelings.

Noelle is so busy sneaking glances at her that the nib of her own pen skitters across the edge of her paper, leaving an ugly line where a neat three should have been. Noelle sighs — her mother’s eyes bore into her back — and carefully whites it out.

It’s almost terrifyingly easy to fall into a routine. Akarsha is so quiet that Noelle can almost forget she’s there. If it weren’t for the way she flips the pen between her fingers, Akarsha would have blended into the library, just another faceless student against the backdrops of shelves and books. Noelle can almost imagine that she’s alone in her room, with nothing but the snake on her bed for company.

How disturbing. Akarsha is loud, irritating, her very presence like a desperate cry for attention. Noelle doesn’t like this.

[“I’m leaving.”] She nearly jumps when her mother speaks again, after nearly — Noelle checks her watch — half an hour of oppressive silence. Noelle says nothing, then startles when her mother presses a thin ten dollar bill into her hand. Her fingers close around it. [“Go buy lunch when you’re finished studying, then come home.”]

[“Alright.”] Her mother is in an unusually good mood. Noelle is accustomed to pushing and pushing and pushing without thanks — only the expectation that she’ll have to do even more, even better, striving for a finish line that moves further every time Noelle thinks she has it in sight. This is… unusual, but even Noelle gets pocket money sometimes. Like during New Years, when her parents parade her in front of their relatives and Noelle plays the violin, then patiently plays even more for curious aunts and uncles, eager to point at her and whisper to their own children. Sometimes, Noelle even gets to keep some of the crisp bills in those scented red envelopes. She saves those for the days that she manages to sneak away to visit a boba shop with Diya and Akarsha.

Noelle folds the bill into the plastic of her binder. Perhaps she’ll do that now. She feels full to bursting with questions as Akarsha lifts her head and politely — politely! — bids her mother goodbye. What. Noelle hadn’t known Akarsha was even capable of basic etiquette — or at least around her. She still remembers that disgusting D-triad fart. Animal.

With Noelle’s mother out of sight, Akarsha sighs and pushes her glasses up to the top of her head. She rubs her eyes. Something in Noelle snaps.

“Alright, that’s enough,” she says, slapping her palms against the table. She regrets it immediately when they begin to sting. Akarsha raises her brows, the beginnings of a smile playing on her lips. “What’s up, dude?”

“Explain.” Noelle gestures at her, all of her. Akarsha has had her stupid hairstyle since the very day they’d met. Seeing her now, with all of it hanging loose around her face, worries her. Yes, worries, because Noelle’s heart is beating too quickly, and everything about this situation feels off, like coming home only to find all the furniture moved an inch to the side. Noelle is right to be concerned. Everything about the girl in front of her is inconsistent with the Akarsha that Noelle sees every day. She wants to know why.

“It’s cosplay.” Akarsha laughs and leans out of slapping range. “I can’t believe you’ve done this.”

“There are many unknowable things in the universe.” Akarsha strikes a thoughtful pose. Noelle sinks in her seat to kick her shin. She winces. “Look: this is fine, isn’t it? Your mom’s off your back, I get to wear a sweet jacket — everyone’s winning!”

“I do not understand how a change in attire, hairstyle, and behavior would be considered a universal victory.”

Akarsha clutches at her chest. “My kokoro is brokoro, Frenchman! I thought we were buddies, pals, homies!” She wipes her eyes. “Friendos to the endos, homodach — ”

Noelle raises a finger.

“Never,” she hisses, “say that to me again.” Noelle scowls and sips at her thermos. Akarsha’s giggles echo through the stacks, and she only falls quiet when a librarian pokes his head around a shelf and glares.

Akarsha is still smiling. Noelle shakes her head. Though her answer is still less than satisfactory,  Noelle is content with her being normal again.

Akarsha pulls out a pencil bag shaped like a fish. Every scale is printed in perfect detail. It looks ready to flail its way out of her hand, and Noelle scrunches up her face, ready to scold.

Yes, normal. As much as Akarsha is ever normal, anyways.

“It’s hot. Must be my fault.”

“It is not.” Noelle ties her jacket around her waist. Typical Californian weather: chilly enough for a sweater in the morning and scorching hot in the afternoon. Oakland, however, tends to be cooler than other cities in the state. Noelle blames global warming for this atrocity.

“It’s gotta be. That’s why there’s no clouds today, y’see — ” Akarsha squints into the sun. Noelle smacks her. She’s going to ruin her eyesight! “The sun saw me and parted them to say, ‘shizz girl, you fine.’ And that’s why it’s so hot.”

“That is not why.” Noelle takes a deep breathe to explain precipitation, condensation, the movements of the planet and sun — but Akarsha pulls a rubber band off her wrist and Noelle’s explanation dries up in her throat.

Akarsha gathers her hair with both hands, pulling it up to expose the nape of her neck. Noelle stares: because she wants to strangle her, obviously. But gently. Just enough so that Akarsha would stop spouting stupidity like a fountain.

“‘Shizz girl, you fine.’”

“What?” “That’s what you’re thinkin’ right now, huh?” Akarsha puts a fist to her chin, denim creaking across her shoulders. Noelle scowls. “And so the Frenchman learned to love, the spell cast upon her castle thawed, and the faithful servants of the Eiffel Tower knew humanity once again.” “Shut up! This isn’t a Disney production.” Noelle steps on Akarsha’s foot. It feels bizarre. Shoes! She’s wearing actual shoes, like a sane person! Noelle glowers at Akarsha’s feet, cursing her flip flops as much as the lack of them. “And how many times do I have to tell you to stop saying that!? I don’t live in the Eiffel Tower. I am not French. This is misinformation.”

“How mean,” Akarsha sighs, sticking her hands in her pockets. She hops up to sit at the foot of a statue overlooking the steps and peers down at Noelle. She glares right back, defiant. “So, what are you gonna do now?”

“I don’t understand. Please rephrase the question.” “I dunno what other way I can say it, dude.” Akarsha’s fingers fan out, shoulders hunching as though to shrug. “Like, we’re done here, aren’t we?” She gestures at their book bags, the papers and textbooks and supplies neatly tucked away. “Study date’s over. What are you gonna do now?”

“… I’ll purchase something to drink, then call my mother.” Noelle traces a finger along the slit of her binder, where the money hides behind a copy of her schedule.

“You’re skippin’ lunch?” Akarsha squints at her arms. “They say you are what you eat, but you don’t gotta take being a noodle so religiously. Relax. Smell the roses. Feed the Beast. Del Taco.”

“….” Akarsha seems to be making up for her docility tenfold, every infuriating quirk magnified now that they’ve left the library. Noelle doesn’t have the energy to deal with this. She starts down the steps without Akarsha, only turning to wait once she’s reached the bottom. The tell-tale sound of feet skipping — and slipping — follow her down, until Akarsha thumps right next to her. “Woah.” Akarsha’s arms pinwheel. Noelle grabs her by the shoulder and steadies her, eyebrows raised. “Converse — minus two to acrobatics.”

“And here I thought that clowns were supposed to be good at gymnastics.” “How mean!” “I only speak the truth.” The banter and tomfoolery is comforting, in its own way. Despite the memory of the quiet, somber Akarsha that Noelle can’t burn from her mind and the new hairstyle and attire, it’s still her. Still the same idiot fool.

Noelle glances at her watch. 1:36. Her family won’t expect a call from her until at least three thirty. She looks at Akarsha: Akarsha, her hair tied in a knot at the base of her neck and glasses sitting atop her head, looking almost respectable with her mouth closed and her perpetual slouch hidden by a curtain of denim.

She can work with this. Noelle folds her arms across her chest, a smile tugging up at the corners of her lips. “Akarsha. Did you bring money with you?”

“Hi, can I get a… uhhhh…. Taro milk tea with pudding?” Akarsha glances over her shoulder. Noelle tilts her head, then winces as the weight of her ponytail pulls at her scalp. She needs a haircut — to thin it out, if nothing else.  

“A milk tea with boba, please. No ice.” The cashier rings them up. Akarsha pays. 

They seat themselves as far away from the incriminating table as possible, but Noelle still scowls at the leg that Min-seo had broken. It has since been repaired with liberal amounts of tape, but Noelle won’t forgive. Noelle won’t forget.

“Dude, I can’t believe that worked.”

“We were disguised, last we came.” Noelle counts change from her coin purse and hands it over to Akarsha, along with a few folded dollar bills. Akarsha takes it.

Noelle bends at the waist, tugging her hair free from its tail. It falls in a curtain around her face. Noelle grimaces as she straightens up again, sweeping it back from her eyes. She turns to see Akarsha grinning. “What.”

“For a second there, you looked like the Grudge.” A clicking groan grinds out of Akarsha’s throat. She croaks for a full ten seconds. Noelle stares, unimpressed. “You should wear your hair like that next Halloween. I bet you could make a little kid cry.” “And since when were your costume choices credible enough for me to take your advice?” Noelle crosses her arms. “All you did for Halloween this year was remove your windbreaker.”

“What are you talking about Frenchman? I should have gotten an award for my costume, it was so terrfyin’. I was…” Akarsha grins. “A heterosexual.”

Noelle almost smiles. She bares her teeth instead, but Akarsha’s eyes crinkle anyways, bright from behind the glare of her glasses. Whatever. Noelle will let it slide, just this once; she knows from experience that pressing the point will result in more terrible jokes than Noelle ever needs to hear in her lifetime. If Akarsha tells her that she’s ‘all bi herself’ one more time…

“Hey, what if we spiked up Min’s hair and like, dressed her up in orange? Do you think we could sneak her in that way?” Akarsha puts a fist to her chin. Noelle glances at the windows, where Min’s face — and Diya’s, to Noelle’s outrage — is plastered for everyone to see. NO ENTRY is scrawled under Min’s picture.

She scowls at it. She’s… well, pleased for them both, she supposes, but no one has any business looking so self-satisfied after getting banned from a restaurant on their first date.

“I doubt it. Her face is plastered all over the store. Disguise or no, any employee that failed to recognize her wouldn’t be worth the air conditioning they stand in.” “How mean! … Seriously, that’s harsh. Remind me never to work at a store you’re managin’.”

“Hm. Well, I doubt either of us will ever have to work in a restaurant. Our grades are high enough.” Noelle’s clawed and fought her way up to the top, Akarsha trailing just at her heels. What else would their hard work have been for, if not to secure themselves a privileged future? Noelle turns her nose into the air and grins. The motion feels plastic when Akarsha’s eyes flick away. “Nah, I guess you wouldn’t. Not that I wanna either — I don’t hate myself enough to work in a fast food joint if I had another choice.” Akarsha takes off her glasses and fiddles with the arms. She is strangely hesitant. “But it’s an option. Options are good.”

“I don’t understand. If you’re the best, then you are the optimal candidate.” Noelle frowns. “You can go anywhere in your field if you are the only option.” Akarsha opens her mouth, then seems to think better of it. Eventually she shakes her head. “I’m just sayin’ that you never know what might happen. Maybe kaiju will descend on the planet and we have to pilot giant robots while having identity crises to fight ‘em. Maybe someone’s gonna leak alien files, and all the stuff that we put stock into is gonna burst around us. Pop! Like a bubble. Or maybe we’re gonna wake up one day and realize that this, all of this?” Akarsha gasps, hand over her heart. “Oh no! All just a dream.”

She tries to punch Noelle’s arm. Noelle leans away.

“Come on, Noelle! If it hurts, then we’re actually here. Unless it’s an elaborate simulation and even our sensory experiences aren’t real — say, ever heard of simulacra? It’s wild stuff — ”

“Shut up!” Noelle, fed up, grabs Akarsha’s face. Akarsha’s eyes are wide as Noelle claps both hands over her mouth. Noelle shakes her head. “Someone with so much to say should put their mouth to good use. But of course you can’t even do that much!”

Akarsha’s brow furrows. Noelle shrieks when something slimy paints a wet stripe along her palm and leaps back, arms pinwheeling. She trips and folds up on herself, landing on the floor in a heap.

Every eye in the store turns to her.

“… Sorry,” she mutters, raising a hand toward the nearest employee. The waitress glares at Noelle as though her fall triggered a reflex to fight and kill.

Akarsha’s whispered ‘yikes!’ pierces the quiet. Noelle wants to wither, and smacks away every attempt Akarsha makes to help her up.

“Dude, that must have been… the Invisible Man.” Noelle wipes her hand on the arm of Akarsha’s jacket while Akarsha isn’t looking, too busy scrubbing her cheek against her shoulder to notice.

“There is no Invisible Man! Why did you lick me!?” Noelle fumbles in her bookbag for hand sanitizer. Of all the disgusting things to do! The Akarsha that Noelle knows and loathes has returned in full-force.

“Uh, ‘cuz you were grabbing my face? That’s a normal reaction to have!”

“No, it is not!” Noelle pops the cap and lets the sanitizer pool in her palm. She scrubs vigorously. “Do you know where my hands have been!?”

“… Nowhere fun, I hope.” Akarsha shoves her glasses on her face, then seems to think better of it and pushes it up above her temple. She grins, so widely that her face scrunches up with it. “That’s not how they flirt in France, right? Grab people and talk like movie villains?”

“For the final time, stop telling people I’m — ”

“Order number 16!”

“Wao! That’s us!” Akarsha whirls around her and bumps a shoulder into Noelle’s back. Her voice is strained, like she’s trying to fight back a laugh. “Come on, Frenchman, we can talk about your background later. Like your robot roots. Take me to your leader.”

“Akaaaarsha!”   

“We should avoid Snowcastle from now on. At least for a few months.” Noelle pokes her straw at her drink. The pointed end bounces off the plastic top. Noelle glowers at it, then tries again. This time, she breaks through.

“Yeah. I think we left an impression on the cashier.” Akarsha’s sitting on the curb, drink balanced between her knees. She’s already drained a quarter of her taro tea and eagerly sucks up the pudding gilding the bottom. “At least we didn’t get banned in disguise!”

“Don’t say that. The bar is too low; we are not repeating the Diya and Min-seo incident.”

“Okay, but you gotta admit that was hilarious.”

“It was not! We destroyed private property, and technically we aren’t even allowed to be here!”

“But here you are. You’re doing a crime, dude. I’m proud of you!”

“I don’t want it!”

Gravel crunches as a car pulls into the lot. Her mother is behind the wheel; so soon? But she’d only called… half an hour ago. Noelle’s brow furrows. She could have sworn that only half that had passed.

Akarsha stands. Her fingers flex around her drink. The glasses are back on her face, and Noelle still isn’t accustomed to them. It’s likely because Akarsha doesn’t seem to be as well, constantly hooking them off the collar of her shirt or pushing it up onto her head.

“I’m going now,” Noelle says stiffly, then wonders why. Her mother is here; it’s time to leave. That much is evident.

“Yeah.”

And for some reason, Noelle doesn’t go. Her feet are glued to the concrete. She feels like she’s in class and someone’s just solved a problem incorrectly on the board. It’s as if Noelle has something to correct — but what? It’s not as if anything’s wrong.

“Your face.” Noelle gestures at it. Akarsha’s eyebrows raise.

“I sure do got one!” She strikes a pose, index and thumb forming an ‘L’ around her chin. “Compliment me like one of your French girls, Noelle.”

“Shut up.” Noelle snaps her fingers and wishes she could pull out her calculator. There is no uncertainty in math. Akarsha is nothing if not a wild card, and interacting with her always feels like a game of chess. Noelle has to have the right pieces in the right places — and right now, she has neither. “You still look strange.” “That’s not a compliment — ”

“But, it’s not terrible.” Akarsha’s mouth hangs open. Noelle pushes it closed. “Your face is nice without the buns.”

Akarsha doesn’t seem to be able to make noise, much less speak. Noelle counts it as a victory and hurries away without saying goodbye.

For some reason, her ears are burning.

“A drink?” Her mother eyes Noelle’s cup as she folds herself into the passenger seat. Newspapers crinkle as Noelle tucks her feet inside, then closes the door.

“It was with my own money.”

“Did your friend suggest it?”

“No. Akarsha works hard.” Noelle sips her boba. It doesn’t seem as sweet as it had just moments ago, the high of winning a victory withering to ash on her tongue.

“Hm.” Surprisingly, her mother doesn’t protest. The radio is silent, and Noelle lets herself sway with the car as they turn a corner. “Her school supplies were frivolous. Don’t let her be a bad influence on you. You cannot be distracted in your studies.”

“I know. She’s a good study partner.”

“Do not help her too much. Unless you get something back, you’re only helping the competition.”

Noelle is halfway done with her drink. Home is still fifteen minutes away. “She’s my friend,” she hisses, throat tight.

“She is the one you do projects with?” At Noelle’s nod, her mother continues: “Next time you study together, do it at her house. Driving you to the library is too far, and if you are going to get drinks, you are not working.”

“… Her house?”

“Yes. Call her tonight and ask. If you are going to study, do it in a place without distractions.” Noelle’s mother glances at her from the corner of her eye. Noelle does her best not to seem too pleased.

She tries to picture what kind of face Akarsha will make when she calls tonight. Will she be surprised? Embarrassed? That’s an expression Noelle wishes she could see. She can still remember how Akarsha’s entire face had seemed to pale when she triggered the alarm at the school library.

Noelle hides a smile in her palm. Not even an hour after leaving Akarsha speechless, and she already has another victory under her belt.

[mynameisjessamyn]

How was your book tour, Jessamyn? I mean, it wasn't one thing. But I can tell you a few bits and pieces about a few places. I'll go in alphabetical order. Most of this is about hotels. I LOVE staying in hotels. Seriously. It's probably fucking fetish level at this point. When I was a kid, my family could never afford to stay in hotels. When we traveled, we usually stayed on air mattresses or pull out sofas in the living rooms of family/family friends. On special occasions we stayed in motels. If I know one thing, it’s that there is a SUPREME differene between a hotel and a motel. My brother and I have shared a bed so many times. That doesn’t sound the way it sounds, I promise.) Here's some shit that happened: 1. REAL TALL- I think I spoke to more people during this 2.5 month period than I probably have in the past 2.5 years. 2. In Athens, GA, I taught a yoga class at @centercityballet and it reminded me of when I was the fattest kid in my dance class and our costumes almost always involved midriff baring and I was so self-conscious of my chubby belly that I would pull my hip huggin spandex pants up to my belly button and I had a perpetual spandex camel toe. 3. In Austin, TX at @sxsw, my book signing ran very, very long (YALL ARE THE BEST, but yeah, it went on for a spell) and I was pretty sure that I might miss my flight home. When things finally finished up, I had to run barefoot/in booty shorts down several long ass mezzanines to grab my shit, only to end up outside and remember that Austin doesn’t really fuck with uber and my phone was nearing death/I didn’t have time to download some random Austin-ass rideshare app. I saw what looked like a hovering uber on the street- it was another rideshare app driver waiting on some other fare. I asked the driver if he would take me to the airport after dropping off his current fare. He agreed, because Austin is Austin. We both waited for his actual fare- she seemed thoroughly confused but she let it ride. I didn’t miss my flight. 4. In Boston, I finally met Rachel Estrapa, after being in touch for about 2938098 years. Belinda, one of my favorite professors from undergrad, brought her husband who looks just like a cisdick that I once loved. 5. During my tour stop in Boulder, CO, I stayed at this insanely cool Denver hotel called @theartahotel. I was busy as shit so I barely got to spend any time there, but it was a very cool hotel and y’all should stay there if you’re in Denver. 6. In Chicago, I did back to back presentations at a high school in the ‘burbs. Literally every kid in those presentations reminded me of high school Jessamyn. Many of y’all seemed afraid to ask questions during the Q&A which made perfect sense because adults do the same goddamn thing. Most human beings are afraid of each other and nowhere is that made more vivid than the American high school system. 7. In Cleveland, I stayed in a hotel that was once an old-fashioned arcade and it reminded me of sleeping in a train station circa 1900. Because obviously I know what that’s like. 8. In Dallas, I stayed in a hotel that looked like an oasis of houses like Barbara Stanwyck’s in Double Indemnity. That’s one of my favorite movies so I was immediately smitten. My bungalow had a veranda where I practiced yoga- it rained and everything smelled like rain. It was awesome. 9. Darien, CT. has one of the bougiest and most beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen. Where I was reminded that library science is actually social justice and librarians are out in these streets for real. I have more to say but it'll come out when it's time. Every city had POC who verbalized a feeling of complete isolation. I see you. As a POC who operates in a very white world, I have to admit- our shared sense of isolation reads like a victory flag. It’s a sign that assimilation isn’t working and we are resisting. I am happy to be in the struggle with you. My yoga practice kept my tone in check. And when I needed to cuss a bitch out, it allowed me to do that, too. Because yoga is about all of it, the beauty and the ugly. The dark and the light. Because it’s all the same. It’s always the same.

[kraussoutene]

How to Use One-to-One Video to Make People Swoon

According to research from Nielsen, we trust people nearly twice as much as we trust companies and organizations.

This is why you see so much advice and counsel out there to “humanize” your content and your social media. When doing so, you gain a built-in advantage in trust and persuasion, provided you are not a nefarious character.

In fact, my friend David Horsager (one of the world’s foremost experts on trust) says that you must build trust, or your organization will die in the new economy.

Personal interactions are, of course, the best way to gain trust at the individual level. Nothing beats a face-to-face smile, handshake, laugh, or beer. This is one of the reasons why conferences continue to flourish, even though the knowledge imparted at the event can easily be gleaned via blogs, books, podcasts, and webinars.

Face-to-face can be tough to come by in this far-flung global community that’s tied together with likes, comments, shares, and email. So what’s the solution? Increasingly, it’s recorded, asynchronous one-to-one video.

Synchronous video is also terrific, and it is the primary use case for Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. But in a business setting, it’s often more convenient and efficient (for both parties) to record a personal video, rather than jumping on a synchronous video “call.”

Here are three ways to use one-to-one, personal video, and examples of it being done particularly well.

Personal, One-to-One Explanatory Video

ViewedIt (a product of one of my sponsors, Vidyard) is probably my favorite new online tool. It’s perfect for quick explainer videos that feature your talking head on top of a web page, presentation, spreadsheet, or anything else that might be on your computer screen.

I use ViewedIt to comment on work from my consulting team, provide recommendations to clients, and even to deliver personalized video thank you notes to event organizers after I speak at a conference.

It’s free, and requires zero technology. You just download the browser extension, hook up your camera and mic (you can use your default laptop equipment if you like), press record, and then email the video to your recipient(s).

And, you get notified via email when your recipients play your video, as well as statistics about how long they watched. Amaze-balls!

Here’s a video I did last week, thanking my friends at PCMA after an all-day strategy session in their offices in Chicago. You’ll see my head lower left—that’s where the video plays. One note: Videos in ViewedIt cannot be downloaded. They are, however, automatically saved in your own library.

Personal, One-to-One Welcome Video

Mike Stelzner and his team at Social Media Examiner are also using this technique. In particular, they are shooting one-to-one videos to welcome each new member of their Social Media Marketing Society.

They have hundreds of members, so it’s a real effort to do a personal video for each member, but the trusted, high-touch nature of this welcome makes a real impression on new participants.

In this example, SME is using BombBomb to create and send the videos. The leader in video email, BombBomb is a very easy-to-use system with great stats, and can even integrate into most marketing automation and CRM systems. It’s very good for sales teams, in particular.

Personal, One-to-One Customer Service Video

Still one of my favorite examples, this is a case study in my book Youtility.

The geniuses at eyeglass manufacturer and retailer Warby Parker use one to one video in a customer service context. We’re starting to see this more and more now, even in Instagram and Snapchat, as dashing off a quick video to answer a customer question is far more human than an in-app text response or an email.

When Warby Parker started doing this, Insta and SnapChat were nothing, so they deployed these personal videos via YouTube, with a link to them in reply tweets sent to customers who had questions. They still maintain the WarbyParkerHelp channel on Youtube, and it’s a great inspiration for how to do one-to-one customer service video right.

Just before Christmas in 2014, Whitney Fowler tweeted Warby Parker asking for feedback on possible new glasses (she was using the home try-on feature, whereby Warby sends you up to 5 pairs of glasses to model at home before deciding on a style):

@WarbyParkerHelp what do yall think? Any recommendations? http://pic.twitter.com/wzZgDZl0h1

— Whitney Fowler (@whitlash) December 18, 2014

Certainly, the company could have sent back a quick “looks great!” tweet. But, recognizing that we trust people far more than companies, they recruited a guitar playing team member and sent back this video:

What are the chances she bought those frames? I’m going to say 100 percent.

And that’s the power of one to one video.

http://ift.tt/2qysfMv

[christinesumpmg1]

How to Use One-to-One Video to Make People Swoon

According to research from Nielsen, we trust people nearly twice as much as we trust companies and organizations.

This is why you see so much advice and counsel out there to “humanize” your content and your social media. When doing so, you gain a built-in advantage in trust and persuasion, provided you are not a nefarious character.

In fact, my friend David Horsager (one of the world’s foremost experts on trust) says that you must build trust, or your organization will die in the new economy.

Personal interactions are, of course, the best way to gain trust at the individual level. Nothing beats a face-to-face smile, handshake, laugh, or beer. This is one of the reasons why conferences continue to flourish, even though the knowledge imparted at the event can easily be gleaned via blogs, books, podcasts, and webinars.

Face-to-face can be tough to come by in this far-flung global community that’s tied together with likes, comments, shares, and email. So what’s the solution? Increasingly, it’s recorded, asynchronous one-to-one video.

Synchronous video is also terrific, and it is the primary use case for Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. But in a business setting, it’s often more convenient and efficient (for both parties) to record a personal video, rather than jumping on a synchronous video “call.”

Here are three ways to use one-to-one, personal video, and examples of it being done particularly well.

Personal, One-to-One Explanatory Video

ViewedIt (a product of one of my sponsors, Vidyard) is probably my favorite new online tool. It’s perfect for quick explainer videos that feature your talking head on top of a web page, presentation, spreadsheet, or anything else that might be on your computer screen.

I use ViewedIt to comment on work from my consulting team, provide recommendations to clients, and even to deliver personalized video thank you notes to event organizers after I speak at a conference.

It’s free, and requires zero technology. You just download the browser extension, hook up your camera and mic (you can use your default laptop equipment if you like), press record, and then email the video to your recipient(s).

And, you get notified via email when your recipients play your video, as well as statistics about how long they watched. Amaze-balls!

Here’s a video I did last week, thanking my friends at PCMA after an all-day strategy session in their offices in Chicago. You’ll see my head lower left—that’s where the video plays. One note: Videos in ViewedIt cannot be downloaded. They are, however, automatically saved in your own library.

Personal, One-to-One Welcome Video

Mike Stelzner and his team at Social Media Examiner are also using this technique. In particular, they are shooting one-to-one videos to welcome each new member of their Social Media Marketing Society.

They have hundreds of members, so it’s a real effort to do a personal video for each member, but the trusted, high-touch nature of this welcome makes a real impression on new participants.

In this example, SME is using BombBomb to create and send the videos. The leader in video email, BombBomb is a very easy-to-use system with great stats, and can even integrate into most marketing automation and CRM systems. It’s very good for sales teams, in particular.

Personal, One-to-One Customer Service Video

Still one of my favorite examples, this is a case study in my book Youtility.

The geniuses at eyeglass manufacturer and retailer Warby Parker use one to one video in a customer service context. We’re starting to see this more and more now, even in Instagram and Snapchat, as dashing off a quick video to answer a customer question is far more human than an in-app text response or an email.

When Warby Parker started doing this, Insta and SnapChat were nothing, so they deployed these personal videos via YouTube, with a link to them in reply tweets sent to customers who had questions. They still maintain the WarbyParkerHelp channel on Youtube, and it’s a great inspiration for how to do one-to-one customer service video right.

Just before Christmas in 2014, Whitney Fowler tweeted Warby Parker asking for feedback on possible new glasses (she was using the home try-on feature, whereby Warby sends you up to 5 pairs of glasses to model at home before deciding on a style):

@WarbyParkerHelp what do yall think? Any recommendations? http://pic.twitter.com/wzZgDZl0h1

— Whitney Fowler (@whitlash) December 18, 2014

Certainly, the company could have sent back a quick “looks great!” tweet. But, recognizing that we trust people far more than companies, they recruited a guitar playing team member and sent back this video:

What are the chances she bought those frames? I’m going to say 100 percent.

And that’s the power of one to one video.

http://ift.tt/2qysfMv

[maryhare96]

How to Use One-to-One Video to Make People Swoon

According to research from Nielsen, we trust people nearly twice as much as we trust companies and organizations.

This is why you see so much advice and counsel out there to “humanize” your content and your social media. When doing so, you gain a built-in advantage in trust and persuasion, provided you are not a nefarious character.

In fact, my friend David Horsager (one of the world’s foremost experts on trust) says that you must build trust, or your organization will die in the new economy.

Personal interactions are, of course, the best way to gain trust at the individual level. Nothing beats a face-to-face smile, handshake, laugh, or beer. This is one of the reasons why conferences continue to flourish, even though the knowledge imparted at the event can easily be gleaned via blogs, books, podcasts, and webinars.

Face-to-face can be tough to come by in this far-flung global community that’s tied together with likes, comments, shares, and email. So what’s the solution? Increasingly, it’s recorded, asynchronous one-to-one video.

Synchronous video is also terrific, and it is the primary use case for Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. But in a business setting, it’s often more convenient and efficient (for both parties) to record a personal video, rather than jumping on a synchronous video “call.”

Here are three ways to use one-to-one, personal video, and examples of it being done particularly well.

Personal, One-to-One Explanatory Video

ViewedIt (a product of one of my sponsors, Vidyard) is probably my favorite new online tool. It’s perfect for quick explainer videos that feature your talking head on top of a web page, presentation, spreadsheet, or anything else that might be on your computer screen.

I use ViewedIt to comment on work from my consulting team, provide recommendations to clients, and even to deliver personalized video thank you notes to event organizers after I speak at a conference.

It’s free, and requires zero technology. You just download the browser extension, hook up your camera and mic (you can use your default laptop equipment if you like), press record, and then email the video to your recipient(s).

And, you get notified via email when your recipients play your video, as well as statistics about how long they watched. Amaze-balls!

Here’s a video I did last week, thanking my friends at PCMA after an all-day strategy session in their offices in Chicago. You’ll see my head lower left—that’s where the video plays. One note: Videos in ViewedIt cannot be downloaded. They are, however, automatically saved in your own library.

Personal, One-to-One Welcome Video

Mike Stelzner and his team at Social Media Examiner are also using this technique. In particular, they are shooting one-to-one videos to welcome each new member of their Social Media Marketing Society.

They have hundreds of members, so it’s a real effort to do a personal video for each member, but the trusted, high-touch nature of this welcome makes a real impression on new participants.

In this example, SME is using BombBomb to create and send the videos. The leader in video email, BombBomb is a very easy-to-use system with great stats, and can even integrate into most marketing automation and CRM systems. It’s very good for sales teams, in particular.

Personal, One-to-One Customer Service Video

Still one of my favorite examples, this is a case study in my book Youtility.

The geniuses at eyeglass manufacturer and retailer Warby Parker use one to one video in a customer service context. We’re starting to see this more and more now, even in Instagram and Snapchat, as dashing off a quick video to answer a customer question is far more human than an in-app text response or an email.

When Warby Parker started doing this, Insta and SnapChat were nothing, so they deployed these personal videos via YouTube, with a link to them in reply tweets sent to customers who had questions. They still maintain the WarbyParkerHelp channel on Youtube, and it’s a great inspiration for how to do one-to-one customer service video right.

Just before Christmas in 2014, Whitney Fowler tweeted Warby Parker asking for feedback on possible new glasses (she was using the home try-on feature, whereby Warby sends you up to 5 pairs of glasses to model at home before deciding on a style):

@WarbyParkerHelp what do yall think? Any recommendations? http://pic.twitter.com/wzZgDZl0h1

— Whitney Fowler (@whitlash) December 18, 2014

Certainly, the company could have sent back a quick “looks great!” tweet. But, recognizing that we trust people far more than companies, they recruited a guitar playing team member and sent back this video:

What are the chances she bought those frames? I’m going to say 100 percent.

And that’s the power of one to one video.

http://ift.tt/2qysfMv