#i agree with all of the above but might i politely add

[ltleflrt]

@clownsecret hells yeah I'll tell you ALL about it 😆

In response to this post - I'm making my own post because this leans into dark-fic territory, and I don't want to put that on your post if it's something you're not interested in and don't want to see in your post notes. General Warning for dub-con and violence and the really kinky stuff. Featuring Dom!Raphael and sub!Astarion.

The Kinks:

-BDSM, which comes with real contracts, which could be under-negotiated due to desperation, or meticulously negotiated but Raphael will still find a way to make it hurt worse than expected through language loopholes and fine print.

-And speaking of BDSM, SO MUCH SADISM. I am a huge fan of sadist/non-masochist pairings, omg so hot. Pain play of all sorts! Crying! No comfort! Someone's going to need a healer when it's done, but the orgasms were still fan-fucking-tastic! Unless no orgasms were allowed, which is also it's own kind of fun lol

-Wing kink! Imagine Raphael's victim ahem I mean his lover finding out that his wings are sensitive in a sexy way. His lover using that against him. Distracting him from all the dirtybadwrong things he had planned for the scene.

-Tail sex! See above. Plus double penetration, fucking his vict-LOVER I MEAN LOVER with his tail and not his dick, holding limbs in place with his tail so that both his hands are free. It can be used for bondage!

-Gentle, intimate sex as a reward for good behavior. YUM.

Now imagine all of that with Astarion! I am a massive fan of whump porn, and Astarion would add an extra layer to that kind of fun because he's already been through fucking hell with Cazador. This is exactly the kind of stuff he was trying to escape! And now he has to sign a contract agreeing to put up with it!

So you'd have to come up with a reason for him to put himself in that position. Raphael's not just going to snatch him up and start tormenting him. He's going to offer a deal that Astarion will have to agree to voluntarily. Maybe Tav was a dickbag and wouldn't help him with Cazador. Maybe he trades his service for a way to walk in the sun again. Something where he's so desperate that he'll turn to a devil for help even though he said he wouldn't do something so stupid in Act 1 and 2 of the game.

So Astarion signs a contract. He was a magistrate, so he might negotiate the fuck out of the contract, but not have enough leverage to get certain clauses he wants, so he has to give up some protections he tries to build into the contract for himself. And he's like "I can put myself through hell on purpose in exchange for this thing I want desperately. It's only temporary, not forever."

Then there's different ways he can act under contract. Maybe he's not able to turn off the sass, and he pisses Raphael off constantly, getting himself punished all the time. Raphael falls in love with Astarion's inability to just fucking behave, something that made Cazador just punish him more, but makes Raphael start easing off because otherwise he risks breaking his side of the bargain because there's really no taming Astarion and oops Raphael actually doesn't want him tamed anymore.

Or maybe Astarion locks himself down, reigning in the sass and the rebellion, because he knows how to avoid punishment, and unlike Cazador, Raphael can't punish him without reason. He tones his personality down so much that Raphael is disappointed in his behavior because he didn't want a sex doll, he wanted a challenge. He wants Astarion to fight back and risk failing to hold up his end of the bargain. So he starts going gentle, which confuses Astarion. Neither of them know how to handle this change in dynamic, and oh no now they're having conversations instead of sex.

And I don't want Astarion to fix Raphael. I want Raphael to make Astarion worse. Encourage his bloodthirsty side, cheer on his competitive nature, let him be a sneaky little bastard, motivate him to start participating in the politics of Hell. Oh, it turns out Astarion is good at infernal contracts? Let's amend our contract so that Astarion can trade working with his mind instead of working with his body.

And bonus if Haarlep and/or Korilla haaaate Astarion because he's getting all of Raphael's attention, and they're jealous.

This is exactly the kind of unhealthy fucked up dynamic that I LIVE FOR. (Which is really funny because all my writing is fluffy af lol)

#ltleramblings #reply #astarion #raphael bg3 #raphstarion #fic idea

[santoschristos]

Preparation for Jupiter

Someone who sees the world with the eye of the spirit sees many people today who simply are not themselves.

Bodies are walking around, and the soul is not entirely inside them. Why?

Because it is no longer the soul's task to enter fully into the body, which is beginning to crumble away; instead the soul's task is to prepare for what will happen on Jupiter.

Our souls are even now making preparations for the future.

This is the situation we must penetrate with a perceptive mind.

We are entirely constituted to hear the words of a cosmic spirit: ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ But it will be a long time before human beings are prepared to grasp this truth.

Yet in spite of our outward superficiality we are truly less and less of this world.

This, however, should not be confused with something else.

People might well believe they could now walk around like Nietzsche's followers who called themselves ‘tawny beasts’, saying: We are in the world of the spirit; we do not belong to the physical world.

The answer to this must be: The part of yourself of which you have knowledge does belong to the physical world; the rest is occult; it is hidden.

Nevertheless, we have the task of using all our powers of insight and all our inner strength to become aware of the essential element in us which can no longer give itself completely to the body, nor penetrate the whole body.

We must see ourselves as candidates for the Jupiter age.

This will only happen gradually, however. For the time being, human beings still continue in what they receive from their environment.

It means that they continue in something which is below them.

With every incarnation we withdraw more and more from the body, so that to some extent we are hovering above it.

Looking at the way people appear on the outside today we get one image.

Looking at the way they do not immediately appear on the outside we get another image.

Today the two images are no longer in complete agreement, and they will agree less and less as time goes on.

It is really necessary for people today not to rely entirely on outer appearances if they want to form an idea; they have to base their ideas on the things which influence human beings out of the spirit.

In the future, ideas like these will be particularly vital in everything connected with politics, the social sciences, and so on, and especially also the sphere of education.

Ideas coming from the natural and not from the spiritual world can no longer adequately meet human needs.

Hence the inadequate political and social theories we have today.

People want to base their judgement only on their physical environment; they do not want to be inspired by anything of a spiritual nature.

This is the reason why their theories and political programmes are so inadequate. It will need the assistance of the spirit to make world programmes today.

With the human soul withdrawing more and more from the body, the body is increasingly in danger of being filled with something else.

And if human beings are not prepared to take up impulses which can only come from spiritual knowledge, the body will be filled with demonic powers.

Humanity is facing a destiny where the body may be filled with ahrimanic demonic powers.

So we have to add to what I said yesterday about future development: there will be people in future who are Tom, Dick and Harry in ordinary life, which is something determined by social circumstances, but their bodies will be empty to such an extent that a powerful ahrimanic spirit can live in them.

One will be meeting ahrimanic demons.

Human beings will not be what they appear to be.

The individual person will be deep down inside, and outwardly one will get a totally different picture.

This shows the complexity of life to come. It is reasonable to say that there will be situations in future when it will be difficult to know who one is dealing with.

A spiritual movement must exist where people seek to develop concepts which meet the real situation.

People who think that playful ideas will help them to look ahead to the future are very much mistaken.

We need serious, profound ideas to look ahead to the future. Anthroposophy is not a game, nor just a theory; it is a task that must be faced for the sake of human evolution.

RUDOLF STEINER 7 October 1917, Dornach

[a-forbidden-detective]

Curious add-ons: The Continuity, et al., Episode 12 (Part 8)

Unrelated to RKDD, but these words from voice actor Yuichi Nakamura during the JJK Jump Festa last Saturday best describes why anime fills the void of continuity in the manga. There are movements and moments that one can be explored in the anime.

That’s why I do appreciate the animators for adding more details to the scenes to patch the continuity in the series up that are not self-evident in the manga.

Toto didn’t appreciate the flying axe come to his way that he just shrugged it all off. In the manga, Akira didn’t show his reaction, but the animators made sure that they showed him really shocked and angry. Ron took a notice of it that it added to his conclusion of the case. The villagers do that to deter outsiders coming to their place.

Ron touched Toto’s shoulder and signalled for him how to get away from the mob.

Though it is strange to see Toto as tall as Ron here.

Languages. So @eiko-hoshino (thanks so much!!) sent me images of the original Japanese version of the anime and so far, the English translation is not at all so far off, compared to, say, the German version. I talked about the slight changes Wataru Watari and co. had done that Ron is not talking only for himself, but he included Toto to his endeavour. It is interesting to me that they made some alterations that greatly contribute to RonToto.

Japanese version

Subtitles in English

Translation is tricky. Some manga purists refuse to buy translated versions because according to them, reading translations is like reading someone else’s filtered lens. Localising the language used in translation is mixing social and political environments. Which I agree in some aspects. There are puns and idioms in Japanese that the translators completely altered to English or other languages. This has become a hot topic too after the Magus Bride/AI controversy wherein the mangaka was also citing the problems with pirated versions/fan translated scans.

Anyway, the above mentioned screen caps with EN subtitles were translated according to the original Japanese anime version.

Now that the first season is coming to a close and the official RKDD site is taking its sweet time to give us a preview, a peep, of the upcoming episode, I heard from the grapevine that some people are not satisfied with Diomedéa’s works. Complaints of anatomical and voice synchronization errors surface. If you are watching JJK 2 and following its animators’ social media accounts, you might have an idea what kind of criticism the artists encounter regularly concerning their works. On the other hand. MAPPA is not the most ideal company one ever has.

All in all, the RKDD anime is quite decent. (I do hope they are paying their staff fairly though.) On Crunchyroll it earns 4.8 stars. Also, the animators have given their all creating those killer backgrounds imbued with colours and details. Remember the onsen arc with the autumn colours? Or the raindrops and the countryside landscape in the recent episode?

Akira Amano seems to be satisfied with it. Of course there must be some other options and I do understand where these unsatisfied viewers are coming from, but I am just glad that they are animating RKDD. And, hopefully, we are getting a second season sooner than later.

#kamonohashi ron no kindan suiri #ron kamonohashi #totomaru isshiki #akira amano #wataru watari #ron et toto #rontoto #deranged detective #episode 12 #the yadagami sama murder arc #rkdd wall of text #curious add ons #ron kamonohashi's forbidden deductions

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Quitting Time

Warnings: sciatica and chronic pain, sexual harassment, and some possible unmentioned triggers.

Character: Tony Stark

Summary: You're stranded at the office with an unwanted companion.

Request for song Time Comes in Roses by Bess Atwell.

As always, I appreciate all kinds of feedback. A like and reblog means so much to me! <3

You check your watch. Subtly, as to not let on your impatience. You sit at a table among several other executives and your fearless, if not relentless leader, one Tony Stark. It’s after nine o’clock. You’re not impressed.

“Government contracts are bullshit,” Caswell leans back in his chair with a haughty snort, “private contractors all the way. If it works for hospitals–”

“Private contracts will use that shit to con old ladies into the hospital,” Tony retorts.

“You’re the only hold out, Stark, we all have a share.”

“I’m Tony Stark and I have the ultimate say,” Stark insists as he leans a hand on the table, fingers spread wide, “and I’m not the only one. If you stopped talking for one second you’d know our fifth member hasn’t given her vote.”

Caswell rolls his eyes, almost his whole head. You run a manicured nail along the edge of your leather folio.

“I agree with Stark.”

“Teh,” Caswell scoffs, “of course she does. Bootlicker.”

“Excuse you, I’m the only reason he didn’t send missiles to Canada.”

“I still might,” Tony kids.

You fight to suppress your agitation. You can’t stand this stiff chair much longer. As the years go by, these meetings grow more and more unbearable. Not just the politics but the endless inactivity.

“Three against two, we still have the majority.”

“Add your shares up, Cas,” Tony snaps, “you can do the math, can’t you?”

The three men groan and snort and spit in disappointment. None of you hold enough shares to override the CEO. The board is a farce, truly. A shell to give an illusion of equity and ethics. You don’t know why you ever wanted to sit at the boys’ table, it didn’t do much but give you sciatica.

“Now, I was due for a neat scotch about twenty minutes ago so if you would excuse yourselves, I got some catching up to do,” Tony dismisses with a clap.

You exhale, letting the tension ease from you. Home, your bed, maybe even a hot bath before you settle down with a wine to help you sleep. 

The other men rise, pushing their chairs against the table with unrestrained frustration. You push yourself up and close the leather folder around your tablet. The rest of the board wastes no time in fleeing, a few muttered words towards Stark as he fiddles with his phone.

You bend your legs and grab your purse, a groan escaping your lips as you straighten once more. That twinge in your hip makes your leg buckle. You put a hand against the table and right yourself.

“Everything good there, primrose?” Tony peeks up above his cell.

“Good,” you assure him, refusing to react to the name he often hurls at you. Better than tight-ass you suppose. 

You strut slowly to the door and another pang shoots up your back. You catch yourself against the transparent wall and curse. Couldn’t hold out just a few minutes longer? Just another layer peeling away with the erosion of age. As if you’re not acutely aware of the silver strands and the thin lines around your eyes.

“You sure about that?” Tony nears and touches your arm, “old tennis injury?”

“Mmm, something like that,” you push yourself away from the wall and try to take another step. You trip as your hip radiates with agonizing fire, “fuck me.”

Tony chuckles and catches you. He casually snakes his arm under yours and around your back, directing you to one of the chairs as he spins it around. He helps you sit as you drop onto the seat with a growl.

“Take a minute, prim,” he tucks away his phone, “I’m sure the old man can wait.”

Your eyes list away derisively. You reach down to knead your lower back. You tilt your head against the leather and cluck.

“I just need a minute. I can let myself out. Don’t want to impede on your scotch tasting.”

“Speaking of, I think a shot might do you well, huh, primrose.”

“No, thank you,” you stretch out your leg and whimper. Holy shit, you feel your hip click against your tailbone. 

“You sure? Come on, let down your hair for once.”

You give him a look, the one that withers most men. He only laughs. He pulls out another chair and sits. His eyes watch your left hand as you bring it up to rest in your lap.

“Thought you were hitched, prim.”

“Engaged. Not anymore.”

“Ah, too bad. Makes sense though, not a lot of guys go for the no-shit kinda gal like you.”

You puff out and grip the arms of the chair. You need to go. You can’t stand his arrogance. It’s just making you tense up even more.

“So, you’re not married, not promised, does that mean you’re single?”

“It means I’m not looking,” you rebuff.

He snickers again. He’s always amused by you, even as others squirm. You swipe your hand across your forehead and blow out another breath.

“You know, I give great massages,” he offers, “had a masseuse, she showed me a few things. Lots of things actually.”

“Ugh,” you curl your lip.

“I could loosen you up, prim, get you back to operating. Kind my specialty, you know? I bring things to life with these very hands,” he presents his fingers, admiring them himself.

“You’ll only make it worse,” you snip.

“Maybe? But uh, you’re not looking too good. So, I’m thinking there’s two options here. You let me rub you down a bit. You get a little bit of relief and I finally get to answer that eternal question that’s been floating around all these years.”

“What’s that?”

“If you’re really a cyborg under all that,” he tweaks a brow, “my money is on no but you know, Harvey is really convinced–”

“What’s the other option?” You bark.

“Well, the other option was my original offer, scotch. Double would do, it’s a vintage.”

You scowl. He’s right in that you don’t have much of a choice. You’re too scared to try standing again. Not yet. 

“Scotch,” you answer bluntly.

“Great,” he snaps his fingers and stands, “once we get some of that in ya, I’m sure option one will look a lot better.”

“You’re not touching me, Stark,” you growl as he sweeps around the chair.

“We’ll see about that,” he calls back as he struts out the door.

#tony stark #dark tony stark #dark!tony stark #tony stark x reader #drabble #mcu #marvel #avengers #request #iron man

[kingofthewilderwest]

Hey! I don't know if you've done these already but do you have any HTTYD sexuality headcanons for the gang? If you've already done a list, could you just link me to it?? tysm

Gosh, I know I've talked about it, but I don't think I've written a list before. So [singing] let's get down to business.

My headcanons tend to be "boring" compared to other fans. Many people like to headcanon based on representation they want or is relevant to their lives, which is totes fair! My headcanons tend to be based as close as possible to canonical behavior. I interpret all media I read, watch, and play through a lore-collecting angle, building my new ideas off "firmly grounded" canonical facts. It's conservative (not politically, but from, like, a "you gotta prove this to me" cautiousness).

I will add small headcanons that I know the creators didn't intend, but I try to make everything closely match canon portrayal and how the creators evoked the characters. This means I tend to treat "if the creators didn't show signs a character is queer, I don't see that character as queer" - simply because I prefer to treat characters as queer when they are blunt, outright representations of queerness. But "if the creators kept the door wide open for something to feel heckin' queer," my headcanon may go there. Not always, but they might.

-----------------------------

Hiccup: Straight. Eyes only for butt-kicking ladies like Astrid. I don't treat it as IC for Hiccup, but I do like Hijack art. That statement ages me, doesn't it?

Astrid: Straight or bi. Depends on my mood. If I'm thinking about Hiccstrid, straight. If I'm thinking about Heatstrid, well. Haha. I know they wanted Heatstrid to be a friendship and I love me a good friendship between women. But Heatstrid is too fun. Give myself Heatstrid as a treat.

Heather: Straight or bi. See above.

Fishlegs: Straight.

Snotlout: I will die on a hill that my boy Snottykins is bi. I mean. Come on. He was a squealing mess around Thor Bonecrusher. Snotlout puts on "macho" airs, which includes how he treats women. It's "manly" to flirt openly with women, right? [eyeroll] I believe he was attracted to the ladies he hit on, but that's the only side of himself he shared, and he dug deep into that "masculine" image. His character arc in DreamWorks Dragons is someone increasingly comfortable opening up and being himself. By RTTE times, he's loosened up enough to drop some falsified hyper-masculine behavior, and with that, we see his attractions aren't limited to women.

He can't contain himself around TB. “I’m just thinking of what could have been. You broke my heart, Thor, you broke it right in two.” *kiss* We're seeing a sincere Snotlout here. He's wearing his heart on his sleeve. You're not telling me someone like Snotlout would kiss someone unrelated to him without being attracted to them.

Ruffnut: Bi. I've seen how she smirks at Heather. I see Ruffnut as a pretty sexual person.

Tuffnut: Aro. Very ace. Which rhymes with mace. OTP Tuffnut x Macey for life. I'm appreciative that Tuff never shows romantic or physical interest in someone else. He's shown distinctly differently than others there. And he seems content where he's at.

Dagur: No one's gonna agree with me on this one but straight. I see Dagur's interest in Hiccup as unhinged obsession, not sexual or romantic attraction. I don't care for the Dagur and Mala thing that happened in the plot, and I headcanoned Dagur as straight from the beginning, but I might as well say: Dagur treats Mala extremely differently when he's interested in her versus his interest in Hiccup. Part of that is character arc. But I also say that's because it's a different type of interest.

Stoick: Straight. But we know he and Gobber are in an honorary relationship. ;) Hiccup's dads.

Gobber: Gay. Any romantic entanglements Gobber had with women in his youthful years I interpret as someone not fully come to an understanding of himself. Gobber clearly knows where he stands by HTTYD 2 times.

#lgbtq #lgbtqia #queer #queerness #httyd #How to Train Your Dragon #analysis #my analysis #ask #ask me #awesome anonymous friend #anonymous #Hiccup #Dagur #DreamWorks Dragons #httyd2 #httyd 2 #How to Train Your Dragon 2 #Gobber #Stoick #Tuffnut #Ruffnut #Ruffnut and Tuffnut #Fishlegs #Astrid #rtte #Race to the Edge #ROB #Riders of Berk #DOB

[allamericansbitch]

You’re actually so right it makes sense in all the bad ways - Yeah, and its sad but I have felt this way about her for years. It is why loving her music has been such a damn struggle. Complacency Queen has found her Complanceny King. Listen, one of Taylor's problems IMO is that she values records and awards above all else. She measures success by winning meaningless and blind praise and her art has been suffering for it. Folklore/Evermore was such a surprise and IMO, success, because it was just something she needed to do in a very stressful time. It came from a deep emotional need and it was released without any idea of awards or praise. It was true art. But she is now the biggest she has ever been. Arguably the biggest anyone has ever been. And she is not going to mess that up by being political outside of telling people to just vote. (She did not in fact tell people to vote democratic, just to register, so it was very methodically neutral.) And now she has found herself a successful man who might actually be able to aher level of fame. Not because he is actually that famous outside of football, or some genius or something, but because this country worships football and the men who can win superbowls reach God status. They can be the All American Golden Couple, can masquerade as liberal do-gooders while doing nothing, and people will gobble it up. This very well could be the relationship she has been searching for in that reguard. Sorry, but I am so fucking jaded about her. To me, this was just the inevitable move at this point. At this point, I think to look to her as anything other than a singer/songwriter is to look to be dispoainted. She is not a Maren Morris. She is not going to risk loosing an inch of her success by being controversial and standing up for social justice. People can quote the Chicago Eras speech all you want. I was there. If she is the loudest person in the room, it is only when blowing smoke up her own ass. I know this sounds mean and pissy and I am sorry for that. I truly do love her music. But all I see here is a near billionaire who could make so much difference with the platform she has and does nothing while people with far less jeopardize their careers on the off chance it could help just a few people. And those people are always seen as doing less than Taylor. /End rant

Nothing to add I just agree completely

#answered #anonymous

[nokingsonlyfooles]

No Tagbacksies...

But I want to talk about this part:

Conservatives argue that Section 3 could apply to Vice President Kamala Harris, for example — it was used to block from office even those who donated small sums to individual Confederates. Couldn’t it be used against Harris, they say, because she raised money for those arrested in the unrest after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020?

I got sucked into info-dumping about needing to look at intent and results along with method yesterday, and this is why that's so freaking important. "No u" is not just for arguing with strangers on the internet, it's for political action.

The above is a threat, an attempt to make Democrats back down from invalidating Trump off the ballot. Specifically Democrats, because if they don't play nice with Republicans, Republicans won't play nice with them. (Ha-ha, sure wish I knew why Dems are always so willing to believe the GOP will play nice!) Will they actually back down because of this? I don't know. Will Republicans actually follow through on it whether they back down or not? I don't know that either!

But I do know that this is only a viable threat because we're looking at method over results and intent. If we oversimplify to the point that we're willing to accept doing violence to resist the government is wrong, no matter who or why or how much, this is a perfectly cromulent argument. The January 6 "rioters" did violence to resist the government and so did the BLM "rioters." Insurrectionists! We'll have to bar everyone associated from office! Wow, but that's a lot of people. Maybe we're all being a little overzealous about this "insurrection" thing, eh?

Okay, say it with me so you don't forget: Violence in support of a wannabe dictator does not equal violence in support of people who keep getting murdered by police. And if you've got room for a little extra credit: Property damage does not equal showing up with a scaffold and demanding to hang the Vice President.

I've mentioned the Machine that Dispenses Justice before.

It's a unicorn because it's not real. We can't build a legislative structure that coughs up justice every time without any human imperfection to guide, interfere with or mitigate it. The complex interplay between method, results and intent is only part of why.

Neoliberals (among others who buy their rhetoric) really want that that Justice Machine. The messiness and conditionality of real justice bothers them. Conservatives DGAF, but they're willing to pretend in order to get Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot. See above. Oh noes! The Justice Machine won't work every time if you add a piece that requires a human being to detect nuance! Violence is always wrong, isn't it? Maybe, if we just agree that the threat of violence was overblown in this case, we can leave this broken gear aside and get back to building the machine for real? (As soon as it's politically expedient, we're going after that Black woman, aren't we? Oh, yeah. Totally.)

While we're gearing up to blame voter apathy, poor white trash and privileged Progressives for whatever the election might bring, the folks in the Room Where It Happens are busy making deals that will bypass the voters altogether. Does the current Machine that Dispenses Justice (justice pending) say a man who wants to end democracy is allowed to run in a (theoretically) free and fair democratic election? I don't know yet, but your input will not be required for this aspect of our "democracy." Don't call us (or do, we have plenty of volunteers and form letters for dealing with you!), we'll call you when it's time to pick a candidate. NO! DON'T VOTE THIRD PARTY! ARE YOU MAD?!?

But with Republicans willing to forgive people who want to hang them for the sake of winning a few more elections, and Democrats elevating compromise above self-preservation, even if Biden wins, you might not get that peaceful transfer of power you want. You might not get that safety you want. We have yet to generate consequences that will take Trump (or another man like him) out of the game, although we swear up and down that the system we've built is meant to do that. The Machine that Dispenses Justice (justice pending) just can't process someone with that level of power and privilege. And that's not justice... or democracy. That's a fucking emergency, we are about to have a fucking election, but I don't hear any candidates willing to admit it yet.

So what are we fighting for?

I know you have an answer. You're a human being with a human brain; you can think when you want to. But, no matter what your answer is, are you sure that's what the folks on your ballot are fighting for too?

#us news #politics #justice #the machine that dispenses justice #i like unicorns too but i'm not willing to put trump on the ballot because republicans might give me one #or because biden looks best against an unattractive man who's sundowning too badly not to quote hitler in front of the media

[discluded]

Hi! I really like your blog! Can I ask what is your opinion in regards to the recent BOC and Chinese statement issue? Please feel free to ignore if not appropriate ❤️

Hi Anon,

Thanks for asking politely. I'll answer because I can present it as a business case study which allows me to talk about BOC's failures somewhat objectively. It's clear at this point it doesn't matter how much feedback BOC gets from fans, so at least hopefully some of y'all can learn some things. *jazz hands* Didacticism.

Warning to everyone else this does not mean I am opening my inbox to complaints about how BOC sucks or how certain fans are entitled 🤪 I will block you. Open your own blog.

Be On Cloud's Communications Crisis – Business Case Study

So first, we need to define a couple of things: what is the difference between communications, marketing, and PR. Other folks with experience, please feel to add your opinion too, but how I see the difference is:

Communications is usually the the written or spoken content by which events/occurrences of a company are shared with both those internal and external to the company.

Marketing focuses both on the process by which that information is disseminated outwardly, and also usually aims at a high level to sell you an idea or product. Often the goal of a marketing campaign is explicitly measurable, whether it's in sales, conversions, email opens, etc.

Public relations (PR) is the process by which a company aims to maintain a positive public image to those outside the company

As you can see, those each have quite a bit of overlap with each other while also being distinct. Depending on the size of the company, each of those teams can be the same or differentiated. The fourth piece I want to add on to this is strategy. All three of the above are the actual day-to-day implementation of work, while strategy is the overarching goal posts by which they operate. Executives (like Mile being a CEO) influence strategy. When things go wrong, new strategy needs to be developed quickly and implemented.

(Aside: Mile has mentioned that he is an executive at BOC, but I want to clarify "executive" positions may also include being on the executive board/board of directors, who advise on strategy to the CEO or possibly of another department, and wouldn't have influence over marketing/comms. He isn't doing that work at his own businesses so I can't imagine he'd run comms for another one.)

The Earlier Crisis: Global Auditions 🤦🏻‍♀️

It might help to read these as well: The 6 Best PR Crisis Management & Communication Cases and PR Crisis Communication & Management Planning

Here are important key takeaways from the planning link:

Sound familiar? :')

I'll keep this brief, allow me to highlight a practical differentiation of the four of the above succinctly and is something the fandom collectively can agree on was a massive comms flop and PR nightmare.

Strategy: We want to recruit new talent for an upcoming series as well as generate fan hype for this series/season

Marketing: We will announce global auditions for this series/season

Communications: Unfortunately forgot to have marketing, which handle the social media posts, mention that "global" means three cities in Asia, as well as only looking for men between 16-22 despite most fans -- who saw the post -- being female.

PR: Not only makes the company's strategy look inadequate by the details of the audition only following the SM marketing announcement rather than sharing those details first/simultaneously to manage fans' expectations but also makes BOC look sexist. They haven't recovered. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I started with this one because where it went wrong was way more clean to see the breakdown.

The Case: What happened on Sept 12

BOC somehow managed to generate a PR crisis out of something that originally had the fans rallying around them, which is...impressive(ly bad).

I'm not going to document the triggering event too much but at approximately 10pm on Sept 12, stalkers tried to break into Be On Cloud's offices. I maintain my stance that it's not the company's fault or responsibility this happened, especially since these people obviously didn't succeed into getting into the building.

BOC issued a statement in Thai condemning these actions and immediately issued a following statement in Chinese on Twitter, due to the stalkers being Chinese-speakers. Obviously, a large number of KPTS fans are Chinese-speakers, but some Chinese fans pointed out that there was no immediately second translation/third set of tweet of the statement issued in English on Twitter which a large portion of the KPTS fanbase also used, especially on Twitter.

Chinese fans immediately disclaimed the stalkers as being fans but also felt they were specifically being targeted/attacked for the behavior of the stalkers.

Sept 13: The next morning, BOC issued three statements, in Thai, English, and Chinese this time. Many Chinese fans felt that the explanation in the Chinese statement was both overly brief compared to the English version and comparatively aggressive/unapologetic. BOC stood their ground and did not issue any more statements. Chinese (former?)fans then began to unfollow Apo on Weibo as well as perform a number of visible acts of quitting fandom.

What broke down? (Hint: Everything, for no reason)

I'm not going to give out too much free advice here, but here we go.

Strategy: They clearly don't have a PR crisis strategy despite the fact this isn't the first go-around. It's pretty clear they likely don't even have a PR strategy most of the time and are flying by the seat of their pants. Everything they do in terms of comms is almost reactive rather than proactive.

Marketing: The dissemination of information via socmed isn't terrible; that being said, there appears to be very little discipline over what is being sent through which channels such as if it's vetted at all (ie, the admission of being heated in the Chinese statement on Sept 13) and how well it's vetted (eg, wrongfully tagging accounts of their talent). There's a reason a lot of companies' CEOs have a personal twitter account. It allows a reiteration of statements, especially apologies, to be more personalized. Actually a lot of fans interpret Mile and Apo going online and making statements as doing damage control for BOC. Whether or not that's true, it's certainly unwise to use your talent to do that rather than your CEO who's ego should be able to take it

Communications: I'm not bothering to read the statements in depth. But It's not unreasonable for your audience to have the expectation that what's posted in one language is reasonably equivalent in other languages. Don't treat your audience like they're dumb, can't speak other languages, or don't have access to Google translate.

PR: BOC is creating these PR crises, not managing them. This isn't even the first one they've put themselves through. I think that's incriminating enough how good they are at PR.

Do I have an opinion? Sure.

Can I see where the Chinese fans are coming from? Actually yes. Fans want and deserve to be treated equally.

Do I think they're being unreasonable overreacting? Absolutely. Speaking as a Chinese-speaker too. If your personal reaction to BOC's comms team messing up is more heated than how your feel about the actors you care about being threatened by stalkers ... that's a lot.

That being said, I'm not going to waste my energy judging how individuals handle their lives or emotions. I am, like many fans, deeply concerned about how BOC is mishandling comms because BOC is not going away (for now).

Fans say lots of reactionary things, but the process by which BOC's comms team is failing is so overwhelmingly loud and public that I'm here writing a business case study about it. And that's part of PR too. Fans are always reactive -- this is not limited to KPTS or BOC. There are publicists and managers that manage Beyonce, BTS, Taylor Swift, etc. who all have loud fanbases. It's embarrassing to see a talent agency fuck up so badly it then begins to reflect on the talent. That's not just about fan reactions. BOC really needs to hire a consulting company and a new director of communications.

Should we be worried about the 2023 Film/KPTS Season 2

Surprisingly: probably not. BOC has at least two branches: a management (talent) branch and a production (art) branch. We see they're capable of handling the art.

This discrepancy between the art/artists being actually emotionally effective while the marketing side of the company just being a disaster is very reminiscent of the creators who work on Disney movies and Disney's extremely weird marketing team/s.

I'm sure Mile and Apo will do their utmost to bring us a beautiful piece of work. We likely just have to suffer BOC's continuous comms disasters while they do it.

#be on cloud #pr #marketing #business #business case study #business analysis #pr crisis #crisis management #the way this is fun for me because i spent all day staring at code #trying to find missing commas and typos #it's actually enjoyable to use your brain other ways sometimes #hope you learned something

[thesherrinfordfacility]

Is that sad Crowley a shot after the smitten conversation? I think i saw a theory that he actually had planned to confess there at the resturant rather than the bookshop - apparently his is the only table with a rose and he had wine just for them (which I think is code for them sometimes that hey, I wanna talk to you about something important but I need an excuse if it doesn't go my way) some other things - but the conversation hadn't really lended itself to that. Really sorry if this was one of your theories and I've misremembered. I've been reading SO many metas. Just curious what your thought on the matter was if it wasn't one of your theories though.

hi honey!!!✨ nope you haven't missed a theory/meta (i totally sympathise with the reading so many bit though, you and me both!!!), but i guess this is as good a time as any to look at this scene!!! i don't really have a theory on the matter, but instead perhaps a take on existing theories✨

okay so most of the promo photos seem to be from rehearsals, or taken 'outside the scene' (hence alternate angles compared to what we see in the show), but i think we can be fairly certain that the crowley shot comes from this bit of ep5, just before aziraphale sits down with him:

now in the above bit, we don't see justine, but we do see her in the promo photo itself - all to me just confirming that essentially it was rehearsal/staged specifically for a promo shot.

bear in mind too, that the scene ends with crowley leaving aziraphale at the table, so we can be sort of sure that the above is from the beginning of the scene script, as it were.

anyway! i have seen the/similar theories to what you describe, and tbh... i personally don't agree.

in my opinion, crowley has just been slapped with the knowledge that his and aziraphale's relationship (?), or at least how they feel about each other, is obvious to others. i no longer think it was just a 'oh this feeling is love, holy shit okay' revelation, but a 'oh everyone can see it, aziraphale has been more blatant than i realised, do we need to hide anymore? is he trying to tell me he's ready?' revelation. imo, this directly results in:

i don't necessarily think crowley had honestly processed the above realisation, not fully, by the time he invites aziraphale to sit with him at justine's. i think he sat there steadily making his way through a rather expensive bottle of wine (or several), looking back over centuries of them and possibly just throwing the word around in his head and letting it settle. he then sees aziraphale, and beckons him over to join him because he kind of reached a bookmark and felt he might need to 'hold that thought' for a moment.

and as far as i see it, he just seems to offer aziraphale a glass... not out of politeness per se, but because it's what they do, it's their thing. i don't think however he meant it to dress the scene for a romantic confession, though. tbh, i think crowley would potentially know aziraphale a little better than to confess anything or even discuss anything in this particular scenario - im much more of the mindset that he was later idly planning to suggest they be more of an 'us' at the Ritz, and then realised following the maggie/nina intervention that he actually needed to say something unambiguous and unequivocal before they got anywhere near the Ritz... because that's exactly what they do not do, and the bookshop is literally the safest place for him to tell aziraphale how he feels. obviously this gets a little (see: a lot) derailed.

last thing, i guess: im a little confused about the reading into the roses bit, because as far as i can see in the scene where aziraphale is chatting to justine, both tables adjacent (or at least one of them) to crowley's eventual one have roses too:

so yeah, not much else to add really! im not personally convinced crowley would have confessed here at all if aziraphale had actually sat to have a drink with him - maybe only if they literally had sat and chatted for a good long while.

but ultimately most of the conversation seems so centred on gabriel, especially following the end of ep3, that i think crowley kind of arrived at the thought train: 'okay right we're practically a couple, i know my feelings are reciprocated, and they seem obvious to everyone, and we're not longer working for our sides, we might be safe to- oh shit. gabriel.' literally, in his eyes, the last barrier to them being left alone and being left to be with each other, because of the threat he poses to aziraphale (and had already posed to aziraphale in s1)✨

hope that answers your question, lovely!!!✨💕

#good omens #ask #crowley meta #s2 meta

[elsweetheart]

Hey homie is love ur writing but I don’t want to accidentally request some thing not allowed so do you have any rules?? 🫶🏼 

hey! oops i totally forgot to write a rules list thing so here it is, i’ll have it linked on my pinned too so it’s easily accessible from now on. i may add to it over time 💕

kitties rules 🎀

general rules

no hate, bigotry, or bashing what / how i write. this should go without saying.

do not spam my ask box if i haven’t answered your request. i’m either getting round to it, i don’t have inspiration for it, or i don’t like it. additionally, if i do not like your request i will just delete it. nothing against you, but i do not have to feel pressured on my own blog.

eating disorder accounts DO NOT INTERACT WITH ME. i have to click most profiles to check if there’s an age or some kind of idea of age on your page and i find that content triggering and shouldn’t have to see it. do not follow, do not like, do not reblog.

i am happy to talk to anyone and give out advice, however please do not bring me any super heavy / trauma related rants. tumblr writers are not therapists. i sympathise with you but i must set a boundary and i cannot help you.

only claim an emoji anon if you’re actually going to send me asks! the amount of times someone asks to claim an emoji for their anons but then never message me again has just gotten too much sadly. additionally, please don’t just send ‘can i claim *insert emoji* anon?’ you can claim it if you say something else or converse with me in the ask for the reasons above !!

do not slander pillow princesses / stone tops.

no abby bashing on my page. block my abby tag, or leave. i really don’t care! just don’t bring it here.

no drama, gossiping about other blogs, or comparing my writing to another writers. i’m not that kinda blog and i’m not entertaining rudeness. unless of course, you are making me aware of another writer stealing / being overtly problematic so that i can quietly unfollow etc.

do not bash my interpretations of the characters i write for. whilst you might not agree, as i could make tweaks to what is canonically true about them (e.g: the version of ellie i write for is 5’7) these are my personal interpretations and headcanons which are not up for argument.

do not repost my work, do not translate my work, and please do not copy my writing and just tweak it so it’s for another character. especially if it’s just another tlou character because more times than not i will see it and i find it kind of disrespectful.

if you don’t have your age in your bio, i’m not writing your request or even replying to you. simple as that, i’ve asked you to respect my rules so if you don’t i’m not writing for you!

please be kind to me! i love how enthusiastic you all are but please remember to be polite as i am a person and not a writing machine. if you’d like to request something in my ask box, please do not say something like “i need more ____ now!!” as i will probably just delete it unfortunately!

additionally to this, if i say i’m not writing a part 2 to a fic, most of the time i’m going to stick by that. i appreciate you enjoyed the first one a lot, and i don’t wanna sound mean — but begging me to write a part 2 when i already said no is just gonna irritate me. sorry!

writing rules (tw)

i will not write about:

men, this is a safe space for wlw / nblw

sexual assault / r*pe. again, this is a safe space.

additional to this i will not write cnc. not bashing anyone who’s into it, but i am uncomfortable with it.

self harm / suicide

i will not write for reader with a mental illness / disability that i do not have. i have adhd, so i am happy to write for adhd reader but that is all. i want everyone to feel included and validated of course but i am scared of including stereotypes / misinformation and doing more harm than good! also i just don’t know how to write it lol! i don’t really want to write for body issues / insecurities for the most part either.

ddlg / age play. i am comfortable to write daddy/mommy but not as an entire lifestyle.

i don’t write a whole lot of angst with no resolution / happy ending. absolutely no hate to people who write that, i just get sad easily and don’t want to put myself through that lol!

i don’t write dom!reader im sorry! there are lots of fantastic, talented blogs out there that do but as i am a submissive pillow princess i wouldn’t even know where to begin and writing it just wouldn’t be pleasurable for me!

i will add to this list, but basically if i am not comfortable writing something i just will not!

let’s all just have safe respectful fun ! 💕

#kittie babbles 💭🧁 #rules🎀

[randomnameless]

With your long post about the political power of the central church, it made me think why the war eveb started and the church didn't just collapse in and Edel kick Rhea out of her archbishop position. Southern church doesn't like Central existing because they lost legitimacy as the original and primary church, Western church lost devouts to central and hate Rhea specifically, and Eastern church is sitting right on top of Shambala. Why not organize the 3 churches to delegitimize Rhea? We've had pope wars irl that didn't rope in every country of that faith.

Was it that long lol

The Church (central) didn't collapse after Edel kicked the lizard lady out of her home (or jailed her) because some randoms still remember it used to be a thing and are unhappy about it (and are dealt with), because the KoS are still around, and in FE16 - because Billy became the new leader after Rhea's forced vacancy.

Minor tidbit though -

The southern Church isn't the "original one", since Seiros herself apparently built GM.

From what I could understand from the Nopes book, the Southern Church was entangled in Adrestian Politics (tm) with House Varley - they had their own knights (crimson knights who were originally KoS?) when Rhea was absent ; basically, a Varley daughter wanted to become Minister even if she had ovaries, instead of being married off in another house - thus staged an uprising with the Southern Church to take this title, the Emperor was big mad (even if the previous Emperor made a deal with the Varley daughter's dad to let her become Minister of Religious affairs while his son (they both have a crust) would become the Duke) because even if his dad made some promise a long time ago, Varley daughter still caused an uprising and he is big mad -> he used this incident to get rid of the Southern Church, and even if the Central Church might not be happy about it, that Emperor wanted to "put distance" between Adrestia and the Central Church anyways...

Tl; Dr regarding the Southern Church : it was kicked out after participating in an insurrection.

As for the Western Church, imo it has been Agarthan'd so they don't like Rhea because Rhea BaD (she's a witch! or a fox. But she's an apostate!)

And the Eastern Church is just here for the lols - they're fine if no one respects them, or even if they don't have soldiers, really.

Ultimately, the biggest reason as to why the 3 random churches didn't vote out Rhea and the Central Church from Fodlan's religious landscape is because... they can't agree on the fundamentals, if Rhea's a fraud and BaD, then who is the Archbishop and the "true" Church? The Southern, the Western or the Eastern?

In Nopes, even in Golden Shower when Rhea is the enemy and Varley is supposed to be the new leader of the CoS per Supreme Leader's decree...

The Eastern Church still exists, and doesn't defer to Varley at all.

Also, blame the worldbuilding but I don't see anyone speficically talking about following a regional church, all the random monks we saw (in Garreg Mach though...) are part of the Central Church and see Rhea as the Archbishop, but we don't have any random clergymen from the Eastern or Western churches (iirc?).

That's why Varley's title is seen as a farce in routes where people have braincells - he's just a puppet of Supreme Leader, the Southern Church has no followers (I don't count the ones who started to believe after meeting Supreme Leader's new axe), it doesn't sit (for a majority of the war) in the holiest site of the Church (in general), it has no clergymen and moreover, it doesn't do anything the Central Church is still doing, aka, looking after refugees, helping orphans and all that stuff.

So Varley and the new Southern Church suck at being substitutes for Rhea's central church, bar Supreme Leader's axe, they're not legitimate to claim they are the "True Church of Seiros".

Add the crucial issue I raised above - if Rhea's not good, who is the Archbishop now? - and you have, imo, the main reasons why the 3 random churches won't be able to "ally" to oust Rhea and Central Church from the religious side of Fodlan.

i hope i replied to your question, i forgot what i was talking about

#anon #replies #FE16 #3 Nopes #it's really annoying that for a game that parrots Church BaD every second #we don't see a thing about the religious side of Fodlan bar people being happy the Central Church exists and how they love Rhea #Like I wonder if Sreng was also 'touched' by the Seiros Faith #after all Macuil is revered as a Sacred Beast is it some sort of influence from Fodlan? #idk

[avonne-writes]

I think with the rampant transphobia everywhere recently (US laws, UK political discourse, Brianna Ghey), a lot of people are on edge about the subject and upset that it's even being perpetuated or ignored in spaces they deemed safe and as an escape from reality.

That, or the anon doesn't really care about trans issues and is simply using them as a moral high ground and a justification for spreading hate.

Either way, as upsetting as it can be to receive hate, I don't think it has much to do with you personally. You explained that you missed almost all of the discourse, as many people who aren't that active on Tumblr might have, so it would probably be more productive if they took up their grievances with the original blogs. I also don't think the concept of "guilt by (in your case unknowing) association" is very helpful.

Hi! Thank you so much for this message. I absolutely agree. Unfortunately, transphobia has been a frequent topic of recent news and not because of positive changes. The above issues that you mentioned are outraging and just make me incredibly sad if I think about them. I hope we'll see some progress towards more acceptance and equality soon. 💔

As for the anon, I seriously doubt that they truly care for trans rights, because in their (now deleted) comments, they didn’t mention this at first. They hated on my portrayal of Aemond and said nasty things about the fact that I wrote big!Luke in my latest post. Only later did they come out with this.

But I would like to add that even if it is trans rights that gets the anon so passionate, is it acceptable and does it serve any purpose to leave hate comments on a story that has nothing to do with the topic?

#anon #lovely people

[tenthhell]

Has anyone met Zariel or the other archdemons? @always-a-knight

@always-a-knight // Ask me about stuff

Oh yes. So, as a quick aside, apologies to those of you familiar with D&D lore too just bc I don't mean to come across as assuming no one does. I will add extra info to this.

Back to the point, Asmodeus was, once upon a time, an angel in the service of a deity whose name is REDACTED, but more commonly called He Who Was. ( Far as I know, no relation to the BG3 character. Will explain the missing context of the deity momentarily. ) One of the demon ( demons and devils are v different ) princes persuaded Asmodeus to follow his ambitions and rebel, and when Asmodeus agreed, helped get him a piece of physical evil. Asmodeus swayed many other angels to his side, and together, they not only overthrew He Who Was, but Asmodeus actually killed him and consumed his divine spark ( hence why Asmodeus is a deity. ) He Who Was cursed them and the plane ( Baator ) they took over, and made them into the first devils and the Hells respectively. Asmodeus erased any and all memory of the god he'd killed, hence why the only name for him is He Who Was. ( Bitch is past-tense. )

Now, the important part of that are the angels who helped Asmodeus; they became the first of the archdevils and some of the present-day archdukes. Mind you, some of those mfs are vm dead, so it's not as if Asmodeus has known all of the lords under him for the amount of time he's known others.

That said, though, after certain ranks of devil, you need Asmodeus' permission before you can be promoted. No one becomes an archdevil without his say-so. So tbh, he knows all of his archdukes quite well. PLUS they do actually have meetings every now and again, when all the archdukes are summoned to Nessus, the 9th and deepest layer of the Hells, to meet with Asmodeus, who if memory serves cannot leave Nessus as part of his curse.

( As another sidebar, it's worth noting that all archdukes are archdevils, but not all archdevils are archdukes. Archdevils are powerful and unique devils and are considered the nobility of the upper devils [ pit fiends are the nobility of the lower ], but only archdukes control a layer of the Hells, so there's only 9 archdukes, but more archdevils. )

As an advisor to Asmodeus, Nethfari has definitely met all the archdukes, though it's debatable how well she knows them personally bc she doesn't tend to get involved with the politics of the Hells outside of her advising Asmodeus, and the possible responsibilities that being his consort brings. Also, I cannot understand enough with her? She's not terribly willing to get her hands into things beyond what she has to -- and that does include socializing. ( When she's not public facing, personality-wise she's similar to Ly dia D eetz or Mor ticia Add ams. )

Now.... Bc of the above, Orianna has absolutely met all the archdukes, and being who she is, has at least attempted to cajole knowledge out of them all -- to various levels of success bc ex I don't see Dispater taking to that. At ALL. Which is to imply, she's not one who's too proud to admit when someone knows more than she does, nor is she above asking them to teach her. THAT SAID, I do think it vm depends on the archduke whether she asked more than once bc of reaction or otherwise talent. Ex much as she doesn't like Mephistopheles, his talents are right in the middle of what she vm wants to know. Zariel specifically though? Zariel's Orianna's [secret] fave archduke, though ironically one she would have tried not to bother too much a bc it wouldn't go well, and b respect for her and what she's doing.

I might at some point go through and talk about Orianna's opinions of all the archdukes ( and possibly ex-archdukes bc there's at least one ) but I presently do not have the brain cells for that.

#alwaysaknight #I think I will cause problems on purpose // asks. #this might fit squarely into ''oh good I get to explain this to you. you will regret this'' but oh well hsdjkfngjds #again apologies if you already knew any of the lore I talked about but I wanted everyone to have the same sort of baseline #ALSO 0% shade if you only know BG3 lore bc a there's no shame in that in the first place?? #but also b I PROMISE if you ask me some D&D question unrelated to devils drow or illithids I probably won't know ghvjhgfc #anyway we going with the old practice of the royal child being at least partially educated by the lords of the realm #not fully tho bc Asmodeus does NOT trust like that #and for good reason #Meph as a great is example is not to be trusted and that's a threat #............ also not fully sure how Ori gets on with her half sister??? #like on one hand it feels v possible to me that Glasya's tried to kill her before but also I tend to doubt my instincts so idk #but also what purpose so really I'm just in a mire of indecision #[ obligatory scheduled post bc I am currently at work but I want people to actually see this ]

[astingliamberry]

☆More Model Progress☆

This is the final look for my model, you can see I added some moss on the side and I think it looks pretty neat. I might add some moss onto the sides of the trees but I am still not sure which way they will be facing so I will sort that out later. You can see here there is little pieces of paper about where I am going to put stuff like rocks and all sorts. I will be getting some greenery and rocks myself this weekend when I go out the Nowton Park with my dad, my sister, his girlfriend and her daughter. So I can hand pick exactly what I need to use for my project base. I made some measurements on the wood I set it upon so that I could make one of those cases that they have in museums containing a scene.

Above are measurements for the case I will be making. Kystie helped me out a lot with the shape and what I could do. I told her about my ideas and maybe how we could put little things on the top like a mini cardboard box, which I have myself, and railings on the top to keep other stuff there.

After we added some more things into the plan so that it wood be more sturdier. We added these little rectangular beams to the edges so that we could glue the wood against it as the sides were too flimsy to just glue together as is.

I have a fear of the machines, so I politely asked Simon to assist me. He helped me out a lot with the wood cutting and honestly just did it all. As much as I like to say I am brave, if I am not wearing ear plugs or have adult super vision I am not very good with machines at all. I have poor impulse control and little stubby fingers. After Simon cut these bits of wood we figured out that the wood was not at all tall or thick enough for the backing. I asked Simon what we should do and he suggested he cut the remaining wood and just glues it on. I agreed to this and he assisted me with applying it. Something he taught me was that if you put wax on paper glue will not stick to it. I was honestly quite happy that he showed me that, this is something I can really use in the future as I use a lot of PVA in my projects!

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Death of a King by Tavis Smiley 

Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations - denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few - all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.

Smiley's Death of a King paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life - one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.

Gospel of Freedom by Jonathan Rieder

"I am in Birmingham because injustice is here," declared Martin Luther King, Jr. He had come to that city of racist terror convinced that massive protest could topple Jim Crow. But the insurgency faltered. To revive it, King made a sacrificial act on Good Friday, April 12, 1963: he was arrested. Alone in his cell, reading a newspaper, he found a statement from eight "moderate" clergymen who branded the protests extremist and "untimely."

King drafted a furious rebuttal that emerged as the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" - a work that would take its place among the masterpieces of American moral argument alongside those of Thoreau and Lincoln. His insistence on the urgency of "Freedom Now" would inspire not just the marchers of Birmingham and Selma, but peaceful insurgents from Tiananmen to Tahrir Squares.

Scholar Jonathan Rieder delves deeper than anyone before into the Letter - illuminating both its timeless message and its crucial position in the history of civil rights. Rieder has interviewed King's surviving colleagues, and located rare audiotapes of King speaking in the mass meetings of 1963. Gospel of Freedom gives us a startling perspective on the Letter and the man who wrote it: an angry prophet who chastised American whites, found solace in the faith and resilience of the slaves, and knew that moral appeal without struggle never brings justice.

The Heavens Might Crack by Jason Sokol

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. At the time of his murder, King was a polarizing figure - scorned by many white Americans, worshipped by some African Americans and liberal whites, and deemed irrelevant by many black youth. In The Heavens Might Crack, historian Jason Sokol traces the diverse responses, both in America and throughout the world, to King's death. Whether celebrating or mourning, most agreed that the final flicker of hope for a multiracial America had been extinguished.

A deeply moving account of a country coming to terms with an act of shocking violence, The Heavens Might Crack is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand America's fraught racial past and present.

Nine Days by Stephen Kendrick & Paul Kendrick

Less than three weeks before the 1960 presidential election, thirty-one-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested at a sit-in at Rich's Department Store in Atlanta. That day would lead to the first night King had ever spent in jail - and the time that King's family most feared for his life.

An earlier, minor traffic ticket served as a pretext for keeping King locked up, and later for a harrowing nighttime transfer to Reidsville, the notorious Georgia state prison where Black inmates worked on chain gangs overseen by violent white guards. While King's imprisonment was decried as a moral scandal in some quarters and celebrated in others, for the two presidential candidates - John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon - it was the ultimate October surprise: an emerging and controversial civil rights leader was languishing behind bars, and the two campaigns raced to decide whether, and how, to respond.

Based on fresh interviews, newspaper accounts, and extensive archival research, Nine Days is the first full recounting of an event that changed the course of one of the closest elections in American history. Much more than a political thriller, it is also the story of the first time King refused bail and came to terms with the dangerous course of his mission to change a nation. At once a story of electoral machinations, moral courage, and, ultimately, the triumph of a future president's better angels, Nine Days is a gripping tale with important lessons for our own time.

To The Promised Land by Michael K. Honey 

Fifty years ago, a single bullet robbed us of one of the world’s most eloquent voices for human rights and justice. To the Promised Land goes beyond the iconic view of Martin Luther King, Jr., as an advocate of racial harmony, to explore his profound commitment to the poor and working class and his call for “nonviolent resistance” to all forms of oppression, including the economic injustice that “takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes.”

“Either we go up together or we go down together,” King cautioned, a message just as urgent in America today as then. To the Promised Land challenges us to think about what it would mean to truly fulfill King’s legacy and move toward his vision of “the Promised Land” in our own time.

#Martin Luther King Day #martin luther king jr #nonfiction #nonfiction books #book recommendations #reading recommendations #book recs #reading recs #library books #TBR pile #tbr #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog

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Leader Of The Band: 6 Key Traits For The Performance-Driven CFO

A maestro must know the mechanics of their craft, listen to individual musicians and foresee what the score should sound like. They are not a solo musician; they are a musician that makes the orchestra sound like one.

All the above applies to the evolving role of the CFO.

Traditionally, this top finance leader’s position has been clearly defined: creating cash flow predictions, analyzing the company’s financial status, maintaining compliance. CFOs have long been, by nature, some of the most efficient people on the planet. Now, however, different demands are being asked of the CFO as we welcome the new world of work.

The role is shifting from being financial driven to a more expansive role impacting key business functions. A CFO is more like a conductor. The success of an entire organization rests in their hands. They inspire each function to achieve its best financial performance, determining whether an organization merits a standing ovation or polite clapping from internal team members, customers, investors and industry partners.

What triggered the evolution?

Everyone can agree that the pandemic and the rise of remote work changed the way we work, communicate and collaborate. Finance used to be a back office function with everyone working in the same corner of the building to make it through the month-end close and generate much-needed financial reports. With the acceleration of business and life, the “wait” is no longer acceptable.

Remote work made the finance team more technology savvy by necessity and led them to educate others to turn data into actionable insights. It also meant holding functional leaders accountable for financial results. Workday, an on-demand financial management and human capital management software company, describes high performance organizations as being “decision-ready.” I think this, more than anything else is the watchword for 2022. Being decision-ready means transforming data into meaningful, enterprise-wide insights without delay for faster decision-making, advanced analytics and greater simplicity.

What is the DNA of the Digitally-Astute CFO?

In “The Digital Future of Finance” report, Gartner surveyed business leaders with 69% saying digitalization initiatives are accelerating. More from the report: ”CFOs are critical enablers of these enterprise ambitions.” What key traits must they possess?

CFOs will need to be . . .

Resilient. The finance team has transitioned from being efficient to being resilient, and now, it is all about digital activations.

Techy. More digital responsibilities are falling onto the CFO’s shoulders. According to a McKinsey Report, since 2016, “the share of finance leaders who say that they are responsible for their companies’ digital activities has more than tripled.”

A Good Storyteller. As organizational complexity increases and the finance team plays more of a strategic role, the CFO must piece disparate facts and figures together to tell a growth story.In the old days, creating financial statements was enough. Now, data collection efforts have expanded. They must become data storytellers and answer what, from the avalanche of data, does the CEO need to know in order to make great decisions.Again, with more remote workers, people want more information, faster. The finance team will feel the most pressure due to the information explosion.

Creative. Creative people are adaptive. They are not married to one idea, but look at the problem in front of them as a composition. An artist, for example, might say if I add more red to the sky, will I convey the feeling of a day gone by. For the CFO, they must be creative and open up their thinking too to the “what-ifs.”This applies to hiring beyond finance degrees. Even though so many technologies help us succeed in the finance world, if you don’t have the right talents in place, you’re not going to last very long so build the finance team on skills.

Empathetic. During Covid, empathy was important. If you are leading a remote workforce, give everyone an opportunity and equal chance to share their thoughts. This honors the value each person brings. To me, this is inclusion at its best. It could be as simple as encouraging people to speak at the beginning of a meeting.Empathy also, in part, drives retention amidst a growing trend of job hopping. Many people call this year “The Great Resignation Year.” According to Microsoft, 39% of people are going to change jobs this year. That poses a significant challenge to employers because they have to motivate employees to stay.This presents more challenges to financial leaders because finance skills are highly transferable regardless of the field or industry. Retaining top talent will mean understanding what drives their employees. The salary itself won’t be enough. It is about the kind of employee experience you want to drive. Employees are not just a cost center; they’re assets.

Global Visionaries. People can work from anywhere in the world. This means a more diverse and inclusive workforce, the benefits of which are huge: higher profit, greater innovation, more idea-sharing, better culture.Seeing the workforce from a global perspective comes at the right time. According to Gartner, the finance organization has become increasingly flattened. Senior finance leaders manage more employees and functions than ever before. One way to win the talent war is with FinTech tools that can automate repetitive tasks so that the finance team can focus on strategic projects.

Embracing the Shift

People have long considered finance as number crunching. Is technology changing that? Yes, and nowhere do we see more evidence of this than in the CFO’s impact on culture. Companies with CFOs who focus on building culture have a higher chance of success because culture is determining, for many people, whether they stay or go. In a Fortune article authored by Workday president and CFO Robynne Sisco, she writes: “While some workers may be leaving for better opportunities, many are departing because they don’t feel that their companies support them, that they have a culture of belonging, or that their leaders have been empathetic to their evolving needs during this extraordinary time. Therefore, investments in culture are so critical at this moment.”

Agreed.

Ms. Sisco closes the article by saying that CFOs are “ultimately responsible for the numbers. But it’s also true that a strong company culture goes hand in hand with engaged, productive employees, lower attrition, and a greater likelihood of reaching your strategic goals.”

The critical question for CFOs to ask then might be: How do I shift from efficiency to impact? While the answers may not be clear, one thing is certain: the CFO is a leader in the band, influencing growth acceleration and a more expressive performance for the entire organization.

Original Source: This blog was taken from Tigon Advisory