#good for you Will trying to expand your book's target demographic

[byoldervine]

Writing Tips - Beating Perfectionism

1. Recognising writing perfectionism. It’s not usually as literal as “This isn’t 100% perfect and so it is the worst thing ever”, in my experience it usually sneaks up more subtly. Things like where you should probably be continuing on but if you don’t figure out how to word this paragraph better it’s just going to bug you the whole time, or where you’re growing demotivated because you don’t know how to describe the scene 100% exactly as you can imagine it in your head, or things along those lines where your desire to be exact can get in the way of progression. In isolated scenarios this is natural, but if it’s regularly and notably impacting your progress then there’s a more pressing issue

2. Write now, edit later. Easier said than done, which always infuriated me until I worked out how it translates into practice; you need to recognise what the purpose of this stage of the writing process is and when editing will hinder you more than help you. Anything up to and including your first draft is purely done for structural and creative purposes, and trying to impose perfection on a creative process will naturally stifle said creativity. Creativity demands the freedom of imperfection

3. Perfection is stagnant. We all know that we have to give our characters flaws and challenges to overcome since, otherwise, there’s no room for growth or conflict or plot, and it ends up being boring and predictable at best - and it’s just the same as your writing. Say you wrote the absolute perfect book; the perfect plot, the perfect characters, the perfect arcs, the perfect ending, etc etc. It’s an overnight bestseller and you’re discussed as a literary great for all time. Everyone, even those outside of your target demographic, call it the perfect book. Not only would that first require you to turn the perfect book into something objective, which is impossible, but it would also mean that you would either never write again, because you can never do better than your perfect book, or you’ll always write the exact same thing in the exact same way to ensure constant perfection. It’s repetitive, it’s boring, and all in all it’s just fearful behaviour meant to protect you from criticism that you aren’t used to, rather than allowing yourself to get acclimated to less than purely positive feedback

4. Faulty comparisons. Comparing your writing to that of a published author’s is great from an analytical perspective, but it can easily just become a case of “Their work is so much better, mine sucks, I’ll never be as good as them or as good as any ‘real’ writer”. You need to remember that you’re comparing a completely finished draft, which likely underwent at least three major edits and could have even had upwards of ten, to wherever it is you’re at. A surprising number of people compare their *first* draft to a finished product, which is insanity when you think of it that way; it seems so obvious from this perspective why your first attempt isn’t as good as their tenth. You also end up comparing your ability to describe the images in your head to their ability to craft a new image in your head; I guarantee you that the image the author came up with isn’t the one their readers have, and they’re kicking themselves for not being able to get it exactly as they themselves imagine it. Only the author knows what image they’re working off of; the readers don’t, and they can imagine their own variation which is just as amazing

5. Up close and too personal. Expanding on the last point, just in general it’s harder to describe something in coherent words than it is to process it when someone else prompts you to do so. You end up frustrated and going over it a gazillion times, even to the point where words don’t even look like words anymore. You’ve got this perfect vision of how the whole story is supposed to go, and when you very understandably can’t flawlessly translate every single minute detail to your satisfaction, it’s demotivating. You’re emotionally attached to this perfect version that can’t ever be fully articulated through any other medium. But on the other hand, when consuming other media that you didn’t have a hand in creating, you’re viewing it with perfectly fresh eyes; you have no ‘perfect ideal’ of how everything is supposed to look and feel and be, so the images the final product conjures up become that idealised version - its no wonder why it always feels like every writer except you can pull off their visions when your writing is the only one you have such rigorous preconceived notions of

6. That’s entertainment. Of course writing can be stressful and draining and frustrating and all other sorts of nasty things, but if overall you can’t say that you ultimately enjoy it, you’re not writing for the right reasons. You’ll never take true pride in your work if it only brings you misery. Take a step back, figure out what you can do to make things more fun for you - or at least less like a chore - and work from there

7. Write for yourself. One of the things that most gets to me when writing is “If this was found and read by someone I know, how would that feel?”, which has lead me on multiple occasions to backtrack and try to be less cringe or less weird or less preachy or whatever else. It’s harder to share your work with people you know whose opinions you care about and whose impressions of you have the potential of shifting based on this - sharing it to strangers whose opinions ultimately don’t matter and who you’ll never have to interact with again is somehow a lot less scary because their judgements won’t stick. But allowing the imaginary opinions of others to dictate not even your finished project, but your unmoderated creative process in general? Nobody is going to see this without your say so; this is not the time to be fussing over how others may perceive your writing. The only opinion that matters at this stage is your own

8. Redirection. Instead of focusing on quality, focusing on quantity has helped me to improve my perfectionism issues; it doesn’t matter if I write twenty paragraphs of complete BS so long as I’ve written twenty paragraphs or something that may or may not be useful later. I can still let myself feel accomplished regardless of quality, and if I later have to throw out whole chapters, so be it

9. That’s a problem for future me. A lot of people have no idea how to edit, or what to look for when they do so, so having a clear idea of what you want to edit by the time the editing session comes around is gonna be a game-changer once you’re supposed to be editing. Save the clear work for when you’re allocating time for it and you’ll have a much easier and more focused start to the editing process. It’ll be more motivating than staring blankly at the intimidating word count, at least

10. The application of applications. If all else fails and you’re still going back to edit what you’ve just wrote in some struggle for the perfect writing, there are apps and websites that you can use that physically prevent you from editing your work until you’re done with it. If nothing else, maybe it can help train you away from major edits as you go

#perfectionism #perfection #writing #writers #writeblr #bookblr #book #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writers of tumblr #writer #my writing #how to write #on writing #creative writing #write #writing tips #writblr #female writers #queer writers #writer things #writer stuff #writing is hard #writing advice #writing life #writer problems #writerscreed #writersnetwork #writerblr #writersociety

[anandtechvercedigitalmarketing]

Google Ads: An Overview of Google Ads and how it can help Your Business

Google Ads is one of the most popular advertising platforms available on Google. The platform is designed to help businesses target potential customers with ads that are specifically relevant to their needs and interests. If you’re not already familiar with Google Ads agency in Chennai, this article will provide an overview of what it is, how it can help your business, and some things you should know before signing up for an account.

What is Google Ads?

Ads are basically marketing communications that appear on the Google Search Engine, Google’s own properties, and across other online platforms such as YouTube. Advertisers choose from an array of demographics, interests, and other targeting options to carefully create ads that are relevant to specific user groups. Google Ads can be used for a number of different purposes. For example, you can use it to advertise your business, drive site traffic to your website, and even advertise goods and services you don’t sell directly. Google Ads can also be different from other ad networks in that they are integrated into a number of different Google products. This means that you can run specific campaigns that appear across a range of different platforms, such as YouTube videos and Google Search results.

 Ad Targeting Options in Google Ads:

Advertisers can use a range of different targeting options in Google Ads. A targeting option is a specific type of audience that you specify for your ads. Targeting options can include location, demographic information such as age, gender, and marital status, interests, language, and other custom variables that you specify. Google Ads also has standard targeting options like industry and buying intent. Industry targeting lets you specify that you want to reach people who regularly buy products from your industry. For example, if you are a restaurant owner, you might want to target people who are searching for food-related topics. The buying intent targeting option lets you specify that you want to reach people who are looking to make a purchase.

 How to Use Google Ads:

Ads are placed on Google Search Engine results, Google’s owned properties, and across other ad platforms such as YouTube, Google Maps, Google Store, Google Ads Manager, and more. This means that ads can appear in many places that users might visit, such as the Google Search Engine, websites like Amazon, eBay, and Yelp, and other websites. Google Ads are managed using the Google Ads dashboard. You can manage your campaigns and choose which ads to run on your ad network from this dashboard. You can also use the dashboard to pause, delete, and export your campaigns as well as see all of the data that Google has about your account. Additionally, Google Ads also provides AdWords advertising training videos to help you get the most out of your account.

Should You Use Google Ads?

Google Ads are useful for a range of different purposes. Because you can choose from a range of different targeting options, you can reach potential customers with your ads. For example, you could target people who regularly buy things from your industry and people who are willing to try new products. Google Ads are also integrated into a number of different Google products, making it easy to expand your reach even further. With other ad networks, you’ll typically have to manually copy your ads to other platforms. With Google Ads, all of your campaigns are easily accessible in one place. If you’re interested in seeing if Google Ads are right for your business, you can create a free Google Ads account. Once you create an account, you can see if Google Ads would be a good fit for your business by testing some of your ad copy and landing page on a free Google Ads account. Finally, you can also learn more about how Google Ads can help your business by taking some AdWords training videos.

 Advanced ad features in Google Ads:

Google ads can also be used to promote products that you don’t sell directly, like books, courses, and other entertainment products. Google Ads are also ideal for promoting businesses because they display ads in a range of different places, including on Google Search Engine results and across other Google properties like YouTube. Google Ads can also be used to promote e-commerce stores as well as SaaS and other services. The ads are displayed on Google Ads Manager, which is the industry standard for online ad networks. Google Ads can also be used to promote affiliate offers and pay per click (PPC) ads. With affiliate offers, you earn a commission when someone clicks on an ad and makes a purchase using the affiliate link on the ad. PPC ads are ads that are paid per click, meaning that you earn money when a user clicks on your ad. Google Ads also have a variety of different ad extensions that you can use to add extra functionality to your ads. For example, you can use the mobile app extension to let users try new apps before downloading them and the video extension to promote video-based content.

 Top Tips for Using Google Ads:

When starting out with Google Ads, it’s important to remember that each marketing channel has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, you may find that the best way to drive site traffic to your website is through search engine optimization (SEO) and social media strategies. Additionally, you should always be on the lookout for new ways to reach your target audience. Google Ads are constantly evolving, and new features are being added all the time. This means that you need to stay on top of new trends and trends to ensure that your Google Ads campaigns are as effective as possible. Finally, keep in mind that the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns will depend on a number of different factors, including the quality of your landing page and URL, the relevance of your keywords, and the creativity of your ads. It’s important to remember that Google Ads are just one of many ways to market your business. You may find that other methods are better suited to your needs.

 Further Reading:

Google Ads help businesses reach potential customers with relevant ads. However, these ads can also be used for nefarious purposes as well. If you're interested in learning more about what Google does to protect users and guard against click fraud, this article provides an overview of some of the steps Google takes to protect against fraudulent ad campaigns. Your Google Ads account is a key marketing channel for reaching potential customers. With so many things to consider when using the account, it can be easy to forget about the most important things. These 10 tips will help you stay on top from start to finish.

#google ads agency in chennai #search engine marketing company #ppc services company

[crabtreee]

this is also how i interact with children

MURDOCH MYSTERIES — 15x04 “Blood on the Tracks”

#good for you Will trying to expand your book's target demographic #murdoch mysteries #murdoch mysteries spoilers #murdochmysteriesedit #william murdoch #jordan higgins-newsome #tvedit #periodedit #perioddramasource #weloveperioddrama #onlyperioddramas #userhuntress #mmxv #15x04 #*edits

[americangirlstar]

Now that both Courtney books are out and I’ve read and processed them both, I do want to say that I think they’re the least well-written of any of the AG books, but not through any fault of their own- let me explain.

(Note that for this discussion I’m ignoring the Doylist criticisms- Courtney and 3/4 of her friend group being white again, the lack of gay discussion in-text in regards to the HIV crisis, etc. These are valid complaints and concerns, but not what we’re talking about right now.)

The Problem with the Current Book Length

I think the main problem with Courtney stems from the fact her books are so short. American Girl has literally been doing the stupidest things in regards to their books lately, almost as if they’re trying to sabotage them on purpose. First they remove illustrations in 2015- when their target audience is about nine years old. I don’t know about you, but when I was six and getting into American Girl, the illustrations were the highlight for me. Not because I had no attention span and loved pretty pictures, but because it showed me firstly what the girl’s life was like, whether it be 1760s wilderness or 2001 Chicago. It was like stepping into their world, really helping you get into their heads, which was basically what the dolls were supposed to do, to let you know that girls like you exist throughout time and space.

As well as that, the illustrations were free advertisement. I can’t tell you how excited me and my sisters were as children to go to the American Girl place and look at the doll displays, shouting that that’s the dress Felicity wears to the ball! or look, Josefina’s goat looks exactly like the book! AG cut that from 2015 to 2020, as if they were trying to appeal to an older audience- while at the same time changing all the doll outfits, accessories and marketing to appeal to a younger demographic.

Now, this isn’t about the illustrations, as Courtney got those- it’s about what they did to the historical characters after the Illustration Outrage™ happened. See, they’d condensed the historical six-book format into two books- not necessarily a bad idea, parents would be more likely to buy two books for their kid than consider buying six. However, they then claimed that if they put illustrations back, they would have to abridge the books- literally my nightmare.

First of all, American Girl, we know for a fact you can fit all six books plus illustrations into ONE VOLUME, let alone two. You’re just being cowards here and trying to nerf your own stories for... some reason.

So that meant a lot of important things got cut- Rebecca’s Chanukah story, Melody’s cousin’s house search, Maryellen’s Christmas adventure... all things important to the girls’ histories and character.

The Problem with Courtney’s Writing

Now, Courtney was the first doll to be released after the abridging began, meaning her books were released, in their entirety, just as short as the abridged stories. So it basically means she gets four books while the others get six- and unlike the others, Courtney doesn’t even have mysteries or short stories to pad out. (And honestly, looking at her book’s amount of content, I’d even argue that she basically got two while everyone else got six, but I digress.)

The problem with her books isn’t that they have an author writing them poorly (I really feel like her author was doing the best with what limited time she had), but in how cramped American Girl made them. Because, well, Courtney has to deal with a lot in such a short amount of words.

Let’s compare her to Julie, for instance- Julie pretty much has a new 70s thing every book. In order: feminism, rising divorce rates, San Francisco’s Chinese culture, environmentalism, the country’s bicentennial, anti-bullying and deaf acceptance. And adding to this, we also have her own personal journies through her parents’ divorce and move, her basketball team, her friendship with Ivy (and later Joy), overcoming her fear of horses, student council, detention... It’s a lot, and yet her books don’t feel rushed or forced at all. It’s just a year in the life of a girl going through a lot of new and sudden events, and how she grows and changes throughout them. She may not be as deep a character as Addy or Kirsten, but not every girl goes through the trials and tribulations they do, and it’s a good series overall.

Courtney, meanwhile, does feel rushed and forced, because of the short timespan. Instead of fitting everything into a six-book format- or even at two-book format that is the same length and content as the six-book- everything has to be fit into two short books.   Everything Courtney has to cover includes the topics of divorce and stepfamilies, feminist and technological advancement, the Challenger explosion, the HIV crisis, Hands Across America, and the founding of Pleasant Company. And in Courtney’s own journey, she has to cover her learning to stand up for herself, her relationship with her stepsister and Tina’s own character development, her mother running for mayor and how that affects her, how much she misses her Dad after he moves, her friendship with Sarah (note on that later), her basically getting hate-crimed after standing up for her friend... that’s a LOT of stuff, and I didn’t even include the non-AG 80s product placement they shove into her collection.

But without the longer format, everything is pushed together to its detriment. Tina’s development and Maureen’s mayoral candidacy are two plotlines that are literally dropped and almost completely ignored in the second book. The Challenger and HIV issues were handled decently, but the Challenger only lasted a few short chapters, and the HIV topic was not as informative as it could be, leaving out several things like Reagan’s refusal to treat it for so long, and its effect on the gay community. Honestly, the HIV scare was more shifted to focus on the mob mentality of a new and scary disease- which, while needed right now, also ignores many of the bigotry-related reasons it became an epidemic. Pleasant Company’s inclusion feels forced in, and I think was the only resolution she had to her Dad plotline?

And don’t get me started on the Sarah plotline- every Girl of the Year since Kanani- sans Isabelle and Luci- has had the story of “oh no I’ve been ignoring my friend and now they’re mad at me :(” and it’s SO old. Seriously, I counted the contemporary dolls that have had that storyline, and it’s thirteen*. Thirteen times we’ve covered this issue- almost all of it in quick succession- and now we have to deal with it in a historical character book while much more important things are going on! Yes, it sucks when a friend ditches you while you’re being attacked and bullied for something you’re standing up for, but once again, with how much is happening in such a short book, it just feels like a forced-in plotline that we’ve seen a billion times, and with their falling-out happening mainly due to the attention Courtney was given Isaac, it serves to make Sarah seem closed-minded at best and bigoted at worst- it’s clarified that she’s not, she’s just scared and upset with Courtney, but when you put those events so close together, it leads the reader to lump them together and get the impression that, you know, Sarah is a worse person than she is.

*Full count: Nicki (book 2), Chrissa (book 2), Kanani (2), McKenna (1 iirc?), Saige (both books), Grace (2), Lea (3), Gabriela (1 and 3), Tenney (2), Z (1), Blaire (1), Joss (1) and Kira (1).

It’s a bit weird, too, that Courtney’s... what’s the word? Vibe? with her how her story is written and marketed Is closer to the Contemporaries than the Historicals. Am I the only one feeling this? My best explanation for it is that the author, Kellen Hertz, had only written contemporary books for American Girl before- the third Lea Clark book and all four Tenney Grant books, both of which contained the Friendship Issues™ plot. I’m not at all saying she’s a bad author- I honestly love the way the Tenney books are written- and I’m not saying she couldn’t write a historical book, but it’s clear American Girl didn’t ask her to change up her style or content from what she’d done for them before, as well as giving her way too much to cover in such short books.

Conclusion

Honestly, this conclusion should be obvious- American Girl needs to expand their books again. Whether they simply allow the books to be unabridged, or go back to the six-book format, Courtney's books are too cramped to tell an effective story, let alone the poor abridged girls.

The other girls were given six-book length, so if they went back to that length or format, Courtney would have to be rewritten, at least a little- and that’s okay! There’s a lot of things that could use expansion or connection, such as her Summer trip with her Dad that was given basically one sentence in the text. Her growth with her stepfamily could be acknowledged- and honestly? I think that if these books were expanded, her mother’s mayoral arc should either continue through the books, or Maureen should become mayor before the book 2 arc. I’ve mentioned this before, but having Maureen as mayor (or even still a candidate) would put a lot of pressure on Courtney to be perfect so that nobody can say “look at how awful this woman is for doing politics instead of raising her family right”- which means that when the Isaac stuff happens, it has even more stakes for Courtney and her family. Does her Mom still support her with her own reputation on the line, and what does that say about Maureen’s character, how does it affect Courtney and the D’Amicos... that’s all fascinating stuff that was completely missed out on.

And if she was turned into a six-book format- honestly, here’s how I’d do it, just off the top of my head. It would involve a bit of event shuffling, but honestly I think it would work!

Meet Courtney - pretty much the setup for everything happening, her starting to get her Crystal Starshooter plans and her mom’s campaign beginning.

Courtney Learns a Lesson - her relationship to Tina, culminating in the Challenger incident.

Courtney’s Surprise - we move the founding of Pleasant Company over here, since Molly’s basically her Christmas Present. We’ll probably need an additional plotline- maybe similar to Julie, she can have a story on spending the holidays in different places.

Happy Birthday Courtney - end of summer, aka meeting Isaac and her trip with her Dad.

Courtney Saves the Day - Beginning of the HIV arc, ending at her presentation to her class.

Changes for Courtney - Continuation of the HIV arc as things get worse for her and Isaac, ending where Friendship Superhero ends.

Is that a perfect sorting? Probably not, I came up with it in ten minutes. But would it give Courtney space to breathe and more time to explore everything happening to her? Probably!

The tl;dr of this is honestly that American Girl are absolute cowards right now, and need to expand their books back. Their abridging is only harming their stories- which, as Courtney herself points out, are the reason girls got into their company in the first place.

#courtney moore #american girl #american girl dolls #american girls #1986 #negativity #mine #americangirlstar

[velrikka]

it is so difficult to get my friends who like reading (save for two, love u girlies.) to read something other than YA books written by some white lady I’m not saying the YA genre is bad per se, some of them are actually really well-written and it’s good to read them from time to time. Of course, everyone has their peferences and to each their own! I represent a different target demographic compared to my friends’. But how are you supposed to expand your horizons, learn and be well read if you read the same genre with the same fanfic-y trope over and over? like.. you’re not in highschool anymore dudes. read some non-fiction! read some articles! read books written by POC! some books really changed the way i view life and i learned so much from them. not trying to police whatever you read, but i suggest getting out of your comfort zone once in a while.

#the two girls. u know who u are <3 #always a blast discussing stories & books w u!!

[beneaththetangles]

Review: The Stranger by the Shore (Movie)

Good Morning, Good Evening, Good Afternoon! Josh here! You know, I’ve been an anime fan for a little over 20 years now, and over the course of those 20+ years, I’ve watched shows or movies where I’ve said to myself, “I really don’t think I’m the target demographic for this one.” When I heard the premise of The Stranger by the Shore, I originally thought, “Meh, this just looks like one for specific fans of this genre. Probably not for me.” But this past Sunday, I saw Twitter go crazy over this movie, heaping prodigious praise for this rather short film, so I figured “Meh, why not? I need to watch something to wash the tastes of Girlfriend, Girlfriend out of my mouth” and checked it out.

Three viewings later, and I can honestly say that I was, in fact, exactly in the target audience for this one. Why? Because it’s about love. And after watching the farce of Girlfriend, Girlfriend, I kinda needed to be reminded what pure, genuine love looks like, and how this particular kind of love has many challenges both internal and external.

So what makes this movie so good? Let’s get into it. I’m Josh, the Cajun Samurai, and this is my review of The Stranger by the Shore...and interestingly enough, this is my very first review of an LGBTQ+ anime!

Okay guys, time to be a bit serious here. I know, it’s weird coming from me, but don’t worry, it won’t last long. I am duty-bound to let you guys know that this movie is rated “TV-14” on Funimation’s website, and honestly, were I in charge of the rating scale, I would probably rate it a little more mature as it does feature talk about sex and features characters engaging in intimacy. While nothing is seen, much is implied. If you decide to watch this film, but are put off by this sort of thing, it starts at 47:00, and ends at 49:30 if you’re streaming on Funimation’s website. Okay, end of disclaimer. Let’s get into it.

The Stranger By The Shore is based off a manga series by Kanna Kii. It begins with Shun, a writer living in Hokkaido with his aunt after running away from home. Why would he run away? Simple. Shun is gay and would not enter into an arranged marriage with his childhood friend. His parents were naturally upset over this revelation (How dare you not marry the bride we picked out for you?! And how dare you have other preferences for who you love?!) and so Shun hot-footed out of there to his aunt’s house to work on his book.

One night, Shun sees a young man making like Otis Redding and sitting on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away. Shun’s aunt explains that the boy, named Mio, is now an orphan after having recently lost his mother (his father died earlier). Shun decides that he wants to try and befriend the boy, but Mio is having none of it, misinterpreting Shun’s advances as pity over the loss of his mother. However, this misunderstanding is quickly cleared up and Mio apologizes, saying that he was actually glad and didn’t mind if Shun was trying to flirt with him. After a day of unsuccessful fishing and a delightful dinner of curry, Mio reveals that he’s being sent to an orphanage on the mainland of Japan, and would only be able to communicate with Shun by phone once he arrives. Shun is pretty down about this.

Time passes and Shun’s cousin is moving out to live with her girlfriend, leaving an open spot at the house. Who could possibly fill it? Why, it’s Mio of course. Our boy is now 20 years old and is able to make his own decisions in life, including but not limited to love. Mio is fully ready to start up a relationship with Shun, not caring what society thinks, but Shun, having been on the receiving end of rumors and teasing about his sexuality, tries to get Mio to think twice about his decision, not wanting him to be ostracized as he was. This results in a couple awkward moments where Mio really wants to take their “relationship” to the next level, but Shun dragging his feet, just barely able to say “I love you” to Mio.

Oh, and if that weren’t enough, later on, Shun’s former fiancé, Sakuraku, comes to the village with some news: His father is gravely ill and wants to see his son before he punches his ticket on the Midnight Train to Georgia. Naturally, Shun is not too excited to see the parents who shunned him, nor is he excited to see the woman who he was once engaged to (albeit through an arrangement). Mio meanwhile is showing some signs of jealousy and a little insecurity at this new arrival. Is this new girl going to take Shun away from him? Will Shun actually go back to the girl that he left at the alter? Find out next time on DragonBall Z!

So yeah guys, I really and truly like this one. As I mentioned, I’ve watched it three times so far since it came out. The first time I watched it on my own just to see what all the commotion was about. Then I watched it a second time to take screencaps and offer up Twitter commentary as I typically do, and the third time…well…it was because the movie is just that freaking good.

It’s awesome just viewing a romance play out over time and watching two people deal with their respective issues to find one another. That’s part of what drew me to shows like Toradora, Kare Kano, Yuri on Ice, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku, and Horimiya. Watching a romance from the very beginning and see it work itself through to its inevitable conclusion is beautiful, and that’s what you get with this one.

I also love the fact that this just isn’t a typical high school romance story. Yes, I know how ironic that sounds after the last sentence where I praised a bunch of high school based shows, but still… sometimes you just want a story with two mature adults instead of two crazy kids who are probably operating more on hormones than true love…even though there are times when Mio, young lad that he is, REALLY wants to make his relationship with Shun more physical, bless his heart.

Another thing that I really loved about this story are the differences in how Shun and Mio see the world with regard to their sexuality. While Shun sees their relationship through a somewhat wary lens, and doesn’t want Mio to be hurt like he was, Mio is much more of a free spirit, not allowing anyone or anything deny him from what he really wants. Part of me feels like the differences between these two are because of the times they grew up in. Shun is older than Mio, and no doubt grew up in a time where being LGBTQ+ was something to be scorned, mocked and bullied for. Mio, being a more modern and in some ways a more mature young man, understands what he’s in for and yet has no problem with it because he knows he loves Shun and in his mind, that’s all that matters.

One other thing that I find refreshing with this movie is that it doesn’t have any complex or mystical story lines. While I enjoy movies like Weathering With You and Your Name, sometimes those movies can just be too complex for their own good, adding mystical elements to a story that can at times clouds the waters. In fact, there are two moments where the characters seemingly pass out at different times during the movie after highly stressful situations, and I couldn’t help but think, “Okay, here comes the magical mystical stuff…these two are the reincarnation of some long lost, Feudal Era star crossed lovers that are bound by fate by the red string of something-or-other and they have to find the mystical key of the twilight or something…” But to my great surprise, these dorks were just TIRED. No magical journey, no mission they have to accomplish, just…tired. That is surprising. The Stranger by the Shore pretty much makes the characters the standout elements. These guys don’t have mystical powers, there’s no legend they have to figure out in order to save the world, there’s no time travel or dimension portals… it’s just a love story like any other.

Speaking of things that aren’t a big deal… I feel the need to address the elephant in the room. Yes, the intimate scene between Shun and Mio. Honestly… it’s a non-issue, as it should be. It’s two characters that are of age sharing an intimate moment with each other and they just so happen to be two males. It happens in loads of different anime and it’s not a big deal. Honestly, I found the way the moment was executed to be very realistic, gentle and tastefully done. If you avoid BL anime entirely, (and no judgement whatsoever–it’s not for everyone; watch whatever makes you happy) I suggest you check out our recent articles examining yuri and yaoi anime and see if those give you some food for thought, and maybe make you more likely to try out The Stranger by the Shore. Yup, I’m a true southern gentlemen–offering up Food for Thought. You always offer food to your company, thought or otherwise. Now go and get your grub on.

If I could find any faults with this movie, it’s probably that it’s too short and doesn’t give the characters enough developmental time. There’s just so much more I wanted to know about these adorable dorks: What was Shun’s life before the arranged marriage? How did he end up becoming a writer? What was Mio’s father like? How was Mio’s time in the orphanage? At just under an hour including credits, it feels like this movie could’ve explored so much more and expanded this beautiful world it created. This movie does a great job giving us endearing and lovable characters, but not enough time to fall even deeper in love with them.

Also, as a somewhat unrelated complaint, Funimation, please do the streaming anime community a favor. Please, please, PLEASE fix your video player! It’s just a mess! Sometimes the volume bar would be stuck on the screen long after I adjusted it, thereby ruining any screen captures I wanted to get. Also, please add closed captioning to the English dub video. It’s really a drag that the hearing impaired can’t enjoy the writing in the dub like everyone else, and it also sucks when bloggers like myself don’t have the text at the bottom of screen captures for context of a particular scene. You are partially owned by Sony Pictures… you can do better than this! But, I digress…

Speaking of Funimation, this movie was dubbed and released by Funimation Entertainment with director David Wald in the director’s chair. Honestly this was quite a shock to me as I would’ve expected Sentai Filmworks to put out a title like this, as they have never been shy to license and dub anime with LGBTQ+ themes. Yes, Funimation has put out a few here and there, the most famous being Yuri on Ice, but in my eyes, Sentai has always been THAT company to go to for movies and anime series like this. In fact, Hi Dive, Sentai’s streaming service, has an entire section devoted exclusively to LGBTQ+ anime and movies. Funimation? Not so much. But I digress.

Director Wald does an amazing job with this production, getting outstanding performances out of Josh Grelle (Shun) and Justin Briner (Mio). These two are just AMAZING in their roles, and captured these characters perfectly. Just try not to think about that when watching the English dub of Dr. Stone, as these two guys also play the bodyguard brothers Kinro and Ginro respectively. Speaking of Dr. Stone, listen closely and you’ll hear Senku Ishigami (Aaron Dismuke) as one of Shun’s classmates in a flashback.

So where does that leave us? Simple. This movie ranks a prodigious 9/10 for me. A must see. The Stranger by the Shore features a story that’s simple yet beautiful, adorably awkward and engaging characters, and acting that is just top notch in the English dub. The only thing that you may find a problem with is that there isn’t more of it. By the time the ending credits roll, you’ll want more of this one. Trust me.

Yes, I know that the story of two guys starting a romantic relationship might not be in everyone’s wheelhouse and the intimate moments might be something that gives you pause, but honestly, wherever you fall in the sexual identity debate or however you feel about it on a religious level, I can’t stress enough that you owe it to yourself to give this movie a chance. Because, at the end of the day, A has much to say about love and acceptance, things we ALL know a thing or two about and long for—gay, straight or otherwise.

=====

The Stranger by the Shore can be streamed through Funimation.

#Anime #Anime Reviews #Anime Movies #The Stranger by the Shore #Umiibe no Etranger #Yaoi #LGBTQ #Articles #Author: Josh #Author: The Cajun Samurai

[wehavethoughts]

The Sorry Girls Review!

The Sorry Girls 

Website. Youtube. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. 

The Sorry Girls is a Canadian digital media brand focusing on lifestyle via DIY design. Co-founders Becky Wright and Kelsey MacDermaid began The Sorry Girls project in 2010, and it has since expanded to exist on multiple platforms, including Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest. While the brand speaks on a variety of topics, from fashion and styling to self-empowerment, this review will touch upon their interior design content, specifically DIY projects, thrifting room decor and overall interior design style.

The Sorry Girls is a digital media brand with a focus on lifestyle, education, sustainability, and self empowerment achieved through a do-it-yourself mentality. 

We’re a community of makers and do-ers that enable all people, especially women with the skills and confidence to create for themselves.

As the mission statement above describes, the content of this blog et al. is targeted to an audience and has clear objectives. Unlike the books that I’ve previously reviewed, The Sorry Girls is a brand and has a marketing strategy inherent in their work. This is neither negative nor positive in terms of the value of contributions to interior design, but important to note regarding how readers/viewers/consumers engage with those contributions. 

I rate The Sorry Girls 3 out of 6 gorgeous geese. Their social media formatting emphasizes their commitment to create a community of do-it-yourselfers, with access to the majority of their content for free online. Their content is endless, great for passive viewing or for step-by-step guides to try projects out on your own. The reasons for not having scored higher are three-fold: first, the overwhelming focus on trends, second the accessibility to the actual materials and resources Kelsey and Becky have that many people don’t, and thirdly the unfortunate format of a brand as related to the most vocal voices in interior design.

So The Sorry Girls are trendy. If this is what you’re looking for, then this content is likely to be very satisfying and definitely aplenty. Becky and Kelsey speak to the person who falls in love with a home decor piece in a store but can’t afford it. The duo constantly update their various feeds with DIY versions of on-trend and ‘fashionable’ stores, like IKEA, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Pier 1. I respect this approach, because I’ve been that person. The target demographic includes young people, especially women, with enough imaginative capacity to think about style but not enough money to furnish their spaces as the seasons and trends pass. The Sorry Girls take opportunities to discuss different styles in their Room Makeovers, but ultimately their design has followed the current trends of Scandinavian, minimalism, cottage-core, incorporating greenery, and mid-Century modern. I personally enjoy much from these styles, but I would hope to engage in content that expands my style horizons beyond the obvious. Okay, I can re-make a tray from west elm.. but why are we assuming that that’s the tray to re-make? I would rather draw inspiration for these styles from local artists, artisans, and builders, truly learning about the material conditions around design. 

The DIY vision is a great way for individuals with less than enough funds to feel empowered in creating spaces tailored to themselves. When I would regularly follow their content a few years ago, I did unfortunately get a little bit of whiplash when it came to executing their ideas. Becky or Kelsey would oscillate between hot glue and spray paint, and circle saws and concrete-making. I felt that the DIY tutorials were either cheap, less-than-durable replicas, or technical endeavors that required serious space, tools, and carpentry skills. Seeing women using traditionally masculine tools is awesome. But I don’t have access to these tools! Of course, because content is dispersed via social media which is free with Internet access, viewers can just skip to the next video if they can’t execute a DIY project. But I had begun to wonder about who these videos were really for, and whether I then wanted to continue getting inspiration from them. 

Ultimately, The Sorry Girls is a brand, not like the text of a book or material from a course, workshop or seminar. Influence is becoming an increasingly valuable component of capital in today’s economy. Even with good intentions, a conglomerate blog-vlog-store-social media brand incorporates marketing into their content. If it sells, it gets posted. Becky and Kelsey seem perfectly nice, but with posts and videos getting uploaded as trends gain hype and popularity, I think about the potential loss in creativity. The Sorry Girls have a wide breadth of content, so there’s a lot to cover! However, I would look to them for media management and marketing before I did for design.

While the Canadian duo are certainly creative in being handy and artistic, I don’t really get much from them in terms of design. The Sorry Girls mission is in my opinion well accomplished, but I still ask about their branding overpowering their place as a fount of design. I would recommend their content to anyone who might have extra time on their hands and wants to try those hands at a craft project. I would not recommend The Sorry Girls to anyone hoping to learn about design, reflect about themselves, and amplify new voices in interior design. The Sorry Girls are two white women who worked very hard and are very successful in the scope of their social influence and digital media content, but I’m kinda bored.

Overall, The Sorry Girls earn 3 geese because the content isn’t bad. They have lots of hacks that consider budgets, and I appreciate their broader messages of self-empowerment: you can overcome the very real obstacle of money by doing-it-yourself, at the same time realizing your own imaginations to create a space that reflects you and what you want. 

For anyone dipping their toes into DIY or wanting to join a wider design community, I recommend taking a look! 

For those hoping for an honest transformation in their personal relationship with the material space around them as well as expanding what it means to design, keep scrolling. 

#the sorry girls #sorry girls #diy #interior design #wht! #wehavethoughts! #review #review blog #design #Canadian #room makeover #thrifting #upcycling #upcycle #thrift store #thrifted #brand #marketing #self-empowerment #girl power #empowered women #Kelsey MacDermaid #Becky Wright #bloggers #youtubers #lifestyle #minimalism #Scandinavian #plants #midcentury modern

[skincarebeautymakeuptips]

How Indie Beauty Brands Practice Inclusivity

In this edition of Beauty Independent’s ongoing series posing questions to beauty entrepreneurs, we ask 17 brand founders and executives: What is your brand’s approach to inclusivity?

KETHLYN WHITE | COO, Coil Beauty

Our brand was created to give a face to beauty that has not always been considered beautiful. When we create graphics for our marketing, we strive to look for the nontraditional beauties because we know how important representation is to everyone, even on a subconscious level.  

One of my favorite things as an adult is to be able to watch a show like "Insecure" or "Black-ish," and say, “Oh, there’s my hairstyle for next week.” As a kid, I was trying to use the Topsy Tail and, if you remember what that is, then you, my friend, are aging gracefully. So, for me, my brand aims to be inclusive of the people who weren’t always included, and I think our website and social media pages do a good job of that. Of course, we are always trying to do more. For us, this is a marathon not a sprint.

ADA JURISTOVSKI | Co-Founder, Nala

We strive to be inclusive of forms of sexual identification, body types, cultures and race. To us, it means being mindful of representation in our brand, but also being open-minded to continually learning about how we can widen that representation. It can be something as detail-oriented as updating our copy from “women” to “womxn,” or deliberate decisions we make such as intentionally having our packaging represent body forms that are fluid, androgynous and ambiguous with the hope that anyone can identify with it and see a part of themselves within the art.

KAILEY BRADT | Founder and CEO, OWA Haircare

Inclusivity has to mean something personally to a founder and, therefore, a brand. I've always been mindful of inclusivity because I've always felt a bit on the outside. It's important to think of inclusivity with a holistic perspective. It's not just about appearance. Inclusivity goes beyond age, gender, ethnicity. I always felt judged without saying a word. As I got older, especially when I first got to college, I felt even more out of place because I was studying engineering and my appearance didn't say "engineer."

My approach to inclusivity is to look beyond the physical attributes of a person and take into consideration their experience, education, career, etc. My approach with our brand is to give real people a genuine voice. I really enjoy working with up-and-coming professionals and giving people opportunities they might not have been given otherwise. I know others who have done this for me in my career, and I wouldn't be where I am today if people didn't believe in me and present me those opportunities that challenged the norm.

RANAY ORTON | Owner, Glow by Daye

My approach of being mindful of inclusivity in my brand is to try and create multiple physical avatars of my customers. Many books and experts say to have one exact avatar, an icon or figure that represents your key demographic. Well, the reality is that, yes, you can have a go-to person in mind for key decision-making on your brand and it's positioning, but all your customers do not look alike.

People want to see some physical resemblance of themselves when they see your website, marketing and social media. As a company, we have to be conscious of that as we serve many different people with different ethnicities, hair types/textures and/or complexions, but all have the same goal of achieving healthy, thriving hair.

PAAYAL MAHAJAN | Founder, Essential Body

Inclusivity is not just a term for me. I am a brown woman who has faced a lot of discrimination while living and working in the U.S. I have faced assumptions around my background with no thought or interest in where I come from or what my heritage is. I have dealt with the blows of white privilege in the workplace and personally. I was also judged for my size for a majority of my life. I am someone who has fought and continues to fight for the rights of the marginalized and oppressed.

I am not interested in tokenism. I smell it from a mile away. You can’t fake your way into being inclusive. My authenticity and my voice are the most powerful ways for me to communicate that my brand is me, and it espouses my values and my perspective on the world. It never was, and is certainly not enough now, to do a rainbow of ethnicities in your imagery. I see brands appropriating cultures, not giving thought to messaging and imagery. None of that is for me. You can’t be mindful of inclusivity unless you fundamentally shift your mindset. This is not something businesses can phone in.

ADA POLLACEO, Alchimie Forever

We strive to be inclusive in everything we do. From the people we use in our marketing materials (fun fact: They’re all family members, team members or friends.) to the way we train our brand ambassadors, we focus on skincare concerns rather than gender, skin color or other identifiers. We don’t say, “Hey, we’re inclusive." Rather, we strive to behave in a way that makes everyone feel welcome and comfortable, and that our products were made for them.

KATONYA BREAUX | Founder, Unsun Cosmetics

As a black founder and consumer, I have firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to not be considered by companies providing skincare and makeup products. I wanted to make sure that not only women that looked like me, but women in general had the benefit and knowledge that there is a product that is made with them in mind, and not only as an afterthought. In this very inclusive environment, the companies that aren't getting on the bandwagon are the ones that are standing out.

NISHA DEARBORN | Founder and CEO, Fresh Chemistry

I teach my kids that the only difference between skin of different colors is the amount of melanin in it. As a daughter of a dermatologist, I can attest to this very simple, yet still profound truth. So, when it comes to my brand, I choose models or repost user-generated content that represents who the freshly activated serums are best suited for: all skin types and colors.

JULIE PEFFERMAN | Founder, The Lab and Co.

We have always thought about inclusivity from the customers perspective and our employee perspective. In the near future, inclusivity won't be a buzzword. Instead, it will be something every brand must do. It will be the authenticity that inclusivity is delivered that will distinguish us from the rest.  

On the employee internal side, since we are a lab, it makes sense that our one-word company philosophy is "mix," which guides us as we grow. Mix in kindness in everything you do. Mix with other kinds of people/thinkers to expand your mind and life. When something isn't working, mix it up with a new approach. There is always a way. Work hard, take pride in what you bring to the mix. Take the risk, failure is valued, speak up and mix in your ideas, and see what bubbles to the top.

On the customer side, we try to rethink target customers and find meaningful ways to include others. Our brand, Cleantan, was the first self-tanning brand to showcase full-figured models of various skin colors. We encourage people to be as tan as they want to be with our color controlling concentrate. Our brand Equal By Nature was birthed out of inclusivity, encouraging everyone to celebrate their differences. We aim to create luxurious hero products that fit into anyone's routine at a reasonable price. We call it inclusive luxury.

AMBER FAWSON | Co-Founder, Saalt

Inclusivity is a central and all-important topic in the world of period care. It is actually one of the reasons we love period care. There is something about period talk that brings people together regardless of background or belief. We all share struggles with period management. We all agree that no one should feel confused and alone about their period and their body. We all agree that we want students around the world to have period care that allows them to attend school when they are on their period.

At Saalt, we believe in being period positive and, by focusing on period positive topics, we can do some incredible things with the help of our audience. Our audience helps us break stigmas and also connects us with impact organizations who are doing incredible work around the world. Every part of our brand is about being welcoming and adding people to our tribe regardless of any variety of personal backgrounds or beliefs.

MELISSA REINKING | Chief Marketing Officer, BioClarity

We always try to stay grounded in knowing that the consumers who discover us all have different starting points and skin goals in mind. Step one to being inclusive is being individualized. If we can help people get to where they want to be by understanding their individual needs, desires and starting points, and if we can customize their experience around these attributes, not some idealized version of what we think a consumer might need, this helps us remain not only inclusive, but also very mindful of the evolving needs of those who become part of our brand.

BRANDON GARCIA | Co-Founder, Mira

My co-founder Jay Hack and I wanted to ensure that anyone, no matter who they are, what they look like or what their interests are is able to find what works best for them. The incredible diversity of beauty consumers has driven not only the increased fragmentation of beauty products and trends in the industry, but also the heightened demands for personalization.

Diversity and inclusivity are not only baked into our very core, but they are also the primary factors driving the need for a platform like this. We've worked hard to build an expansive data catalog of over 60,000 products and millions of reviews and videos that can be leveraged to help consumers from all walks of life find what works for them.

In the long term, we hope that it becomes a platform for beauty brands, content creators, and consumers to engage in authentic, meaningful conversation. By doing so, we seek to help advance the industry in co-developing products that best speak to the amazingly diverse individuals that comprise the beauty community.

RENAE MOOMJIAN | Founder and CEO, NipLips

We are vocal in all touch points with our community that everyone is welcome. Whether it is a photoshoot, new brand ambassador or activity, we are continually looking for ways to bring diversity in race, ethnic background, religion, sexual preference, sexual indentification, age, size (large to small and everything in between) into our brand.

Our company tag line is “Beautiful, Authentic You!” and our goal is to help people look within to define not only their unique beauty, but who they really are at their core. So, for example, by using our app, doing a color scan of your nipples, and matching to one of our vegan, organic, lip colors, you are using your body to define what looks good on you rather than social media or celebrities. True beauty and inclusivity starts with embracing your uniqueness and, then, sharing it with the world. We work very hard to promote that message.

FEISAL QURESHI | Founder, Raincry

My personal view is that beauty is not real, it doesn't exist. It's all perspective. That perspective evolves, changes and means different things to different people at different times in our lives. Just look at the 80s. We looked ridiculous, but were full of confidence.

So, beauty is not about the things we buy or how we look, but rather how that thing makes us feel when we wear it, use it or experience it. Therefore, beauty is about emotions and, as a beauty brand, you become a custodian of those emotions to help better people's lives.

KRISTEN BOWEN | Founder & CEO, Living The Good Life Naturally

My entire life I have been on a diet or searching for the perfect diet. I just wanted to be skinny and equated that with being healthy. I will never forget the day that I was sitting in my wheelchair feeling pretty sorry for myself and wondering if I would ever feel good again. A friend walked up and asked me how I was doing. Instead of the usual, “Oh, I am fine,” I answered her honestly. “I am so tired of being sick and having seizures and stressing my family out.”

She looked at me and said something that would shatter and change the course of what I was searching for when it came to my health. She patted my leg after I told her how tired I was and replied, “But Kristen, at least you are skinny.” I had achieved my lifelong dream of being skinny, but it was not what I wanted. I wanted vibrant energy.

Now, when clients start to work with me, I ask them to write out what healthy looks like to them. That way they have a specific goal in mind of what they are wanting to create. Because of that one exchange, we make sure to include all body types in our marketing. Being healthy is so much more than being skinny.

JEAN BAIK | Founder and Creative Chief Officer, Miss A

One of our biggest missions as a business is to #justhavefun with makeup and beauty. So, we always offer as many shades as possible and offer products that would work for a young teen all the way into late adulthood.

JASMIN EL KORDI | CEO, Bluelene

Cellular health is gender, age and ethnicity neutral, and our brand reflects that philosophy. We ensure that our packaging and messaging appeal to a wide human audience, and that we incorporate that variety into the imagery we use.

Source: Beauty Independent  

#beauty #cosmetics #makeup #beauty industry #beauty brands #skincare #inclusivity #makeup lovers #beauty lovers #entrepreneur

[formerlyrunephoenix6769]

I was asked and ask, and in my flu causing feverish state, I deleted it. So if you’re out there and recognize this question (and I’m paraphrasing) please reblog and @ me. 

So If i remember, the question was along the lines of 

“Why isnt there huge amounts of stuff, for shows like She -Ra and TDP, are they not as popular?” 

Lets go for a ride...

I think the reason why we dont get the same amount of content generated for shows such as The Dragon Prince and She-ra, say in comparison to shows like RWBY. 

And by content, I mean, theories, memes, art and in depth analysis, boils down to 3 things.

1) Time to Generate.

Both The Dragon Prince and She-Ra have only recently dropped their first season. Now both have their second season coming rather swiftly, esp in the case of The Dragon Prince. Season 2 is dropping tomorrow: Feb 15 2019 over on Netflix. 

She-Ra’s is set to be released April 26th 2019, again on Netflix. 

The Dragon Prince S1 was released on Sept 14th 2018, and She-Ra: Princesses of Power, Nov, 13th 2018. 

In TDP case, that is a 5 month and 1 day turn around and SPOP, 5 months and 13 days turn around. 

It is rather unheard of for an animation to have their Second season be ready in under 6 months. Usually it is anywhere from 10 months minimum to a year or in some cases, even longer. 

I put this down to the success of the two series and how the audience received them, and Netflix wishing to capitalize on it, and the hype generated. 

Lets just hope that the both properties dont feel rushed as a result. 

So with such little time, and a very short hiatus in terms of tv shows, (which is when most of fandom generated content tends to be created), that gives very little time for their respective fandoms to leave their senses and devolve into some sort of animeesque Lord of the Flies in a matter of weeks, in a bid to cope.

(RWBY FNDM, I’m looking at you with your ‘Beehaw’s’ and YORSE, and ‘Scheehaw’s’. I still cant believe you made Arryn read that with her own eyes!!) 

(You can tumblr search Yorse yourself, I aint making anyone look at that cursed image without their consent. You’ve been warned! ;p @hammertime-rwby  i shake my head in your general direction... ;D ) 

Time to generate can also be reflected in how long a show has been on air, thereby garnering a wider and much larger fanbase with a broader set of creative skills, which in turn results in more fandom content generated, esp if there is the potential of shipping. 

And bloody hell does SPOP have some crazy potential on the shipping front, 

2) Time to Mature and Fandom Engagement. 

As a show matures and the audience leans learn more about the characters and the world that they inhabit, the nature of fandom created content evolves. It also depends on the verve of the show itself. 

The way in which a show is presented, the topics and themes they cover, the way the characters and the world are presented, can vicariously dictate how the fandom engages with the property, go forth and multiply.

For example:

Sherlock is very meme worthy and that tends to be reflected in the content that is generated by the Sherlockians. 

RWBY has been out for 6 volumes and has a very dedicated and passionate FNDM, but it is also broad, large and incredibly diverse.

 It is also rather vocal and has very strong differing opinions from one end of the spectrum to the other, which in turn creates YT reviews, reactions and rebuttals and heated retorts. 

These polarising pov’s can then go on to permeate to other branches of social media, such as twitter, tumblr, discord etc etc 

Same with fandom accepted headcanons and lore... 

(I’m still on the fence about you Renora Rodeo Round up... You’re on thin ice! ;p ) 

But it has taken a number of years to cultivate. 

Neither The Dragon Prince or She-Ra has had the time to do that, yet! 

But I’m certain that will change in the coming future. 

 She-Ra has already generated quite the buzz on both the positive and negative sides, due to being based on a much loved, older, property, ‘She-Ra 1985′, but that is a mine field which I covered on my previous blog before some asshat decided to axe it. 

Also, the themes that Netflix She-Ra seems to be covering, which helped generate a lot of the negative backlash towards the show, will most definitely continue to be polarizing... So I would keep an eye out if YT and people picking stuff apart is your jam. 

On the other side, what SPOP seems to be trying to deliver will also generate lots of awesome content. Just look at how this took off,

“Hey Adora” 

And this cinnamon roll’s preoccupation with ‘force captain orientation’,

The Dragon Prince strikes me as a show that would generate deep reflective analysis of world and characters as well as theories, much like its older cousin, Avatar Last Airbender, once there is more to comb over and speculate on.

These two shows are presented differently and they way they are tackling certain themes in their respective narratives are also vastly different, which could also have a lot to do with their respective target audience and intended demographic,  so it stands to reason that the results of fandom generated content would be different. 

3) Platform and Format. 

This I believe is one of the most important aspects which ties the previous points above.

If a property is delivered week by week, such as RWBY, there is time, for the FNDM, after they make amazing screen shots and insta analysis and excited speculations, to go over it again and allow the episode to sink in. 

(which both TDP and SPOP could do, as they have episodic episodes but that is an entirely different post)

There is time for the fans to go sit back and react to what they have seen, whether that is creating beautiful fan art, crafting in depth theories, character analysis, extrapolate potential world building. 

A week by week delivery culminates in an emotional impact that is allowed to foster and grow, thereby gives space and time for the individual to go off and create content for their respective fandom. 

Fanart takes time, fics take time. 

The not knowing what could happen next opens up the avenues of thought out speculations. 

Having a week to go over everything to that point and process new info. Being able to take your time to research and prep before you put it out there, results in good, in depth analysis and well crafted work. 

Time gives breeding ground.

(Some wait years for lore.. Overwatch fandom, I dont know how we do it! But we all cant be Tracer!) 

Because, we are so salivating at the the mouth for insta gratification and ‘binge’ culture has become so prevalent where media is concerned. 

When a property is delivered all at once, it gives no breathing space for speculation and wild theories.

For a particular scene or interaction between characters to have an emotional impact and thereby create emotionally significant fan art, that is reblogged and shared in that moment, give it time to resonate with its respective fandoms.

And there for have time for other members of the fandom to be inspired to go off and create their own stuff in what ever medium is their forte. 

Because we are on this fast paced ride, not only from the start of the chapter 1 to end of the first ‘book’, so to speak, but also the social media need to be the first to create the content for the fandom, the type of content generated, how and why, is hugely different and may not at first glance look like it is forth coming.. 

It just takes time to sink in.. To go back through and re-evaluate. 

Being inspired by a particular interaction between two characters , or a certain facet of the world that an fan may have noticed and wishes to expand on, art wise, fic wish or theroise, loses its validity when you know that the next episode could answer your burning questions in less than 5 seconds. 

And so you stave off for the dreaded nine episode when your eye balls are nearly gumming together and you know you have work in 4 hours but you need answers to the burning questions.. 

and so results.

This is not the content creators fault, in anyway. This is quite literally the way in which it is delivered. 

Its is pretty much, 

II) However, in Conclusion 

The perceived lack of fandom interaction/generated content, in the social media platforms that a fan chooses to  consume, or is available to them, does not mean that a show isn't popular. 

The ties to previous projects, such as SPOP to She-Ra 1985  and The Dragon Prince to Avatar Last Airbender are vastly different. 

Expectations are vastly different.

 Fandom interaction and generation of fandom content, is not a measure made of how popular a show is.  

Also, politely, remember the demographic of which these shows are aimed at. 

Be respectful of the show creators, the property, the characters and the narrative that the show creators have painstakingly crafted and put out into the world. 

The story that they want to tell. 

Again, 

 a reminder, 

Tomorrow, 15th Feb 2019 , Season 2 of The Dragon Prince. 

(im gonna go back into my fluey coma now)

#rwby #tdp #spop #fandom ask #the dragon prince #she ra princess of power #rayla #callum #claudia #adora #catra #scorpia #fandom analysis #fandometric #atlab #avatar the last airbender #beehaw #yorse #renora rodeo round up #schneehaw #overwatch #wriblr #fandometrics

[thebuzrushcommunitylove]

30 Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Website

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Get more info visit BuzRush

[theenthusiasticblogger]

BLOG

Alex’s Enthusiastic Blogging  Peer Profile

Who are you?

Hi I am Nik and am currently studying Prof Comm at RMIT.

Why are you here?

I chose prof comm because it was the only subject that combines the various disciplines of communication into one course. It will allow me to choose and experience which aspects of communication I want to pursue in the future. Right now I am most interested in the advertising and marketing aspect of prof comm. I have no experience yet, however I hope to get into a couple internships over the summer.

What are your expectations for the course?

Well, I think that it will help me narrow the type of communication I want to pursue as a career. I am preparing to go into advertising as a major for year two, so I am hoping that it will be exciting and will help me learn lots.

What sort of career do you imagine?

I want to be head of marketing or advertising for a fashion brand.

What is something unique about you?

I hate Guzman Y Gomez for no reason. I have over 2000 hours on League of Legends. 

Power of Belief

‘The Power of Belief’ is an interesting reflection on how humans can achieve success. Eduardo cites Waitzkan who was a successful chess player who turned from that to martial arts, he highlights that what allowed such a dramatic change and success in such a ne medium was that he did not feel “special” or like “a prodigy” which let him be fresh in the face of a new challenge to master. In my opinion I believe that while humility is good, having a strong mental perception of yourself is integral to achieving your goals, especially in the face of adversity. In David Ly’s article “Tips on how to use your ego” he outlines how people can use their ego to face fears. Thus while you should still be open and accept criticisms it is often self doubt that results in someone failing, rather than a hubris. Eduardo explores the idea of a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. While he highlights the clear differences between these concepts, he fails to understand that a dualistic perception of a mind is not useful as a blanket concept on all humans will never work. However if you combine these concepts into a more well rounded ideology I believe it will result in a greater success rate. Eduardo goes on to explain that providing praise to kids will only make them fearful of challenges. Personally I find this completely wrong, in my experience validation makes me want to keep the same level of success and results in me trying harder. In an article written in the Australian Parenting Website, it is stated that giving “praise to kids” will “nurture self-esteem”. Thus while I agree with some points from Eduardo’s lecture, largely I believe his ideas are flaws as they are monolithic in nature and in applicable to each person.

The Future of Media and Communication 

The rapid emergence of social media has allowed for people to develop an online brand. If you use social media you have a brand whether you know of it or not. By creating a profile, letting people know your likes, letting people into your “personality” through music tastes and photos, you are painting a picture. In an article written by Katarzyna Szymielewicz she describes this picture as a “caricature” which envelops one's identity on the online realm. While it may see incredibly superficialI I for one enjoy the fact that I can “curate an identity”. However there are inherent risks with this, one being you are not really that person (as much as you would like to be) and people expect you to act the way your online persona does. People who use social media and their brand as a way to create a monetary source must consistently uphold a fake profile online and in real life. This can only lead to issues to mental health with the need to be someone you are not. In an article written by Mark Millian he highlights that online personas are rarely matched in real life. He also explores the psychology behind validation online through likes and followers. All of his findings exemplify how people often have to lives, one offline and one online, and often this can lead to people becoming incredibly self-conscious that they adhere to their own online creation. 

Josh Stearns Projects 

“How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight the Power” is an article written by Bijan Stephen which attempts to highlight the way social justice movements, particularly the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement which has sprung from the recent injustices committed by white police officers, have utilised communication throughout the years. In contrast “Greenland is Melting Away” the piece written by Coral Davenport writes about how Greenland is slowly decaying due to climate change. Davenport attempts to convey the immediacy of the issue through using various primary sources and quotes from scientists as well as scientific papers. Similarly to this Stephen uses primary sources and statistics to persuade viewers of the way in which  social media helps to garner a greater amount of attention to such issues. This is paralleled in Davenports article who explains how social media has been able to contextualise the issue for audiences who are less familiar with the issue. In an article written by Divikah Khandelwal she explains how social media has expanded and revolutionised the way social justice and awareness campaigns are conducted. Thus it is evident that while Stephen and Davenport have different subject matters and are not both social justice explicitly (apart from Stephens) it is the “marriage of social media and justice” that connects both articles and issues together. However they both pretain in their audiences, as both articles are targeted towards those who care about world wide issues and the concept of morality, whether it be towards people or to the environment. 

Why I am passionate about advertising

To me I find advertising fascinating as it pertains to how we, as a society based species, reflect upon stimulus from brands. In each century, decade, and even year the way advertising evolved is radical and always reflective of how society at the time operates. Recently their has been a surge in ‘Brand Activism’ which is a relatively new term. The 2010’s has seen globalisation and social media in particular expand exponentially, this has allowed for people to become more aware of current events and issues that they become invested in. In a paper written by Jen Barrel it is stated that brand activism has increased by 63% this year. This reflects how advertising is an ever evolving industry and is able to identify with the current ‘wave’ effecting society. Another recent advancement in Advertising which intrigues me is the use of Data in targeting specific ads to specific people. Previously this would be found through suburb targeting or traditional demographic analysiation in specific areas. In a paper written by Joseph Clift he explains how “data can be programmed” at will, and is able to target people down to their personal habits and tendencies. Such specific and detailed profile of individuals allows advertising to be incredibly more effective and efficient. Firms can now target car ads to people who are specifically thinking and talking about purchasing a car. This is in contrast to the “blanket” technique used in things like TV ads (despite being able to choose the channel and time). 

Research and Ethics, when is the line crossed?

Last century information was controlled by few, it was let out through specific streams, individuals could not be respected as real and trustworthy sources of information whether it be scientific or other. In the every expanding process of globalisation and the incredible rise of the Internet, information has become diluted, and any person with a following can become a figurehead for an issue even if they have no credentials or sources for their findings. In a paper written for the University of Hull it is stated that verified papers and books are often the most trustworthy source of information in this age. However at times even these mediums can be false, this has been exemplified in the 1998 case of a paper published in a respected medical journal ‘Lancet’, where Andrew Wakefield created false data to support his claim. This paper has led to an increasing trend of anti-vax sentiment which is dangerous and wrong. Thus the ethics of such things must be questioned, we may consider the morality of posting such papers and the outcomes they have caused, Wakefield may have taken the utilitarianism approach, where his work would have caused a greater amount of questioning to what we are injected with my medical professionals. However it remains that the data was false. This leads us to a greater and more current issue, with the availability of social media, the concept of validity of someone often comes from their follower base, as such those with high amounts of followers are usually trusted, often by impressionable teenagers. In an article written in the Crunch it is stated that “Followers do not trump all, and followers do not equal credibility.” which highlights the issue nowadays, that anyone with a large following can project information to an impressionable audience, which is in fact false and often harmful to their following. 

What is News?

‘News’ as a concept is one that is hard to define, especially with the sudden and galvanising rise of social media and the drastic shift from news media being spread through physical and now through the medium of the online realm. Stephen Lamble states that news is “in the eye of the beholder” which is an interesting perspective on the way people nowadays can ‘perceive’ news. However it may be argued that Lamble’s hypothesis highlights a large issue, this being that by this logic anything can be news (news is perceived as inherently factual), which means people can present false ideas and information and create misinformation in society. This phenomenon is becoming known as “Fake News”. Thus is news really a mirror to society, or are journalists “gatekeepers” to successful democracies, and this is the problem, the news is not as simple as it was last century, and the indefinability of it allows any writings to be upheld as newsworthy. Therefore the traditional way of determining what is news has shifted to it being whatever society deems to be valuable information. This is problematic as people like Donald Trump who is in a position of authority, and his word is respected and taken as fact by millions, has often shared sources of news that have proven to be false. With information that is false being spread through channels of authority, the people are being misinformed. News in my opinion serves one purpose, this is to inform people of facts and opinions (each must be labeled explicitly), everything else, clickbait titles, random articles about surgery being performed on a grape, these are not news, these are ‘Stories’. The differentiation between the two is blurred and has led to a mountain of so called “news” being spread. In this respect I disagree with Lambles paper which outlines how news had been spread by “cavemen talking to one another about events”, to me such things are stories, but they cannot be news, and defining this is incredibly important in an age where we are drowning in information. 

Pepsi’s Amazingly Bad PR Campaign

In 2017 Pepsi released an advertising campaign that sought to “to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding," through using the stage of a protest to highlight how Pepsi brings people together. It was aimed to engage the political youth of today, this was done clearly through images of young protesters, and their poster child for the ad, Kendall Jenner, who seems to be there young adult of choice for this ad. This ad was pulled 24 hours after its release due to the tremendous amount of critics and social media outrage. This campaign was the definition of an out of touch administration. Pepsi naivety was their failure to realise the awareness and seriousness of the real protests and issues going on in the world. The new trend of Brand Activism has become so widespread, and is often to transparently for profit. Pepsi fell with the others who have tried brand activism, with their “join the conversation” slogan which was so surface level and inoffensive to any part. Social Media could see that they were merely trying to capitalise on the rise in protests, rather than taking a stand for anything. The real failure here was that Pepsi tried to hard to be relevant, by hiring a Kendall and trivialising a protest, their team behind the ad failed to realise that people can have their say online, and that by taking a risk on the topic of the ad, they fall to the mercy of the online stampede that happens whenever a brand is called out.   

Design Thinking

Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test and is most useful when you want to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. This is design thinking, a process in which you are able to solve complex problems by diluting them into 5 separate solution methods. I think it is especially good for today as it allows for firms and people to react upon the rapid changes in society and the environment. The design thinking process has become increasingly popular over the last few decades because it was key to the success of many high-profile, global organizations companies such as Google, Apple and Airbnb who have wielded it to notable effect, for example. This outside the box thinking is now taught at leading universities across the world and is encouraged at every level of business. For university projects it is a perfect introduction into how firms develop and establish their brand portfolios and projects.

Interdisciplinary 

Last century it was enough for someone to be an advertising agent, or a PR person, it was simple times. Nowadays professionals must adapt to the ever changing and often erratic atmosphere of societal trends. In terms of the purpose of what these professionals now do, the plane has changed dramatically, we are needed to perform in multiple fields across communication to successfully and genuinely engage with the audience. Thus the purpose of each fold of communications (Advertising, marketing etc) has melded into one and we want to do this to achieve a holistic perception on engaging audiences. However at times this may mean that our skills are too spread out and not focused on a single discipline. However I would argue that there is no one discipline, advertising is PR, marketing is journalism, and vice versa. This is the context we live in, which is why it is needed to learn and know about all communication strategies, today's landscape is described by Russel Howcroft, a reporter at Sydney Morning Herald, “as a marriage of creative and commercial content”. The two have become indistinguishable and the message of today’s communication has suffered as a result of it. It is harder and harder to get a message out to the masses, and for it to be successful is a whole other issue. By having awareness of each realm of communication we have a better chance of reaching people, by encapsulating each medium that people engage with media and communications, we can wade through the mess and fluff. Especially when the message is not just a price, and rather a story, trying to tell it is incredibly hard. A combination of journalism and advertising may be suitable in this case, as brands cannot simply be price tags anymore, they have to be constantly engaging entities who are fresh and relevant, or they fall into the chasm of repetition and failure, e.g Blockbusters. 

References

Canvas.hull.ac.uk. (2019). Determining Source Reliability: Being Critical. [online] Available at: https://canvas.hull.ac.uk/courses/611/pages/determining-source-reliability [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Howcroft, R. (2019). Journalism and advertising - a marriage of convenience necessary for both. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/business/journalism-and-advertising--a-marriage-of-convenience-necessary-for-both-20081205-6sir.html [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2019/01/18/the-marriage-of-social-media-and-social-justice/. (2019). [online] Available at: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2019/01/18/the-marriage-of-social-media-and-social-justice/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Khim, D. (2019). 6 Tips on How to Use Ego to Your Advantage. [online] The UP Lab. Available at: https://theuplab.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/ego-use-to-your-advantage/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Phys.org. (2019). Online personas rarely match real-life behavior, observers say. [online] Available at: https://phys.org/news/2010-05-online-personas-rarely-real-life-behavior.html [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Raising Children Network. (2019). Praise, encouragement and rewards. [online] Available at: https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/connecting-communicating/connecting/praise [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Rmit.instructure.com. (2019). MyApps Portal. [online] Available at: https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/70878/files/9793959/download?wrap=1 [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Szymielewicz, K. (2019). Your digital identity has three layers, and you can only protect one of them. [online] Quartz. Available at: https://qz.com/1525661/your-digital-identity-has-three-layers-and-you-can-only-protect-one-of-them/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

The Sydney Morning Herald. (2019). Pepsi pulls Kendall Jenner protest advertisement after mockery and backlash. [online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/pepsi-pulls-kendall-jenner-protest-advertisement-after-mockery-and-backlash-20170406-gvenhi.html [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

West, T. (2019). Credibility, Trust and Authenticity in Influencer Marketing. [online] Scrunch.com. Available at: https://www.scrunch.com/blog/credibility-trust-authenticity [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

Link to the Media for the blogs which could not be added to the tumblr

[mom-tings]

Let’s talk about books, baby! Let’s talk about A-Z! Let’s talk about all the good reads and the bad reads that may be!

This is a genuine question, so please, my fellow caregivers, help me out. Are bedtime stories still a thing? Do people still go to Chapters? Are physical books gonna be a thing of the past by the time I have grandchildren? Should I be preserving my novels to pawn them when I get old? 

The reason why I have come to you in such a frantic manner is because, although I haven’t totally forgotten, I realized that reading is kinda super important… especially for children. This “revelation” (if you can even call it that) comes after having read the article “Take a Look: An Oral History of Reading Rainbow” by: Jake Rossen. In the article, Rossen talks about Reading Rainbow, which was a television show aired during the summer months which encouraged kids to read. The argument here is that during summer break, kids lose some of their reading comprehension skills, which consequently makes teachers readjust their schedules in September to fill in the gaps. The show featured a host, LeVar Burton, who read children’s books aloud and expanded on the themes mentioned in the stories. The show first aired in 1983, and was broadcast until 2009. It began, as mentioned, due to the fact that children were losing literacy skills over the summer, distracted by warm weather and televisions. My argument, somewhat aligning with that of Rossen’s, is that while an initiative such as Reading Rainbow is needed now more than ever, similar endeavours exist, just in different forms. Thus, the quotation that stood out for me the most in the text was quite a simple one, which is, “I don’t think enough children’s programming has followed Reading Rainbow’s lead. There is nothing more important in education than reading. We must continue to make it foundational to the educational process (Rossen, 2017).”

While I agree with Rossen in that there is not enough children’s  programming following in Reading Rainbow’s legacy, I do think other media forms have followed suit. As mentioned, Reading Rainbow stopped broadcasting in 2009, and since then, it’s my belief that a technology other than televisions has since become the primary authority of children’s media: portable tablets. With that in mind, I personally think that while children’s media does not ‘romanticize’ books like Reading Rainbow did, there are many other ways in which children still practice literacy skills. An example of this would be reading-based games. 

There are hundreds of websites, games, and other applications that focus on reading and literacy for a variety of ages. For example, PBS kids has a huge selection of reading games on their website, such as “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum - Xavier Story Creator.” As part of the scientific research I love to do here on my blog, I played the game. 

Screenshot of Xavier’s Story Creator taken by me. 

The game begins by asking you to click the picture of a famous author, such as Charles Dickens, in order to create a story similar to one of theirs. There are animated characters on the screen, who discuss what the author’s style was like. They emphasized Dickens’ use of imagination. From there, the characters disappear, and children are left to complete a story in an ad-libs fashion. To do this, however, the children must read the prompt at the bottom of the screen. 

Screenshot of Xavier’s Story Creator taken by me. 

At the end of the game, children can read the full story they produced and then select a different author’s style to try out. Although I am about 17 years older than the target demographic for this game, I must say it was actually quite enjoyable! I’m sure your little ones would agree.  

While I know not all games marketed towards children are as ‘sophisticated’ as this one, these types of games are not difficult to find. As caregivers, we know that children spend much of their free time on devices such as tablets, and it only takes a couple seconds to search ‘reading games’ in an app store. So, if you are like Rossen and are terrified that children aren’t reading books anymore, just know that doesn’t mean they aren’t reading at all. Obviously, books do offer benefits that mobile games lack, but I think it is a disservice to say that children are not reading at all. Rather, I would remove the emphasis on children’s programming specifically, and respond to Rossen by saying: “Children will read if reading is made to be fun, regardless of the media platform.” 

That being said, I don’t think you can go wrong with a classic bedtime story… they’re seriously soothing! 

P.S. Wanna play the game? Here’s the link!

https://pbskids.org/xavier/games/xavier-story-creator

References

Rossen, J. (2017, May 19). Take a Look: An Oral History of Reading Rainbow. Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/93884/take-look-oral-history-reading-rainbow