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ig-fmp25 · 4 months ago

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03.03.2025 (Week one) - Day one of working on my game

(This is technically week three according to my project proposal, but this is my first actual week working on my game so I'll be counting from here onwards.)

Weekly Goals (From Timetable I wrote beforehand):

Continue concept art and begin to start 3D modelling in Maya the basics of the level.

With feedback from others to make changes if needed on layout/overall initial design.

Daily goals:

Beginning to make walls and test out corner variants

Adding colours to walls to test out which pallet works best

Making pipes and test out different styles

I started my week in Maya as I will be doing so for the rest of the week with beginning to model my walls.

I began by making a mood board of what I wanted my walls to look like so I had a general idea of what I wanted for my game rather than just going in blindly.

I ended up making two mood boards due to wanting to make pipes in my walls as an added decoration.

From my walls mood board I really like the look of the bottom of the wall slightly juddering out with panels on it for more detail, so I want to try to recreate that look for my game's walls.

For the pipes I like the sort of very prominent sticking out pipe rather than it being flush with the wall as I want the pipes to be seen. If I have time I want to add a jumpscare within my game of where a pipe bursts and gas comes out in the players path when walking, so having the pipes already being out makes it easier to make that possible later on.

With my pipes I want to make it so that there's variations rather than just being a bunch of copy paste ones, so I looked at a variety ranging from larger pipes to smaller pipes, but I'll make those after my walls.

For all my research in my project I decided since I did do quite a bit of in depth research initially into my Space & Horror theme that I'd do my now research as I go along as my ideas are most likely to change throughout the project, so with each thing I'm making I'll research into that more before making it to show my ideas more thoroughly.

With this in mind I decided to look into a variety of games different hallways that're in space ships to get an idea of what I wanted to achieve on top of making my mood boards previously.

For this I began by looking at Alien Isolations hallways due to that game being my main games premise and major inspiration.

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For this I watched Markipliers first gameplay video on it and skipped through parts it to where he's in the hallways so I could see how they're designed.

I really sort of like the almost pentagon styled shape that the game went for as it makes it feel more enclosed and cramped when you're walking through the hallways, so for my game I want to try and recreate that as it adds a layer of almost claustrophobia to the game.

Next I looked into Kubz Scouts gameplay video of Mouthwashing due this game also having really good space ship hallways. This one is more of a retro low poly game which is something I'm trying to recreate so looking at this game was really useful.

The hallways within the game are once again more narrow and angled, but it just features that different art style than alien isolation which is what I want my game to look like aesthetically.

The pipes in the hallways of Mouthwashing were really good to look at too as there's a wide variety of them throughout the game and it adds to that old theme/vibe. The game also features some pipes that slightly stick out more than others which was a good reference to look at.

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After looking into walls from my mood boards and other games I then began to make my walls and started with just a flat basic wall as it was easier to start there.

With the wall I added a lot of sticking out buttons/panels for more depth and decoration. Afterward I then began by making the basic of my corner wall.

I then made my pipes and decided to sort of keep with my blocky style like how my walls are so they match.

After I finished making my basic straight wall and slant med walls I then moved onto starting to add colour to them as I didn't want them to just be plain and boring.

For my walls I used a variety of light greys and darker greys to add more depth into my design. For my pipes I also used a grey colour pallet but kept it lighter due to it then not blending into the wall any more than it would potentially do.

After colouring the walls I then decided to add a vent to one of my walls that I can copy and paste freely over my map as I plan to use the vents as a jumpscare too with potentially the monster/alien coming out of it at one point in the game.

With making the walls I then moved onto starting to design the wall, which I made as a long rectangle with some slightly elevated points on it so that it has more detail rather than just being a plain flat colour.

Final notes of the day:

With the first day done I think I've been able to make quite a bit for my game and I'm pleased with what I've got accomplished so far just on day one alone.

Tomorrow I'll continue to work on my map in Maya to try and get as much done as possible, as that is the weekly goal I set for myself to do.

#Development #reflection #research

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idyl-hummingbird · 2 years ago

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What Happened to Heartbeats?

Well, so. Here we are. Nearly 5 years since I first started Heartbeats, and almost 1 year since the last chapter was posted. How did we get here? It may surprise you, but I actually have an answer. Or several, really. It's more than one thing, as life is never that simple. Some I never predicted, but one large thing that I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't know about it from the very beginning, a thing that I hoped by ignoring it would make it go away (spoiler: it didn't). So, let's talk about it:

Part 1: Life changes

Ironically this part in my mind falls under the "things I never predicted" category. Which is silly, of course I knew my life would change; I just didn't foresee the ways it would affect my fic writing.

To understand what happened with Heartbeats, I need to step further back for comparison. I need to talk about Just Hold On. My predecessor to Heartbeats, my first multi-chaptered, poly ot7, fantasy themed fic. My magnum opus, to be perfectly honest; in my view of my small little corner of this gigantic fandom, I believe it is what I'm most known for. And I'm perfectly happy with that. I'm proud of that fic; if it was my peak, it was a pretty darn good one.

But why bring up Just Hold On when this is about Heartbeats? Because of this single fact: I uploaded a new chapter of that fic on a weekly basis until it was complete. Weekly. I recall that in amazement sometimes, marveling at how I possibly could do that--

But then I remember that I know exactly how.

I was in grad school when I wrote JHO. A time that I often cite as frankly the worst years of my life. I lived in an isolated town, far away from friends and family. I was struggling with my identity, what I wanted to do with my life, who I wanted to be. I had an extremely minimal social life. Outside of working on my degree and my role as a TA, I spent a majority of my time alone. And a lot of that time, I spent writing.

But, as BTS reference in Spring Day, my winter didn't last forever. I graduated with my masters, left that small town, and shortly after, I started writing Heartbeats.

For as self-important as this post is coming across, I'm actually not here to share my life story with you. But just know that in the years between finishing grad school to now, the years of Heartbeats' creation, I have faced the most change I've ever encountered in my life. I became an adult. I've had multiple full time jobs, lived in different cities and states. I met the love of my life and we're getting married next month. I'm far happier and fulfilled now than I was sitting alone at grad school.

Do I miss having that level of efficiency, that amount of time to just write for hours on end? Sometimes, yeah, I honestly do. But I'd never want to go back to the life I had that gave me that time, and I think that's part of facing adulthood. Things change, priorities shift. It's neither good nor bad, it just--is. (And it's worth noting that I do still find time to write, even if it is more limited. So then where're the Heartbeats chapters? Where have you been? Well, I said it was more than one thing. The next, I really didn't see coming...)

Part 2: Oops I joined another fandom

Yeah, this one blindsided me too. Had I always casually enjoyed the show Stranger Things? Yes. Had I always been exceptionally fond of the character Steve Harrington? Yes. I'm a lesbian, so I love a good himbo; it's just nature. Did I anticipate that season 4 would introduce another male character that would allow Steve to interact with the first ever guy his age in the show that didn't want to punch him in the face, and that would subsequently lead to an ideal character to ship him with? Of course not! But it happened and something clicked in my brain and next thing you know I'm writing about Steve and Eddie instead of Jimin and Yoongi. I don't know, man. This one really stumps me, too, but I think if I really deep dive into it, the truth is that I was burnt out on BTS content. I'd been writing them for years, it became routine. Steddie was refreshing; it was new and exciting and allowed me to try new things that didn't fit as well with BTS.

I think it was an unfortunate combination. More fandoms with less time to write has meant that I need to pick and choose, and I've picked what I've been excited about--for the past 6 months, that's been steddie. I've really enjoyed writing them, and it'd be a lie to claim I won't want to write more of them in the future. But I also want to write more BTS, and my excitement has started to shift back to them. I think this waxing and waning is just something new I'll have to learn to navigate in my fic writing and fandom interests.

Part 3: The Truth

Okay, I've stalled long enough. Here's the truth, the thing I knew from the beginning of Heartbeats' inception, that I tried to ignore and hoped would solve itself but never has. The probably number one reason why I have not been able to finish it:

When I started this fic, I did not know how it was going to end.

Okay, wait, let's pump the brakes. It's more complicated than that. Let me explain:

I saw a comic the other week that was actually the inspiration for me wanting to make this post.

It's of a stick figure looking over at the other side of a cliff, with a huge chasm between them. The chasm is labeled "the plot" and the other side of the cliff is labeled "that one specific scene I really want to write."

As someone who struggles with plot, I relate to that comic a lot, just in general. But if I apply Heartbeats to that comic, a heartbreaking truth reveals the biggest answer to my radio silence, my lack of updates:

For heartbeats, that "one specific scene I really want to write"? I've already written it.

When I first conceived the idea of Heartbeats, there were a few scenes I was really excited about: the swinging bandit trying to kidnap Jin, Jin saving Hobi's life, Tae growing his wings back. But there was one part of that fic that kept me going, that I was so fucking hyped to write that I couldn't wait to get there:

Namseokkook in the siren domain. Jungkook going back to face the sirens, namseok learning of Jungkook's past, JK getting the key and the three of them narrowly escaping. Writing those chapters was my big moment.

The chapters that followed, I could stall. I had decent enough ideas for the other keys that I made it work, and once they were all back at the safehouse, it was a good time to pause from the action. To sprinkle in some fluff and hurt/comfort, my bread and butter.

But then what? The part of the plot I was most excited for was done, yet there's still a whole world for them to save, an even bigger villain for them to defeat.

I think every writer has their own process. Personally, it's not unusual for me to only have a vague idea of a plot, and not have the exact ending in mind; it's why this fact didn't stop me from starting to write Heartbeats in the first place.

Going back to JHO again, I didn't really know how I'd end that one either beyond a vague idea. But I pushed through and made it work--that's what I initially thought would happen with Heartbeats. That's why I kept writing and ignored the problem.

I brainstormed, and I still do. I knew about Ren's big reveal from the very beginning, which is why I was able to write the last two chapters. I know generally how I want the fic to end and I have an idea for its epilogue. The problem is, I just don't have a clear picture on how to get us there.

And now with 5 years passed, with people waiting, there's pressure. I think in the climatic chapter of JHO, you can go back and see in the ANs that I was unsure if the plot would be disappointing. To this day I genuinely do think it's a bit underwhelming. But it works, and since I was in such a rhythm of writing back then, I accepted it was the best I could do, and I posted it.

Not to mention, the stakes in the two stories are quite different. JHO is about seven boys and a girl they found. Heartbeats is about the fate of the whole world--talk about stakes! I think that also adds to the pressure. With so much on the line, can it really be resolved so swiftly? It might have to be, if that's all I've got in me.

Years have gone by, and even if the words aren't on paper yet, I have been mentally working on it. I can, and will, come up with an ending to Heartbeats. I probably will find it underwhelming, and that makes it difficult to start putting the words to paper. But it deserves an end, and maybe even one that's not as bad as I fear. People love JHO not because of the climax, but because of the characters and the world building. I think that's why people love Heartbeats, too. I need to remember that, and I need to just keep writing, in the smaller increments of time I have, when I'm excited to do so. It'll probably still be awhile, but maybe 2023 is the year I finally finish Heartbeats.

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hpdaddyfest · 6 years ago

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Welcome to the third HP Daddy Fest, for all your Daddy/Mummy kink needs!

HP Daddy Fest is a multi-ship, anon-posting, prompt-based kink fest in the Harry Potter fandom. It is open to all characters, pairings, poly-ships, tropes, themes and AUs.

A Daddy Kink is best defined as a branch of Dominant/submissive partnerships, where the Dominant partner is referred to as “Daddy”. A “Daddy Dom” takes a more gentle, affectionate and almost parental approach, using their Dominance to teach, protect and care for their submissive partner. Daddy kink may include age regression or “age play” (when the submissive partner takes on childish mannerisms), but does not have to.

Daddy Kink is not inherently incestuous or paedophilic. For the purposes of this fest, this dynamic is between characters of at least 17 years of age, of all genders and sexualities, either as Dom/sub or Caregiver/little.

We are excited to share this fest with you again and cannot wait to see all the new content you help us add to the community.

In that vein, below you can find the timeline as well as the rules and FAQ!

Timeline:

Prompting: 1st Feb – 14th Feb Claiming: 15th Feb Check-in: 19th April Submissions Due: 1st June Posting begins: TBC July

Main Rules

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 18+ - NO EXCEPTIONS

The fest is multi-ship. All pairings from any era of the Harry Potter universe (including Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts) are welcome. Slash, femslash, opposite-sex pairings, threesomes, moresomes are all welcome.

1000 minimum word count but there is no maximum word count. For artworks, it should be evident that you have put time into the piece, this is not the place for doodles.

Fanworks of all ratings are welcome. Just because it's a Daddy kink fest doesn't mean it has to be pornographic. That said, we do expect the majority of our submissions to be Explicit/Mature or R/NC-17-rated. Participants, please provide a rating; readers, please observe your local laws.

Content creators must co-author hpdaddyfest when they submit. We will remove ourselves as co-author when we reveal the authors.

Warnings/content tags are critical. Please adhere to AO3’s archive warning policy (or select ‘Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings’) and flag all and any non-vanilla goings-on. If you prefer not to use warnings (if it will spoil a plot twist, for example), please include a note upfront that the content tags are non-exhaustive.

All entries will be read/viewed by the mod team after submission. The mods reserve the right to add additional tags or warnings to your entry if we believe something hasn’t been appropriately tagged. You will be informed of any additional tags to review before posting.

All works must be beta’d before submission.

Mods reserve the right to ask contributor for a second beta.

Extensions will be given on a case by case scenario. However the more notice you give the mods, the easier it will be for them to accommodate you.

Works are anonymous until the reveals date. Please do not share your works with anyone prior to the reveals date - with the exceptions of your alpha reader, beta, etc.

All content creators must respond to any emails sent by the mod team. Failure to do so may lead to claims on future fests being rejected.

Readers, if you have squicks or triggers please check the warnings carefully. Please contact the mods privately at [email protected] in the first instance if you have any tagging concerns.

Failure to follow these rules can lead to the disqualification of your submission.

Prompting

Prompting runs from 1st Feb – 14th Feb.

Prompters must be over 18 years of age.

Anyone can leave up to ten prompts, even if they do not intend to submit a work for the fest.

Prompting will be collected via Airtable form, HERE. This list updates automatically. Prompts can be viewed HERE.

Anonymous prompts are permitted.

Similar prompts may be deleted/combined by mods.

Prompt numbers are invisible until prompting closes. This is due to the fact that the list will automatically alphabetise the list by pairing to make it easier for claimants to find what they’re looking for.

Claiming

When claiming opens, a link to airtable will be posted to the blog and here.

Claimaints must be over 18 years of age.

Prompt numbers will be revealed between prompting closing and claiming opening. There will be a post when this occurs.

You may claim a prompt someone else has submitted or create for your own prompt. If you are self-prompting, you do not have to leave a prompt within the prompting window. In fact, we recommend you don’t, to avoid opening it up to general claiming.

Each prompt can be claimed TWICE. Once for FIC and once for ART.

You can sign up as a team, whether as collaborating authors, artists or author/artist. Please just include details of all collaborators in the sign-up.

If you wish to write for your own prompt, you still need to sign up as a fest participant. Instructions on signing up will be posted to the HP Daddyfest Tumblr when claiming opens.

Please allow 48 hours for your claim to be processed. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with your prompt. Please check the prompt and also submission type (fic or art) are correct and follow the link to confirm your participation. Anyone who doesn’t respond via the form within 5 days will have their prompt released.

You may claim additional prompts when your first piece is completed. If you wish to claim additional prompts please submit your work to the Ao3 collection and send an email with the prompt you wish to claim next to [email protected].

If you would like to create for the fest but wish to remain anonymous after reveals, that can be arranged. You will be required to give a username for claiming, but if you e-mail the mods prior to posting, we will keep your submission anonymous even after reveals.

1st June is the due date and you will be responsible for submitting your fanwork to the Ao3 HP DaddyFest Collection on or before that date. This is an anonymous fest. Please do not post your work anywhere else until after fest reveals.

Submitting Guideline for Authors and Artists

All authors and artists are required to have an AO3 account.

All works must be beta’ed. If using a group chat or Discord server to help you find a beta, please save details which could give away your identity as creator for dms. If you have difficulty finding a beta, please e-mail the mods and we will do our best to put you in touch with someone.

Submit your fic or art to the fest collection on AO3 which you can find (HERE) on or before submissions are due.

PLEASE contact us at [email protected] if you are unable to post. There are no penalties for dropping out. We understand that life happens as long as you keep us in the loop as best you can.

When you submit your work, you must co-author hpdaddyfest. This is to allow us to add necessary tags and correct obvious typing errors only. You will be informed by e-mail if we have done this so that you can review it if you wish. Any more complex issues, we will e-mail you before making changes. We reserve the right to ask you for a second beta.

Once you have submitted your work, please complete the Header Submission form which you will receive a link to via email.

One submission will be revealed (but remain anonymous) on AO3 each day. The header information will be used to post on Tumblr each day with a link to the fic on AO3.

The moderators will post wrap-ups of fanworks in a single weekly post on the HPDaddyfest Tumblr. We will also post a final fest wrap up before and after reveals.

The fest is anonymous so please do not post your submissions to your own accounts on any platform with any telling comments or attributes as to the creator’s identity. Reblogging and sharing of submissions is highly encouraged, but as the fest is anonymous we encourage and require secrecy as to the creator of each submission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):

1) Do the submissions need to be NSFW to be included? A: Absolutely not! Daddy-fest is very open in terms of the types of works being contributed. We love that the term “Daddy” means different things to different people, and cannot wait to see how all our lovely contributors interpret it themselves.

2) What is the minimum length requirement for fics?

A: There is a minimum of 1000 words, but no maximum length requirement for fics! Create your fic as concise or as lengthy as you desire!

3) What pairings are allowed?

A: Any and all pairings are welcome so long as they belong to the HP universe. This includes but is not limited to Marauders era, Lightning era, Next-gen, Cursed Child, and Fantastic Beasts characters.

4) Can I submit a story that belongs to an existing series or WIP?

A: No. We prefer that the stories are all original works submitted for this fest specifically. Stories associated with an existing work or works could compromise the fest’s anonymous nature.

5) Can a prompt be claimed more than once?

A: Each prompt can be claimed once for art and once for fic only.

6) Are Non-Magical AU’s allowed?

A: Absolutely! So long as you are using HP characters feel free to place them in any setting you choose. Stretch your creativity!

7) Do I have to use a fic beta?

A: Yes. We will put out a call for betas when the due date for entries draws near. The mods will be proofreading all entries and may ask for a second beta if grammatical errors are abundant.

8) I finished my submission early, can I post it early?

A: Absolutely! Please feel free to submit your work as early as you have it ready. This actually gives us more time to moderate your piece so we are happy to have early submissions.

9) Will you grant extensions?

A: Of course! Life happens and this is meant to be fun and not stressful. Please contact us if you need an extension at [email protected].

10) I need to drop out, what should I do?

A: Again, life happens so please don’t stress but do let us know as soon as you can. Even if you think you might need to drop out email us and we’ll see what we can do for you. As with extensions, this is meant to be fun and if finishing it becomes stressful or not possible then just let us know. However, participants who do not inform us in due time of their intention to drop out may not be allowed to participate in future fests.

11) Does this kink always have to use BDSM?

A: No! Not at all. It certainly can be if you choose but it isn’t necessary. There’s a wide interpretation for Daddy kink, but the main idea is that there needs to be a dynamic where one partner dominates or takes care of the other partner(s) either sexually, post-sex, domestically, or all the above.

12) What tropes and kinks are commonly associated with this theme?

A: Getting off on dominance or being dominated, praise kink, age play, roleplay, humiliation, caregiver/little. In BDSM, impact play like spanking, whipping, flogging, and restraints of all kinds. The list of kinks is almost limitless as long as the dynamic fits within the scope of Daddy kink.

13) Do I have to co-author you? I don’t want you to edit my fic for me.

A: Yes, you must co-author us. We did not rigidly enforce this on the first run and it caused many issues, mainly with insufficient tagging holding up posting. For fic and art, if we add tags to your work we will let you know so that you can discuss alternatives with us if you wish. For fics, the types of issues we will fix ourselves are only typing errors, such as a space before a full stop/period that has been caused during editing, a single incidence of tense-confusion or universe-specific words which are canonically capitalised. Anything more complex, and we will e-mail you with suggestions without making any changes.

14) Do we have to follow the prompt exactly?

A: No. This is not a gift fest and we see the prompts as jumping-off points to inspire you. We encourage you following where that inspiration takes you, regardless of the details of the prompt. Just ensure the end result is tagged correctly! If your idea is so far from the prompt as to be unrecognisable, however, perhaps you’d be better off self-prompting.

#rules #faq #fest info #harry potter fest #kink fest #daddy kink fest #hp daddy fest 2021 #hp fanfic #hp fest #fanfic fest #fanart fest #hp fanart #hp fic

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mi6-cafe · 7 years ago

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007 Fest Sign-ups Close Tomorrow (June 20)!

What is 007 Fest?

007 Fest is our annual month-long celebration of all things Bond! It takes place from July 1st to July 31st (during the 007th month, of course). Come one, come all, and share your headcanons, your fic and fanart, your meta, your recipes and your other fancreations! We will have weekly themes, prompt tables, and other activities to spur on your creativity. You can also gather around and watch Bond and Bond-related movies, or join us for chats in the Slack! Whether you like to lurk or you’re the biggest party animal in the fandom, everyone is welcome to join. ^ ^

How is 007 Fest organized this year?

Because we had so many participants last year, this year we have FIVE competitive teams. Let’s give it up for:

Team 00

Team Q Branch

Team M Branch

Team Villains

and Team MI6 Allies!

If you are part of a competitive team, then all of your actions in the Fest (e.g., commenting, making fancreations, etc) will earn points for your team! You’ll count up your points at the end of the Fest and submit them through a google form. The team with the most points wins!

Is this a 00Q only fest?

Nope! All ships featuring a James Bond character are welcome, including crossover ships and poly ships, as are gen fics!

Do I have to compete?

Nope! Starting this year, we also have a non-competitive team. If you think 007 Fest sounds fun and you’d like to participate, but you’re not into the competition or counting up points, then you can join Team Civilian!

(You can also participate without joining a team if you want! Just tag your posts with #007Fest. We just think teams are fun. ^ ^)

Can I be on a competitive team even if I’m on vacation for part of July?

Absolutely! Whether you earn 3 points or 30 points, any competitive team will be happy to have you.

Are there prizes?

Yes!

First of all, this year people from any team, including Team Civilian, can earn digital badges for going to special events (such as a screening of the infamous Casino Royale from the 60s) or for accomplishing awesome fandom feats.

Secondly, we have two prize drawings at the end of the fest! Everyone who participates, including Team Civilian participants, has a chance to win something from the all-participants prize pool.

For the second drawing, people on the winning team will also have a chance to win prizes from a winning team prize pool!

Prizes can be anything! Past prizes have included drabbles or ficlets, sketches or fanart, fandom bookmarks or pins, Redbubble or Amazon gift certificates, and more. If you would like to donate any prizes for the prize pools, we would love to hear from you. You can send an ask, or you can message @castillon02 or @spiritofcamelot.

Okay, I know what 007 Fest is, now how do I sign up?

Easy–just fill out THIS short google form. We mostly ask you for a way to contact you and for your choice of teams. Please keep in mind that although we’ll try to put everyone on their preferred team, we also need to ensure a balanced number of participants for each team.

Sign-ups start NOW, and they end on June 20th! After June 20th, you can still join the Fest, but you will be randomly assigned to a team.

What can we do between now and July?

Anything you want! Points can only be earned by fancreations posted from July 1-July 31, but you can certainly start brainstorming or working on a WIP!

You can also add to the ANON PROMPT LIST for 007 Fest 2018! This is a list of anonymous fic or art prompts, and anyone who creates a fancreation fill for something from the prompt list gets bonus points. Whether you’re adding prompts or thinking about filling them, the prompt list is a great place to look for inspiration. ^ ^

We’re super excited about 007 Fest 2018, and we hope you are too! For more detailed information, you can check out the 007 Fest rules here.

May the best team win!

#007 fest 2018 #00Q #james bond

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foreverlovinglexa · 8 years ago

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Polis Radio Rules

Hey Guys, for those who do not know me, my name is Taylor and I run this blog and I also write fanfiction. I have come up with an idea for a fanfiction series that that I am pretty excited about; I call it Polis Radio. What I plan to do is simple, I am going to take a song, analyze it and put it in a story in a few different ways. I will take the overall theme of the song and make it into a story for nearly any 100 character or relationship. I say nearly because I will refuse to be writing any Bloke pieces what’s so ever. I’m sorry to the fandom, but I am a Clexa shipper and will not force myself to write about something I do not condone.

Now I don’t want to be the only one choosing the music for the Polis Radio playlist, so, I have devised a system to allow all of you to be heard and place your opinions and choices. I don’t want the playlist to be stagnate and boring so I figured with all kinds of music being entered we could create something really awesome. I do have some rules when it comes to song entries:

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE ANOYNIMOUS! **I want to judge the songs by the music and not the blog who entered it. If it doesn’t come in in Anon it doesn’t get judged.

The song must have a meaning, something I can use to create a story with. None the new crap where all they talk about is car, bitches, sex, and disrespecting women. It will be cut.

Nothing too risqué, by that I mean don’t make me listen to someone curse every two seconds. I’m not against cursing in general, I have the mouth of a sailor myself, but keep it under control. (my only exception to this rule is Eminem)

For the most part keep it PG. I might have one or two that get more M rated later on but for now let’s start this off for all audiences.

Ok, you now have the rules for the songs but I also want you to tell me which character or ship you would like me to write about when giving me the song title under Anon. I have written 2 examples. The first one is a Clexa fic (Big shocker) and the second one is a Clarke Fic. I only have 2 rules for this:

NO BLORKE…. I will say it again, I. DO. NOT. WRITE. BLORKE. FICS. Don’t even

Nothing creepy pedo like or incest.. you would be surprised how many times I have been asked to write prompts with like a 12-year-old Clarke and 30 year old Lexa… not cool. Or something like Octavia and Bellamy…. Just No. Point blank. No.

This will be a weekly or sometimes a biweekly thing depending on how I am feeling. I will let you all know though if we aren’t doing a Fic that week. You can pick as many songs as you like. Requests will open up Monday and close Wed midnight EST. I will post the Top 3 Wed night. Voting is the exact opposite, you cannot vote on Anon. No double voting. If you vote on Anon it will not count. Voting closes Thursday night at midnight EST. I will announce the winner for the week on Friday, or right after the voting closes. Expect the fanfiction to appear either Saturday or Sunday. If you would like to be credited shoot me a message when your song has won and I will mention you. Any questions just ask and have fun.

Start date May 29th 2017.

Note to my other fandoms if you want to give any prompts or songs for the other fandoms, they won’t show up on Polis Radio but I will def look into writing them at some point.

#Polis #Polis Radio #Fanfiction #AO3 #clexa #the 100 #music #clarke #lexa

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shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl · 7 years ago

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Here are the weekly themes!

Week 1: Crossover Ships (e.g. Kirumi/Celes)

Week 2: (my) OTPs

Week 3: drv3 ships

Week 4: drv3 trio/poly

Take note that posting schedule is one prompt every MWF so slots are limited!

Shipping prompts

Since it’s February and I’m a thirsty bitch

Priority for ndrv3 ships. Rarepairs are welcome. But also my OTPs are Tenko/Himiko, Maki/Kaito, Saihara/Ouma, Kirumi/Kaede

Can be in-game or AUs. Fluffy or angst. (but if it’s the lesbians pls make them happy)

Take note that not all prompts will be written so please be patient with me. If yours gets chosen though expect 500-1000 words (depends on how inspired I’ll be)

Anyways! Please don’t hold back in shipping!

#i still need one more for week1 #also where are my gay prompts #tenmiko needs love #and also oumasai #but pls give me tenmiko

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topicprinter · 6 years ago

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Tom and Alex of Saint Belford, a brand that sells lifestyle planner.Some stats:Product: Lifestyle planner.Revenue/mo: $9,100Started: October 1991Location: MelbourneFounders: 2Employees: 0Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hey, we’re Tom and Alex—Co Founders of Saint Belford.Our mission is to empower others to keep self-care on top of their to-do list so that they can design, build and live a life that genuinely fulfills them, without compromising their wellbeing in the process.We create physical diaries (called Curation) that focus on self-care and personal growth for people who want to prioritise their wellbeing and live life on their terms. We’ve incorporated over a dozen lifestyle tools into one A5 sized planner—things like goal-setting worksheets, habit intention worksheets, habit tracking tools, weekly meal planner, annual bucket list, weekly challenges, pre-week planner to properly map out your week, daily self-care planner… the list goes on—and that’s what sets us apart.imageOur customers are predominantly women like Alex who have either experienced some level of burnout or they recognise the need to slow down and recharge amid the chaos of modern society. These women are searching for more than a diary or planner. They are searching for something to keep them grounded, to help them prioritise their wellbeing and create space for the things that light them up.Much to everyone’s surprise, we turned a profit in our first year achieving a revenue of 43k. In our second year, we almost quadrupled this amount, turning over 160k in less than six months.imageWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?There were 3 reasons that lead us down the path of running our own business.In short, it was a happy accident.1 - Experiencing burnoutMy experience with burnout and mental health issues was probably the primary catalyst for starting Saint Belford. I was taking on far too much, hustling far too aggressively and everything eventually caught up with me.I knew this was a widespread issue and I wanted to provide an alternative to the hustle hard mentality that most of us naturally learn towards. I wanted to truly empower others to put themselves first, prioritise their wellbeing and create time and space for the things were truly important to them.2 - There was nothing like it out thereI’ve always been a fan of putting pen to paper, but I couldn’t find a planner that would help me stay organised and grounded with self-care as the primary focus. We saw this as an opportunity to not only create the perfect planner for me, but also spread the message of self-care. It was Tom’s idea to launch this business.Before burning out, I had ZERO desire to start a business. Having seen the ugly side of owning your own business (my parents were small business owners), I always craved the security of a full time job.Tom: It was actually Alex’s idea. She just wasn’t serious about it and said it as a joke that she should create the perfect planner since she couldn’t find one that suited her. At the time, I was listening to loads of business podcasts and became very interested in business and marketing, but didn’t know what I wanted to do with what I had learned. After a week or so, that idea popped into my head again and that’s when I said “we should do this.”3 - We were at a career crossroadsWe were both at a crossroads in our careers. Neither of our jobs were fulfilling us. Tom was working as an Apple technician and I was an Account Manager at a digital marketing agency. We felt that at the age of 26, with no mortgage or major commitments, we had nothing much to lose. If it didn’t pan out, it would still be worth the adventure and lessons learned.Fortunately, I had a background in marketing and Tom is a fast learner, so we didn’t have to outsource a large chunk of our startup fund. We didn’t do much testing to validate the idea. The most we did was send out a survey to our network to gauge what they liked and didn’t like about their current planners, what features they wanted and what type of goals they typically pursued.Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.Finding a printerThe first step was finding a local printer in Australia. We reached out to 36 printers and received 6 replies. Finding a printer was A LOT harder than we anticipated because we didn’t know anything about book specs and therefore could only request a quote based on layman knowledge of notebooks. Our first quote request was something like this:1000 x A5 high end hardcover PU leather diaries ft. gold foil on the front, back and spine.I also included several photos to illustrate my vision and used the feedback from printers to refine my brief.We eventually found a local printer who could meet our requirements. Even though our print job was outsourced to Taiwan (they were quite transparent about this), choosing a local printer meant we didn’t have to deal with freight, customs and language barriers in an industry we knew nothing about.Getting schooled on book makingWe didn’t have a clue how books were made, let alone how to choose the right type of binding, grade of paper, ribbons and hardcover material. Our printer was a big help in this department because he was able to educate us on the process and guide us every step of the way.There were definitely more pros than cons to having a middle man in the first year. The only con was that our printing-related requests were filtered, which meant that our requests were passed on to the manufacturer at the discretion of our printer.In our first year, we made our decisions based on high-res photos, which is such a contrast to the way we do things now. Because we’re dealing directly with our manufacturer now, we can request physical samples of PU leather and make the decision based on touch and feel.imageBrainstorming diary featuresThe search for a printer took weeks. During that time, we brainstormed exactly what we wanted to include in our planner. We looked at what was available online and in stores. We looked at apps we used. We asked ourselves what we wanted in a diary. We surveyed our network and asked them what they wanted.At this stage, we knew we wanted to create more than a diary—something truly unique* that was centred around health and wellness. We came up with dozens of ideas. It was just a matter of figuring out the *best, most practical features to include in what we called “Curation” because it was exactly that—a curation of lifestyle planning tools.imageimageTurning our vision into a digital realityWe put together a brief detailing what we envisioned for each feature and we worked closely with our designer to bring our first edition of Curation to life.We were really blessed in the design department because when we pitched our idea to our friend (who happens to be a designer) she was 100% on board and excited to bring our vision to life (at mates rates). Even though we were living miles apart and the time difference posed a few challenges (she was in France and we were in Australia), the design process was an absolute dream, thanks to the wonders of Skype, Facebook Messenger, Google Docs and Email.imageSorting out packaging problemsOur diaries were shipped to customers in 100% recyclable cardboard book wraps (unbranded). We still use the same packaging today. In our first year, we didn’t want to use unnecessary plastic, so we didn’t bother investing in individual opp/poly bags UNTIL we learned that a few of our diaries arrived with water damage. Eager to avoid another soggy diary experience, we quickly changed our minds about the need for plastic protective material.Describe the process of launching the business.From inception to launchWe came up with the idea of Curation in late February 2017 which meant we had a deadline to meet if we wanted to launch a 2018 edition. We had about 8 months to design, produce and market the first edition before launching in October. This timeline worked in our favour because it didn’t leave room for procrastination or perfectionism.We had to “move fast and break things” and foster an attitude of “done is better than perfect.”We later learned that most diary companies launch around late August, early September, so we were actually late to the party. That was the first lesson we learned.imageCreating our websiteWe picked a theme that was roughly $100 and did everything ourselves, right down to the photos. It makes us cringe a little when we look back at them now because the photos were so amateur, but you’ve got to start somewhere!imageKeeping the costs downOur goal was to be profitable in the first year, so we were very careful about where we allocated our funds.In our first year, we relied heavily on micro influencers and SEO to put us on the map. We sent over a dozen copies to lifestyle bloggers and health coaches in the wellness space with a few thousand followers behind them. The idea was for them to share it on their story if they liked our product and/or write a review on their blog. It was a cost effective way for us to reach a larger audience, increase visibility and build brand credibility, since we were the new kids on the block.This worked quite well. The best, most profitable “shares” were from fatmumslim.com.au, afternoonpickmeup.com.au and rachaelkable.com because they included us in their “best diaries for 2018” roundup.imageWe used my background and knowledge in SEO to our advantage. Tom’s interest in marketing and his desire to self-educate also kept our marketing costs down. In total, we invested 15k of our life savings into launching this business. We didn’t want to take out any loans or get ourselves into debt because we were simply testing an idea.Launching to the publicWe didn’t build hype or a brand following before we launched, so it wasn’t some big, epic launch. We posted on our personal Facebook accounts and that got the ball rolling. Our friends and family were instrumental in spreading the word about our brand. Our first few customers were friends/family but by the 5th or 6th day, we were selling to random people, and that was when it finally felt real.imageLessons from our experienceBuild a following before you launch.Leverage your connections and don’t be afraid to ask for help. “Mates rates” can really help keep costs down in the first year. You’ll be surprised by how generous people are with their time and advice when you’re a startup.Don’t be afraid to share your product with family and friends. They will be your biggest supporters in the beginning.Have a deadline and stick to it. Having a deadline worked in our favour because it didn’t leave room for procrastination or perfectionism.Join entrepreneurial/ecommerce Facebook groups. They can be a great resource and place to ask questions.Be prepared to pivot. In our first year, SEO worked a charm. In our second year, it didn’t work as well as we’d hoped, so we had to adapt our marketing strategy and learn how to market our products on Instagram and Facebook.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?We’ve tried so many different types of marketing in a bid to attract and retain customers. These are our biggest takeaways.Instagram and Facebook ads for the winThis worked a treat for attracting new customers and increasing traffic/sales. We used professional imagery and targeted people just like Alex. We know that the majority of our customers don’t convert immediately because it’s something they’ll research for weeks.The goal of the ad is to generate awareness and either get them to sign up to our VIP list (email list) or follow us on Instagram where we can nurture them until they are ready to purchase. Once they land on our website, we can also retarget them at a later date.We also use Instagram for social proof. When customers share our products on their story or message us telling us how much they love what we’ve created, we will always repost it.imageShow that you’re humanDon’t just be a brand. Show that you’re human so that customers have someone they can connect with. We do this via Instagram stories. Customers love seeing what goes on behind the scenes. They want to put a face and a voice to the brand.imageClarify and communicate your brand message clearlyDonald Miller’s Storybrand Framework has transformed the way we communicate our brand message and market our products. I highly recommend listening to his audiobook “Building a StoryBrand” and implementing his principles. The audiobook will teach you how to write incredible website/marketing copy and nurture your email subscribers. Our YoY conversion rate increased from 3% to 3.8% thanks to these principles.Incentivise email sign upsWe decided to give away a free copy of our planner every month to someone on our email list. Once we implemented an email opt-in with “Sign up for your chance to win a FREE copy of Curation 2019”, we went from having 600 email subscribers to nearly 5000 in just a few months, and they were quality subscribers. Our email conversion rate was 7.64% last year.Collaborate with like-minded brandsWe did giveaways with brands in the health and wellness space to reach new customers. One particular giveaway with Pana Chocolate (raw organic chocolate) helped us build our Instagram following by the thousands, just in time for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. We didn’t strategically plan for this to happen, but it certainly taught us that timing the giveaway is important.Produce valuable contentThis has been a huge part of our retention strategy. We seek out people in the health and wellness space to guest post on our blog. We produce FREE eBooks in the off-season. We just spent 3 months writing our last eBook which is all about building new habits that stick.We’re not just in the business of selling planners—we’re constantly searching for new ways to empower our audience and add value.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?imageWe saw phenomenal revenue growth in our second year of business—47k to over 160k in revenue through our Shopify store.We’ve been travelling around Asia working on the 2020 diary collection which will be released in September. We’re so grateful we get to do this.In terms of the future, we’re still trying to figure out what direction we want to take the business in. There are pros and cons to having a seasonal business. The pro being that we’ve been able to travel and work remotely in the off-season. The con being that we’re only generating revenue in September-February.Tom and I have finally settled into our roles. Being life and business partners is tricky but having roles in the business has helped us navigate this territory. Tom is in charge of business/marketing strategy and the techy side of things. I’m in charge of supplier and customer relationships, product development and content creation.We do have plans to expand our range next year. There are a few ideas in the pipeline, but we want to keep it a surprise for our audience.Ultimately, our goal is to continue creating lifestyle tools that focus on self-care and personal growth, whether that’s in the form of eBooks or adding to our physical collection.We are also really passionate about mental health which is why we donate a percentage of our profits to Beyond Blue and R U OK? every year. This will always be a core part of our business.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?The biggest challenge was finding a supplier who understood our needs and could deliver on their promises. We actually flew to China to meet with our supplier this year. Sitting down face to face, explaining our concerns and visiting the factory where our diaries are currently being produced has filled us with a lot more confidence.Before manufacturing your product, figure out what a defective product looks like. For us, it’s scratches, missing pages, unseared ribbons, etc. Once you know what a defect looks like, communicate this to your supplier and agree on an accepted defect rate. Every factory will have a defect rate, so don’t be fooled by a company telling you that they don’t have one.It’s impossible to produce 100% perfect products on a mass scale. It’s good practice to establish a written agreement of the product specs and criteria. We use Alibaba to process all transactions because it protects us in the off chance the supplier doesn’t meet the agreed criteria.What platform/tools do you use for your business?We try to keep it as simple as possible. It’s easy to get bogged down with the latest apps, but one thing we’ve noticed is keeping it simple helps with our website speed and overall sanity. Sumo and Kaviyo are definitely our favourites, and when I say we, I mean Tom because he’s the tech nerd in this duo!Shopify: affordable and super easy to use.Sumo: collecting emails is a breeze with Sumo. The pop-ups are incredibly easy to design and customer support is amazing.Klaviyo: we just recently switched from MailChimp to Klaviyo and it has allowed us to step up our email marketing game. The built-in flows and email automation possibilities are truly next level.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?The Slight Edge by Jeff OlsonThis taught us the power of small habits, when compounded over time. It also helped us build the discipline we needed to create a sustainable business.Tim Ferriss podcastTom has listened to almost every episode. Tim manages to extract amazing insights from his guests which can be distilled down into principles anyone can use.Noah Kagan podcast/YouTube channelThese are all bite sized, completely actionable tips and advice for small businesses.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Make sure your preparation doesn’t turn into procrastination.Done is better than perfect. Our first year was a test. Did we produce the perfect product? Not at all. BUT we used our customer feedback and everything we had learned in our first year to create something we were genuinely proud of in the second year.Don’t be afraid to “move fast and break things.”Learn from your mistakes. When you view your mistakes as an opportunity to learn and improve, you can recover faster. Don’t dwell on it. Own it and use it to your advantage.Ask for help!!People are more than happy to help you. You’ve just got to ask.Have a strong WHY.Make sure you’re genuinely passionate about your product/service. People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.Don’t forget to look after yourself.Starting a business is exciting but it’s also overwhelming and exhausting. It’s also easy to neglect your mind and body in favour of getting that important thing done. Just remember this quote by Joyce Sunada “If you don’t take time for your wellness, you’ll be forced to make time for your illness.”Where can we go to learn more?www.saintbelford.com.auwww.instagram.com/saintbelfordwww.facebook.com/saintbelfordIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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