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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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Disneyland kills annual passes

The early Disney company had several near-death experiences, some due to exogenous shocks and some self-inflicted (bad labor practices, weird technology choices), and all through it, a power struggle between "Roy people" (finance) and "Walt people" (tech/art).

After WWII, the company was transformed, with Roy ascendant and financial discipline the order of the day. Walt - who struggled with depression - sought desperately for an escape from the company.

He came up with plans to outfit a train with traveling exhibits that he would drive around the country, putting thousands of miles between him and his brother.

Another plan called for Walt to build an ambitious model train system and transform his role in the company to showing people around his trains.

In 1953, Walt came up with the plan that stuck: a park called "Disneyland" that would be his own fiefdom, a commercial project that would justify the kinds of R&D and experimentation that Walt doted on and Roy looked on as high-risk, potentially ruinous follies.

There was only one problem: Roy wouldn't authorize the company to bankroll it, so Walt had to fly to New York (far from his brother) to court the Wall Street banks and ask them to foot the bill.

Walt worked with legendary artist Herb Ryman to create an eight-page prospectus with a gorgeous painting to accompany it, and had three copies typed up in the Disney company steno pool and he flew to New York with them.

Only one copy of that prospectus exists today. In 2013, it changed hands at auction, with the winning bid going to noted asshole Glenn Beck, who offered no plans to allow study or exhibition of it.

During that process, I came into possession of a high-resolution scan of that document. I made sure that the Imagineering archivist got a copy - they'd never seen it before - and deposited a long-term public archival copy with the Internet Archive.

https://memex.craphound.com/2014/05/20/disneylands-original-prospectus-revealed/

It's a strange and curious document, but one striking feature is that it conceptualizes Disneyland as a place you might go to not to ride any rides, but just to walk around and enjoy yourself, soaking in the atmosphere (and buy a tropical bird or fish) (no, really).

Reading that, I thought of Walt, with his anxieties and his fraught relationship with his workers and brother, the factionalism that divided his company and his longing for escape, and that iconic photo of Walt strolling through an empty castle, looking perfectly at peace.

From 1955-1982, Disneyland operated on a ticket system. You paid a low price for admission, and then paid for each ride using ticketbooks that rated the rides from A (boring) to E (main attraction) (the system ended due to competition from nearby Knott's Berry Farm).

That low-priced admission ticket meant that locals could easily afford to slip away to Disneyland, stroll the park, maybe buy some junk food or watch a parade, and go home again.

The advent of unlimited-ride admission created demand for annual passes, and discounts for kids and locals made DL into an after-school hangout. Early Disney message-boards raged with arguments over the Orange County goths who hung around Tomorrowland, smoking and glowering.

Annual passes grew and grew. When I first moved to LA in 2006 for a Fulbright chair at USC, I used to teach my classes then drive to Disneyland with my cheap LA resident's pass. I'd park, get a Fastpass for Space Mountain, ride the Haunted Mansion.

Then I'd write part of the novel I was working on in a quiet bench in New Orleans Square, ride Space Mountain once my Fastpass ripened, then I'd go home for dinner.

Annual Passes grew too successful, selling so well they crowded out vacationers on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

A series of price-hikes did not dampen Annual Pass sales. While repeated doublings of the price raised a lot of revenue, it also created a large cohort of troublesome customers who felt all that money entitled them to white-glove treatment.

Then came a suite of baroque tiers and restrictions on passes, with blackout dates - which made people entitled, confused and cranky.

Then came the pandemic...and the end of the Annual Pass program altogether.

https://www.micechat.com/279966-breaking-news-disneyland-annual-pass-program-ending/

There's lots of reasons that killing the Annual Pass makes sense, but one that's not immediately obvious is that DL is a "happy place" for a lot of people who struggle with the world, like Walt did. Most of us just find a moment of peace in a quiet corner of the park.

But some people exhibit pathological behavior. One family sewed their own Disneyland employee costumes and tried to entrap a ride attendant into an arranged marriage with their daughter!

Most of the problems generated by Annual Passholders aren't that extreme, of course.

But even the smaller problems grow in significance by dint of repetition: the mildly troublesome customer who comes *every day* and makes trouble can quickly grow more than mildly troublesome.

I understand the logic of killing the passes. But I can't help think of Walt, wanting an escape from a bad situation that he'd made worse through his own screw-ups, and then, incredibly, actually pulling it off.

A lot of us have been missing our various happy places since the lockdown, and Disney doubtless anticipates a massive rush when the vaccines have been distributed (they are tapped to be Southern California's largest distribution site).

It feels like someone at Disney thought about just how intense and freaked out some of those returning Annual Passholders were likely to be and decided that the costs (for employees and other visitors) of coping with that outweighed the benefits.

#pluralistic

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ink-and-flame · 3 years

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Kinktober Day 2: The Scarlet Eclipse - Initiation

Kinktober Day 2 Prompts: Nipple Play ~ Tickling ~ Immobilization

Fandom: Original (Auchendale Archives)

Tags: Exophilia, nipple play, bondage, immobilization, tickling

Pairing: Human(F)/??(M), Reader(f)/Lucien

[Author’s Note: Someone told me they were quite fond of Lucien, so I thought I would give him a solo story and make it a Reader story as best I could.]

You were new to Auchendale, drawn to it for the unique way the city had been built and how it thrived. Integration, unity, a strange sense of community. Yes all cities had some level of a mixing of races, but here it was different. Every building, every business, each home or structure meant for habitation, they were built with diversity in mind. There was no standard, each race, each size, would find some place they could fit in.

No buildings or businesses had racial exclusions, in Auchendale it simply was not allowed. It was that diversity that drew you in, caught your interest, but it was the beauty of Auchendale that made you fall in love with it. A strange yet functional blend of modern convenience and nature coexisted to make one of the most unique cities in the world.

Wanting a new and unique experience you chose to move into one of the neighborhoods where the homes were built into the natural features of the hillsides and trees. You couldn’t afford a large space, but a nice tree dwelling had been up for sale. It was simple, cozy, just big enough for you and all your belongings, with a little extra space that helped you feel less cramped.

The natural shade of the tree helped keep you cool in the heat of the summer, and it was equipped with modern conveniences such as electricity. Solar powered of course, which was nice because you needed to keep your bills down. Everything about your cozy little home made you happy.

However, it wasn’t just the unity that drew you to Auchendale, there was more. A club, one that was well known in the circles you frequented. It was considered a high end establishment, one of the best, a must experience for anyone in the kink community. Individuals traveled all over to experience the club for one day, but now that you lived here, you could experience it as much as you liked.

You had submitted an application before your move, providing all of your information and your future address, anything to speed the process along. As the club's popularity grew, membership became more difficult to attain. Their vetting process was extended and minimum requirements had to be met for those wanting more than a day pass.

Once your membership had been accepted you almost couldn’t control your excitement. You had wanted this for so long and felt that this was really the last piece you needed before your new life felt more complete. You had been so patient, waiting for the membership to go through, all the extra vetting, the references, the interviews, but now you were a member.

Not just any member, you had applied to be a submissive of the club itself. One that worked there, and could be offered to the guests at your discretion. With no master of your own, and a curious spirit, you were perfect for the club. It was a benefit only offered to the V.I.P. guests, and not everyone who applied would be selected, but you were one of the lucky ones. It also meant that you could supplement your income with what you earned from the club. Making it easier to live comfortably.

There was only one final step left. Despite being hired, passing all the interviews and being vetted by some of the existing staff, there was an initiation rite. To be employed by the club was different from just being a member and participating. You had some freedom to choose, there was a list of Doms that could perform the initiation as it was considered a bit of a test.

You had looked over their information, their profiles, and their preferences and narrowed it down to three. It wouldn’t be until your employee orientation that you had to choose which of the three, but you were willing to take a risk and let it be random just to show that you were willing to work with anyone, willing to step outside your standard comfort zones. It would make you more valuable as a sub and you knew it.

As the weekend came closer your excitement and nervousness increased. You had already sorted your outfit, and packed your club bag full of anything you could imagine you might need. As it was the first day, you wanted to be prepared, and your eagerness had you checking and rechecking your bag to make sure you didn’t forget anything essential. Looking professional and put together was important for this situation. This was not the time to be casual or half ass anything, you wanted to ace this initiation and show your willingness and make a great first impression.

The night finally arrived and you could barely sit still. Opting to use a car service, you wanted to make sure that you didn’t have to leave your car stranded there in the event you were simply too exhausted to drive home. It cost a little more than you liked, but until you could gauge what you might feel like after a shift working the club, you just didn’t want to risk it.

Arriving at the club you stood outside for a moment, collecting yourself. Pulling out your phone it took a moment to find the right email, just in case there was an issue at the door. You wanted to be more prepared. You were using a backpack for a purse, and a gym bag for your changes of clothes and gear. Currently you opted for a nice coordinated gym set with leggings, a sports bra, and a loose t-shirt. Comfortable clothing would be essential for afterward, but you didn’t want to make assumptions so you brought other options for your initiation.

Making your way inside it was quiet. This was a couple hours before opening, and you were a bit earlier than what was expected. The nervousness and not driving yourself meant you would rather be a little too early than even a minute late. Someone that looked like a bouncer blocked your way.

“We aren’t open for another few hours, and that isn’t acceptable for our dress code”

You looked up and up, and up some more at the large man who was clearly not human, but you weren’t really sure what he was. He had tusks like an orc, but tan instead of green skin, and thick dreads, he also had horns.

“Oh, um.. I.. here see, I was hired, but I have to do my initiation?” As you spoke your nerves kicked in, you felt awkward and uncertain.

His demeanor instantly changed. A big wide smile spread across his face and he laughed a bit, his voice deep. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t get the memo to expect anyone. Probably should actually check my email more than once a month. No hard feelings, let me show you to the employee area. You here for orientation? You said initiation?” He looked a bit confused. “Oh, I’m Naz. I head up security mostly, do a few other side jobs, but my main job is making sure the employees and patrons are safe and everyone plays nice.”

His smile revealed that he had two sets of tusks, the larger ones you saw before, and the smaller ones that only showed when he smiled. He was, attractive, in a scary sort of way. Though you were pretty sure he was well over 7 feet tall and could crush your skull with one hand, that did not help identify his species and you realized that you were just staring, in a somewhat impolite way.

“Um, both. I have orientation and my initiation. I was hired on as one of the subs that would serve in the lounge for the VIP guests.”

“Oh, well that makes a lot more sense now.” Naz chuckled and just smiled at you. “I get this a lot. I’m a half ogre. Mom’s an ogre, and my dad is a brave human.” He laughed and waved for you to follow him. “Not offended by the way, people stare at me all the time, I don’t mind it when the person doing the staring is cute. Sorry for the dress code thing. I wasn’t trying to insult you but we have had to institute some new rules to keep some of the less desirable people out. We’ve had a rash of people coming in on dares, or just coming in with ingenuine intent.”

“Oh, I, well I didn’t realize. I thought it would be better to show up in my after clothes and I brought spares because I am not sure what my test will be so I wanted to be prepared.” You followed him, having a hard time keeping your eyes off his ass. Boy was he built and you wondered if staff was allowed to fool around because you wouldn’t mind being tossed around by him.

Following Naz to the back employee area you were greeted by other employees clearly getting ready for their own shifts. There were so many different races and everyone was so interesting looking. There was this air of class, of poise, that you worried you wouldn’t be able to maintain. It worried you, what if everything went perfect but you simply didn’t fit in with your coworkers.

Distracted from your thoughts by a voice Naz smiled at you and gestured you over to where you needed to be before leaving. Clearly he had his own work to get done but you hoped that you might be able to see him again before the night was over. Moving over to where Naz gestured you introduced yourself to the lounge manager. They oversaw the bartenders, servers, and helped with the subs for the lounge. As you had already passed all your interviews this was just the formalities. Filling out all the HR paperwork, your financial documents, and getting your schedule set. Along with the employee handbook which was surprisingly larger than you had expected and knew you would need to put some serious time into reading it.

“Ok, I know the handbook is a lot to read and it is important that you get through it before your first actual shift. Today is just going to be your initiation test with one of our VIP Dom’s, and right now we aren’t going to hold you to any of the more strict rules while you are just getting used to things, but it is essential that you focus on the section about conduct. That applies to anyone working the lounge the most. I see you have three potential choices here did you want to meet them or should I choose for you?”

“You can choose, I know that this job means I don’t always get to choose who picks me and while I have the right to say no if someone asks me to do something on my hard no list, I also understand that not being flexible means I wont keep this job long. Pick who you think would be best for my first test.”

“I like how you think, you will fit in well here, I can already tell. Well since he is on your list and is one of our most prominent and oldest members. I will have you work with Lucien. Don’t let his appearance frighten you. He is one of our most vaulted VIP members, and one of the best judges of character. We always try to get our new subs a session with him at some point. Anyone he can’t work with, tends not to last long.”

Well that made you nervous. He was scary and his opinion mattered enough that it could potentially mean you wouldn’t be employed long if he didn’t like you. Now you had a goal, to do anything you could to make sure this went smoothly.

“I have changes of clothes and gear with me, does he have a preference or should I pick something neutral?”

“Lucien is actually flexible with those things. I think the best course would be to stay as you are, show him the options, and show how eager to please you are. That is going to help you the most where Lucien is concerned. Good luck.”

With that she gestured for you to follow and lead you to a private room inviting you to sit and wait. Lucien would only be a few more minutes and this was your only duty for the evening. Your orientation had lasted until the club opened, and you knew that this was going to be a longer than average scene because it was more than just a scene. It was a test, an initiation, and there would be more to it than what you would need to do for a regular customer.

Setting your bag down you waited patiently and startled a little when the door began to open. In stepped a tall lithe man, he had sharp features, long horns, and appeared demonic or maybe draconic in nature. There was something off about him, and now you knew why his appearance might frighten people. His eyes seemed to shift color and there were moments you were certain he was reading your mind or your soul.

“Greetings, I am Lucien, I will be the dominate handling your initiation today. I have been provided a list of your preferences, hard stops, and areas where you are willing to push your boundaries. Is there anything important I need to know before we begin?”

Swallowing you gestured to your bag. “I wasn’t sure who I would be paired with, so I brought different outfits and some of my personal gear. If there is anything you are fond of, I might have something with me to accommodate. You are welcome to go through my bag and pick anything that is to your liking.”

“Interesting, you didn’t choose me, I was chosen for you. How delightful. I rarely get to be the first, most are not brave enough to choose me. I don’t know why.” He smiled, his sharp teeth flashing as he lifted a hand in a passive gesture. Long fingers capped in even longer nails, he just stood there. “I do not make it a habit to go through another person's belongings. Even as a sub, you have a right to privacy, but I will happily go through the items with you.”

This was turning out to be interesting and unexpected. He looked like something out of a sexy nightmare, but he was also charming in a strangely disarming way. Opening the bag you pulled out an assortment of outfits, accessories, and some of your personal punishment gear. You had a favorite paddle and flogger, also some nice rope you just bought for this occasion should it be needed.

“Lovely, so many nice options to choose from. The rope, and that hand full of nipple toys will be sufficient. I like the choices in outfits, but I need you nude for proper bondage. I intend to immobilize you, as it was not on your list of hard no’s. Do you consent to full immobilization?” Lucien stepped closer picking up the rope and sliding his long nails across the tight silky coils.

“Yes, I consent, Sir.”

His smile grew, eyes flashing bright orange shifting to red then back again. His sharp teeth far more noticeable in that wide smile. “Excellent. Do strip for me dear and we will begin.”

It took little time to strip off your clothing, placing it in the bag and stepping closer to Lucien. He guided you towards the bed in the room and helped you up onto it. For a few moments all he did was look at you, his eyes roaming over your body slowly. It was a bit unsettling but also exciting, his focus was completely on you and it made you feel somewhat giddy.

Ever so slowly he began to bind you. The rope was soft against your skin as he bound your arms together above your head. Your arms were bent so your forearm touched your head and each wrist was bound to the opposite arms elbow. You knew your shoulders would be protesting at the end of this, but it was an interesting choice. It made it impossible to move your arms away from each other, and once he hooked the rope to a clasp on the headboard, you couldn’t move your arms at all.

Skipping the core of your body he moved down to your feet and rubbed them gently. He put them next to each other, having you hold the position. Starting at your knees he wound a coil of rope all the way down your calves from your knees to your ankles leaving your feet free, but trapping your legs tightly together. This was a confusing choice, but it wasn’t your place to argue. Stretching out your legs he used a shorter length of rope, winding it through some of the coils between your ankles and securing it to the footboard of the bed. Now you really had a hard time moving. You could still wiggle, but it wasn’t comfortable.

Lucien smiled down at you, feathering his touch over your body, letting his long nails tease your skin lightly. “You look so lovely like this, are you comfortable? Is anything pinching or painful?”

You shook your head, so far you were comfortable, or as comfortable as you could be in this position anyway. “Nothing hurts Sir, it isn’t a position I am used to, but I don’t feel pain.”

Nodding Lucien reached over to the selection of nipple toys. Starting with a small vibrator he teased each nipple to a nice peak. His gaze drifting between your breasts and your face, watching your expression, taking in the small changes as you began to feel pleasure. He seemed fine taking his time and continued to use the vibrator teasing between each nipple in turn until you were clenching your thighs and panting slightly.

“Delightful. Darling you are so expressive in your pleasure. How about we try something a bit different.”

Placing the vibrator to the side he picked up the little suction cups. They were manual suction cups and sized just right for nipples, though in a pinch they could be used on a clit if positioned properly. Attaching one to each nipple he slowly pumped the bulb on the end until he felt full resistance and then set the valve to closed, leaving them suctioned to your breasts, your nipples swollen and filling almost the entire little cup.

The sensation was intense. It was somewhere between pleasure and pain. It felt good, especially when he had been pumping, but at the maximum it also stung. It was on the edge of being too much, but not quite enough for you to call a color yet. Panting slightly you licked your lips and realized they were dry, your whole mouth felt dry really.

Reaching back over to the side table, Lucien picked the vibrator up again, turning it to the lowest setting and began running it on your breasts, around where the cup over your nipple met the skin. He watched you as he teased it over the skin of your breast for a while, slowly turning the vibrations up until they were at a medium setting. Then he ran the vibrator carefully over the cup suctioned to your nipple.

The sensation was instantly electric, your body bowing off the bed slightly at the intensity of it. Your nipples were already hyper sensitive and inside the suction tube that sensitivity was increased exponentially. You cried out, panting, squirming as Lucien moved the vibrator all around the cup. Grabbing a second small vibe he set it to the same intensity and used it on the other nipple. The dual sensation driving you right to the edge. If you could even think straight you would be surprised you were so close to orgasm just from nipple play.

The intensity was almost too much and you couldn’t stop yourself from trying to move away and squirm as the pleasure built higher, but the pain was right on its tail. The duality of the sensation, the pleasure and pain pushed you closer to that edge but you couldn’t quite go over it. You had no idea how long it went on, losing all sense of time, your focus centered completely on the sensations you were feeling.

Suddenly it stopped and you opened your eyes. You were taking deep heaving breaths, your entire body tensed up ready for release. Eyes traveling up you looked at Lucien, his gaze intense as he stared at you. His eyes were glowing, you were pretty sure it wasn’t a trick of the light or your mind messing with you, his eyes burned like pitch as he stared at you.

“What a delicious little toy you are, oh it will be difficult to share you, but I must. I was certain you would call a color, I could almost feel it, but you never did. I am impressed, and quite proud of you dearest.”

Slowly Lucien released the valves on the nipple pumps letting the air out and removing them from your swollen buds. They were twice the size they normally were, and incredibly sensitive. You squeaked and wiggled when he blew gently on them. Even that slight bit of stimulation shot straight to your core making your clit jump.

With a smile Lucien leaned in and took one nipple into his mouth, his sharp teeth scraping the sensitive flesh of your breast gently, tiny pricks of pain against your oversensitized nipple as his soft tongue swept over the tortured bud. The texture of his tongue was like nothing you had ever felt and when he began to suckle, your hips arched as the pleasure made you clench hard. You could feel how wet you were now, certain there was a puddle beneath you on the bed.

His body was against yours, and you struggled to recall when his clothing had actually come off. You could feel the heat of his skin, the muscles of his form as he pressed himself against you. One of his hands gripped your hip, those long nails digging into your flesh as he moved to the other nipple, more of his body pressed against yours.

It was too much, the feel of him, of his body, of the strange warmth that seemed to radiate off of him. His hot mouth latched to your swollen sensitive nipple as he suckled and teased it with his tongue. It was too much to handle as you felt his nails bite into your skin that sharp twinge of pain mixing so close to the pleasure you were now feeling throughout your whole body. Desperate for even a single touch on your clit, but you didn’t need it.

When Lucien growled around your nipple, you were lost. Your body arching as much as it could as you came. Your legs bound tightly together didn’t stop your orgasm, but you wanted more, you wanted so much more. Whimpering, moaning, crying out, you didn’t even realize you were begging for him until he pulled away looking at you with glowing eyes, his features sharper, ears longer, he was otherworldly in his appearance and was looking at you as if he could devour you.

“You don’t know what you are asking for dearest, you really don’t.” His voice was husky, smokey, it had a strange echo to it as if other voices were speaking along with his own. “Never tempt me, even my control has limits.”

Lucien pulled away moving into the shadows for a moment leaving you to calm down. When he returned he seemed to be clothed again and he smiled sitting on the bed with you. His hands stroking over your stomach, sides, and hips. He noticed the damage he had done to your hip and stroked it lightly. The pain receded for you, but you couldn’t really see what he had done.

“You did so well my dear, so very well, I am certain you will be quite popular here.”

As his hands moved back over your sides you giggled. You were very ticklish, especially after an orgasm, and those long nails were hitting your skin in a way it was hard to control. The giggling got louder and you notice the quirked brow as he looked at you curiously. It was when that expression turned mischievous that you knew you were in trouble.

Lucien began to tickle you, not too hard, but oh was it working. It was torture. You couldn’t really move, you couldn’t escape, there was nothing you could do. The giggles turned to laughter, which turned to louder laughter and some tears as you lost control. You begged for him to stop, but didn’t color code. So his tickling continued until you were red in the face.

It was clear he knew the limit, not wanting to actually harm you, and let you calm down as he began to unbind you. Having to cut some of the rope to get you out a little faster.

“I simply could not help myself, your laughter is so delightful. You have such a bright soul.”

There was a pause as he finished unbinding you and helped you sit up so you could drink some cool water. He took the time to massage your arms and legs to help feeling return and wasn’t satisfied until he could feel warmth in both your hands and feet. You watched him carefully and risked ruining the moment.

“Why did you untie me, are we finished? You didn’t um.” It was odd, you just realized that Lucien did nothing that would bring pleasure for himself.

“You gave me everything I desired from this encounter, trust me my dear, I got what I needed and I plan to give you a glowing review. I do hope you will indulge me again some time. I promise not to overdo it on the tickling again.”

You nodded, laughing a bit. “Ok, I would like to do more scenes with you. Thank you, this was a unique experience.”

Lucien smiled, helped you to dress in your comfortable clothing and pack up your gear. He excused himself as he guided you back to the employee area, not stepping inside himself. Before leaving he bowed low, lifting your hand, kissing it with a flash of red in his eyes before walking down the hall and seeming to simply disappear into the shadows at the end of it.

A shudder went down your spine as you stepped into the employee lounge. Lucien was a strange one, that was certain. Meeting back with the manager she smiled at you and lead you to a couch offering you a place to rest and some refreshments before signing you out for the night. It wasn’t until you tried to stand again that you realized just how exhausted you were.

Heading out of the employee lounge and towards the door you passed the security office as you stumbled slightly. A strong arm catching you. Turning your head you looked up to see Naz staring at you with concern.

“I hope you aren’t planning to drive like this?”

“Oh, no, I can call a service. I didn’t bring my car, I figured it might be like this so I planned ahead.”

Naz frowned and used his large hand on your back to guide you into the security office and gently nudged you into a chair. “How about instead of that, you wait a few more minutes and I can drive you home. I wouldn’t want you passing out in the back of a cab. We take care of our own here.”

Your cheeks darkened as you smiled at him. “Ok, but what if I pass out in your car?”

“Then you have nothing to worry about. I will make sure you get home safe, or you can crash in my spare room. Either way, you will have a safe warm place to sleep.”

Despite only meeting him today, you weirdly felt like you could trust Naz, and right now you were too tired to argue.

“Ok, I will do my best not to pass out.” You laughed a bit and got comfortable as you watched the bouncers and other security staff come and go from the office, finishing up their duties for the night as the club was getting ready to close.

#Auchendale Archives #reader story #monster boyfriend

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dearhummingbird · 4 years

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i have so many updates! i will go through them throughout the week but here’s one

i have decided to redo my entire wardrobe. ive been thinking about it since before covid so this is not just because i have a huge window of time to do fuck all: i RARELY shop for clothes, maybe each xmas i buy myself one new outfit to go visiting in. the last time i bought panties was when i was 16(i’m 21 this year)! call it gross but it’s a little hard to ask my single parent dad to bring me undie shopping. my clothes are completely outdated in that they’re not me anymore, they’re all very cheap and flimsy in quality and i want to change that. so along with this wardrobe revamp ive decided to only buy ethically-made clothing from sustainable brands. now, i’m going to make a confession. i have done 0, zilch research on this; i know nothing about trends or environmental sustainability or even much about fast fashion in the industry. why i’m making this choice is because

a) im going to call this ‘financial experience’. i want to WANT to earn money. i want to WANT to work so i can buy things i want. i think for the first time in my life i have actual hobbies and things that i want to take seriously! no more blowing everything on sad-drinking with my bestfriends; i am not in that space anymore. this quote from Toni Morrison’s Sula describes 18/19/20year-old me: “In a way, her strangeness, her naivete, her craving for the other half of her equation was the consequence of an idle imagination. Had she paints, or clay, or knew the discipline of the dance, or strings; had she anything to engage her tremendous curiosity and her gift for metaphor, she might have exchanged the restlessness and preoccupation with whim for an activity that provided her with all she yearned for. And like any artist with no art form, she became dangerous."

i want to invest in long-term life cycles, i want to learn patience and quality. im sure this has something to do with turning 21 but this is also something i want.

b) my style, as i’ve realised, happens to be secondhand/vintage/non-fast fashion leaning! i LOVE secondhand culture. knowing my clothes had a life before me makes me happy. im known to be very frugal and my bestfriend is convinced that it’s for the worst. while i disagree i do think it’s time to start being more lenient but not reckless or haphazard with my finances.

back to the me not knowing anything about the ecological climate of the fashion industry, for some obscure reason i kind of refuse to be like i’m doing this for the planet! im ethical! im sustainable! how i see it is i want to do this thing and these happen to be the benefits of it. i think i will slowly grow into it and accept that ive become “one of THOSE” kinds of people because i do want to do my research but will definitely never be loud about it, that’s not me. call me evil! i dont know. anyway

i also made a huge huge purchase from this herb-based skincare brand and their customer service is so so lovely, if there is ever a bad review or a customer has had a bad experience with a product they quickly email the customer with a homemade natural solution that usually fixes it in a jiffy. they have quite a few range of products, so i got their aloe lotion to replace my daily moisturiser and also got one of my friends a smaller tub of it bc shes the one who introduced me to aloe and loves it for her sunburns, got me deodorant cream because my pits are super! sensitive! i know they hate the chemicals of regular deo and im crossing my fingers that this will be my solution. i bought their multi-use highlight/eyeshadow in an opal shade and got the same one in gold for the same friend, who’s got a deep brown skintone. i got a tinted lip balm for another friend who i love very dearly, we dont chat super often and i missed her birthday in April so i wanted to get her something. she also had sent over ben and jerrys to me during quarantine bc i was at the tail end of my semester and hated it, it was so sweet, no one’s ever done something like that for me before. i got two other products for my kooch and a toner spray for my face. very excited!

i decided that how im going to carry out this project is first by taking care of the basics. staples/essentials in my closet that need to be of top notch quality so that theyll last through the years. those are the ones that i will buy brand new. if i happen to like a certain fast fashion piece(i love wrap tops!) i will look for them secondhand. i will do the same for quirkier, more nuanced pieces, unless i want something very specific that i see on a site(because my country has little to zero sustainable options). i have multiple boards on my pinterest now, groups of items and brands that i want to buy from and invest in.

i also got new panties(!) from a brand that uses recycled material and donates 1% of their profits to planned parenthood.

im sure that not 100% of the brands im buying from are 100% ethical and sustainable but they will at least be making big strides to be.

if you read all of this thank you! big hugs and love

#i dont think ive ever made such a long post #but one that incredibly boring to those who dont care about this kind of shit lol #self doc

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an-ephemeral-blog · 5 years

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What’s standing in the way of women’s soccer?

When chants of ‘equal pay!’ ring through soccer stadiums, men jump on Twitter to explain why, despite performing better internationally than the men’s team, women soccer players don’t deserve equal pay because they don’t earn as much revenue.

Over the past two months I’ve become a big NWSL fan. It’s very different from being an MLB fan, my only previous experience of passionate sports fandom. There are a lot of things I take for granted that a professional sports team has, which NWSL teams do not have. These things absolutely affect revenue, either directly, or by lowering the quality of play or the experience of watching games. Here’s a list.

1. NWSL stadiums are less accessible than MLS and other stadiums.

My local team, the Washington Spirit, plays at the Maryland SoccerPlex. To get to the Plex, if you don’t have a car, requires an hour-plus train ride to the end of the metro and then either a 25+ minute car ride or a 45+ bus ride. I have multiple friends who’ve expressed interested in going to a game but balked when they found out how long it would take to get there. Another friend had to cancel because she was working late and couldn’t finish by 5:30pm, which was the time she’d have to leave to make it to a 7:30pm game.

As a trial run, the Spirit are playing a game tomorrow at Audi Field, home field of the MLS team DC United. Audi Field is about 30 minutes away from downtown and is easily accessible via Metro. Correspondingly, the Spirit is on track to more than triple their season record at the Plex. They may even sell out Audi Field. Surely if they can sell out Audi Field, they deserve to play in it?

Which brings me to the next item on the list...

2. NWSL stadiums are smaller than MLS stadiums.

The Spirit’s plex sells out at around 5,500 tickets. For tomorrow’s Audi Field game, they’ve currently sold over 16,000 tickets.

Sky Blue’s regular park also holds about 5,000 fans. When they played a game last weekend at Red Bull Arena, aka the stadium of their local MLS team, they nearly doubled attendance at 9,000+ tickets sold.

I don’t know the breakdown for every team in the league. I do know that Orlando Pride, despite having access to a great stadium, tends to draw fewer fans do to their lower quality of play. (They’re second to last in the league.) On the other hand, the Portland Thorns already share a stadium with their MLS neighbor team, the Timbers, and also boast the biggest and loudest fanbase in the NWSL. Portland recently set a league record with 25,000+ tickets sold to a game.

Items #1 and #2 combine to make clear that to grow as a league, NWSL teams need to play in larger stadiums that are easier to access. (This doesn’t even take into account how stadium facilities might impact quality of play. Some NWSL teams don’t even have showers in their locker rooms!) Owners and league managers need to invest in securing these spaces for teams, even if they might not be profitable at first. The experience of Sky Blue and Spirit suggests that managers won’t have to wait to reap the benefits.

3. NWSL games are often scheduled simultaneously, decreasing viewership.

With only nine teams in the NWSL, there are four to six NWSL games each week. Given this small number, you’d think they’d all be on at different times, right?

Nope. Every week, there’s at least one pair of games scheduled against each other. Often there’s two. If you don’t have the ability to tape games, you’re forced to miss at least one game every week. As I have taken to tweeting despairingly at the NWSL each time this happens: whyyyyyyyy.

Schedule creation is complicated, and there are more factors that go into it than I know of. But one key element is when teams even have their field available. Most teams don’t own their own fields, and have to work within a restricted subset of dates and times. To the extent that this contributed to overlapping games, it’s yet another way that issues securing good stadiums get in the way of fans supporting their teams.

4. NWSL teams have a lower quality of commentating.

Complaining about the announcers/commentators on NWSL matches is a sport of its own. Announcers regularly mispronounce players’ names and sometimes misidentify them. They repeat facts and stories, and use the same turns of phrase over and over until you can’t help but twitch every time you hear them say “she sprays the ball out wide” or “the ball found it’s way to...” The last Spirit game I attended, I sat in front of a woman who, after Elise Kellond-Knight left with a pulled hamstring, briefly explained to her friends why women were more likely than men to have hamstring injuries. (It has something to do with women having more developed quad muscles, which puts the opposing muscles, the hamstrings, at greater risk. This also leads to increased ACL injuries among women.) This random stranger had more interesting commentary than any of the people I’d heard on TV. But why are these announcers so bad? The answer’s easy: NWSL announcers are barely paid. They make $300-$400 a game, with no travel or lodging expenses paid, which means unless you live in Fort Lauderdale where the announcing is recorded, you have to pay to announce. I don’t know how much MLS announcers make, but I bet it’s better than that.

5. NWSL teams have a lower quality of refereeing.

Oh boy. Okay. There have been some issues with NWSL refereeing lately. As national team star Ali Krieger put it:

We’re putting a good product out on the field and every year we’re getting better and the referees seem like they are not. So, I beg the NWSL — just the standard needs to be higher. It’s just unfortunate that you feel like the referee is ruining the game. They are taking the fun out of the game because they are not good enough.

How could we raise the standards of referees? Well, they could stop treating the NWSL like a training ground for MLS:

There are five tiers in the U.S. Soccer refereeing program. The top-level, called “FIFA,” is the highest tier. These referees can officiate in FIFA-sanctioned matches.

”The second tier is “P.R.O.” These referees can officiate MLS matches and are selected by the Professional Referee Organization.

The next tier down is called “National,” and these officials are certified by U.S. Soccer. These referees can officiate USL Championship and NWSL matches. And therein lies the problem.

The NWSL will never have officiating as good as the MLS as long as this remains US Soccer’s official policy. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

6. NWSL games are not marketed as well as they could be.

I won’t pretend to understand marketing, but I know that it’s hard for people to go to games they don’t even know about:

[Portland Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg ] couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when she saw Fox discuss the U.S. Men’s National Team’s run at the CONCACAF Gold Cup during halftime of the Women’s World Cup final Sunday, rather than preview the upcoming games in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

“I love Fox. I think they did a great job. They gave the Women’s World Cup the attention that it deserves, but I wish we mentioned the NWSL more. [...] We need that to be put into the consciousness of the general public. We need ESPN to talk about the NWSL year-round. We need beat reporters in every single city that has an NWSL team. We need investment in advertising and marketing, in ground support, in make sure that people know that there’s a freaking team in their area.” [source]

It seems that marketing is another area in which US Soccer is underinvesting in women:

[Soccer United Marketing, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer] handles deals for MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation but not the NWSL, even though U.S. Soccer runs the NWSL. This fact has long been lamented by the women’s soccer community.

The NWSL marketing team needs the resources to at least let people know that their teams exist and their games are happening. But beyond that... the NWSL is full of charismatic stars, both current and potential. Let’s give them the spotlight.

7. NWSL salaries are, for all but the biggest stars, below average income.

No one goes into women’s soccer for the money, even if a few of the game’s biggest stars have managed to get some lucrative sponsorships. The league guarantees a minimum salary of $16,538, barely above the poverty line, and caps max salary at $46,200, a bit belong the mean American income.

Talented young women who are making decisions about where to go to college and what to do after college need to take this into account. If they have dependents, family members with health issues, or significant debt, they simply may not be able to afford to play soccer professionally.

This impacts the number of women available to play professionally as well as their ability to nurture their own talent by investing in themselves via special camps and training. For every Megan Rapinoe or Alex Morgan or Crystal Dunn who has made it to the NWSL there’s someone equally talented who stopped playing in high school or college because law school or medical school or learning to code seemed like a more financially viable career path.

In other words, for all the strides women’s soccer has made over the last twenty to thirty years, the NWSL still selecting from only a fraction of the potential talent pool.

I’ve been an NWSL fan for less than two months, so I’m surely missing other ways that women’s soccer has been under-invested in. But the seven issues outlined above should be enough to convince you there’s a problem.

Saying that people just don’t want to watch women’s soccer isn’t merely an oversimplification - it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. The whole point of investment is you take a risk now to reap a payoff later. The NWSL needs US Soccer and the wider sports community to invest in them, and given time, everyone will benefit.

You know what keeps ringing in my ears? Research that shows that men are judged on their potential, while women are only judged on their performance. The NWSL has the potential to be a thriving league with the revenues and fan enthusiasm of the MLS. The question is whether women’s soccer will be given the support they need to deliver on that potential.

#soccer #nwsl

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superaakash24 · 5 years

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Top 9 Applications of Machine Learning in Real World

uture of Machine Learning “ A Learning Machine is any device Whose actions are influenced by past experience.” - N.Jhon.Nilsson

Machine Learning is a science to make the machine capable of taking the decision itself. These systems also have the ability to learn from past experience or analyze historical data. It provides results according to its experience.

Here, we will explore Machine Learning Applications. These Applications of Machine Learning shows the area or scope of Machine Learning.

So, let’s start Machine learning Applications.

Machine Learning Applications

As we move forward into the digital age, One of the modern innovations we’ve seen is the creation of Machine Learning. This incredible form of artificial intelligence is already being used in various industries and professions. For Example, Image and Speech Recognition, Medical Diagnosis, Prediction, Classification, Learning Associations, Statistical Arbitrage, Extraction, Regression. Today we’re looking at all these Machine Learning Applications in today’s modern world.

These are the real world Machine Learning Applications, let’s see them one by one-

1. Image Recognition

It is one of the most common machine learning applications. There are many situations where you can classify the object as a digital image. For digital images, the measurements describe the outputs of each pixel in the image.

In the case of a black and white image, the intensity of each pixel serves as one measurement. So if a black and white image has N*N pixels, the total number of pixels and hence measurement is N2.

Let’s discuss ANN in Machine Learning

In the coloured image, each pixel considered as providing 3 measurements of the intensities of 3 main colour components ie RGB. So N*N coloured image there are 3 N2 measurements.

For face detection – The categories might be face versus no face present. There might be a separate category for each person in a database of several individuals.

For character recognition – We can segment a piece of writing into smaller images, each containing a single character. The categories might consist of the 26 letters of the English alphabet, the 10 digits, and some special characters.

2. Speech Recognition

Speech recognition (SR) is the translation of spoken words into text. It is also known as “automatic speech recognition” (ASR), “computer speech recognition”, or “speech to text” (STT).

In speech recognition, a software application recognizes spoken words. The measurements in this Machine Learning application might be a set of numbers that represent the speech signal. We can segment the signal into portions that contain distinct words or phonemes. In each segment, we can represent the speech signal by the intensities or energy in different time-frequency bands.

Although the details of signal representation are outside the scope of this program, we can represent the signal by a set of real values.

Do you know about Artificial Neural Network Model

Speech recognition, Machine Learning applications include voice user interfaces. Voice user interfaces are such as voice dialing, call routing, domotic appliance control. It can also use as simple data entry, preparation of structured documents, speech-to-text processing, and plane.

3. Medical Diagnosis

ML provides methods, techniques, and tools that can help in solving diagnostic and prognostic problems in a variety of medical domains. It is being used for the analysis of the importance of clinical parameters and of their combinations for prognosis, e.g. prediction of disease progression, for the extraction of medical knowledge for outcomes research, for therapy planning and support, and for overall patient management. ML is also being used for data analysis, such as detection of regularities in the data by appropriately dealing with imperfect data, interpretation of continuous data used in the Intensive Care Unit, and for intelligent alarming resulting in effective and efficient monitoring.

It is argued that the successful implementation of ML methods can help the integration of computer-based systems in the healthcare environment providing opportunities to facilitate and enhance the work of medical experts and ultimately to improve the efficiency and quality of medical care.

Let’s take a tour of Neural Network Algorithms

In medical diagnosis, the main interest is in establishing the existence of a disease followed by its accurate identification. There is a separate category for each disease under consideration and one category for cases where no disease is present. Here, machine learning improves the accuracy of medical diagnosis by analyzing data of patients.

The measurements in this Machine Learning applications are typically the results of certain medical tests (example blood pressure, temperature and various blood tests) or medical diagnostics (such as medical images), presence/absence/intensity of various symptoms and basic physical information about the patient(age, sex, weight etc). On the basis of the results of these measurements, the doctors narrow down on the disease inflicting the patient.

4. Statistical Arbitrage

In finance, statistical arbitrage refers to automated trading strategies that are typical of a short-term and involve a large number of securities. In such strategies, the user tries to implement a trading algorithm for a set of securities on the basis of quantities such as historical correlations and general economic variables. These measurements can be cast as a classification or estimation problem. The basic assumption is that prices will move towards a historical average.

Do you know about Kernel Functions

We apply machine learning methods to obtain an index arbitrage strategy. In particular, we employ linear regression and support vector regression (SVR)onto the prices of an exchange-traded fund and a stream of stocks. By using principal component analysis (PCA) in reducing the dimension of feature space, we observe the benefit and note the issues in the application of SVR. To generate trading signals, we model the residuals from the previous regression as a mean reverting process.

In the case of classification, the categories might be sold, buy or do nothing for each security. I the case of estimation one might try to predict the expected return of each security over a future time horizon. In this case, one typically needs to use the estimates of the expected return to make a trading decision(buy, sell, etc.)

5. Learning Associations

Learning association is the process of developing insights into various associations between products. A good example is how seemingly unrelated products may reveal an association to one another. When analyzed in relation to buying behaviors of customers.

Let’s discuss Deep learning and Neural Networks in Machine Learning

One application of machine learning- Often studying the association between the products people buy, which is also known as basket analysis. If a buyer buys ‘X’, would he or she force to buy ‘Y’ because of a relationship that can identify between them? This leads to the relationship that exists between fish and chips etc. when new products launch in the market a Knowing these relationships it develops a new relationship. Knowing these relationships could help in suggesting the associated product to the customer. For a higher likelihood of the customer buying it, It can also help in bundling products for a better package.

This learning of associations between products by a machine is learning associations. Once we found an association by examining a large amount of sales data, Big Data analysts. It can develop a rule to derive a probability test in learning a conditional probability.

6. Classification

Classification is a process of placing each individual from the population under study in many classes. This is identified as independent variables.

Have a look at Convolutional Neural Networks Architecture

Classification helps analysts to use measurements of an object to identify the category to which that object belongs. To establish an efficient rule, analysts use data. Data consists of many examples of objects with their correct classification.

For example, before a bank decides to disburse a loan, it assesses customers on their ability to repay the loan. By considering factors such as customer’s earning, age, savings and financial history we can do it. This information is taken from the past data of the loan. Hence, Seeker uses to create a relationship between customer attributes and related risks.

7. Prediction

Consider the example of a bank computing the probability of any of loan applicants faulting the loan repayment. To compute the probability of the fault, the system will first need to classify the available data in certain groups. It is described by a set of rules prescribed by the analysts.

Let’s revise Recurrent Neural Networks

Once we do the classification, as per need we can compute the probability. These probability computations can compute across all sectors for varied purposes

The current prediction is one of the hottest machine learning algorithms. Let’s take an example of retail, earlier we were able to get insights like sales report last month / year / 5-years / Diwali / Christmas. These type of reporting is called as historical reporting. But currently business is more interested in finding out what will be my sales next month / year / Diwali, etc. So that business can take a required decision (related to procurement, stocks, etc.) on time.

8. Extraction

Information Extraction (IE) is another application of machine learning. It is the process of extracting structured information from unstructured data. For example web pages, articles, blogs, business reports, and e-mails. The relational database maintains the output produced by the information extraction.

The process of extraction takes input as a set of documents and produces a structured data. This output is in a summarized form such as an excel sheet and table in a relational database.

Nowadays extraction is becoming a key in the big data industry.

As we know that the huge volume of data is getting generated out of which most of the data is unstructured. The first key challenge is handling unstructured data. Now conversion of unstructured data to structured form based on some pattern so that the same can stored in RDBMS.

Apart from this in current days data collection mechanism is also getting change. Earlier we collected data in batches like End-of-Day (EOD), but now business wants the data as soon as it is getting generated, i.e. in real time.

9. Regression

We can apply Machine learning to regression as well.

Assume that x= x1, x2, x3, … xn are the input variables and y is the outcome variable. In this case, we can use machine learning technology to produce the output (y) on the basis of the input variables (x). You can use a model to express the relationship between various parameters as below:

Have a look at Advantages and Disadvantages of Machine Learning

Y=g(x) where g is a function that depends on specific characteristics of the model. In regression, we can use the principle of machine learning to optimize the parameters. To cut the approximation error and calculate the closest possible outcome.

We can also use Machine learning for function optimization. We can choose to alter the inputs to get a better model. This gives a new and improved model to work with. This is known as response surface design.

So, this was all about Machine Learning Applications. Hope you like our explanation.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion, Machine learning is an incredible breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence. While it does have some frightening implications when you think about it, these Machine Learning Applications are several of the many ways this technology can improve our lives. In the next few years Future of Machine Learning will be very bright.

If you found any other Machine Learning applications, So, please let us know in the comments!

#machine learning #machine learning application #deeplearning #artificial intelligence

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zachwritesstuff · 6 years

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Dragon Pilot: Old vs New

Warning: This article contains spoilers to Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan’s later parts and ending.

Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan is, in many ways, a fabulous series. The animation is great, the characters are lovable, and the story hits emotional high points in strange and unexpected ways. It’s probably one of my most recommended series of the Summer Season, and possibly of the year! But I could spend paragraphs talking about how much I loved this series, when really, I want to talk about one specific thing that stood out to me about it.

I don’t think it’s a controversial statement to say that anime has changed in the last decade or two. In fact, it has to change, or else it will stagnate and die. But in recent years, there has been a different kind of change happening, not on screen, but behind the scenes. While reports come in on Anime shows and franchises seeing record high profits, more reports are coming out about the troubling financial and personal conditions that animators and production assistants on shows have to live in, and the treatment from upper management and fans alike that people inside the industry have to go through. It’s no surprise that more public figures, like voice actors and idols, become traumatized and sick from all of them issues they have to deal with outside of their control.

It’s reassuring to see that things might be looking up for the lower workers in the Anime industry, from more affordable dorms and housing being crowdfunded, to new avenues of production opening up new ways to get anime to an audience, doing away with the strict and punishing guidelines. And creatively, more challenging shows are starting to be made, ones that poke fun and challenge the classic cliches and tropes of Dumb Big Breasted Women, Blank Slate Heroes, and Marketing Driven Shows. Instead, we are seeing more uses of Absurdist Comedy (Pop Team Epic, Asobi Asobase); Introspective shows about the creators of anime and the people who indulge in anime (Shirobako, Wotakoi); And shows that take classic romance plots and apply them in new, inventive ways (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Recovery of an MMO Junkie).

A wholesome slice of life comedy~

Even outside of the industry, Japan is seeing political change, with more protests against militarization of the country and support for LGBT rights popping up to challenge the instilled conservative views that have been a mainstay in Japan for so long.

I bring all of this up because I believe, whether purposely or subconsciously (And I do believe that it’s mostly on purpose), Dragon Pilot is a reflection of the changing industry and how it’s dealing with these issues, especially when it challenges the classical/traditional way of doing things.

The first major clue, and the thing that caught me on to this theory, is the design of the show. From the get go, it stands out from other shows in how it lays out it’s world. It strays away from the use of Key frame animation and highly detailed backgrounds, instead using a much more fluid movement and watercolor spaces to give everything a more down to Earth feel. And even when they use newer technology, like CG animation, it’s only used sparingly, as to not interfere with the natural flow of the animation. The two styles are used complimentary, instead of as a way to fill space.

Inside the actual designs of the Military base, everything looks old and lived in. There are spots of dirt everywhere, doors are uneven, and equipment has been put through the ringer. Even the character designs themselves seem to carry this style, many of them being a mismatch of character archetypes from the 60s, 70s and 80s. This all in spite of being in the modern day, and many of them having smart phones and updated Military hardware, like the parts that make up the Dragon’s disguise.

This, I feel, sets up the main conflict, even before you learn what the series is even about. It’s an establishment that has done things in one way for many years, and even though it tolerates minor advancements around it, it always sticks to its core values, never straying too far from what they believe to be the proper path to success. This could be applied to the Anime industry, as even when experimenting with new ideas, core ideas have always been forced in: Fanservice, merchandising ability, storyline tropes, etc...

Awkward situations is the main staple of modern anime

Which brings us to the main plot of the show. In a quick summation, the main Pilots, called OTF pilots, must control dragons, disguised as planes, to lead a world destroying God Dragon to it’s new resting place, a tradition that they must do every 76 years. They do not find out until after they begin, however, that one of the main parts of the journey involves sacrificing a shrine maiden, in order to ensure safe passage. This appalls the main characters, and they hatch a plan to prevent it from happening, eventually succeeding with much hardship.

This, I feel, reflects the current state of the Anime industry. For years, it’s been leaning heavily on the things that made it the most money, like shows with heavy fanservice, shonen shows that were played into the ground, harem series that allowed the viewer to place themselves into the empty husk that is the main character. While they allowed little changes in technology and storytelling, the core values have roughly been the same since the 70s. But it’s not the 70s anymore, and things do have to change, lest they get eventually outdated and left behind. Of course, the people running things do not and will not agree, so sometimes you have to be a bit more forceful and creative with how you make those changes.

It’s not just the overall plot that clues into this either. Even the smaller side plots play with classical tropes in interesting ways. Romance ends up being a leading factor, as the Pilots end up not able to link with their dragons properly if they are feeling love for someone else. While it’s mostly played literally straight with Hisone and vaping engineer Haruto Okonoji, things play out slightly differently with the other three pilots.

The biggest crime of the entire anime, promoting vaping...

For example, let’s look at the other focused romance between the hard nosed dragon pilot Eru Hoshino and the perverted male pilot Yutaka Zaito. On the surface, they are introduced as a very played out idea: Perverted, somewhat sexist boy falls in love with a girl that is sickened by his attitude, yet still falls for him when he starts to become less sexist and perverted. And though it’s pretty much done word for word as it’s done in the past, they do pull one interesting twist out. Because she fell for him, she’s unable to pilot, and despite the man’s best wishes, he actively sabotages the relationship, making her hate him so as to complete the mission successfully. Though it works out in the end, it’s a surprising route to take for a show that has romance as a main plot mover.

And speaking of romance, let’s talk about the other two pilots: The motherly Mayumi, and the sullen Liliko. When they are analyzed for their possible romantic links, they are simply written off as “not a concern”. While it’s never openly stated, the coding for the two characters seems to be that of an aromantic type, and at least in Liliko’s case, asexual. Throughout her time on the base, Liliko seems to show no romantic interest in anyone, and when even asked at the end if she was interested in anyone, she simply mentions “Kingdom”, the manga she reads. Mayumi is a little harder to tack down, as her interests seem to lie in caring for someone rather than having an active relationship, shown in her way she deals with her dragon and how she only seemed interested in someone else because they seemed well fed and groomed. When you have an industry filled with strict guidelines for relationship (Shonen has only hetero relationship, romance is either m/f, m/m or f/f, no crossover), it’s very refreshing to see a mishmash of different ideals represented.

One of the funnest characters, btw

Even the way that Hisone reacts to her choice between love and duty is different. Hisone is forced to choose: Either stop loving the engineer boy Okonoji-san, who represents her personal life and self worth, or else never be able to pilot Masotan ever again, who represents her dedication to her craft and what she’s built her life around. When faced with a final choice, she initially chooses neither, instead choosing to quit. This gets a negative reaction from her higher up, who somewhat literally throws her out, yelling insults the entire time. But soon after, she chooses to actively follow the plan, only to go against it at the last moment when she learns about the sacrifice, ultimately deciding to take things into her own hands and perform the ritual herself, risking her own life.

This, in a sense, could represent the constant struggle of newer animators, producers and voice actors face when breaking into the industry. They are told the traditions and things they have to do, and to question or reject them could lead to their abilities being insulted or questioned, their job threatened, and in some cases, termination and blackballing from the entire industry.

No pressure

When Hisone reenters the Air Force, apologizing for what she did, she is showing her respect for what the tradition is, and how it has helped their country for centuries. She feels that she can balance work and her personal life if given a chance, despite the heavy toll it takes on her, like having to work for dozens of hours on end because that’s the expectation of her; Having to follow ridiculous order after ridiculous order, with little explanation of why or what the benefit is; And any question she places against it being shot down. These conditions which might resonate, not only with production workers, but also many other jobs around the globe…

But when faced with the horrible idea of having a person losing their life, she knew it was the final straw. She saw a young person forced to take the fall for an institution that consciously and knowingly lied to and built up this person for failure, something they had done for years. Hisone knew it was too far, and instituted change herself, despite those around her telling her it was a suicide mission.

And what happens? Hisone does it, and everything works out. Despite being told for eons that this thing must be done one was, and any other would destroy everything, when Hisone tried a new, inventive, and more importantly, less toxic way of doing things, it worked out fine. Hisone lived, the Air Force learned that their lesson, and everyone was left to figure out how to live their lives with this new way of doing things.

And being fucking adorkable while doing it all~

Ultimately, Dragon Pilot is a show of hope. It shows that, even against overwhelming odds, the way things have been done before are not the way things must always be. The world evolves, so with it, an industry must as well, or else they’ll simply be left in the dust. And even if it might seem hard, impossibly hard even, sometimes that’s just a sign that you must work even harder to make it happen. So hopefully, the Anime Industry learns a lesson from it’s own show and cleans up its act a little. A little less of shows like Darling in the Franxx, and a little more of shows like Dragon Pilot.

#dragon pilot #hisone #masotan #zach #writing #article #anime #old #new #netflix

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dragonshost · 6 years

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Now Leasing: New Beginnings

Chapter 3: Invite

Rating: T

Pairing: Cobra x Lucy

Genre: Humor/Romance

Summary: Lucy has finally achieved her dream, and finalized the purchase of her family’s former home. When she goes to inspect the Heartfilia mansion, however, she finds some very familiar people already occupying it. For CoLu Week 2018.

Word Count: 2,088

On FFN

On AO3

Sorry, I know this is a bit late. Work has been killing me this week. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

After a very upset sky dragon slayer had chewed her out over the leeches, Lucy made sure to follow her friend’s orders about taking a shower (because pond gunk was a thing and so was necrotizing fasciitis) and staying hydrated (to replenish her body’s liquids), Lucy decided that a nap was in order. It had been a long, trying day thus far for her. Any one of the things that had occurred to her were enough to ruin even a saint’s mood.

Lucy now lay beneath the cool, crisp sheets of one of the former guest rooms in the building. Her old room held too many memories to bear inspecting for the ones that had been removed. And really, the mansion had no shortage of spare rooms given that it had once housed an entire estate’s worth of staff in addition to several reserved bedrooms and bathrooms for visiting guests. It was really too much empty space, Lucy couldn’t help but think. She had assumed that the building would feel smaller to her now that she was an adult. But now, staring up at the ceiling in a room that had no personality even before the creditors made off with most of the moveable furniture and paintings? Somehow, Lucy felt as if she were a child once more, in a place with too few people, and too much emptiness.

It was suffocating.

Funny, she hadn’t noticed it earlier. Crime Sorciere had a way of… filling a space with their presence.

Unable to sleep in the room, Lucy threw off the sheets and padded on bare feet through the darkened room. She opened the door and peeked into the hallway. Empty. All the lights were off, as was Crime Sorciere’s habit over their years of unlawful residency. Really, it was a stunning testament to how little the bank had paid attention to the property if the former dark wizards could manage that kind of lifestyle as long as they had without detection. Lucy would have assumed that even a small spike in the utilities would have alerted someone.

Lucy wandered down the dim hallway, letting her instinct guide which path she took. Before she knew it, she was standing before a door she knew well. Her lips quirked upward in a half-smile. Pushing the doors open, she stepped into her father’s old study. Books lined the walls, all of them too common to merit being removed by the creditors or bank for resale. The last time she’d been in this room, it had been damaged by fighting. She was pleased to see that her money she’d forked over had been well spent in the repairs. It hardly looked like anything had ever occurred in the room, let alone what Lucy’s mind was replaying for her.

“Oh, Lucy. Hello.”

The sound of another person’s voice startled her out of her memories, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She looked up and smiled at the blue-haired man perusing the bookshelves. “Jellal,” she replied. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s not a problem. Did you sleep well? Erik told me about the leeches.”

Sweat ran down the back of Lucy’s neck. “Yeah, not my finest moment there. I’m feeling better now, but I couldn’t fall asleep. So I thought I’d walk around a bit.”

Stepping back from the bookshelf, Jellal awkwardly held up a book. “I hope you don’t mind our use of this room.”

Lucy shook her head. “Not at all. It would be sad if they were never read for all of these years.”

A tentative smile spread across his face, and his brown eyes lit up. “That’s good to hear. All of us like this room quite a bit. Growing up, none of us really had access to so many books. Well, Ultear did, and I had use of the Council library for a while, but not so much the others.”

If she had been asked years ago how she felt about hearing that the Oracion Seis loved her father’s library, Lucy might have blown a fuse in her brain. But now… the thought of them all gathered in the room, reading the collection of a man they had once manipulated, felt strangely surreal. Not in a bad way, though. “I’m happy that you guys got some enjoyment out of them.”

Jellal’s eyes slid away from hers, shame hovering over his features like a dark cloud. “I owe you an apology. I should have told you long ago that we were staying here. I had many opportunities to do so, but I always let my anxiety get in the way. It was reprehensible of me. I’m very sorry for trespassing in your family home, and never telling you about it. You deserve better from us – and from me – than that.”

The celestial mage observed him for a long moment. Now that her initial anger over the situation had cooled off, she couldn’t really say that she minded all that much anymore. It hadn’t been her home for a long time; in truth, it had ceased to be one long before it had passed out of her father’s possession. And how could the topic even be broached in casual conversation, anyway? ‘Oh by the way, I’ve been living in your childhood home that your parents built with all of your childhood possessions for years free of cost, I hope you don’t mind.’

Okay, maybe she still minded. Just a smidge.

Lucy let out a sigh, and then smiled at Jellal. “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”

He met her gaze once more. “I still feel like it’s inadequate, though, since it comes on the heels of being caught rather than said of my own volition.”

To his surprise, his statement garnered a laugh out of Lucy. “I see you’ve been paying attention to the books on conflict resolution!”

A flush crept into Jellal’s cheeks. “I might have read a few of them. They’ve been really helpful.”

“Well, out of everyone who could have possibly have been living in my house, I’m kind of relieved that it was you guys,” Lucy confessed, moved into speaking as openly as Jellal was. “I think…” she hesitated for a brief moment. “I think you guys feel more at home here than I do, actually. Or rather, it becomes one with all of you in it.”

That could work.

That thought hit her like a blow from Erza’s hammer, knocking the wind right out of her chest. It was a crazy idea, of course. But then again, when wasn’t anything borderline insane when a member of Fairy Tail was involved? It would neatly solve all of her problems. Her money situation, a use for the huge property, it even provided an answer for how to juggle her homelife and worklife going forward.

The trouble was, if Crime Sorciere had been living in the building for free for so long, what were the chances they’d even consider it? Lucy didn’t have any clue as to the strength of their financial situation, or if she was allowed to offer it to them. However, she didn’t remember anything in her mortgage contract expressly forbidding her from doing it. And again, this was a handy solution for her own problems, while making full use of the property as it was meant to be. Crime Sorciere would benefit from it in the long run as well.

Before she knew it, a smile had spread across her face. “Say, Jellal,” she began, the blue-haired man gazing at her curiously. “You guys are an official guild now, right? Recognized by the Magic Council?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“I have to ask, why have you guys never made an official guild headquarters?” This was a question that had plagued her for years, actually. It had never seemed polite to inquire, so Lucy had left the issue alone. If there was any time suited to prying into Crime Sorciere’s affairs, though, now was the time to do so.

Jellal grimaced in response to her words. “Although we’ve been officially pardoned by the Magic Council, and the Fioran government allows us to walk around freely as well, most people are exactly… accommodating for mass murderers. No matter how reformed we might be. It’s pretty difficult to find anyone willing to lease us a place, or even get jobs. Mostly we rely on the Magic Council for work.” He shrugged. “There’s never any shortage of dark wizards, and they’re happy to have people willing to get their hands dirty on their behalf.”

Yeah, that sounded like the Council.

“I take it that’s the real reason you live here, then,” Lucy shrewdly observed. “No need to pass a background check if you’re trespassing.”

“More or less,” he admitted. “Although, truth be told if we were ever caught and arrested, our previously vacated sentences would be doubled instead. It was a risk we were willing to take, all the same.”

Nodding, Lucy contemplated his words. “It’s a good thing it was me who found out, then. I have no intention of taking you guys to the cops.” She winked at him. “Technically it wasn’t me who owned the place while you were living here, anyway. But, that brings up the point of what you’re going to do now.”

“Don’t worry.” Jellal let out a nervous laugh. “We’ll get our stuff out of your way shortly. Then we’ll try the housing and rental markets again. They’ve probably improved a bit over the past few years; our chances might be better this time around.”

“Or!” Lucy interrupted, grinning now in earnest. “What if I had a proposition for you?”

Jellal’s expression turned wary, his eyebrows knitting together. He knew her well enough by now to know when to tread lightly. The mansion and the surrounding land had to have been extremely pricy, far too high for Lucy to afford normally with the destructive forces of her team working against her. And yet, here she was – the owner of it all. When Lucy put her mind to something, very little could successfully stand in her way. “What sort of proposition?” he asked, feeling a bit like the devil was about to invite him to bet his soul on a game of poker.

Her fingers steepled in front of her like her father’s used to right before closing a deal, Lucy’s eyes glimmered with repressed glee. “Here’s the thing. I have no idea what to do with this place. I never really thought much about what would happen if I ever managed to acquire enough money to buy it. Now that I have, I’m finding myself at a bit of a loss. I could move in, of course. But this is a lot of house for just one person, right? And I also have a job I like and a life in Magnolia.”

Understanding began to creep into Jellal’s countenance, and he nodded slightly.

“So here’s the idea. You rent this place from me. That way, you won’t have to move out, or creep around it. It would be yours to do what you want with. Honestly, I’m satisfied just having the title to it in my name, but it would be a waste if nothing was ever done with it. My mortgage on the place would get paid, and maybe I could even get a bit of extra pocket money in my account as well.”

Jellal blinked once, then twice more, stunned into silence by what she was offering. “That’s… exceptionally generous of you,” he stammered. “I’m… I’m not sure what to say.”

A deep-seated laugh burst from the blonde mage. “How about I draw up a potential contract, and then we discuss terms?” She extended her hand to him.

He considered it, and then took her hand and gave it a firm shake. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. But I have something to ask.” Dropping her hand, he looked her square in the eyes. “How would you feel about… alterations?”

“Depends.” It was Lucy’s turn to eye Jellal with curiosity. “What kind were you thinking of?”

Jellal strode to the door, raising his hands in the air close together. Then he made a sweeping gesture and twisted his head to look at her with the largest grin she’d ever seen on his face.

“Crime Sorciere Guild Hall,” he told her. “With plenty of room to grow. What do you think of that?”

“I think we can work something out,” replied Lucy. “Now let’s talk terms…”

#colu week 2018 #colu #cobra/erik #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #fanfiction #ftfanfics

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ssconsultancyblogs · 3 years

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Things to consider before buying your first rental property

Investing into rental properties is all the heat nowadays. Whether you are a seasoned real estate investor or are a beginner in the field, chances are you are interested to put your money into a rental property.

DHA Islamabad Property dealers

Rental properties come in many shapes and sizes, moreover there are different types of them. firstly there are residential rental properties; where people settle for their homes or as a temporary living space to accommodate themselves better in a city. There are a lot of people who cannot afford to build their own property when moving out, so they start to live into rental properties to ease themselves, moreover persons moving to bigger cities or to a different city in search of better lifestyle and job opportunity will also be gravitated to live into rentals. Residential forms of rental properties can come in either apartment style buildings and flats or lone standing houses. Particular hotspots in rentals are as expected; house for rent in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi alongside the commercially important cities of Pakistan.

On the other hand we have commercial rental properties. Many business investors may look to a specific area to establish their business setup but they don’t want the hassle of investing to buy out the property or find it more convenient to rent an office or work space, they look to commercial spaces open for renting. Moreover shops owners might also take up to an area in which their business can flourish better in; for example a stationary shop nearby a school or a residential area. Owners of commercial plazas or real estate investors specifically do buy commercial properties to put up as rental spaces and generate passive income to their own profit.

If you yourself are looking to invest into rental properties we have enlisted some things to consider for you before you invest to assure your chances of success:

Strategize beforehand:

It is not the most optimal strategy to straight up buy a property and then label it as a rental. Planning beforehand will help ease the process. Planning should be done on the basis what kind of property are you investing into; be it residential or commercial and then for what demographic are you choosing it for, say; a house for rent in Islamabad, then consider whether it is for college students or a joint family.

Calculate the ranges of you budget beforehand; you do not want to aim higher than your expectations and end up in debt from purchasing a property that does not generate much income. You can also speculate beforehand how much rent can you generate from the said property you are interested in buying and weigh the costs and expenses beforehand to avoid any regrets about investing in a rental.

Management of a rental property can also be quite taxing. You can be a real estate business owner with multiple property deals going left and right but a rental can easily take up most of your energy in managing it. So ask yourself this: can I afford the time to manage my rental property? Or alternatively: do I need to hire a management team to look after my rental properties? Queries addressed to yourself need to be answered for assuring a smart and successful investment.

Can you become a Land lord?

This is further tying in with the pressure of property management. Landlords being property owners have some obligations to fulfill. In case of rental properties; the responsibility of property repairs typically falls in the share of the landlord.

You will have multiple options to assure these responsibilities are fulfilled. Firstly you can equip yourself with some simple house repair skills to save money as a landlord. But when we are talking about a person who owns multiple properties and is well invested into the real estate business; they won’t have the time to carry out such duties. The best option to go for there is calculate the expenses of hiring either a real estate dealer or trustworthy repairmen to monitor the smaller house repairs. Moreover if you have multiple rental properties located nearby; a good option is to hire a team of professionals that can deal with repairs and management throughout the building. Alternatively, lend the responsibility of a landlord to a hired real estate agent that can deal with such management issues.

Pick the best location:

More or less, location is the golden rule of success in any real estate investment. Always try to look for rental properties in a location that will get more traffic from real estate investors and will attract more tenants.

A good observation to make regarding the importance of location is that it should hold both lifestyle and commercial opportunities for the residents. An area that provides an opulent living experience such as those of well planned and organized societies as well as areas that hold good commercial services and workplace offices gets the most attention from investors.

Moreover location is also important in relevance to the accessibility of areas nearby, a secluded society placed in corner of a big town or city will not be as attractive for people looking to rent a residence as compared to a location that is located amidst of a big city and interconnects its important parts.

Hire a real estate agent:

Real estate agents are professionals that deal with property matters. They are highly skilled and equipped with all the necessary tools of initiating, managing and processing any real estate deal. Property managers in terms of buying a rental can help you in two ways.

Firstly real estate agents can help you locate the best place for you to invest in. in the present day; where the real estate market is growing by the day; the spectrum of options is massive. It can seem quite daunting for a person to set out for the search of the dream area to invest into rental properties. Real estate agents come with the experience and skills to search you the best area. This can really help ease the process of buying a rental property and save you your time and energy.

The other situation where a real estate agent can help you is in the future managing of your real estate property. Management of rentals, as discussed before, can be a big hassle for the landlord. A real estate manager already has the experience needed to look after a real estate property. In case you are too caught up in other business and work related things or want to make time for your social life; hiring a real estate agent can be a great solution to your troubles.

However it should be noted that hiring a professional and well reputed real estate agent adds to the investment costs of your property. Moreover finding a certified and responsible agent to hire is also your responsibility in the first place in case you are not taking help of an agency.

Buy low cost properties:

When it comes to rentals, buying low cost properties can go a long way for the investor. Firstly rentals are mostly considered a temporary living space for people and people themselves try to look for low budget spaces. Other than that mostly middle classed families settle into rental houses not being able to afford their own, so they are also less likely to rent out a more opulent living space. Buying lower cost rentals can also greatly benefit the owner in the long run as smaller and cheaper properties take less on their household repair costs as well. A house for rent in Islamabad that is located in a middle classed area with a commercial hub gets more attention than being located in a luxurious planned society project.

The biggest advantage of buying low is that you can achieve financial security. Take an example; where you are a beginner in the real estate business and you spend a lot on a single property for rent. However due to some unfortunate circumstance, or hasty decisions; the rental does not get much popularity; will put you at a greater risk of losing your investment. On the other hand for a person that started out from investing in low cost spaces for rent; even if the place is not being put up for rent; the investor is able to bounce back a lot easier from a smaller loss.

Conclusion:

Rentals can greatly benefit a person whether they are a property owner or are a real estate business investor. The different types of rental properties come with varying benefits for people. There is a need for a strategic approach when trying to buy your first rental property as well. Considering the availability of time and money for the repairing costs. Moreover weighing the pros and cons of investment in said rental property. Buying the property at the best possible location and then if it seems to overburden you; hiring a professional real estate agent to your aid.

Most important of all these is evaluating beforehand, other than diving right into buying out a rental property. It may seem relatively risk free when investing into a property that has to be put up for rent, but making smarter decisions in your investment will go a long way towards the property’s success. We hope that you learned some tips before you buy your first rental property.

#DHAIslamabad #dhapropertydealer

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shirlleycoyle · 3 years

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‘Building the Cockchain:’ How NSFW Artists Are Shaping the Future of NFTs

A few months ago, Jen Stein entered a room in the voice chat app Clubhouse called "Decentralized Systems," looking for conversations about censorship solutions on social media. She creates sculptural art using colorful dildos as the medium, and had recently been kicked off of Instagram. To her surprise, she found a group of people in the middle of a conversation about cryptocurrency.

"I was like, 'I'm so sorry, I think I came to the wrong room… I did not realize this was about Bitcoin,'" she told me. "I'd heard about Bitcoin like once before, through all these memes about money… I hate money, I hate capitalism, I don't care," she recalled. But the people in that room told her to stay and learn about non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. "It just opened my eyes to what this technology could actually do."

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are visual, cryptographic assets on the blockchain that are unique from one another and can represent ownership of an associated digital item. Stein listed images of her sculptures on Rarible, a digital marketplace for NFTs, and calls it "building the cockchain." She's since personally taught more than 100 people the ins and outs of NFTs and cryptocurrency, and written guides on how to get into it. "I've never been more inspired by anything in a really long time—especially after this year, I was feeling very just not hopeful about the world," she said.

NFTs have gained traction in the world of art and collectors' items. Each token points to a digital work in some way, and because they're minted on the blockchain, they're harder to defraud and impossible to duplicate. This means one can track where they're transferred and sold. Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, you can't pay for things with them like money; they're more like receipts than dollar bills. It would be like trying to buy a coffee with a printed picture of Nyan Cat. But they're useful for artists who want to build a community of collectors, and invest in art that could increase in value over time.

NFTs have gotten a lot of attention lately, both for successes such as art sales in the millions, and for criticisms around the environmental cost of cryptocurrency mining and issues such as theft. But the technology isn't new. They've been around for years—at least as far back as Rare Pepes in 2017—and the basic idea stretches back farther, with "Colored Coins'' issued on the Bitcoin blockchain in 2012.

In the last month, several well-known artists—including rapper Azealia Banks, who sold the rights to an audio sex tape for $17,000, and Russian rock group Pussy Riot, which released a new video as series of protest-art tokens to benefit women's shelters—seem to be paving the way for works that push the boundaries way beyond Cryptokitties. There’s even an NFT-based streaming alternative to Spotify. But is the same success attainable for smaller, independent erotic artists?

THE BENEFITS

Multidisciplinary artist PolyAnnie started minting NFTs in September 2020. She does performance art, erotic physical and digital art, and is a content creator on OnlyFans. "NFTs allow me to set the conditions of my work and provide me the ability to gamify my entire body of work in ways that one day I can take my hands off the 'wheel' and let my brand run itself," she said.

To her, the benefits of getting into the NFT world include a more direct relationship with fans and those fans become investors, as well as the financial: she's made more income from crypto-art in five months than she usually would in an entire year. Now, she runs a weekly conference call that's open to anyone who wants to learn more about getting into adult NFTs.

"Self-Love," by Cryptonatrix. Image courtesy Cryptonatrix

For erotic artists and sex workers, who are constantly dogged by payment processors' prudish rules and risk having their Venmo, Cashapp, and Paypal accounts closed for selling sexy content, the decentralized nature of NFTs is appealing. Unlike with these services, which are moderated by a central authority, digital receipts published to the blockchain are permanent and there will always be methods of transferring cryptocurrency without the use of middlemen who might take issue with the transaction. For some, this looks like the future of the adult industry.

Cryptoempress, a professional dancer and nude model as well as cryptocurrency enthusiast, mostly creates NFTs from her own nude photos. She saw the combination of crypto and modeling as a natural fit.

"I think the future for NFT’s, crypto-art and NSFW artists is bright, because the world is changing to a direction where nudity is not a taboo anymore," she said. "You can create nude art on the blockchain with the actual opportunity to earn money." She also likes that NFTs can bring in royalties—if someone buys her work and then resells it, she can receive the royalties she sets as a term of the sale.

"I think that NFTs are a great 'gateway drug' to bring anyone into crypto," Cryptonatrix, who works as a dominatrix, told me. "However, I imagine it will take time for adult content creators and buyers to become familiar with what’s going on in this space, just as it will take time for new adult specific NFT platforms to develop and test themselves."

THE RISKS

As excited as she was about cryptocurrency's potential for art, it took Stein a few weeks after learning about cryptocurrency to start her own wallet. "It was the PTSD of being on other platforms where [sex is] the first thing that gets regulated," she said. "Something's gonna happen with sex, sexuality and kids, or with kids money."

Even if cryptocurrency infrastructure is fairly agnostic, markets represent a possible bottleneck for content creators. Rarible's terms of use prohibit users to "publish, post, distribute or disseminate any profane, obscene, pornographic indecent or unlawful content, pictures, topic, name, material or information," for example, but at the same time, has a dedicated NSFW category. OpenSea, another listing marketplace, is more lenient. Its terms of use state that it allows the sale of NSFW content, but that content is "subject to being marked NSFW and handled differently than non-NSFW content in navigation menus and search results," and the site bans "asset names, listings and their descriptions, smart contract names, and collections including profanity, sexually explicit, or overtly sexual content." SuperRare, another marketplace, does not allow minting pornographic or obscene content—but a quick search on the platform shows that this rule is pretty loose. Foundation similarly forbids vulgar, obscene or pornographic content.

Image courtesy Cryptoempress

All of this surfaces age-old questions about what constitutes art, porn, and erotica—and what makes each of these distinct from the others. What might be considered acceptably NSFW without crossing the line into “obscene” on these platforms?

"The very notion of erotica as 'good,' clean, non-explicit representations of sexual pleasure in opposition to dirty, explicit pornographic ones is false," porn scholar Linda Williams wrote in Hard Core. "The one emphasizes desire, the other satisfaction. Depending on who is looking, both can appear dirty, perverse, or too explicit." And as pornographic legend Gloria Leonard, once put it bluntly: “The difference between porn and erotica is the lighting."

"Just as what is considered 'art' is infinitely debated and in the eyes of the beholder, what is considered inappropriate, varies greatly amongst individuals," Cryptoempress said. In these cases, the beholder is the platforms themselves.

"Obscenity" at least has a legal definition, but it's subject to jurisdiction. "What jurisdiction is the metaverse?" Stein said.

Cryptonatrix said she had one of her first NFTs removed by Rarible, without explanation. "Terms of Service are never written so clearly, which allows platforms to censor selectively," she said. "As with any social platform, there are definitely double standards in the way their ToS are applied, and in who they choose to promote. For example, a GIF of me wearing a strap-on silicone toy was removed while others sell uncensored nudes, men have minted dick pics, and there is other art involving dildos not actually being worn." There's also a double standard on platforms about erotic content when it's made by a someone who is openly a sex worker, versus someone without that stigma attached to them and their art, she said. But there's still less risk of deplatforming in crypto-art so far than there is on Facebook or Instagram.

There's also the usual security risks that anyone connecting their credit care to a relatively new platform take on: earlier this week, several users on token marketplace Nifty Gateway had thousands of dollars stolen from their accounts, because the site doesn't require two-factor authentication. And there's always the risk of copyright infringement and stolen art ending up on a marketplace—a problem pornographers have dealt with since the earliest days of putting images of sex on the internet, and one that's only expounded with the rise of independent sex work such as camming and clip sites.

Image courtesy PolyAnnie

Some sex workers are trying to stay a step ahead by minting their own works on the blockchain before someone else can: Allie Eve Knox told Motherboard that she's been minting her works before others can, and watermarking them with a "bid now" banner that stays on the image until it's purchased, to keep people from stealing the jpeg or screenshotting it.

A complication of NFTs (and a risk for sellers) is that most tokens give the purchaser the right to do what they want with it, including reselling it. "When I shoot for a company or whatever, I sign those rights away in a contract, but here, there is no contract. There is no law. There is no regulation, aside from moderation of the site—which is hella subjective," Knox said.

Re(Booty) by Caroline Dy. Image courtesy Caroline Dy

Stein and Cryptonatrix both brought up the fact that most marketplace platforms don't have age verification or consent agreements, for either the seller or the buyer. "I think it’s just like any new technology, in that with the endless amount of positive potential it may bring, there are also dangers that we cannot yet foresee," Cryptonatrix said. "I am moving cautiously, including with the projects that I am aligning myself with."

Some of these issues are the growing pains of a newly-popular medium, but mostly they're predictable questions within the adult content industry.

"Any fringe content will remain vulnerable to censorship as long as payment and computation hosting are in the hands of large tech companies," PolyAnnie said. "Blockchains are not evolved enough to host the content itself, only the proof of purchase and ownership. Therefore, blockchains can solve payment vulnerabilities, yet blockchains cannot address censorship in who gets hosted on the tech giant’s servers." Although there are ways to host images on the blockchain, they're very limited, and more like storing pixel art.

The NFT boom could also help illustrators who make more erotic-themed art in private expand that work into the public. Caroline Dy, who got into NFTs to supplement her income as a technical artist and game developer, creates digitally-painted portraits and pin-ups. "I'm exploring the idea of publishing more work that leans towards erotica as I believe we need to destigmatize and normalize talking about sex," Dy said.

"It’s extremely important to not get too drugged up on that 'hopium,'" Cryptonatrix said. "Neither sex work nor cryptoart is easy money, though that misconception is certainly prevalent in regards to both."

Even with the uncertainty of where this technology and art form will go, Stein said she'd still encourage anyone who's been shut out of other platforms to try making their own NFTs.

"There are so many people that have already lost their voices, and they're the ones that need this," she said. "I see this technology as a way to get voices to the people that have not been able to use them.”

‘Building the Cockchain:’ How NSFW Artists Are Shaping the Future of NFTs syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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katelynotis-blog · 3 years

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cheap security insurance. You wonât get to choose whether you get the maximum value for it or how much it would cost to replace your vehicle. But there could be some things you can do to lower your cost. If youâve bought enough car insurance to cover the cost of replacing your vehicle, you should consider increasing your deductible. Deductibles are the amount youâll pay out of pocket before your insurance company pays. If youâre paying out of pocket for repair costs after a car accident, you can expect to get some of the highest deductibles youâll see. There is a reason why you need . Car insurance providers typically pay a percentage of your deductible if youâre at fault in something like a car accident. If your deductible is higher than the percentage for the accident, youâll be entitled to a lower policy amount. There. cheap security insurance, as well as safety and safety car insurance. If you live in one of the state’s more than 200,000 counties, you’re likely to find someplace but not 100% of rates. If you take your insurance policy with you when you move, your insurer may ask for you to carry the coverage when you start your new policy elsewhere. This could raise your insurance prices. We understand it’s time to get creative: keep your eyes on the hill and wait for the same car insurance policy to be available in another state! Get a good look at the state roads and avoid accidents in the South Carolina Roadway by using the following tips: Driving Under Influence (DUI) can be a risky move for drivers, who may be at high-risk for driving without insurance or having too little. Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) covers the difference between the lesser of either: (1) your own health insurance or (2) your own health insurance. cheap security insurance. If you don’t have parking, and you are driving without insurance, or you don’t know how to stop on the street, it will be a violation of law. It will be considered a major traffic violation. Driving without insurance, whether it be in a parking space, or at the grocery store, is a misdemeanor that will keep you from getting coverage for just days, even if you don’t have insurance. If you’re involved in a car accident, you won’t receive your basic minimum coverage to protect you. With a few exceptions or limits, most of the major insurers (and many smaller insurers) allow you to have no coverage at all. You can drive without insurance in Utah. Drivers have to carry the minimum amounts of liability car insurance required for any state. This will be reflected in the amount of coverage given, but Utah has a state option, which means you can choose your own limits. However, the premiums can be higher.

Factors that affect your business insurance costs

Factors that affect your business insurance costs include the number of employees, the number of business owners and the type of insurance policies your business needs, such as the amount that you must carry, how much you rely on your employees, and what kind of business insurance your employees pay, are covered under your business insurance policies. Many large corporate offices and organizations have a variety of business insurance policies and coverages. They have different types of business insurance including those that cover for small businesses, corporate travel, and travel by private passenger vehicles (MVs) and private passenger vehicles (RCVs). It’s important that you know the types of business insurance your business needs so that you can find the best policy for business owners. Just like the title says, I would suggest you make your own rules. When it comes to determining your own policy, it is highly personal, you need to get the quotes from a variety of insurance companies. The insurance companies.

What is Included in Security Insurance?

What is Included in Security Insurance? The standard coverage includes theft, damage or destruction of belongings within any home. These are just a few types of insurance and should be reviewed by a Florida insurance attorney. Contact Us Largest Insurance Brokers in Florida There are a few different ways you can contact your insurance company directly and ask for a quote. We offer Florida auto insurance, homeowners insurance, and life insurance, as well. For all of our insurance products, we ll provide you with the information that you need. Click on the link below to get started! You never know when an earthquake happens….or when you think you might need them. Here are the facts: A lot of people are homeowners insurance policyholders and the insurance benefits their friends and relatives have with their insurance policy or a community member who has been with that person or people who have taken their policy in the past. If you can’.

Getting the cheapest business insurance

Getting the cheapest business insurance quotes for your team at the company. in our free tool above to get started. Easily compare and buy life insurance Easily compare and buy disability insurance Easily compare and buy homeowners insurance Easily compare and buy auto insurance Easily compare and buy renters insurance We re dedicated to providing our customers the best professional service possible. At AAA, we want life insurance, not just health insurance We ve been in business since 1959, and our clients have had nothing but good experiences from the very beginning. and our staff has been working in the insurance and financial services industry for 30+ years. We re in fine business to help create, manage, and serve all of our clients. Our agents are well trained and available 24/7 7 Days a Week, 7 days a week. We re a local AAA member agency that cares about our community, their employees and.

Get your FREE Security Insurance Quote Today

Get your FREE Security Insurance Quote Today, and get a FREE insurance quote for your personal car insurance. If you live in a state of war, having car insurance is crucial to maintaining the security of your family. A soldier leaving the U.S. for duty must register his automobile on top of his military att., then take out an auto policy on his or his vehicle for a minimum of 30 days, and then the time is commiserated by a certain number of days that he does not get regular insurance. The only way to guarantee it is to have an insurance policy that is set up and kept protected by a driver s name, with written authorization by the insurance company. A soldier entering the military may or may not need to know the military profession. You may see this applied to the servicemen and women on the military att., but does there exist a case where military and veterans qualify for auto insurance protection on their parents insurance policy? We have two options here: Some people think they are lucky to be living at family.

Types of Security Teams We Insure

Types of Security Teams We Insure clients on a weekly basis. Your first choice is to call one of our agent reps. They will be available to assist you with your application process through this company. Our agent will provide you with some information of your choice and can explain what is covered under your policy. We do all the shopping for you. You can always come in and help us out with some questions. We don’t want to be that client. So we are hiring agents for every opportunity. If you are a potential client and a representative wants more information on your health Insurance policies, please let the agent know this information by telephone. You may have heard of “cheap” health insurance in Connecticut, when looking for the best price. It’s not a great name to name, but it’s something to note. The Affordable Care Act was designed to offer more affordable health insurance to every American. In this guide, we help you determine how coverage options changed, and if it’.

How Do We Provide the Best Security Guard Insurance Prices?

How Do We Provide the Best Security Guard Insurance Prices? Are there any special types of Security Guard Insurance? Are there any special policies that have specific coverages that are offered? If you are not sure how much or if you can get a better rate from your current insurance company, or you want a comprehensive plan that only costs you a small fortune each month, here’s a quick overview of the most popular security guard insurance policies we sell, in comparison to other types of insurance policies available today. In particular, there are several security guard plans for security guards and security guards. The Security Guard Policy (SSP) is typically associated with the security guard plan for the company. The SSP is offered by the Security Guard Insurance Group (SSG) and it is also referred to as the security guard plan. Security Guard Policies typically provide a small fortune for security guards based on the level of security in your company to help them protect themselves. This figure can be significant because a simple term insurance policy offers protection beyond the level of security to prevent financial.

The Key to Affordable Security Guard Insurance

The Key to Affordable Security Guard Insurance In Arizona, the key to the future of Arizona’s citizens is access to affordable and low cost key management insurance. Arizona’s key to affordable key management insurance is based on an affordable self employed key employee premium only plan that guarantees the replacement salary and annual wages of an insured member of the community. The following five key benefits are the top 10 key benefits and services that are offered to both members of the community. Key Benefits The cost and benefits for key employees will vary from plan to plan depending on their health status and needs. In Arizona, insurers don’t charge higher than 25 percent if they cover a key employee. The rate is also waived if one is a stay-at-home wife or husband. For key employees, the full $400,000 of key coverage available to a stay-at-home spouse must be included in any premium, provided they can afford the premium. In addition, for high-risk employees, key reductions are available in certain.

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