#chapter one was written so VERY long ago it's like i was collaborating briefly with my younger self :]

[gumjester]

Errruhgghhhhhhh I feel kind of annoying for tugging you on the sleeve like this but.......

What exactly were the words that were going through raven's mind in the first chapter when she was rushing away from her father at the end of the staircase up to the mirror tower to her room? When she was basically internally scolding herself for hoping her mom would actually talk to her, or treat her like a mother would.

What was her internal dialog during all that up to the point she gets to her empty room?

there is no sleeve-tugging here oklo!!!! in this hypothetical i am in fact wearing a vest top, and am deeply grateful as always for your interest :] 💜

i'll see if i can cast my mind back and write it out in full stream-of-consciousness style..... this will be very dramatic. i hope this is what you meant.

Raven thinks in utterly furious fragments. It goes something like:

Great. Great. Great. Great, you're on your own. She doesn't care. Old news! When has she ever cared before? When has she ever implied. Why would she feel something this time. She wouldn't, she doesn't. She won't.

I don't know why you keep going. You do this every time. Every time it's the same. What do you expect? Why are you angry? Why are you still surprised? Fuck, head hurts. You're wasting your energy. You've wasted so much energy and so much time and now time's nearly up! This was the last chance! This was the last chance. This was the last chance.

This was the last chance. Couldn't you just be nice, Mom. Couldn't you just tell me one thing that would help anything? Or anything at all, any information, anything that isn't just an excuse to gloat. Would that truly be so fucking hard. I keep asking such stupid questions. Were you scared? Of course she wasn't scared. You have to be human to be scared. You're all I have, I can't believe it. All I have. That can't be right. There has to be something else.

Fuck. Stop expecting. Expect nothing. Stop being an idiot, and expect nothing, and it won't hurt. She doesn't care? I don't care. I never had a real mom anyway. Can't miss what you never had. Don't miss what you never had. It's not fair. This isn't fucking fair. My hands hurt.

I'm going to be late.

[fantastic-rambles]

Random BSD Thoughts: “The Untold Origins” and The Decay of Angels

WARNING: Spoilers for “The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency” LN (Brief spoiler for Chapter 91 near the end.)

So I’m still plodding my way through the light novels and making notes on the various things that catch my interest. For those who have read the third novel, saying that I’m going to discuss the Decay of Angels in relation to it might seem odd, but there’s a method to my madness (in my own head, at least).

Right now, we’ve been introduced to the five members of the Decay of Angels in the manga, which seems to have rounded out the group. And the light novel, as the title suggests, refers to events that happen a long time before the events of the manga. But I think that the novel could be hinting toward the existence of the Decay of Angels even back then, with Ranpo and Fukuzawa briefly catching its tail.

(My thoughts/reasonings are pretty tenuous, so there’s a very good chance that I’m wrong/will be proved wrong since I’m no Ranpo who can solve a mystery by looking at it, but this is just where my brain went and I felt like sharing. xD) 

“V” and the Decay of Angels?

(I’ve learned how to use headers instead of having enormous walls of text, go me!)

The lines that caught my attention and sent me spiraling down this rabbit hole are these, which appear near the end of the light novel:

Behind it all was a domestic underground syndicate known as “V,” whose goal was to rid the country of skill users.

And the battle against them was only beginning.

Of course, it doesn’t name the Decay of Angels explicitly, but there are a few things just in the first line that caught my attention:

They are a domestic syndicate. Of course, the Decay of Angels (currently) has skill-users from several different countries, but their leader is very much Japanese. And maybe back then, they were primarily Japanese, with Fukuchi recruiting the others in the years since (more on this later).

“V”: the Roman numeral for 5, which could refer to the five “signs” of the impending death of an angel (one of which is the “lack of delight in their heavenly seat” or something along those lines that the ADA fulfilled--I think I’m mixing up the Mouryou no Hako description with the BSD description, but you get the point). It could also refer to the number of members, but I find that unlikely given that “V” does seem to have more than five people at this point in time.

Their goal, to rid the country of all skill users: isn’t that literally what Fyodor wants to do? Though on a slightly larger scale, as he apparently wants to rid the world of them altogether. But again, if he were recruited later, that would have provided him a strong incentive to lend his support to the DoA.

We also learn that this organization is willing to use any methods in order to achieve their goals, which is rather reminiscent of the methods of the DoA, especially Fukuchi orchestrating an enormous terrorist plot in order to gain control of an international, non-affiliated army and destroy all of the countries.

Plus, the member of the organization who is caught by Fukuzawa and Ranpo is a police officer, Jun Mitamura. Was he an early member of the DoA or the Hunting Dogs under Fukuchi? Yes, he doesn’t seem to be a skill user, as is the case with both organizations now, but it’s also established that back then, the knowledge of skill users wasn’t well-known, and the government seemed to be trying to collect them. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable that some of the earlier iterations of the groups might have had non-skill user members, and it would make most sense to recruit them from law enforcement and/or the army.

To prevent him from talking after he was captured, Mitamura was stabbed by a blade that disappeared (as was Kurahashi); I don’t know when Fukuchi obtained Amenogozen, but it certainly seems like something he could have done if he did have it then. Especially since he was also affiliated with the military (and maybe was starting to get a reputation?) and could probably walk around a police station/jail without raising suspicion.

Angels in the Light Novel (an aside, mostly)

Another interesting tidbit is that “angels” feature prominently in the story, most particularly in the play that is performed early on that has a minor mystery for Ranpo to solve, including the death threat that is received:

An angel shall bring death, in the truest sense of the word, to the performer. - V.

Although this is part of the plan to fake Murakami’s death, it seems clear that “V” and Murakami and/or Kurahashi were in contact in order for this note to be written. After all, it would be a wild coincidence for them to have randomly chosen “V” to be the anonymous sender of the letter and then for this organization “V” to show up later in the novel.

Of course, the “angels” in the play don’t actually have great bearing on the story (as far as I can tell), and the depictions of skill-users in the play are considered inaccurate/dramatized in general (again, since they’re not well-known about at this point), but it is noted that it’s very unusual to include them since they’re generally considered some sort of urban legend. But if “V” had a hand in writing the play through Kurahashi, they could have provided information about skill-users (possibly to pique Natsumi’s interest and get him to show up?) as well as influenced the theme of the angels.

Overall Timeline of Events

So with this information, I’ve organized a rough (theoretical) timeline of events for the development of the Decay of Angels. Starting from three facts:

14 years ago (prior to the present shown in the manga), Fukuchi joins the army and comes to hate war.

12 years ago, the ADA is founded.

8 years ago, Fukuchi defeats Bram Stoker and forces him to join the DoA.

Presumably, around those 14 years ago, that’s when Fukuzawa left the army/being a government assassin and found employment as a bodyguard instead. But Fukuchi did join the army and was caught up by the horrors of war, which led him to start forming plans to destroy all of the countries and establish world domination. So by the time Ranpo meets Fukuzawa two years later, possibly Fukuchi has formed a proto-Hunting Dogs/DoA organization that is called “V” with his charisma and growing fame.

Then, in the following years, he goes on being the world’s hero, fighting against highly skilled and dangerous skill-users. With his reputation and image of reliability, trust in him grows and he’s able to freely go almost anywhere, which would give him opportunities to meet and recruit people like Fyodor and Gogol. Gogol seems to be close friends with Fyodor, so they probably came as a package, while Fyodor may have agreed to the cooperative relationship so that he could get the Book and erase skill-users, while Fukuchi would be able to benefit from Fyodor’s malicious and thorough ability to devise complex plots to achieve their goals. Also:

MANGA CHAPTER 91 SPOILER: “One Order” is apparently an ability that “frees soldiers [people] from the yoke of sin”/takes away their guilt (over committing murder). Sound familiar??? This might just be a coincidence, though. But if Fyodor is also interested in this, it could further explain why he joined up with the DoA.

But not all of the collaborators are working with Fukuchi willingly, as is seen by Bram Stoker. But when he defeated Stoker, Fukuchi clearly thought that he would be useful (either his own idea, or possibly Fyodor’s if they’re working together by that point) and kept him secretly for 8 years. So this is a plan that’s been in the works for a very long time and only coming to a head now, since the ADA has grown enough to be able to realistically pin the terrorism accusation on them.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

How does Fukuzawa get his ability of “All Men Are Created Equal”? If he does have this ability, at the very least, he doesn’t recognize it at this point of his life. Possibly it’s again due to the dearth of knowledge/interactions with skill-users (especially any that would be under his leadership since he’s very much a lone wolf), but is it actually possible to develop a skill later in life as is mentioned in the play, and which Fukuzawa uses to convince Ranpo that he’s a skill-user? (I’m inclined to think not, and that it just becomes applicable after he establishes the ADA and skill-users join, but still curious.)

Little Oda! When the assassin with two pistols showed up, I hoped he was Oda, and he was! Which means that Ranpo and Oda met (ish) before Oda decided to stop killing, and again when Oda decided to start killing again. And Little Oda still likes curry. D:

[ladylillianrose]

Extraordinarily Star-Crossed a Max Richman/Zoey Clarke fanfiction

A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to this daring and epic collaboration between @clarkemanotp​ and me! We have been planning this for quite a bit and are very excited to finally start sharing this with you all. So buckle up everyone it's going to be a wild ride!

Summary: “...and when one of them meets the other half, the actual half of himself....the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other's sight, as I may say, even for a moment...”-Plato, The Symposium

Rated M for Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death and Language

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

“Η ιστορία μας ξεκινά πολύ καιρό. Στην εποχή των ηρώων, των ημίθεων, των θεών και των θεών. "

 *cricket noises* 

“Is this thing on?” Mo tapped the translator. 

“Who knows, it’s all Greek to me,” Tobin shrugged.

Leif groaned, “Dude, just no.” He flicked the switch on the bottom of the microphone and gave Mo a thumbs up.

“As I was saying….” Mo glared at the other two. “Our tale begins long ago. In the time of heroes, demigods, gods, and goddesses.”

“Psst…. You’re supposed to introduce us!” Tobin stage whispered.

“I was getting there! Haven’t you ever heard of pausing for dramatic effect!” Mo rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Amateurs…We are the Fates. You may know us by other names and faces, but our purpose is the same. We are the keepers of destiny, let no man or god interfere with the fates we spin.”

“Oooo, that’s good. You have a real flair for this,” Tobin grinned.

“Seriously? We’re never going to get to the story if you keep interrupting!” Leif scolded.

“Just appreciating the art and the artist bro!”

Mo loudly cleared his throat, “AS I WAS SAYING! This is the tale of two lovers, whose threads of fate were cut before their time.”

*muffled noises* Leif covered Tobin’s mouth with his hand, to prevent any further interruptions.

Mo nodded his approval, “Our story begins….”

Greece 382 B.C.E. Chapter 1

Zoie and her mother were in the garden gathering flowers. 

“Mother?” 

“Yes?”

“How did you know that you were in love with Father?"

Her mother stood up, looking at her daughter.

"Well, it was when he first sang me a song, he had written just for me." She smiled at the memory. "It was so beautiful that it made the gods weep, and I knew then that I would never love another."

Zoie nodded, turning her attention back to the garden. 

Her mother placed her hand on her cheek, tilting her head up to look at her. "Why do you ask, my dearest?"

Zoie blushed, turning away. "I think I understand how you feel for Father."

Her mother smiled, "And who is the lucky man? It wouldn't happen to be that charming young farmer from down the road, Maximos?"

Zoie gasped, turning quickly to face her mother.

"Hhh… how could you po…"

"Dearest, I am your mother, I always know." She grinned, tapping Zoie on the nose. "You don't think I've noticed the amount of times he stops by on his 'way into town'...which is in the opposite direction of our house?"

Zoie giggled, "He does come by quite often, doesn't he?" 

Her mother shook her head, smiling, "Has he told you his feelings?"

Zoie bit her lip and nodded, "He loves me, and I love him. He wants to ask Father for permission to marry me, once the harvest is in."

"Oh, my dear girl," her mother embraced her. "I offer you both my blessing, for a loving, happy, fruitful relationship."

Zoie felt a breeze rustle against her hair and cheeks in a soft caress. Her mother placed a kiss on her forehead, causing a slight tingle along her skin.

"Oh Mother, thank you!" Zoie cried with happiness. "Will you prepare Father? I need to go fetch Maximos."

Her mother nodded, watching as Zoie sprinted out the gate and down the path as though she was wearing Hermes winged sandals.

A sunflower began to grow where she had stood, growing into its full height in a matter of moments. The flower leaned, brushing its petals against the mother's shoulder. She smiled secretively and reached over to pat the sunflower affectionately. 

"Maximos!!!" Zoie called excitedly as she ran down the path to the field he was plowing. 

He held up his hand to shade his eyes from the sun, just in time to catch Zoie as she launched herself into his arms.

He chuckled as he staggered under the momentum. "Now, that's a greeting a man could get used to."

She grinned, eagerly kissing him. "Mother has offered us her blessing and is speaking with Father now."

Maximos looked at her in shock, "You mean, I can speak with your father today?"

Zoie nodded, still smiling.

Maximos let out a whoop of joy, beginning to spin around excitedly, his arms full of the woman he loves.

Zoie laughed, tapping his shoulder to be let down. 

"Come on, no time like the present!" She eagerly began to pull him towards the road.

He chuckled. "Hold on, Zoie. You go on ahead, and I'll get freshened up and meet you there."

Zoie nodded, giving him one last kiss. "Don't be too long."

Maximos watched the woman he loved attempt to walk steadily up the path. She turned at the gate and tossed a wink over her shoulder before breaking into a run.

 He chuckled and walked into his house to change his tunic and clean himself up.

He had just unclasped his tunic when he heard a voice from his bed.

Greece 382 B.C.E. Chapter 2

Maximos spun around surprised, quickly crossing his arms to cover his chest. "Who in Hades are you? And how did you get in here?"

The blonde woman smirked as she eyed what she could see of his bare chest. "You may address me as Aphrodite."

Maximos gawked at her wide-eyed before kneeling before her, bowing his head and averting his eyes in respect. "Pardon me, my Goddess, I was not aware whose presence I was in."

 Aphrodite clucked her tongue, as she walked towards him. "No need for such formalities…for now…." She placed her hand under his chin, lifting his face to see her.

"I'm here for a more…. personal reason," she purred.

Maximos looked confused, what could the Goddess of beauty want with him.

She laughed, caressing his cheek. "Oh, my dear sweet boy. I'm here for you."

Maximos' eyes widened in understanding, he swallowed nervously.

"Me?!" His voice cracked. "Why me?"

Aphrodite raked her eyes along his body, "You are far superior to other mortal men. Which makes you worthy to worship my body." She unclasped her toga allowing it to fall at her feet. She moved closer to him, reaching to run her hands along his shoulders.  

Maximos took a step back from the naked Goddess, refusing to look anywhere below her chin.

Aphrodite grinned, "Don't worry, I won't bite…. until you beg me to."

 Maximos shook his head, continuing to back up until his back hit the wall.

"My Goddess," he began.

She placed a finger against his lips, "You may address me by name."

"A-A-Aphrodite," he sputtered. "I am flattered at your attentions…. but you see….ummm…"

She waited for him to continue.

"I am promised to another," he explained.

Aphrodite scoffed, "What she doesn't know won’t hurt her. I shall offer you blessings on your marriage should you accommodate my desires. Surely, that will appease her?" She ran her fingers along his jawline, as she leaned towards him. 

He frowned, moving slightly to the left the goddess missed her mark and bumped against the wall.

"OW!! That hurt!" She exclaimed furrowing her brow at him. "Did you not hear my offer of marriage blessings in addition to the joys of my flesh?" 

Maximos nodded, "It is a generous offer, Goddess, however it is not one I can accept. My heart is not my own to give."

"I don't want your heart, merely your body." She explained, patience beginning to wear thin.

"I am sorry, but that also belongs to her. Heart, mind, body and soul are hers," Maximos smiled, thinking of Zoie.

Aphrodite's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare to refuse me? Have you taken leave of your senses?"

Maximos began to inch towards the door, away from the slowly angering, naked goddess.

"I have told you why I must refuse you. And now, I must take my leave. Forgive me, Goddess." He bowed briefly before sprinting out the door and towards Zoie's house.

[luninosity]

2019 writing round-up post!

It's been an interesting year!

Once again, I suspect I wrote more overall than last year - but much more heavily original, and even less fanfic (but still some!) again. But a couple of those have been stories people really love, or seem to, from the AO3 comments etc. I didn't finish one thing I'd really meant to finish, but I did write a 254k novel, which, what even.

So...let's see what all those things are!

Academic (just to get this out of the way first) ~A book chapter on Disney's Robin Hood for an edited collection on Disney & pop culture (my chapter's around 5,000 words) ~The intro/my chapter/overall editorial work/bibliography for the Terry Pratchett book, coming 2020 (collectively, probably around 15k words of my own writing, plus comments on contributor essays) ~The book proposal for the Star Trek book (~3,000 words) ~The in-progress Neil Gaiman and Batman book chapter - currently around 2k, needs to be around 6k including references ~Plus one more successful grant application! Not listing all the conference/unpublished papers, but those too. Fanfic Stucky straight from your heart, E, 10,516 words - ah, yes, my contribution to the Bottom Bucky Fest! It was such a marvelous prompt, about Steve guiltily having a kinky fantasy about essentially rescuing and caring for the Winter Soldier (which also includes teaching him all about pleasure), and Bucky finding out about this, and them then negotiating ways to make this fantasy come true. I hadn't been writing as much Stucky, but this one flowed really well and felt really good, and people seem to like it! Evanstan (hmm - way less Evanstan this year! still some, at least...) Evanstan Round Robin 2019, T, 12,497 words overall, but my chapters total 2,528 words. The annual holiday collaborative masterpiece! So soft and fluffy this year - such a delight sharing this love and creation and fandom with everyone! Extra Sugar - My Evanstan epic fic-baby! I added chapters 30 & 31 in 2019, which brings the total to 107,533 words - which means, doing some math, that's + 4,000 words exactly, apparently! There'll be one more chapter. I know what it is, I just haven't had the time to write it. 2020 goal: finish off this series, completely, entirely, at the end. I'm still so amazed by this whole universe that I somehow made, and by the fandom response to it. *hugs you all* Cherik When It's Time, T, 2852 words - this one's not up on AO3 yet, though I think I can do that now, if it's okay with the @cherikzine  people! This was my story for the Bookends Cherik 'zine, and it's an AU with magicians in a sort of present-day fantasy setting version of the ending of Dark Phoenix, and it was fun to get back to one of my first real fandom loves, and I'm glad I wrote it. we are electric hearts, T,  2,732 words - fluffy little fun universe-crossover in which Erik and Charles meet Kris and Justin, my original Demon for Midwinter characters, written for @kernezelda <3 Original Fic (written and published in 2019) Gingerbread Dreams, M, 23,662 words - holiday m/m gingerbread competition baking fluff! A cranky judge! A cheerful ugly-sweater-wearing baker! The Grumpy One Is Soft For The Adorable One! The story I looked up medieval gingerbread recipes for, for a contestant challenge! Also contains a couple of familiar characters from "October Spice" in supporting roles... This story is also available as part of the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Trio Collection from JMS Books - three novellas bundled together, at a discount! October Spice, E, 3,130 words - the story that briefly made it to #1 Best Seller on Amazon in the LGBTQ Short Reads category! My super-short flash fiction romance for JMS Books, priced at only 99 cents! (Or even less, when on sale!) A first meeting, instant attraction (and some orgasms!), a Halloween-loving baker, and an adorable firefighter. (Evan and Matt (well, Matt in baked-goods artistic tribute) get a supporting role in Gingerbread Dreams, as mentioned above, if you want to know what they're up to...) (Also, Evan's last name is 100% an Ace of Cakes reference.) Bisclavret, T, 11,756 words - technically I had about 5k of this written YEARS ago, back when I first read Marie de France's 12th-century lai in grad school and immediately had to write an adaptation of it. But this version has extensive revisions, and ended up over twice as long. If you like stories about a medieval bisexual werewolf and the demisexual king he falls in love with, and a love of books and cuddling...well, that's basically what this one is! A Leather and Tea Morning, E,6,993 words - the first of the Leather and Tea sequels! (There'll be at least one more, about which more below.) Ben and Simon, a lazy morning, and some emotional comfort sex in the wake of Simon having been in a car accident. He's all recovered and everything - but there're some emotions that need to be dealt with, about Ben and protectiveness and tenderness and care and getting back to a very cautious-but-satisfying kinky scene. Sound the Fairy-Call, E, 5,545 words - the heavily rewritten (like, nearly twice as long, new original characters, world-building, all of that) original-fic version of my old Evanstan fic Glow, and it's basically the medieval fantasy healing-sex-in-a-forest story, with a fairy and a tired mercenary and Eastern European folklore references! Plus I've managed to quote Robert Graves in the epigraph! (To be precise, I wrote the first draft of this at the very very end of 2018 - I had literally just signed the contract before last year's writing round-up post. But then there was editing, revisions, etc, in 2019. So it counts!) This story is also available as part of the JMS Books 2019 Top Ten Gay Romance collection! Come pick up a copy and discover all the bestselling gay romance authors! The Ninepenny Element, M, 12,274 words - my first published lesbian romance! With a lawyer, a witch, some hexed earrings, a psychic younger brother, and a ghost puppy! This is essentially the sequel to Elemental (m/m, E, 12,776 words), since Verity's the older sister of Sterling from that story, but you don't necessarily have to've read that one first. There'll likely be one more - I have a vague idea about weather magic, and there's more to explore in this universe. The Pooka's Share, E, 20,205 words - a weary magical cop, an unruly faerie horse shapeshifter, and some creative punishments for apple-theft! More fun with folklore and sex and two people finding each other and turning out to be exactly what they both need, full of magic and compassion. This story is also available as part of the Legendary Loves Trio collection from JMS Books - three novellas bundled together, at a discount! Original Fic (written in 2019, publication contracts signed but stories not yet published) A Demon for Forever, E, 13,752 words - surprise! I thought I was done with the Demon for Midwinter universe - but JMS did a submissions call for stories celebrating LGBTQ marriage, and, well - I'd written the proposal story for Kris and Justin, so...we should get to see the wedding, right? This one'll be out in February. Justin may or may not wear a wedding dress. A sparkly one. :D Leather and Tea in London, E, 20,909 words - the third of the Leather and Tea stories! Written for the JMS Books BDSM collection call. Simon's brother needs a favor. So Ben and Simon head to London, bringing Ben's retired-spy skill set and also some fun toys for enjoying themselves... Original Fic (written in 2019, not yet under contract or published other than on AO3) Character Bleed, E, 254,099 words. Which means...since last year I had 40,371 words done...that's +213,728 words. In a year. Not even counting the Bonus Scenes (see below) or the sequel-in-progress. THIS STORY, YOU GUYS. I love it and these characters so much. It's the most ambitious thing I've ever tried to write, that whole story-within-a-story, being about actors filming a Regency-era gay love story, and falling in love themselves. I'm just looking at it all...and I'm in awe...and the response to this, oh wow. I've been so amazed and so grateful and so thrilled - the art, the trailer, the comments, the people thinking about these characters and loving them along with me - I'm so lucky to have all of you. *hugs everyone* And now I have to figure out what to do with it, and how and where one even publishes this behemoth, and how to cut it into manageable book-length divisions...! Character Bleed Bonus Scenes, E, 25,697 words currently - there'll be one more chapter, of which I have about a sentence written. I know exactly what that is, too - Colby getting to top, albeit still with Jason giving some directions. :D The untitled Character Bleed sequel, which is Leo's story - not up on AO3 yet, though I might start that with at least the prologue, later today or tomorrow. But it's already up to 15,511 words, plus my outline... Ember and Serenity, E, 20,752 words currently - I added chapter 4 in 2019, so about +5k words in 2019, I think? I do have plans for this one. Oh yes. My librarian-magician and his book-thief...yes. And if you're wondering who hired Serenity, well, there already has been a clue... :D

A few little scenes, odds and ends, plot bunnies like that necromancer/prince opening...not sure what the word count is there, probably a couple thousand. ~~ Okay, I THINK that's everything! Which is...a lot of words. Character Bleed alone...wow. Just...wow. It's definitely tilted even more toward original fic this year, and I didn't finish 'rain on tin,' which means it's been over a year since I've touched that one, so I'll have to get back to it!

But I did get to go back and write a couple things for my old Cherik loves, plus at least some Stucky & Evanstan, so that felt good, and I'm super-excited about lots of those original fic accomplishments - Amazon sales rank, sheer length, fun with medievalism, Top Ten achievements, my first lesbian romance, and of course everything about Character Bleed, which is, I think, my favorite thing I've written - it's so real in my head, and it was so weirdly easy to write, despite the length! Thanks for reading! I hope your year is starting off splendidly. <3

[aiimaginesbts]

What You Never Had: Chapter 10

Reader x Jin, Namjoon, Jimin, Jungkook

Genres: Royalty AU, fluff and angst

Word count: 2,680 words

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (M) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 (M) | 13 | 14 (Final)

A/N: Thanks Ann @godsavemefrombts for beta-ing this!

Disclaimer/Copyright

“Why do you have to go with them?” Trying to make the question sound curious instead of indignant, you looked up at Jin instead of turning away sulkily. It was, to be fair, a valid query. Jin was your Royal Guard, not your brothers’. You couldn’t see the reason why Namjoon would ask him to go with them to see the informant; a little outing that they were planning to keep quiet about, which meant that they wouldn't be identifying themselves as royalty.

“They might have chosen more particularly because only a very small group is going,” he explained. As the informant didn’t like to draw attention to himself, it made sense to take as little people as possible. Loath as you were to admit it, there was wisdom in taking Jin as well as your brothers’ own Royal Guards, as they were already trained to protect specific targets. It didn’t make you very happy, but you were confident that Jin would be one of the best men for this task.

While you became lost pondering the possibility of someone dear to you being injured, a shadow blocked the soft sunlight basking the garden plants with nutrients from your face. Looking up, your eyes widened when you saw Jin leaning in so closely that your noses almost touched. Any instinct to jump away was overridden by concern when he sighed and glanced around surreptitiously. Before you could open your mouth to ask him for an explanation, he sealed it shut with his own. It wasn’t the hot, passionate kisses you’d shared with him that night in his room several moons ago, but he still made you sigh with happiness easily. The worries that had plagued you eased and your rigid body softened against his warm form that was kinder than the sun on your skin. His kiss, pressed gently but firmly against your lips made you momentarily forget about the world and its myriad issues, until faint voices from not too far away reminded you that you were in the castle garden. As secluded as the corner was, you were still outside where anyone could see you.

However, Jin was quicker to react, carefully pulling away, although he kept his large hands on your shoulders. Your breath was shaky, almost as rapid as your racing pulse, even though it was just a simple kiss from Jin. Relief flooded your system when you didn’t see anyone walking past him, and his next words quickly pulled your attention back to him. “I’ll keep your brothers safe, so don’t make that face, please.”

Perhaps your concern showed on your face, despite having been accustomed to keep your expressions impassive since you were young. Or maybe it was just that couldn’t keep your guard up for long around Jin. On the other hand, it could be his perceptiveness that saw through your calm and collected mask that hid the worry within. Yet he did miss one thing, so you told him, “Not just them. I want you to be safe, too.”

He blinked, just once, in surprise, before his face broke into a radiant smile. One that you returned instinctively, especially when he reached up to gently caress the side of your face. “I will, if only I get to see you smile like this once again. It’s even harder to resist kissing you now.” His low voice was as deep as a kitten’s purr, soothing as it graced your ears.

That, and his kiss, were the only assurances he managed to leave you, as he left with your brothers not long after that. It was just a day trip to see the informant hidden somewhere in the capital, but it was no less suspenseful for the short time taken. You whiled the hours away brooding on the balcony of your chambers rather than read the book in your lap. Maids came and left to replace your cold tea with fresh ones, but they left with a full pot more often than not. Instead of the written words on the collection of paper, your eyes were more attracted to the courtyard in the distance, darting in that direction every few minutes. Fluffy clouds floated by leisurely along the azure background that lazily, but eventually, turned into hues of orange as the sun moved across the sky.

The warmer colours overhead were accompanied by a steady drop in temperature, and you soon started to shiver as the day approached night. Just as you started debating whether you should at least head in and grab a shawl or not, you saw rather than heard the sound of horses’ hooves of the princes’ and their three guards’ making their way past the castle gates. Immediately you rushed in to make your way through your chambers and hallways, meeting them just as they were entering the building. Namjoon’s smile was tired, even though he looked relieved to be back, while Jimin’s was welcoming and a little mischievous, as usual, and Jin’s was as polite as your brothers’ own Royal Guards, albeit a lot warmer in your eyes. The Crown Prince didn’t need to ask you the reason for your rushed welcome, simply laying a gentle hand on your shoulder to steer you towards his study.

All the men followed you and Namjoon as the latter beckoned for them to enter, with you and Jimin taking seats across the table from Namjoon and the rest standing behind you. Everyone looked expectantly at the Crown Prince, waiting patiently as he silently gathered his thoughts before addressing the issue.

“As I’m sure all of you have gathered by now, this is a serious problem. I will have to take it to the King, of course, and discuss it with the council before any decisions could be made. However, since the Princess is here, I’d like to take the opportunity to talk about it and get your opinion on the matter,” he said, then paused, softly drumming his fingers against the solid wood of his large desk before continuing.

“You have all been briefed regarding this earlier, and as the one who brought this matter to my attention, the Princess is well aware of the situation. As the people closest to us, I believe that I can entrust you with this information, and highly value your thoughts as I’m sure you will all continue to be working with us closely as the investigation continues.” As he spoke, his gaze swept along the guards’ faces, pausing briefly on Jin. You nodded subtly at your brother, who inclined his head slightly before turning his attention to some reports on his table. Jin was outstanding, more than capable to handle whatever Namjoon threw at him, and you had no qualms letting your brother know that. There was no doubt that he’d heard of previous incidences where Jin protected you, and he also knew that it was Jin who provided some of the intel that helped the investigation proceed.

“As suspected, several bands of pirates that make up a larger group are working with the local thugs,” he began. You tried to keep your breathing even, dreading the news that was to come. “Although some of their collaboration is in the trade of illegal items, these cases are few, and nowhere as serious as their main trade. There hasn’t been many incidences that we know of here, but word is that the local criminals are kidnapping people to sell off to the pirates. In other words, we are dealing with human trafficking.”

Even though you’d expected this, the confirmation still made your fingers clench as tension and sadness filled you. Regardless of the frequency of the kidnappings, you still felt guilty and responsible for everything that befell your people, especially in the capital. You were so close to them, yet you were unable to do anything to stop it from happening. You didn’t even know, wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t by chance that you stumbled upon Ki Joon, who was being harassed by the same men you were now looking for on that day you sneaked out of the castle. Still, when you looked up at Namjoon, you could see your emotions mirrored and multiplied in him. If you were feeling this way, how badly was Namjoon faring? The responsibility of being the Crown Prince must be weighing down on him when dealing with problems like this. There was no doubt that he would do anything to keep the people of the country safe — you’d seen him and Jimin race off to the borders to help protect the villagers there countless times already. Now there was a threat to the citizens right in his courtyard. It had to be hard on your brothers.

The hard look on Namjoon’s face, and the serious expression on Jimin’s normally sunny one motivated you even more to give your all to help them settle this. “It sounds like this has been going on for quite some time, but we’ve only known about it now. Obviously they’re working carefully and in secrecy, but there aren’t many people here in the capital that can just be taken without people noticing. I’m inclined to think that this must be happening in other towns and villages as well,” you shared your opinion with the men in the room.

Namjoon agreed. “I think so too. I will send word to people in other regions to inquire and warn them to be on the lookout for similar incidences.” Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Jin stir ever so slightly behind you. Jimin’s sharp eyes caught the movement as well, and when your second brother twisted around in his chair to look at him, it attracted Namjoon’s attention, prompting him to address Jin. “Is there something you'd like to add?”

“Your Highness, if I may,” your guard said quietly, asking for permission to speak. At Namjoon’s nod, he voiced out his thoughts, “As you said, the probability of pirates cooperating with a gang in the local area to procure people for trade in other regions is very likely. If they are all done by the same group or organisation, then isn’t it practical for them to have a base to collect and keep their, for lack of a better word, merchandise? If they do, it may be a good place to ferret out their leader, or to get our hands on someone who knows where he is.”

What Jin said made sense. It was more practical for the pirates to gather the people they had taken in one place before bringing them to a place where they could be sold off en masse, instead of having to get rid of them one at a time. Jimin supported the thought, saying, “I think that’s highly possible. It should be somewhere between here and their final destination. So if we can find their largest market, it would give us a start to the search.”

“The only country that still permits slavery in the vicinity is Gazan,” Namjoon mused aloud, and you thought back on your lessons. Although he said that it was the closest, Gazan was quite a distance away, south of Zinnis. This brought about some complications, and you frowned, thinking about the difficulty of carrying out an investigation in Zinnis, which was not on friendly terms with Amaryll. After all, they were the source of the pressure that your bordering villages were suffering from. However, Namjoon had an idea to handle the situation. “Delphina has a stronger trading relationship with Zinnis at the moment. In turn, we have a friendly relationship with them, so perhaps asking for their assistance would allow us to work more efficiently.” The image of Taehyung, the handsome Crown Prince of Delphina, appeared in your mind, but you only nodded along, having nothing more to add, and the discussion soon came to an end.

The mental imagery soon became a reality. He looked almost as tired as Namjoon did these days, but Prince Taehyung was still every bit as handsome as you remembered. You’d heard the maids’ excited whispers and coy giggles as they talked about the neighbouring Crown Prince amongst themselves. While you could see where their admiration came from, in your opinion, Prince Taehyung still couldn’t hold a candle to the man that you love. Besides, you knew that you weren't the only one who thought so; you were well aware of how smitten every woman in the castle was with Jin from the moment he started his service here, and you were glad — although you found it still hard to believe sometimes — that the amazing man was in love with you too.

Tedious days of meetings continued, and this time it was Jimin who made time in between discussions to share with you the progresses and news. “It turns out that the people Delphina is facing the same threat,” he said in between swallowing mouthfuls of food. You watched him eat, wondering when he’d last had a proper meal. That explained Prince Taehyung’s presence in the castle. The problem must have been bad for him to come all the way here himself, and that meant that this group of criminals could be larger than you’d estimated. “I wish that he’d told us about this on his last visit,” Jimin complained half-heartedly about the visitor. “Although I suppose it’s not surprising for him to keep such a problem about his country from us. It also gave him some time to leave instructions to his people there to make arrangements for us to enter Zinnis, so I suppose it isn't a bad thing.”

“So he’s going to Zinnis as well?” You asked, a little surprised. However, if you thought about it, the arrangement wasn’t all that unusual. Considering that his people were also being taken, it made sense for him to see the matter through. That was what your brothers planned to do too. Jimin nodded in agreement.

“It’s a good thing that he is. That gives us stronger security, another reason for Zinnis to allow us in and reduce the chances of attacking us while we’re there,” Jimin added. “Although it will take some time before we can go, I expect. Since he will be here for a while, this time we can also hold a ball to honour his party as guests to our country.”

“Mmm,” you softly murmured, sipping on your drink. Then your mind wandered, and somehow focused on a detail that you didn’t think of before. This was the first ball that was going to be held since you came of age. Although you’d sulked over not being able to attend one before, truthfully you didn’t envy your brothers all that much, because you knew that if you joined, you’d have to...

“I’m surprised that no one remembers that you desperately need dance lessons,” Jimin chuckled gleefully, the same thought having crossed his mind. You glared at him, but was unable to come up with a witty retort. Anyone who’d thought that a princess was the epitome of beauty and grace would be sorely disappointed in you. As a child, you hated the dance lessons so much that after the Queen passed away, the King simply excused you from them, unable to see you sullen or frustrated after losing your mother. Time passed but no one ever brought it up again, to your gratitude. However, it seemed that your negligence in bringing it up was about to turn around and bite you.

Jimin’s face lighted up as he thought of something. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for you.”

His eyes glinted in the light provided by numerous candles illuminating the dining room, but you couldn’t be sure if it was caused by his normal vigour or a brewing mischief. Frowning at him, you asked hesitantly, “what is it?” In your mind, there was no way you could get out of dancing at a ball without feigning sickness. Or was that his idea all along?

“You’ll see. It’s a surprise,” he replied with a grin.

[ffdoors]

Commentary Chpts 1-5

Spoilers ahoy!

Please read the entirety of Doors before clicking the Read More below.

My best friend’s friend started reblogging pictures and .gifs from My Hero Academia a while ago and it caught my interest. I have a Crunchyroll account so I ended up watching all that was available at the time. What a good show! I look forward to the updates on Saturdays! My original favorite was Tokoyami. Then I had a dream involving All Might and I fell in love. I knew then I wanted to do a fanfic involving him but I had trouble thinking up a good self-insert character. He keeps most people at a distance and would never be involved with a fan.　Ironically, I have one now actually based on me – she works with and is dating Naomasa. Her, him, All Might, and Mode go on double dates sometimes and it’s so cute! Anyway, I remembered support companies being mentioned in the show and thought a designer would be a good choice instead. Thus, Mode was born.

Her name comes from another famous hero costume designer – Edna Mode from The Incredibles. Maybe they are distant relatives? Also, I just like the name Mode; it rolls off the tongue well. She didn’t have a first name for the longest time since Yagi nor anyone in the beginning of the story were close enough to her to be told her first name by her. I like to think that all three sisters go by the name Mode. De, Pe, and Che – from oldest to youngest, named after the band that I like. Silence got her name from their song ‘Enjoy the Silence.’ Maybe I’ll make characters named 'The Mode’ and 'Enjoy Mode’ sometime. If you looked on Pe’s birth certificate, however, her actual name is Petrichor but no one calls her that. Maybe just her parents if they’re mad and yelling at her.

Chapter 1

She originally observed that he was wearing the All Might official line of shirts and asked, "Are you a fan of All Might?" That’s why he looked up at her, surprised, but I changed it, not sure if he would wear his own line of clothes.

Mode liked him a lot initially because he was honest – and she really likes blond men.

Yagi obviously wasn’t too involved with the Mode family then – he had even forgotten the name of his own support company. Silence kept it very superficial over the years. He could recognize her and De, since they collaborated the most on his stuff, but Pe and Che were either not seen or forgettable to him. I have no doubt Che would have insulted him before and Pe would have snuck glances at him as often as possible in the past. Toshinori was one of Pe’s eye candies long before they met each other.

Chapter 2

I think All Might thought she was pretty when he first met her but he had soon forgotten about their interaction, like most people he meets, before given the shirt from the barrista. Since her quirk is always on, I think that influenced him a little to actually contact her. People are naturally drawn to her, whether she likes it or not. And she can fake being a good conversationalist with confident body language. Mode’s more shy and awkward when she’s alone with someone because that’s how she actually is. I can’t imagine being home-schooled or how she is treated by her mother and sisters help this. Pe’s an introvert that acts extroverted to fit the moment, either when she’s representing the Mode company publicly or if she feels the people around her or her clients respond better to that. She thinks people only like her because of her quirk so she greatly fears rejection.

Chapter 3

Yagi definitely starts to notice her more when he sees her again, due to her quirk – I like the visual of him checking out her chest. The more her quirk is influencing someone, the more interested they get in her features. Touching someone exemplifies this – that’s why he was overly concerned after she touched his hand. She’s also a very affectionate person with people she likes AKA her clients so they like her more than random people. But All Might also cared about her well being after the villain was subdued because he’s a caring person.

I got the dilated eyes idea from Eraser Head’s quirk being shown via his eyes and because dilated eyes are a sign of arousal. Also, it’s subtle – your eyes can dilate for many reasons. All Might might have concluded that she was scared or the room was dark when he saw her eyes do it, but the villain changing his tune told him otherwise.

Mode felt bad about breaking those cups – she has more than enough money to throw around. Again, I mention the rejection notion. She wants to keep visiting her favorite coffee shop so she felt she had to pay to replace them.

She really was spooked after the whole robber incident and, since they had interacted already, she felt it was maybe safe to invite him over so she wouldn’t be alone. I think Mode is often alone, although she’d rather not be alone with her thoughts and is constantly lonely; she loves being in the company of Yagi or her clients even if she feels guilty for taking up their time and constantly exposing them to her quirk. I wanted to establish up front that both All Might and Mode are liars and unreliable narrators. The story was originally written from his point of view only and that stuck for most of the drafts of Doors, but I felt it didn’t leave much room for me to develop Pe’s feelings. He’s constantly drawing wrong conclusions because he’s not close to a lot of people nor has had any serious relationships with a woman. I think his high school dating life was very casual, though he did enjoy all the girls he dated then. He enjoys fluffy cute romances and spoiling his SO. Also, since her quirk is sexual, he often mistakes her appearing vulnerable as sexual advances instead. All Might gets better at figuring out what she wants and what her body language actually means as he gets to know her better. He lies to protect himself, though he’s also very honest, her quirk influencing him and naturally. Toshinori tells her some truths, but not all; he defends his reputation, keeps his secrets, or lies out of kindness. They both open up as the story goes on but it takes a lot of work and trust to get to that point.

Pe is constantly drawing false assumptions when it comes to him, too. She hasn’t had any serious relationships either and assumes that people only want her for sexual reasons, since she has a sex-based quirk. Mode also doesn’t think she amounts to anything beyond her quirk so she feels the only way she can relate to people is by using her sexuality. It’s worked in her favor for many people in her past and present and it’s her default when interacting with others. Although she may not realize it, her close clients and Yagi see her as a person, not just a body. If you go back and reread everything Mode says to him, she is constantly lying in regards to her quirk, letting him just assume things about it and about her due to her low self-esteem. She’s honest, for the most part, about her family and about how much she really likes her clients and making uniforms and support items for them. I included her thoughts on scenes when appropriate when she wasn’t speaking. Pe does most of the talking when they’re together, him being muted due to the warmth of her quirk, him liking her voice, and he feels he doesn’t have to put on an act around her. Toshinori is an keen observer and that continues when he’s with her.

Mode is a pig – All Might is constantly cleaning up after her and does all the housework, cleaning, and cooking. Before him, she just straightened up her place enough in case anyone was coming over; thankfully, she always cleans up her trash. She has more than enough money to go out every meal so she never bothered to learn to cook. At the main household, the Mode family has a professional chef cook all their meals. Yagi enjoys teaching her how to cook, but prefers making food for her while wearing an apron, packing cute bento, and making her tea as often as possible. Any excuse to spoil her or to be by her, he’ll take.

Poor guy is so frazzled when she uses her quirk on him – she probably used too strong of a blast the first time she used it. Oops!

Their sex gets more passionate as time goes on but they both sure liked their first time together. Mode appreciated his enthusiasm and All Might enjoyed the visuals and feelings of having sex with a woman after so many years of abstinence. I don’t think he’s the type to just sleep around for the sake of getting some and I don’t think that would look good as the wholesome hero he’s portrayed as in public so he probably hasn’t fucked since high school. I like the visual of his jizz seeping down her legs. The main reason the condom broke was so I would have an excuse for him to see her again. I don’t think he would have pursued her or seen her again otherwise.

Chapter 4

De Mode was briefly introduced in this chapter. I already knew she was gonna be like her mom with the whole 'it’s only about heroes thing.’ She also knows Pe sees blond men behind their mother’s back so she pinned down All Might as one of her sister's ‘friends’ the moment she saw him.

Silence is very disappointed that Pe’s quirk is what it is. If quirks could be determined in the womb, she would have aborted this one and tried for another with a different man. She also doesn’t want Pe’s quirk to be public knowledge – it is better to be publicly quirkless than to have a shameful sex-based quirk in her eyes. She loves and glorifies De’s and Che’s quirks and their usefulness to her company’s image but doesn’t really pay much attention to her middle daughter. Silence finds Mode a burden but tries to use her and her quirk anytime it’s in her advantage to do so.

I laugh every time I think about the 'NICE FACE!’ scene. The visual I get of his face makes me happy. I hope I can draw it sometime.

I agree with the head cannon that All Might gets flustered and blushes easily but I muted it down in the final drafts. He’s a grown man; he’s mature enough to still function, even when she’s making him uncomfortable with her words. Later on, he secretly loves when she teases him. He also appreciates that she tells him exactly what she wants sexually. It makes it easier for him to please her since he’s inexperienced in regards to what to do to to hit all the right spots on a female body. When I read that All Might likes movies, I threw this scene in. I was watching the Persona 5 anime at the time so there’s lots of references to that. I also think Toshinori doesn’t have a lot of friends to chat with casually about his interests so he appreciates that he can do this with her now and in the future. He considers her a friend.

Body language is one of the most important things I look at when studying a character. What are their ticks? One of Yagi’s common ones is rubbing the back of his neck and scratching his cheek (actually drew that one from fan art.) He often looks away if he’s feeling anxiety in a moment. I tried to describe what his body was doing often to show how he feels internally.

Mode puts her hair behind her ears – like Naomi Hunter from Metal Gear Solid who was a big influence on her both as a character and her look. They both act different depending upon who they are with to get what they want. Her eyes are also full of emotion and beautiful like Naomi’s. Mode has darker skin, too – this is actually due to tanning because both her parents are very pale and very white. I don’t remember where I got the idea for her long wavy hair but it’s a very dark shade of brown, like Dr. Hunter’s. Pe looks like a combination of something and Japanese – thus why All Might asks her about her lineage at some point, but he also had a suspicion that she wasn’t fully Japanese since she shaves her pubes. To account for the huge height difference between them (All Might is 7’ 2 1/2" canonically in both his forms), I made her 5’ 10". That would place her eyes right below his nipples. She always appreciates the view! Also, at that height, she could still grab his shoulders and hair; if he bends forward, she can grab the rest.

Mode is a scatter brain when it comes to time. I imagine she’s always running around everywhere because she’s constantly running late. She needs a watch. At least it keeps her slim.

All Might is a HUGE tease when he’s in his muscle form, but I think he also enjoys teasing her in his true form as they become closer. She is flustered by it but secretly loves it.

Chapter 5

In the anime, it’s mentioned that a support company has the exclusive contract with UA to do the hero uniforms so why not the PE uniforms, too? Her and Nezu talked about it but didn’t ever do the redesign.

Nezu is not immune to Pe’s quirk – he really likes her. She designs his specialty clothes, him being a little animal and all.

As revealed later, Mode finds muscle-form All Might a huge turn on so she is always flustered every scene he’s in his hero form. She probably would have gone home and masturbated furiously after meeting him if she hadn’t recognized his shirt as the one she made for Blondie. She also meant her comment about being flattered – the Symbol of Peace had never acknowledged her before.

He really likes holding her hands in either form. Toshinori wears the shirt she gave him because it’s comfortable; I imagine she probably customized all his existing casual clothing to fit his needs and body better and makes all of his future clothing from that point on.

  ---> Commentary for Chapters 6-10

[hballou]

Nonprofit Fundraising in our COVID-19 World with Martin Leifeld

Nonprofit Fundraising in our COVID-19 World with Martin Leifeld

Martin Leifeld, author, coach, consultant, and public speaker directed the raising of over $500 million dollars during his 24 years of fundraising leadership in the St. Louis region. Martin authored the book, FIVE MINUTES FOR FUNDRAISING - A Collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers. MartinLeifeld.com provides nearly 125 video presentations about leadership and fundraising matters.

Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at UMSL for 10 years. He led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year. University Advancement had 140 employees and a $16 million budget focusing upon alumni engagement, community relations, fundraising, marketing and communication, university events, and St. Louis Public Radio.

Previously, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University and director of development for the Diocese of Belleville, Ill.

Martin was named the 2018 Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the AFP St. Louis Regional Chapter. Martin was selected as the 2020 Millard S. Cohen Lifetime Achievement Award from St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU).

  Read the Interview

Hugh Ballou: Greetings. This is Hugh Ballou. Welcome to The Nonprofit Exchange. Every week, we have a guest who has knowledge and wisdom, and experience in a topic. They have been there and done it, and they have some things to share with you. You’re sitting in the seat as clergy, nonprofit leader, or board chair. Maybe you’re a business person thinking about launching a nonprofit. This series is here to help you think out of the box, think of some new paradigms, and learn from some people who are experienced.

Today, my guest is from St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author of this book, Five Minutes for Fundraising: A Collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers. Martin Leifeld, welcome. Would you tell people a little bit about yourself, and why is it that you do what you do?

Martin Leifeld: First of all, it’s an honor to be on your program today, and I appreciate your audience. I hope I can be helpful.

I’ve been in various leadership roles for around 45 years. 25 years of those were in small and larger universities. 25 years, although they didn’t overlap exactly with the universities, I have been involved in fundraising. About two years ago, I retired after 10 years as vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, which is our local urban land grant university here in St. Louis. I had a wonderful run there.

Long story short, here in the St. Louis region, which is where I spent my 25 years of fundraising, over $500 million raised, that’s a lot of money for St. Louis. It’s not about the dollars raised; it’s about the involvement, the lives changed, and the impact because of the dollars raised. Two years ago, I retired. It wasn’t my timing, to be honest with you. I had health issues. My handle in the last couple of years has been author, coach, consultant, and speaker. A little bit of everything. I think you know what I mean. I have a website, MartinLeifeld.com. There are over 120 videos there on fundraising and leadership. You were kind enough to point out the book. I have been doing podcasts, a couple dozen of them, and regular postings, particularly on LinkedIn.

I am trying to give back. This is all about trying to give back to a profession that has been such a blessing for me, so good for me in so many respects. Certainly developed professional skills. I have grown as a person by doing this extraordinary work of fundraising.

Hugh: We have in the audience two fundraisers who are CFRE. They’re here because they heard about you. We’ll let them ask questions later.

Martin: I’m beginning to sweat, Hugh.

Hugh: They’re very nice people.

Martin: I hope so.

Hugh: I had a funding professional last month. He said he reads a fundraising book a week. My area is transformational leadership and the conductor. The best leaders I worked with in corporate or nonprofits are the people who are always working on themselves. The famous speaker Jim Rohn always said, “Work on yourself harder than you work on your business.” I wrote that down and have been working on it ever since. 73, and still working.

Martin: I’m impressed by somebody who would read a book weekly. There is a chapter in the book called, “The Three C’s of Fundraising.” The first is competence. If you want to be involved in fundraising, being somebody of impact who makes a difference, you have to develop competency. There are two ways to do that.

One is lifelong learning. You are a student of the game, of the practice. That can include certifications and the like. You mentioned CFRE, which makes me nervous. You go to webinars like this, podcasts, so on and so forth, to remain educated and current in the field. But book-learning alone doesn’t make you an impactful person in the work of philanthropy. You have to add to that experience. In any profession, if you’re working diligently and are learning, being humble as you work your way through successes and failures, you should acquire the kind of experience that makes that study you do come to life and be most virtuous. That’s just competence.

You have to have confidence. Confidence is not bravado. It’s not fake it until you make it. Real confidence grows alongside the development of competence.

But to get to your point, the third C is character. What donors want is someone who is competent. They want to recognize a competent professional who is doing their work with excellence and to have that quiet confidence that comes over the course of time. But what they are really looking for is people with outstanding character, people who are virtuous and trustworthy, people who you might say they know they can do business with. They can shake hands and make something happen.

If you don’t have all three operating, I don’t think you can be a master in any profession.

Hugh: Absolutely. I have earmarked a few things. I want to talk to you about the correlation between leadership and fundraising. Did you just sit down and say, “I want to write a book?” What was the inspiration, and how did you connect with the people in there, who are all experienced fundraising professionals?

Martin: You might find this story curious. Since I turned 30, every consecutive decade since, on the 9th, the 29th, the 39th, etc., I would use that year very deliberately to reflect on my life up to that point, trying to look at success and failure, places for improvement. To look at the next 10 years and try to project what I can do to have an impact. I should say every decade, I got more intense about this, too.

Six years ago, when I was 59, I was really working through that year. I decided in that spring to take 100 days and really drill down about the future. Every day in my journal, Day 1/100, Day 15/100, I began my journal. Journaling is part of my morning ritual. Seeking ahead, you might say. Believe it or not, around day 72/73/75, I have what I call a small I, inspiration. The inspiration, as I referred, was to give back to the profession. I wanted to start there.

I thought, Well, I had done so much mentoring and coaching and fundraising with staff and volunteers. I was very good at doing something briefly. Somebody asked a question, as you can tell, I can go on for five minutes. Five minutes, I can give a good answer that would be appreciated. Maybe I could do some brief videos. Then I thought, Well, not everyone wants to watch a video, let alone look at me for a few minutes. People prefer to read. Let me do both.

So the genesis of the book logistically was transcribing my first year and a half of videos on these very subjects. Hugh, you may know this, and your audience may also. Seven minutes of video, especially the speed at which I talk, only translates to a few pages. I got into this and thought, I am not going to have a book. The other part of this was I never tried to give a comprehensive answer about something. It was more stuff I noodled about, experimented with, discovered that I thought was helpful.

That is what prompted me to go out and recruit 26 others to join me as collaborators in this. It was a fun experience because maybe 60% of them I knew, some very well, but the others I went out and recruited based on word of mouth and reference. I had to establish a relationship with them, like a donor, and ask them for their assistance. I found overwhelming willingness to be supportive.

Hugh: Wow. 26 of them here, all by name. Each chapter says, “Collaboration.” Speak a little bit about how collaboration works for you, and how it manifested itself in the book. It’s interesting how you have each section with dots and italics to stand apart, where there is a dialogue.

Martin: What I was trying to do was say something about the particular subjects, insight and angle. I had come to realize through experience and effort and training. Then I wanted to enrich it. I tried to find people. I called them collaborators. In other words, I wanted to start with what I had to say about a particular subject and ask them to add to it. Nobody really directly contradicted me as a collaborator. But they collaborated in the sense that they took the content seriously and enhanced it with their own reflections. Many of them added stories that put the flesh on the bones of the point of the chapter. It was interesting. If I had asked people to write it, they wouldn’t have written it because they were too busy. I had somebody help me interview them. We came to it in different ways based on the needs and availability and interest of my collaborators. I tried to collaborate logistically and practically in order to have them help, but they were generous about their time.

The thing about this word “collaboration” is the goal is a joint thing we do together. The goal is to bring the best of more than one person to bear in order to, as you talk about with synergy with your organization, to get that synergistic gain, to get that exponential gain that you can’t get with just yourself necessarily. Even if you have the authority with CFRE.

Hugh: People introduce me sometimes as Hugh Ballou, an expert in leadership. I say, “I’m Hugh Ballou, a serious student of leadership.”

Martin: Hear, hear.

Hugh: The title of this episode is, “Fundraising in COVID-19.” And the post-COVID-19 world. There are some consistent things and some new thoughts. That chapter with leadership, the Three C’s, your collaborator said, “ABC: Authenticity, belief, and confidence.” You and I were talking before about how fundraising is terrifying for a lot of us. I don’t want to go. It’s like when I was a teenager calling a girl for a date. I didn’t want to get turned down, so I stood by the phone and sweat. Is that like people wanting to make a money call? What is it about trying to raise money that is so fearful?

Martin: I don’t know. It’s all about fear. It’s the fear of the unknown. It’s the fear of being rejected. The fear of fumbling your way through it. The fear of someone being rude to you. If you will be embarrassed in front of them or embarrass them. It’s something new. I haven’t done it before. For those in religious work, it’s unseemly. I shouldn’t have to do that kind of thing as a pastor. Leave that to someone else to do. There is a lot of things.

When I first got into major gift fundraising, in the St. Louis area, I would criss-cross southern Illinois, a larger rural area, sometimes driving an hour or an hour and a half to see someone. Talk about sweating bullets. I would rehearse half the trip, “Hugh, would you and Mary consider a gift for the education of poor elementary kids, a gift of $10,000? You could even pay that over three years.” I would say that over and over again because I couldn’t trust myself. When I first began to do it, and I fumbled, it was a long drive back, knowing I hadn’t done what I set out to do. I began to rehearse very seriously. Once I got in the home or the office, who knows what might happen? It might be something I couldn’t predict. All I had to do was say, “Hugh and Mary,” and out would come the rest because I had rehearsed it. For those of you being called upon to raise money, practice makes perfect. You can do it.

But let me shift into something more serious. Fundraising is a privilege. Fundraising is the most honorable of work. Fundraising is a spiritual work. Fundraising is actually a vocation. I came to this once I was talking to a very wise woman about fundraising and the struggles. She said, ‘Martin, you’re in a helping profession.” A helping profession? I had never thought of it that way. I thought, Especially now, physicians, nurses, first responders, educators, oh my gosh, the young families. Two of my kids are educating kids at home. They have a manifold of appreciation of what it takes to be an educator now that they are trying to do that in their living rooms and around the kitchen table.

But I hadn’t thought of my profession of being something that was actually about helping. That’s what it is. What we do as fundraisers are facilitators in effect. I like to refer to myself as a facilitator of philanthropy. What we do is on behalf of worthy causes. In effect, what we want to do is come alongside, almost put our arm around someone’s shoulder, and say, “Look, there is an opportunity that makes sense to you as I have gotten to know you, and through which you can demonstrate great impact on this world. Here is the idea. Would you consider it?” That kind of work is very powerful and honorable work.

I have had the privilege, as many of your audience have had, of interacting with some people of extraordinary success, Fortune 25 executives. I have had some of those people say to me, “Martin, I could never do that job. That is too hard a job.” Some of them knew it first-hand because they were chairmen of nonprofits or board members. They were called upon to go out and do it. They knew first-hand what I was doing full-time. They respected it. We underestimate the value, the contribution we are making in this work.

Hugh: Wow. That’s a paradigm shift. Somewhere, and it may be in this chapter, “Five Generous Fundraisers,” before we talk more about donors, let’s consider you as the fundraiser. Somewhere, you talk about the impact it has on donors to actually donate. There is a point of philanthropy that releases something in you to make that donation, to see something happen. Talk about that. That is an inspiration that we don’t think about, the impact that it has on the donor.

Martin: First of all, it’s all about the donor. What we tend to do is focus on ourselves. In one sense, we should because we want to be professional and effective and do the job with excellence. We also want to represent our organizations with integrity, as effectively as we can. It’s all about the donor. What we’re into is a business of building lifelong relationships, not just after a transaction. We want to build and support the relationship that the donor has with the organization for their lifetime hopefully. In that relationship-building process, there are opportunities for financial exchange. What this is about is not a transaction although writing a check or giving away stock or a document with a commitment is part of it. But what it’s really about is helping people to influence the world for the better, and to demonstrate their values and what matters most to them.

In that process of a donor taking their eyes off of themselves and looking outward, looking at, “Okay, I have been fortunate enough to have accrued these assets,” rather than being preoccupied with how I could take care of myself, I am going to give it to others or to the world to improve it. As they do that, they become greater people. Biochemically, by the way, we change. Enzymes are released. One person called it the family bonding enzyme. I used to notice that somebody would make a big gift to one of my organizations and suddenly they would be everywhere. They would be at every event, bringing friends and colleagues, talking about the organization with great enthusiasm. What’s this all about? By their making a serious commitment, a gift of greater significance, there was something that happened within their entire being. A wise man, as you know, once said, “It’s better to give than to receive.” There is something we receive as an internal, spiritual, reward by giving of ourselves generously. One of the ways we give ourselves generously, certainly in this contemporary age, is with financial resources in addition to our time and talents.

Hugh: That’s so good. The other thing I earmarked is you wrote this chapter about the donor development cycle. There is a transaction, and there are those who never ask for the sale. I have been there many times. One higher net worth person asked me, “You didn’t ask for the sale.” It was my first conversation to get acquainted. But he was a businessman, “What do you want?” Another one, I am packing up to leave after I told him about what I was doing. He said, “Don’t you want a check?” Then he wrote me a check and handed one to me a lot bigger than I thought. That was about relationships.

But this cycle, you go through steps, identification, qualification, and more. Talk about the process. There is a transaction, but there is a lot more to this process.

Martin: The bottom line is this is about a relationship. In the course of a relationship, you go through seasons. In this particular cycle that we use in our fundraising business, you identify. Then qualify, which means are these people of capacity? Are these people who have an interest or potential interest in what we represent?

Then we cultivate, which is about building a relationship and involving them in the organization. That can include charitable giving, but not a gift of greater significance. As we get to know them, we are able to think about, Okay, given what they are interested in, how does that align with what we are about as an organization? What dimensions of our organization would be something that would make sense to them, that they would desire to support?

Then we have the conversation about asking. Some people are proponents of never asking for money. They just listen their way to a gift. I have always believed to have conversations about money, about scale, about impact, about size. That might be, with this amount, you can do this and that. Provide some options. But I always want to be working with numbers. People want to know what we would like them to do. My experience has been perhaps more often the opposite of yours. If I don’t ask, I get something smaller than what I had hoped for. I have always been one to say, “Let’s talk about money.” It’s a part of life. It’s how we carry on in this world. Most people want to get to the bottom line, “How much do you want?” They can say yes, no, maybe so. They want to make that happen, but they can’t make that happen now, or they will have to think more creatively about it. They can’t write a check.

I have always taught our people the 80/20 rule. Listen 80% of the time. COVID-19 has brought us to a hard stop here in some respects, but when you think about the frenetic pace of life that has only gotten faster and faster during our adult years, it has reached the point of sheer lunacy. Was anyone listening to anybody? One of the reasons we are such a divided nation is we completely lost the ability to listen, and listen with respect. What I found in fundraising, and I think many professionals in other fields would say the same thing, if you want success in your life, in your business, in your endeavors, you listen. It wouldn’t be that I would listen 100% of the time. But what I found is people desperately wanted to be heard. They wanted to be listened to attentively, appreciatively, and respectfully. Honestly, when I think about to what extent I was a great fundraiser in my career, it’s because of the power of listening. I have to ask for money, too. But listening puts us in that best position to understand.

What I would do is retain, record, and retrieve. Three R’s. Retain. Somebody had something to say during the course of the conversation. I was listening closely and thinking, That’s important.

Record. I would get in the car, call my assistant, and tell them, “Start taking notes.” Or I’d get back to the office and start typing at my computer. I would record all the various things I thought would be insightful and helpful, not just for me, but for anyone in my organization who would have reason to engage with those people.

This is all about preparation. When I would prepare for my next visit, I would retrieve. The thing is in work like this, we are in front of different wonderful people each day. If a month has passed, there is no guarantee I would remember what someone said was important to them a month ago. One way I would respect them is I would retain, record, and retrieve, so that when I would return to them, I could say, “Hugh, so how’s Mary Alice doing? You were talking about her facing that surgery.” Or, “Hugh, how’s that billy goat dog of yours doing? You were worried about this.” Or, “Hugh, you said you were going to be marrying off your son Charlie. How’d it go?” People know I am representing the organization, but they love the fact that I listened to them as people. I cared about them as people. Do you think when it came to talking about a gift eventually, that put me in a better position to be taken seriously? Without question.

It seems like, Geez, this is common sense, isn’t it? We have lost a lot of common sense.

Hugh: The problem with common sense is it’s not very common.

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Let’s pivot. You talked about some brilliant reframing of some old scripts we tell ourselves that minimize ourselves. I am guilty as anybody else, maybe more. That’s not my job. I teach leadership.

We have been in an era of lockdown. We are going back to work in Virginia. Churches are a sort of meeting with very limited engagement. No children. No singing. There is a new paradigm of how the exercise classes are in the parking lot with rain all week. People are getting paychecks from unemployment. What if that money runs out? Then what? We are facing some new challenges. How does that impact fundraising going forward?

Martin: If you look back to the great recession, some sectors did better than other sectors in terms of fundraising. In the great recession, I had just come to the University of Missouri to take a campaign that was already underway public. I was there a month, and the economic sky fell. The world was thrown in the craziness. It doesn’t exactly line up with our situation today, but there are some similarities certainly. Long story short, we decided to go ahead with our campaign. In my first year there, we raised 54% more than any other year in the history of that institution. When I hear someone say, “Boy, we can’t ask for money now. People don’t have it,” I immediately say, “That’s not necessarily true.”

One thing I would say is this: If somebody is philanthropic, and they have less money, are they less philanthropic? I don’t think so. Philanthropy is a part of a value system. Let me ask you this about the organization you represent. Has its value proposition changed because of this pandemic? No, it hasn’t. Now, if you are a food bank, there might be more urgency, immediacy. Crises bring out people’s desire to try to do something for others, whether it’s by cutting a check or by cheering on the streets for the first responders and nurses. People want to be supportive. One way they are supportive is certainly with their philanthropic support.

Hugh: Love it. Would you like to have some questions from our audience?

Martin: As long as they’re all soft balls.

Hugh: No guarantees. There’s Jeffrey Fulgham from Richmond, Virginia. He is a CFRE and has done many good things. Used to be in Lynchburg, but moved just a couple hours away. Do you have a particular observation or question for our guest today?

Jeffrey Fulgham: I don’t really have a question, but I love what I’m hearing, Martin. The first thing when I came on (I missed the very beginning) is the part you were talking about studying, and that’s only part of the equation. You can glean all this information, but if you started moving through your presentation, you were talking about relationships, which has always been the meat of this business. It’s never more important than it is right now of letting folks know we care about them, and you hit that nail right on the head. That’s what I have been preaching to my clients and associates: how important it is to stay connected to people and let them know that this relationship is a personal relationship before a financial relationship.

I really liked what you said about character because I think that’s the core of what we’re doing. It’s the core of leadership. If you don’t have the character, you probably shouldn’t be a fundraiser or in leadership either.

The other thing that you mentioned about evaluating, that was so good. I didn’t start doing it early enough. I wish I had done it the way you did it. The last five years, I have taken the month of December, or January because we are so darn busy in December that we don’t have the time. I did a post-mortem on the year and on my life. How could I be better? This is great stuff. I’m glad I connected today.

Martin: Jeffrey, pleased to meet you, and thanks for your great comments. I’m glad I’m in the ballpark with mine. One of the things, in fact, I just did a podcast on this, writing a chapter on someone’s book on morning rituals. Every morning, as part of my morning ritual, I have one page in my personal/professional planner (I call it that), and I review what matters most about my life. That is a way for me to get locked and loaded for the day, in order to go forth and have the greatest impact possible, as a professional, but as a person. What am I all about as a person? Being able to define that, have it clarified, reviewing it every day has been amazingly powerful.

One other thing I would say around the word “authenticity” is people want to be authentic, and they want authentic people in front of them. We don’t have to be perfect in our work, but we want to be respectful, thoughtful, and do it the best way we can. Fundraisers come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities, and they understand that. But they don’t want a fake, a snake salesman. They want a human being that they can respect and look up to. That’s what they want from us.

Jeffrey: I definitely agree with that. That authenticity and character and genuineness, people would ask me about having these relationships with people. I said, “You have to be in a genuine relationship. You can’t have a relationship where you want someone to think that it’s about the fact that you like them and want to be in a relationship, but it’s really about the money, so you are clocking it so that it looks genuine. It might work for a little while, but it won’t work for you forever. If you really want to have successful fundraising, it’s about long-term relationships with people.” I’m fortunate that I am connected to people who I am three or four organizations removed from now. I still have relationships with them, and I still talk to them, especially right now with everything going on. Staying in touch. That’s the fun part of this business. It’s the most fun.

Martin: The relationships is the most gratifying part of the deal. It’s not about the dollars raised although that’s great, too, because it can accomplish great things. In our business, we get to meet the most wonderful people. Phenomenal people. When I think about my own personal and professional development, a lot of it was profoundly stimulated by the people I have gotten to spend time with in this work of fundraising.

Hugh: And I have gotten to spend time with Jeffrey and Bob Hopkins. Bob, you’ve been quietly listening. Do you have a question or comment for our guest today?

Bob Hopkins: I’m in my backyard outside. Didn’t know I had any airwaves back here. Beautiful day in Dallas by the way. I am loving listening to you. After 40 years of doing this kind of thing, you think you know it all. While I might say I do, it’s so much fun to remember some of the key aspects of the fundraising process. When you first started talking, I thought, Why doesn’t he talk about listening? Sure enough, 15 minutes later, you talked about listening. I am so grateful for that conversation. I teach speech, and I’m teaching people how to talk. But there is a chapter in my book called “Listening.” I spend about five minutes on listening because I don’t think people need to know anything about it, and I am so wrong. As you said, the 80/20 thing is so true. I have so many great stories of when I didn’t listen, and you know what? I didn’t get the gift. Or when I listened and waited and patiently took my time about receiving, that I got about six times more money than I would have gotten had I asked earlier when the person wasn’t ready.

Martin: It’s such a great comment. Pleased to meet you. We talk about this in a lot of fields, the blending of art and science. As I said, developing competency is about education and experience. Maybe that’s the better way. This is a work you learn on the job; it’s on the job training. As we stick with it, it saddens me when I think about the turnover in the profession. If something is willing to stick with it and keep at it, as you all know, the satisfaction is phenomenal to be in this work. To become competent at it over time is immensely gratifying. Beautiful horse by the way, Bob.

Hugh: That’s not his current one. He has one he is really proud of. That’s his passion. One day, I was having lunch with him in Dallas, and he went off on this horse thing when I asked him about his passion.

The principle is 80/20. 80% of your results are produced by 20% of your people. 80% of your inventory only produces 20% of your profits, but 20% produces 80% of your profits. It goes with donors; it’s a repeated principle. When I wrote my first book, Moving Spirits, Building Lives, it’s about church musicians and transformational leaders. That is when I moved into leadership. It took me 40 years to write this and 30 days to put it on paper when I was leaving the profession. I determined in that book the Ballou 10/90 principle. As a music director, 10% of my job was music; 90% made that possible. I am thinking as far as a professional fundraiser, the 10% is what people see, but 90% is under the iceberg. 90% is relationship, staying in touch, that allows that 10% to happen. There is a lot that happens that is invisible to most people, but that is where the hard lifting is.

Let’s hit real hard on this. We still have money in the economy. The fed printed more digital currency. Money didn’t go away. Some people are struggling to make ends meet, but some companies are doing really well. Google had a record-breaking quarter. Grocery stores are slammed. There are some ministries that are challenged. Some restaurants are out of business. There is still money out there and people who want to make a difference. What is the change of mindset for addressing the new normal here?

Martin: In some ways, the mindset hasn’t changed. In other words, we have an organization worthy of support that is doing important work in this world. We are engaging with people who want to make a difference with their lives and resources to the extent that they can. They may have taken a hit financially, so they may not be able to do something right now. They may have to structure it differently. Back in the great recession, we mentioned we raised 54% more than any other prior year in the institution’s history, that wasn’t people writing a bunch of huge checks. People were writing smaller checks, making pledges over longer periods of time, putting gifts in their estates, and so on. Bundle it all together, and it would be a number that was not insignificant for them, but they couldn’t do it. Even today, a year ago, someone might give you a large number with checks over a couple of years. Now, they still want to give you that number, but it will be put together in a different kind of package.

What we need to do is be sensitive to people. We are all talking the same talk here. We have to put the concern for the people first. There are relationships. If we treat them that way, whether they can make a gift now or later, we are building the relationship for the long term. We are doing our job with the relationship by putting them and their concerns first. We all have stories and connections, a degree or two away from us, of people who have been profoundly impacted by this. We should know it firsthand, and be sensitive as we engage with others.

To raise major gifts, it’s typically a face-to-face, labor-intensive business. Up until very recently, there hasn’t been any face-to-face work. Difficult to have a talk with a donor ten feet apart. Tools like Zoom, even my sister who just turned 80 years old knows how to use Zoom. We can all use Zoom. People welcome Zoom calls or the equivalent. They desire that human interaction. If we get on a call like this, we just have a conversation, and we listen to them, that’s powerful.

Hugh: whoever thought of this term “social distancing,” it’s physical distancing. We are still social. Anti-social distancing. This book is chock-full of stuff that is not rocket science. It’s a solid experience when people have been there and done it. Stuff that most of us don’t know. You have been around and done this for years; you’ve practiced this. I’m a musician. We rehearse. You have rehearsed a lot. What I am so appreciative of is you put it in a book to share with people. Why should people have this book? Where can they get it?

Martin: Why they should get it is it’s a way of staying current in the work. If you are a beginner, it’s an insightful introduction to the work. It’s getting 27 seasoned professionals’ input, not just one’s. I call it Five Minutes for Fundraisingbecause each chapter is about a five-minute read. They are stand-alone chapters. You don’t have to read it in consecutively. You can go to what resonates or what you need right now.

In terms of the book, if you want an autographed one, 15% off, no shipping and handling, go to MartinLeifeld.com and order it there. You can get it on Amazon as well. Like any book, it’s available on multiple channels.

Hugh: It’s not an expensive book.

*Sponsored by EZCard* *Message about a Youth Philanthropy Conference on 6/27*

This has been a very helpful interview. Lots of good sound bites. What do you want to leave people with today? What is a challenge or thought as we go into the unknown?

Martin: Every day we are going into the unknown. That was six months ago, too. It’s new every morning, as it says in the Book of Lamentations, for those of you who look at the Bible. What we’re after is helping people become greater through philanthropy. We’re doing that through putting them first, respecting who they are, helping them to demonstrate their value system to the world. Hopefully, by working with our organization as part of their way of doing so. We are privileged. It’s honorable work. It’s worth people devoting their lives to.

Not to highlight myself, but this is powerful. When I retired two years ago, they had a party for me, which was very nice. A number of the donors were there who I had worked with for years. Unbeknownst to me, they had a video. If you go to YouTube, it’s there. This couple who were the first alumni in this young university to reach a $5 million-level gift of cumulative giving was on the video. This is what they said, and I think it pulls it together and certainly represents so much my gratitude for the work of philanthropy in my life. They said, “By teaching us about giving, Martin, you have given us a great gift. Our philanthropic involvement with the university has enhanced our lives on many levels. We owe that to you. Martin, because of your professionalism, expertise, and friendship, you made something that is truly enjoyable even more rewarding. You showed us the way to contribute in a meaningful manner, and this resulted in our receiving so much in return.”

Hugh: What a great summary.

Martin: Isn’t that amazing? That’s what it’s about.

Hugh: It is amazing. You have touched people’s lives on both ends of the spectrum. Martin, thank you for sharing your wisdom and time with us today.

Martin: Thank you.

Check out this episode!