#i listened to the episodes via patreon when they first came out but i can’t remember much about them

[mossflower]

return of the tma vague tag everyone cheered <3

[sally-mun]

Episode 1: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

So back 100 years ago when this RP began, the scale was pretty small and I wasn’t thinking about what the rest of the world was doing at the time. When it came time for the scope to expand and we had to start thinking about other areas, I decided to default to some of the Archie status quos since we were already playing in an Archie-inspired universe anyway. Eventually this required the presence of the Acorns, so I went with the basics: Elias is king/high chair of the Acorn Council, Max is a rather discontent former king, Alicia is the former queen who mostly just looks after her husband (as he’s not the healthiest), and Sally still primarily works in the field. Most of the details weren’t greatly established at this point because, honestly, I didn’t care. When it comes to the Dark Ages of the comics, “details” translates to “shit that doesn’t make sense.”

Due to a bit of plot that I won’t be going into here, Hamlin (as some of you know, a key character in several of my RP arcs) takes an interest in Albion and starts making moves to more or less invade. For the most part he’s stymied by the rest of the council, and when that happens, typically the current monarch will tip the scale one way or another. Eventually, Elias comes out to make a decree (in my head there’s a specific balcony for this so the press can take note), which to the surprise of basically everyone is him giving his blessing to the motion to invade. However, ALL of his body language suggests that this isn’t what he really thinks. He gets to the point quickly and then retreats back inside without taking any questions.

This draws the attention of the Brotherhood, who know for a fact that this is 100% against Elias’ character. Thunderhawk in particular (who had the heaviest hand in raising him) is adamant that something is wrong and they need to look into it, so they approach Knuckles and Finitevus to get them access to Elias via a warp ring. They oblige and everyone steps into the castle, specifically in Elias’ chambers. They find him slumped in a chair and wrapped in a blanket, looking like he hasn’t slept or bathed in a few days. Thunderhawk is horrified and asks what’s going on, but for the most part Elias can’t even speak; he’s so on the edge of an emotional landslide that simply opening his mouth is enough to threaten a meltdown. The BH continue to coax him into explaining what’s going on, and after several attempts, Elias explains that Max is harshly pressuring him to allow the council to invade Albion. At this point Elias completely loses it and latches hold of Thunderhawk begging for his forgiveness. The BH all assure him that they aren’t holding this against him and they’ll help get to the bottom of it.

Side note, it’s worth reiterating here that Elias has a degree of internalized specism, which I’ve mentioned in another post ages ago. One side effect of being raised by the Brotherhood (aka some of the most arrogant people on the planet) is that he genuinely believes echidnas are better than other people. This is why it’s absolutely breaking his spirit that Max has forced him to condone something that is contrary to every fiber of his morality. He wouldn’t want the council staging an invasion in the first place, but to have the target be Albion is the worst case scenario.

Anyway, the fact that this “invasion” (they had another word for it so it wouldn’t sound so bad, but I forget what it was) is now in motion causes a huge division in the kingdom. Max is repeatedly pushing Elias to make more decrees to calm the masses and get everyone on board with this plan, and viciously berates him when he either refuses to comply, or when he does but puts in the most bare minimum effort that the decree has basically no effect. After a while, Elias really does reach his breaking point: He rejects his crown entirely and runs away with Megan and Alexis in the middle of the night, without telling ANYONE -- not even Sally -- that he plans to do so. As he would later explain, he would rather not be king at all than to be a king that causes suffering. He and his family essentially go off the grid for a while and make a very humble home back in Feral Forest.

With Elias missing, the Acorn Kingdom becomes even less stable. Sally falls back on her years of diplomatic training and tries to calm everyone down and give them some more solid leadership, but she’s repeatedly undermined by Max. He’s now taken to making decrees of his own again now that he’s currently the only crowned monarch (something he repeatedly rubs in Sally’s face) and makes a series of firm announcements that they WILL be moving in on Albion. Sally does what she can to explain that this isn’t going to help the divide that’s rapidly separating their people, but given that Max never takes her seriously and she’s so desperate for his approval, these discussions go nowhere.

Meanwhile, Sally is proven correct, as a large sect of their citizens feel that Max’s firm hand is just confirmation that their government isn’t listening to them. As the royal guard moves in on Albion, various protests break out across the Acorn Kingdom. These protests are met with severe backlash from those still trusting in Max and the Acorn Council. The two factions eventually come to be known as Nationalists (those loyal to their leaders and willing to trust that they know best) and the Separationists (those who are SO disenfranchised that they want an entirely new government, period). The bad blood continues to escalate until the factions are literally fighting each other; this is the period that I usually refer to as the Acorn civil war, as it literally resulted in carved out territories, groups attacking one another, steep escalation in what sort of weapons and tactics are being used, and a total failure of the government to get it under control.

Now, I’d like to take an aside for a moment and address the one family member we’ve only glossed over here and there: Queen Alicia. Part of the reason we haven’t heard from her much is because, well, she too has been pretty well beaten down by Max’s emotional abuse. She rarely speaks up and tends to make excuses for Max’s toxic behavior -- he’s in a lot of pain, he spent so long in the Void, he was raised to expect obedience, etc. No matter how far he goes, it seems as though she’s determined to smooth things out for him after the fact, which leads some to wonder if she can be trusted at this point, either.

However, if anyone in this family would be acutely aware of just how different Max had become over the years, it’s Alicia -- and honestly, I think that’s part of the problem here. I never really got to go into it, but I think she probably has some undiagnosed depression, because she knows that the man she once fell in love with is pretty much gone. The worse he gets, the worse she gets as well, and her will to stand up to him diminishes more and more over time. Eventually this begins affecting her physical health as well, and she ends up very weak, but still she sticks resolutely by his side and makes it her duty to take care of him, even when that means making excuses for inexcusable behavior.

In the end, a peaceful ceasefire was agreed upon, and that’s when the country split in two: the West Acorn Republic, still governed by the already established council, and the East Acorn Kingdom, which reverted back to the pure use of a monarchy. Acorn citizens had a window of time to choose which side of the border they wanted to live on, and then it was a done deal. Ironically, King Max -- the man who had abhorred the idea of the Acorn Council at its conception -- stayed behind in West Acorn with Alicia, largely because it was the site of the original Castle Acorn. Sally had been immediately petitioned by the citizens of East Acorn to be their queen, so unsurprisingly she moved on and finally got to put her years of training to use. Sometime later it was confirmed that Elias was living in Feral Forest, but he rejected any suggestion that he go back to either half of the former Acorn Kingdom.

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[spnfanficpond]

November 2018 Pond LiveChat Recap

We had a great time chatting with Rhi, @kittenofdoomage!!! Thank you so much for joining us!

We talked about getting readers, interacting with readers, and how Tumblr has made it more and more difficult with their changes for new writers to get noticed. Details from our discussion with Rhi under the cut, as well as notes on what we’re working on in the Pond!

Q: Do you wait until you are done writing a series before you begin posting, or do you post as you write?

I wait until I'm done writing a series. At some point, the idea will catch me and I have to write the entire thing, which will take about three days. Editing for another 1-2 depending on my betas and then it gets released in its entirety on Patreon (my patrons like reading the entire fic in one go, they're paying for it so I'm not gonna make 'em wait) and comes out in chapters on Tumblr about three-four weeks later. I hate feeling like I'm making people wait too long and then shit happens like it did with three of my permanently hiatused fics.

Q: Well, as for why we're here, Rhi, you get so many asks every day. How do you have such involved readers?

A lot of my readers who respond are regulars. I have those who pop up with the odd "this is awesome" and those who will write long involved reviews which I love!

Q: Do you think there's anything in particular that you do that encourages people to interact with you?

Yeah, I'm open with people and pretty approachable. I like discussing things, plot points, characters, anything really. There are very few things that trigger me, too. I have only three specific things that will turn me away from a fic. I think my lack of triggers helps with people who need someone like that to talk to.

Q: Do you ever ask around and try to figure out what people are looking to read to try and help boost your reader count or do you just draw inspiration from your own ideas?

At the moment, I'm mostly working on commissions, so it's other people's ideas. I'm lucky that most of my Patrons and commissioners are very patient with me and know up front that I have no specific time limits. I will write it but I can't force it. And I won't force it because that leaves everyone with a shit story.I never put an idea away forever though. I write them all down. If inspiration hits for something, I write it there and then because I never know if I'll get that mojo back.

Q: Has there ever been an Idea that has caught you by surprise when you start it as one thing but it ends up as something else?

Only about six thousand times.

Over The Hills And Far Away that I'm writing now, was supposed to only be a Dean x reader but my reader decided to go and have chemistry with Sam too.

Q: Have you noticed a bump in followers after you do anything specific?

I always have a bump in followers after Sinful Sunday. Unfortunately, I always end up with a bump in unsolicited dick pics and porn bots, too, so a purge usually follows. When I post new characters or fandoms, too. I've recently picked up a bunch of Marvel followers.

Q: As a big blog, you must also get some hate. How do you deal with that?

They don't like me because I play with them and their insults are like water off a duck's back with me. Unless they bring my kid into it. I shut an entire set of blogs down when that happened. That's also why I no longer post anything to do with my daughter. I will avoid using her name wherever possible. If I'm in a bad mood, I ignore it. If I'm feeling like an utter bitch, I'll tear them a new asshole.

Q: Rhi, it sounds like you have a lot on your plate with family, work, and writing.  Is there anything in particular that keeps your creativity flowing so you don't burn out?

I try and do something different every day. Painting, gaming, going for a walk - it's important for me not to spend all my time on one thing. Even if it's just cleaning. I also listen to a lot of music - Classic Rock on Absolute Radio is my fav. Actually, my favorite time to think about fics is when I'm about to go to sleep.

Q: I'm not sure how to even ask this, but I came into the spn fic fandom a little late and so I'm finding it difficult to gather new followers. Do you have any advice? I have a master post with the few pieces I've written but I've gotten a lot of flack for writing OCs...

Tumblr is not helping with regards to gaining new followers lately. Tags aren't working if you're an NSFW blog, no one can search anything. The only thing I can suggest is reblogging, asking other authors if they'll read your work.

[Other suggestions from the chat included submitting fics to @dirtysupernaturalimagines and the Pond, joining other people’s writing challenges (The Pond’s S14 Challenge is here, @thing-you-do-with-that-thing is always running challenges, and @mrswhozeewhatsis has a tag #writing challenge on her blog). Also, “Tumblr loves porn” and the fandom loves Dean, in particular, so writing more Dean smut will get you more readers. Just adding “Dean x Reader” to the tags, even if the relationship is barely mentioned, will get you more readers. Sam will get you the same result, but to a lesser extent. Rhi got bigger writing ABO fics, and carved out a niche for herself with them to the point she’s considered the ABO expert in reader insert fics. Another tip was to strip OC’s of names and defining physical features, since OC’s don’t get a lot of love. Many “Y/N”’s are actually just OC’s without a name. Also, if you’re writing a story that will eventually have smut, list “eventual smut” in the tags.]

Q: Random question:  a bunch of us smaller blogs have noticed a drop in reblogs over the last year or so, and I'd be curious to know if, as a bigger blog, you've seen anything like this as well?

Absolutely. A year ago I was getting about 10-20k notes a day. Now, if I hit a thousand, it's a good day and I'm expecting to take a massive hit because of Sinful Sunday, if they don't entirely delete my blog.

Q: Does anyone have any idea why the notes have all dropped so much?  Is it a glitch in notes?  People being more apprehensive to reblog nsfw things because of all the nsfw fear going on?

Community responses: The posts with outside links not showing up in searches is related to bots and porn blogs that only reblog posts to add a link to a sketchy outside web page. Several months ago, though, Tumblr started the “best stuff first” algorithm (which can be turned off in your dashboard settings, but not everyone knows this), and that pushed posts with few notes to the bottom of the dashboard feed. Since you never really get to the bottom, those posts never get seen. Tags and reblogs to build up note counts are the only way to combat this. Now, messing with the search functions means that there will be no new readers without blogs that just reblog fics, like the Pond and @dirtysupernaturalimagines and such.

[Editor’s Note: Rhi told us she’s working on a UPS Driver!Sam fic!! I’m excited. “What can Brown do for me?” YES, PLEASE!]

What’s coming up in the Pond:

Angel Fish Award nominations are due by the end of the month, so you have less than a week to submit yours and gain an entry for every nomination into the raffle! Win fabulous prizes just for spreading love! HOW COOL IS THAT? (Also, don’t forget to submit your own fics to the Pond so that other Pond members can easily find them and nominate them!)

Note: Please use the submission form to submit nominations. Asks do not allow you to include a link to the fic, and sometimes we can’t find what you’re nominating, especially now that Tumblr searches don’t work.

Design contest to find a Pond graphic! Entries are due by the end of the month, so less than a week away! So far, we have ONE (1) entry! (I mean, it’s a pretty fabulous entry, but still!) Winner gets their choice of swag with their design on it!!

SPNFanFicPond Season 14 Weekly Episode Writing Challenge - Since we didn’t have a new episode this past Thursday, the previous week’s challenge is still collecting submissions. (Honestly, there’s no deadline on any of them. Post a fic using a prompt from any week, and you’ll still be added to the masterpost and reblogged on the Pond blog.)

New Member Spotlight Post coming soon! Check out last month’s post here!

Still accepting additions and discussion about the Warning Tag List (tags to be used to assist folks in avoiding triggers and protect their mental health, not be confused with tags to help people find or avoid preferences). Reply or reblog the post itself, or send an ask to the Pond with suggestions!

Plans are in the works to try and make the blog more app-friendly. Please be patient with us in the meantime!

Plans to expand the beta program to make it easier to find the type of beta you need are also on the to-do list.

Housekeeping Note: If you send an ask to the Pond and do not get a response in a couple of days, please notify one of the admins (Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis, Mana - @manawhaat, or Kale - @aprofoundbondwithdean) via IM and let us know!

Thanks to everyone who joined us this month and made it an awesome conversation!! Can’t wait for next month!

Next month’s discussion: Giving feedback to other writers and how a beta reader can help your writing! Joining us will be @littlegreenplasticsoldier!

Be there Dec. 15th at the usual time!  (Los Angeles - 2PM, New York - 5PM, London - 10PM, Melbourne - Sunday 9AM)

[bookwormscififan]

Lost Sides Theory

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Ok, before I dump this 929 word essay at you, I just wanna say that 1) I am disappointed my Sanders Sides x Black Parade series flopped, and 2) you have to read the series to understand this essay. 

Alright, enjoy reading this.

Based off the idea that Thomas has more sides than just the six we know.

Also going off the idea that the Sides are all aspects of Thomas’ personality and therefore he would have more Sides than the one orange side people are theorising.

The Sides all know their roles, and if a time ever comes where they doubt their role, they will travel to find themselves.

- Where do they travel?

The Deep Mind

I have a theory that the Sides talk to Thomas in the main mindscape. This is supported in the episode ‘Can Lying be Good?’ when Joan calls Thomas out on standing in the middle of his living room talking to himself, suggesting nobody else sees the Sides.

The majority of the series takes place in the main mindscape or the “mind palace” [see ‘Growing Up’]. Each Side then has their own place in Thomas’ mind where their roles are heightened [see ‘Accepting Anxiety’].

Following this canon, there must be a place in Thomas’ mind where the Sides can get their… roles. A place where Thomas can’t go. So I asked myself, “where in your mind can you not go to?” The answer: the subconscious. The part of your mind that affects dreams. Hence, the ‘Deep Mind’ became a thing. Also, the name just sounded dark and foreboding, and I liked it.

If a Side loses confidence in his ability to do his job, he will travel to the Deep Mind to find that confidence or ability again. The one issue with this journey is that no Side has ever returned from the trip to the Deep Mind. That area of the mind is so dark and complex that the Side takes a long time to regain his confidence. So long, in fact, that the rest of the Sides forget him or he forgets his task.

They become ‘lost’, and are given the term “Lost Sides”.

- So explain the Lost Sides

The Lost Sides, a name coined by Roman [see ‘Cancer’ fic] to describe Sides who spent too long in the Deep Mind, are the Sides who feel like they are no longer helping Thomas. They feel like they’re just making his mental health worse.

These Sides may be Thomas’ sense of motivation [see ‘Losing my Motivation’ and ‘Why do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?’], or procrastination [see ‘Accepting Anxiety part 1: Excepting Anxiety’].

Essentially, they are the Sides that took their feeling of uselessness to the extreme, further than Virgil did in ‘Accepting Anxiety part 2: Can Anxiety be Good?’.

These Sides take a trip to the Deep Mind (via the Imagination with help from Remus and Roman) in order to rediscover themselves.

Following the deep and confusing nature of the subconscious mind, these Sides get lost and forgotten.

- So, how do they get rescued?

Simply put, they cannot be rescued. It’s almost impossible to find the Side and bring them back.

In the ‘Disenchanted’ fic, Roman travels to the Deep Mind for two reasons: to find meaning in his existence and to save the Lost Sides to prove he’s still a hero. Unfortunately, the Lost Sides have been lost in the Deep Mind so long that they have become a part of the place. It’s like baking a cake and trying to separate the ingredients again.

The only way a Lost Side can leave the Deep Mind is to remember why they were there in the first place. If the Side remembers why they came to the Deep Mind in the first place, then they can make it out.

Poor Roman isn’t going to get out.

- How many Lost Sides are there?

I learnt there were five ‘Aspects of Personality Development’ according to examplanning.com, and managed to fit the existing Sides into the different aspects based on their subcategories.

I figured out that the subcategories that didn’t have any existing Sides fit were as follows: overindulgence, anger, intellect, and cautiousness. While these fit different existing Sides, the aspect each category is part of didn’t suit the Side I had assigned. Therefore, these became traits of Lost Sides.

These categories (and some added aspects) became the base for the Lost Sides. In theory, there are six Lost Sides. If I find any more aspects, then they would also be Lost Sides. This research fits the ‘there are more Sides’ idea due to the fact that it supports the theory.

Each of these Lost Sides are dressed in dark colours [see ‘Disenchanted’ fic] because they have no colour to associate with them due to being… lost.

Additionally, my friend @pistachio-lan informed me a while ago that there is both a dark and light colour wheel resulting in at least nine additional colours. Applying this to the Lost Sides theory, we now have at least nine extra Lost Sides, meaning there are likely to be three extra aspects to add to my list.

 In conclusion, these Lost Sides are not Dark Sides. These are the Sides who crossed from important to feeling less-than. These are the Sides that believe they have to rediscover themselves in order to be important again.

One of the Lost Sides talked to Roman at the gateway [‘Disenchanted’ fic] because he knew what Roman was there for, and he knew it would only end badly. Roman didn’t listen because he felt the need to go through the gateway.

The Lost Sides may find their way out eventually, but for now, they stay in the Deep Mind. They stay, endlessly searching for their purpose that just… doesn’t exist there.

[podcastcoach]

Top Five Way to Make Money with your Podcast

I keep seeing statements like, "Well, I've done this podcast for 2 years and it's time to start monetizing." With this type of mindset, I can see many podcasters getting discouraged or even burned out. I played music in local bars from the age of 16 to 50. 34 years I played music, but I never fell delusional enough to think I would make the big time playing local bars in Northeast Ohio. If I wanted a career I would've had to move to a city like Los Angelas, Nashville, or anything that wasn't Akron, Ohio.

While it's commendable to commit to something for a long period, it's not the longevity that inspires people to share your episodes. It's the content. Nobody has ever said, "Hey Dave you have to listen to this show!" and when I ask why they say, "They've been podcasting since 2014!"

With that said, as I write the updated version to my book More Podcast Money, here are the ways you make money with podcasting.

SPONSOR: Podcast Engineering School

Be equipped to start their own podcast production company or be hired as an employee.

Program Includes:

LIVE Interactive Online Training

Two Mentoring Sessions with Chris Curran

Major Discounts on Software and Plugins

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Super Early Bird Specials Apply and prices WILL GO UP.

Check it out at www.podcastengineeringschoool.com

[click_to_tweet tweet="The Top Five Ways to Make Money With a Podcast @davejackson " quote=" The Top Five Ways To Make Money With a Podcast" theme="style3"]

The Top Ways to Make Money With Your Podcast

Sell Your Own Products or Services

This is the top way to make money with your podcast. You harness the power of influence.

As you have lived and breathed in your target audience for a while, you should know what they need or want. I was amazed at a WordCamp I attended recently that the documentation for the new Gutenberg is sparse at best. Everyone hates it. Nobody understands it. That is one learning curve that needs to be flattened and if I had time I would dive into it myself.

Why some of your audience will buy from you is due to you bringing value on a consistent basis. This triggers the law of reciprocity. You've done something nice for them, and now your audience feels a need to do something nice for you. If you've shared a little about yourself then they probably like you (if they didn't they wouldn't be listening). If the information you provide is solid then they trust you. When you are known, liked, and trusted the buzz phrase for this is you are an "influencer."

When you launch a product or service you can influence them to purchase your product.

This could be a book, a course, a membership site, a crowdfunding campaign, a live webinar, etc. These products should fill a need in your space, or entertain them.

Sell Other People's Products or Services (affiliate sales)

Affiliate sales are when you sign up with a company to promote its products. You are given a link (or a code) that proves the traffic/customer came from you. If a sale is made, you earn a commission. When you match the right product with the right audience, you can make decent money. I once made hundreds of dollars a month promoting fitness cards on my weight loss show. The commission was $1.50 per deck. This product fit my audience.

I later would do the same when the Fitbit first came on the scene. I bought one and loved it. This is a great place to start. Find a product that you love that your audience ( a weight loss show in this case) would love. I was able to openly and honestly talk about how I loved my Fitbit and ever since I bought it I was more active. Again, I was earning hundreds of dollars per month when the commission was $9 per sale.

Pat Flynn makes a TON of money with Affiliate sales. He created a video tutorial showing how easy it was to install WordPress on a web hosting company. The video was short. It made building a website look super easy, and his affiliate link was right beneath the video.

Find the right product for the right audience and affiliate sales can be a nice source of income.

Crowdfunding / Donations

This form of income requires an extremely engaged audience. When people donate their motivation is one of two things typically

They want you to continue to create content and have the freedom to keep going. They believe in your message/content

They want additional information or content.

Adam Curry and John C Dvorak called the donation model "Value for Value" model. Their show the No Agenda Show dissects the media and helps you understand what is really going on in politics and in some cases society and culture. They produce two episodes a week that are roughly two hours long. They have a segment at the beginning thanking people who gave over $250. They have a segment in the middle to thank anyone who donated over $50, and they have a ceremony to "Knight" anyone who has donated over $1000 and welcome them to be a "Knight of the No Agenda Roundtable" and you also get a very nice ring (which of course people can wear, and have other people ask "where did you get that ring).

The No Agenda show is so engaged they are now holding meetups without the hosts. Adam and John provide any tools to their audience that they can use to promote the show.

Jennifer Bryney also does a show about politics called Congressional Dish. She started the show by reading every bill that went through the US Congress. Every American should listen to at least one episode of Congressional dish. Jen thanks all of her supporters at the end of the show.

Both of these shows provide information that you (sadly) can't get any place else. Both are done in an informative and yet entertaining fashion.

The No Agenda Show accepts checks and paypal. They have a jingle that promotes the website to go and donate ( www.divorak.com/na ). Congressional Dish will take your support using whatever payment tool you want

The top reward people offer at Patreon (the top crowdfunding tool ) is additional content.

When is the best time to add a Patreon campaign? When a listener asks you to start one.

Host Read Ads

While currently, less than 10% of podcasts get 5000 downloads per episode (the metric advertisers are looking for, although some need 20,000 per episode) this doesn't mean you can't get a sponsor. I've had sponsors on this show that fit my audience. While some advertisers use an old way of advertising held over from radio where you pay a rate based on the number of downloads ( CPM price per thousands ) this doesn't' work with podcasts who have a smaller - but more engaged - audience. I charge per episode (not CPM). This is sometimes called a "flat rate."

When using the CPM model of (for example) $30 per thousand downloads and your show gets 200 downloads per episode that episode earned $6 (which is why CPM doesn't work for most podcasters). The more niche your audience, and the more niche the product the better the match. The better the match, the higher you can charge.

Dynamic Ad Insertion

While the technology behind dynamic ad insertion is not bad, currently podcasters who are using some services are getting the shaft in my opinion. For me, generic dynamic ad insertion is the equivalent of Podcast Welfare. One system I am checking is paying my .0017 (not a typo) per download. If we go back to that show that has 200 downloads per episode they are making 34 cents per episode.

When you see companies saying "You can make money from DAY ONE" this is what they are using. Yes, you will earn money. However, you might be better checking your couch cushions.

People That Make a Living With Podcast Have a Few Things In Common

I've noticed a few traits with those people who make a living from the income that was generated from podcasting activities.

They have MULTIPLE income streams. They sell products, affiliate sales, ads, etc. They have a combination of the above. The people that JUST have ads HAVE HUMONGOUS audiences. That take DECADES to build.

They often have a spouse/partner that has a decent job with health benefits (not all but many)

 Had an audience before they started podcasting (not all, but many).

There are Other Ways To Measure Success

It's not all about downloads and its not all about money. In some cases, you get paid in confidence. You get paid in speaking gigs, or maybe even a permanent job. In some cases, you get paid in friendship, and peace of mind knowing you belong.

Quitting Your Day Job

There are tools online you can use to see how much money you need to have a certain take-home pay. I live in Ohio and using https://us.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php

I live in Ohio and in Ohio 60,000 will put you in a place where you don't have to worry about your bills. If I want to have a take-home pay of $60,000 a year I need to bring home $75,576.62 (as 20-30% of this is going to taxes). However, if you’re married with children you might be paying for health insurance via COSE (which can be around $1700 a month) which would mean you would need to have $98,192.92 in gross revenue to take home $60,000. Apparently, I'm also never going to retire (as I'm not putting any money away - just a thought).

Now if we break that down that is $1888.33 per week. Assuming you are working 40 hours a week that is $47.21/hour. There are some things to keep in mind. This means your calendar is booked from morning to night if you are doing consulting. This also means you’re never taking a vacation. Wait, you want two weeks of vacation? Then you need to make $101,969.58 in gross revenue (as we will assume you are not making money while you are on vacation. This then means your hourly rate is $49.02/hour and you are working 40 hours a week.

Why You Need Multiple Streams of Income

In a post on their blog, Patreon mentions that only 1-5% of your audience will become Patrons. The average donation is $7. I checked mine, and it was $5, but we will stick with $7.

If I use the gross number from above of that would mean I need to make $8,182.74 a month. If the average Patron donats $7, I will need 1,169 Patrons. If only 5% of my audience becomes Patrons I need a total number of downloads of 23,379 per month so 5% of them will become patrons. While you could say that 23,379 a month is 5845 downloads per week, but that 23,379 should be unique listeners.

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[recentanimenews]

"KADO: The Right Answer" Should've Been a Dating Sim

Nobody seems to know what to make of KADO: The Right Answer, and that includes the production team. Like the anisotropic, KADO’s dimension beyond our own universe, the show contained multitudes: it was a deliberately paced political thriller one minute and a twist-laden character drama the next; its visuals shifted between traditional 2D animation and CG, the latter of which ranged from downright stunning to “average ATLUS game;” and while it was just sort of okay sci-fi, it eventually revealed itself to be way more engaging as a gender-equal harem show.

Fellow Crunchyroll contributor Dee Hogan has made more than a few jokes about the should-be-existent KADO dating sim; and I confess, she had me at dating. But now that the series is over? I’m downright convinced that this show came over from an alternate universe where it was based on Toei’s successful sci-fi visual novel.

It has all the hallmarks of a VN adaptation: the main character, Kojiro Shindo, is hypercompetent in his field and a constant source of admiration despite being fairly bland in personality; the early plot is quite talky and concept-driven, but the important plot twists come down to how far Shindo’s relationships have progressed with his potential love interests; and the show’s ending plays on each of those relationships without quite playing on a happily-ever-after with any of them. In other words, KADO the anime gave us the Neutral Ending.

The ending to KADO was alright, but anyone can tell you the Neutral Ending is the least satisfying one in a dating sim. We’re not here for your vaguely-considered themes on communication and cultural exchange, KADO, we’re here for the smooching! And also the pretty great CG body horror, if I’m being honest. Fortunately, we need not leave it at that. Let us peek through the veil at the Visual Novel that might have been (and might still be, TOEI, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down here).

The Summary

You are Kojiro Shindo, a negotiator for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They say you’re the best in your field, and that no problem under your watch has been left unsolved. One day you board a plane in the course of your duties; unbeknownst to you, this is the day you will meet your fate. A giant shimmering cube appears on the runway, swallowing the plane and transporting it to a strange new place. Inside, you’re greeted by a naked alien being. He claims he has come from the anisotropic in his vessel, KADO; and his goal is to help humanity. What will you say? Who will you trust? The future of humanity is in your hands.

*Find Your Right Answer

*Single Player

*Fully Animated and Voiced

*Multiple Endings per Route

*Extra-Dimensional Understanding Recommended

[This is the best way I can explain spending the first half of the series on far reaching consequences and political conversations between world powers and the second half on “hey, so which representational character philosophy did you invest the most in?”]

  The Love Interests

Ritsu Natsume

“You’re always so mean, Shindo-kun.”

A fellow university student who now works for the National Security Agency. Tough and no-nonsense, Natsume has never let you down over the years. You sense she might have a softer side she’s never shown in her professional life. As this strange alien craft bears down on humanity, you know you can count on her to support you from within the government.

Familiarity, support, and your old life. Is this your answer?

[This is what you might call the “false flag ship,” since both Natsume and her affection for Shindo are quite prominent in the first few episodes only to fade away entirely before the halfway point. A shame, really. Is her route the shortest?]

  Shun Hanamori

“You don’t need to try so hard to deny it. I love him too.”

A newcomer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hanamori has been your shadow since he was hired. Inexperienced and known to complain, Hanamori has never given up on a task assigned to him. He came along with you on the plane that was absorbed by KADO. Frightened by the contact with alien life, he bravely jumped into harm’s way when your life was on the line. He needs lots of reassurance, but it seems he’s not the jealous type…

Unconditional loyalty, understanding, and a desire for protection. Is this your answer?

[This game must exist for no other reason than because Hanamori got completely and utterly screwed over, and the universe cannot allow such a grievous injustice to stand. LET US HUG HIM, TOEI.]  

Yaha-kui zaShunina

“Shindo. You are you. No one can replace you.”

The anisotropic being who came to Earth; you agreed to act as his negotiator. While zaShunina brings gifts to speed humanity’s evolution, his own knowledge of the species is lacking. If you let him, he will rely on you to be his guide to the human race. Indeed, he may rely on you more than anyone else…Will you help him guide humanity to its next stage, whether it’s ready or not? Will you plunge into the unknown, even at the risk of becoming something completely different?

Transformation, discovery, and frantic devotion. Is this your answer?

  [Every game has That Route. The one where you cross-reference a guide every step of the way and still might mess up because you took too long on one choice. zaShunina is that route. Where is his Good End, I need it.]

Saraka Tsukai

“I think negotiation is about understanding someone, and having them understand you.”

An up-and-coming ace negotiator, Saraka represents Japan during negotiations with the anisotropic. An idealist through and through, she’s still suspicious of the gifts offered by the anisotropic being. Though she lacks your experience in the field of negotiation, she seems to have a sharp perceptiveness that sees things you can’t. Will you trust her, even if it means losing humanity’s miraculous chance for evolution?

The natural path, compromise, and evolution. Is this your answer?

[Whoever was running the game for the anime seems to have devoted themselves hardcore to zaShunina’s route in the early going only to switch to Saraka’s halfway through. The result was neither of them getting their Good End, and both deserve better.]

Secrets???

Remember, an ideal negotiation is one where everyone gets what they want.

Good luck ❤

[Seriously, TOEI, help me help you. I really, really want a chance to help you fix that ending. You told me negotiation was a chance to make all these characters I like happy, PAY UP.]

About the author

Vrai is a queer author and pop culture blogger; they really did love this hot mess and need the game immediately. You can read more essays and find out about their fiction at Fashionable Tinfoil Accessories, listen to them podcasting on Soundcloud, support their work via Patreon or PayPal, or remind them of the existence of Tweets.

KADO: The Right Answer is now available for viewings on Crunchyroll!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[podcastcoach]

Podcast Movement 2017 Refrelections

I'm back from podcast movement, and I had a blast. I also have insights from one of the hardest assignments I've done in a long time.

My Impression of Podcast Movement 2017

Nothing cooler than being picked up at that airport by fellow podcasters Marcus Couch from WordPress Plugins A to Z. We haven't seen each other face to face in about 10 years. We cranked some cool metal on the way to the Marriot and it was like old times.

Then I get the then Marriot and I get to meet my co-host Jim Collison from the Average Guy network, and I go over to his table and there sits the one and only Steve Stewart and Mike Dell. So for me, the Summar Camp aspect of Podcast Movement is in full effect.

The coolest line I heard all week was relayed by Paul Colligan (another person' I've known for 10+ years) and it came from a Dan Klass session. Dan (who is a former comedian) shared how often at comedy clubs you will have multiple comedians perform in an evening - and yet they all use the same microphone. The point? It's not about the tech.

I roomed with Erik K Johnson from podcasttalentcoach.com, and he had stated that it would be awesome if he could meet a web developer who needed help with his podcast, as he was a podcast consultant who needed help with his website. I get into the elevator, introduce myself to everyone in the elevator and it turns out that one of the people is a web designer thinking of starting a podcast. When we get out of the elevator, on of the first people who see is Erik. I felt like I was in a Christmas movie and it was going to start to snow.

I saw Harry Durran from Podcast Junkies and Dr. Ryan Gray who has given up his practice to do podcasting full time and Harry introduces me to Natalie Jennings who happens to be taking head shots at a reasonable price. She shows me a few samples of people, and I'm hooked. I can't wait to see how they turn out. The few peaks I saw of what she did was amazing. See her at http://www.nataliechampajennings.com/

I found out in Paul Colligan's session that if you are in Google Play Music, you are also on the Google Home portable audio speaker.

I also know of a cool double secret project that is going to make recording double-enders via a browser very cool.

I was on a panel with Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, and Addy Saucedo on what is inside an RSS. This was an insanely nerdy topic, but due to the recent Apple announcements we had some interested parties and I thought we pulled it off well. The bonus is I got to hang out with some cool friends.

The Coolest Thing I Saw At Podcast Movement 2017

While there were tons of great sessions at PM17, as a vendor (I work for Libsyn.com - use the coupon code sopfree to get a free month) I don't get to attend any sessions. I did see something that was way cool. I met Alissa Daire of the Maximize Your Strengths show. I see her the first night, and she is in a group of people and we get talking about Strengths Finder, and she becomes a ping pong ball bouncing off the ceiling with energy. She's super nice, and it was great to catch up with her as I had met her last year. The next night, I'm standing at the Luau event, and here she comes. She explains how "I'm done." She's tired (as many people are), and she is considerably less energetic. Pat Flynn walks over, he's very witty and a super nice guy. Then the subject changes to strengths finder results, and it was like watching a time release video of a flower blooming. Her energy came back, her smile came back, her body language completely changed. It was amazing to watch.

I saw this a few more times. It's late, and people have had a few adult beverages, then I ask them about their show, and BOOM, the body language picks up, the eyes are open a bit wider, the voice is a little louder.

Later, Paris from Gamertag Radio got star struck when Cara Santa Maria from the Skeptics Guide to the Universe walks by. I offered to go bring her over. He got shy, so I did my best Steve Austin (the six million dollar man, not the wrestler) imitation across the showroom floor. I had no idea she was an Emmy Award winning journalist. I bring her over and embarrass Paris. Danny Peña is there, Jim Collison is there, and the minute Paris explained that he really did listen to her show the body language changed.  For me, I think of it as being in your "first impression" mode and then finding out that you're among family.

For the Best Content - Put a Time Frame On it

I spoke about how I got lucky to be able to induct Dan Klass from the Bitterest Pill into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame. The presentation should last three minutes. I had hoped that three minutes would be longer than I thought. I wrote out my first draft. It had some bits about history and podcasting in 2005. It had examples of how the show made me feel. I made a joke about how the more I talk about his show, the more I sound like a stalker. I listed his accomplishments.

I started the stopwatch and went into the presentation, about half what through I glanced at my phone and I was already at 5 and a half minutes. Oh boy......

What Was the Purpose of This Presentation?

I had to go back and ask myself, what was the purpose of this presentation? The purpose was for the person sitting in row 7 who had been podcasting since 2015 and had no idea who Dan Klass was. It wasn't about me. It wasn't about being funny. I was about answering the question, "Why is Dan Klass in the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame." For me, this was a big opportunity, on a big stage, and I didn't want to mess it up for myself, or Dan. It was time to edit.

Anything about me went out the door. The history lesson of iriver portable players and synchronization cables went up in smoke. Most of the stories I had about Dan might not go over if you didn't listen to his show.

Only the things that HAD to be said would stay.

I listed his accomplishments. I thought of the funniest thing I had heard on his show (he referred to his two-year-old daughter as Princess Tirade for quite some time), and the most memorable episode (of ALL podcasting) is episode 102 Mass Murder where he talks about what it's like when your Uncle is murdered, and you're walking past TV cameras escorting your mother to the funeral. It's at the end, I highly suggest you listen to it.

I had pointed out that Dan was one of the first to try premium podcasting (this was YEARS before Patreon) and it didn't work well. That was negative, so I just pointed out that he was a pioneer and not afraid to try new things.

I HAD TO POINT OUT, that Dan had been sharing stories a DECADE before Serial was on the scene. Dan was creating engaging stories in a box in his garage, and he did it without a team of 19 people. That had to stay.

To make it entertaining, I thought of throwing in some old Baptist preacher tricks of getting people to repeat words. This came to me in the shower. It would make me stand out, but I was deeply worried about being too entertaining (again, this was all about Dan). Looking back, that was a dumb thought (you're not going to outshine Dan Klass).

Just Because There Are No Time Limits in Podcasting Doesn't Mean There Shouldn't Be

To fine tune my presentation I had to:

Identify my audience

Identify the purpose

Make it entertaining

I know some of us want to record it and publish it. I truly, always believe a podcast can benefit from editing. This is especially true if you are doing interviews.

Because of My Podcast Devin Caroll

Devin from the Big Picture Retirement podcast shares how he didn't' want to start a podcast but sure is glad he did. He just released episode 34, and his co-host has already billed $10,000, and Devin has billed $6,000 and has a client who will bring in $20,000. I bet you might think, they have a huge audience, right? Nope, according to Devin, they are averaging 534 downloads an episode.

Podcast Rewind

I appeared on Podcast Ninja talking about the pros and cons of the different podcast media hosting companies. Check it out at podcastninja.com

Where I am Speaking Next

National Podcast Power - Keynote

Podcast Mid Atlantic - Podcast Artwork - September 8th in Philadelphia Area

DC Podfest November 10-11

Mentioned in This Show

Podcast Gear Group

Steve Stewart

Go Tell Somebody - King's X

Podcast Talent Coach (Get Your Podcast Reviewed at www.podcastreviewshow.com )

Natalie Jennings Photography

Alissa Daire of the Maximize Your Strengths

Harry Durran Podcast Junkies

Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, and Addy Saucedo

Alissa Daire of the Maximize Your Strengths

Devin from the Big Picture Retirement

Episode 102 Mass Murder - the Bitterest Pill

Marcus Couch from WordPress Plugins A to Z.

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