#that's less raw skill and more of just... an absurd amount of time and effort

[pantheonmantis]

Caring about The Character unlocks some deep sleeper god gamer agent in me. I completed pantheons and Steel Heart for Hollow. I'm doing ultimates because what do you MEAN I can get myself stuck in a time loop and doom the narrative just to undoom Haurchefant. I completed like one whole Rainworld level as Spearmaster out of nowhere b/c the concept of a mute abused little tool for gods just did something to my brain for a minute and then I dropped the game completely. I got good at The Isle once purely because I was obsessed with allosaurus. My experience with video games is incredibly narrow and I do not think of myself as a Gamer but you WILL catch me comfiting feats of wonder for my blorbos.

[specialsituationsgroup]

a Study of Discwrold

Color of Magic, pt 9

In which Pratchett repeatedly disses his talent in STEM.

THE SENDING OF EIGHT

1 "The Disc offers sights more impesive than those found in universes built by Creators with less imagination and more mechanical aptitude. [...] the most impresive sight - if only because most brains, when faced with the sheer galactic enormity of A'Tuin, refuse to belive it - is the endless Rimfall."

Bless.

2 "The gods themselves, despite the splendor, are seldom satisfied. It is embarassing to know one is a god of a world that only exists because a probability curve must have a far end. Especially when one can peer into other dimensions at worlds who’s Creators had more mechanical aptitude than imagination."

Terry laments his STEM skills, but he seems to know the lingo. Also, since the Creator is Pratchett, then Veinari's subdued rant in Unseen Academicals is directed at him.

Yes, I know Vetinari is just Pratchett's mouthpiece for his own quiet anger at our world, but still. Irony.

3 We meet Fate and the Lady. Fate looks like a kindly midle aged man untill you notice his pupils are black holes. The Lady has creepy emerald eyes, but she gives the same vibes as Anoia, godess of lost causes.

4 "Disliking [Twoflower] would be like kicking a puppy."

Aww.

5 "Magic had indeed once been wild, but had been tamed by the olden ones, who had made it obey among other things, the Law of conservation of Reality. This demanded that the effort needed to atain a goal should be the same regardless of means used. [...] some of the ancient magic could still be found in it's raw state. There was the metal ocitron, and the gas octogen. Both radiated dangerous amounts of enchantment."

Magic as atomic physics?

6 "It was all very well going on about pure logic and the harmony of numbers, but the plain fact was that the Disc was manifestly traversing space on the back of a giant turtle, and gods had a habit of going round to atheists' houses and smashing their windows."

Hah!

7 There was a faint sound [...] Rincewind peered around. There was no-one nearby. This worried him. [...]" [the Troll] was exceptionally angry. This was because Trolls generaly are. It was exaberated by the fact that the instantanious teleprotation from its lair [...] a thousand miles closer to the Hub had raised his temperature to a dangerous level, in acordance with the law of conservation of energy."

Pratchett was not meant to be a scientist, but he knew just how much science to pepper in to higlight the absurdity. XD

8 "Although he could read the message, the letters were completely unknown to him. Somehow the message was arriving straight into his brain, without the tedious necessity of going through his eyes."

Is this magic? It doesn’t behave like Rincewind said. For that matter neither did the Trobi insurance, or the karmic ripples of Rincewind’s lie.

Note: -A few hints of science will give legitimacy to your setting, making it more thought-throug, while at the same time highlight how fantastical it is. -The problem with Discworld as a parody of DnD is that it undermines character agency. In this book, a Troll is teleported onto Rincewind's path becasue of a malicious god's roll of the dice, whereas in "Guards! Guards!", the Dragon is summoned to Ankh Morpork by a power-hungry grand master by his own volition. There can be no consequence for characters’ choices if the plot happens by outsde influence and/or at random. -Pratchett is not overly concerned with consistency.

To be continued...

[himbowelsh]

Have you seen ATLA??? What sorts of element-benders do you think the Easy Co boys would be?

*heavy breathing* okAY

so, of course, not everyone in the A:TLA world is a bender, and there’s a lot of context involved when you consider what the Fire Nation ended up doing / how they’re villain-coded throughout the show.  this is purely what the boys would be if they were benders, separated from any in-universe context.

Richard Winters: An Airbender with a very light touch, and a precise way of approaching his skill. Dick would be very serious about bending as a whole  ---  not judging other people for using their talents the way they want, but always approaching his own soberly.  He’s a ‘think before doing’ type who recognizes the necessity of keeping himself separate from others while in a position of power...  but needs a few companions who truly understand him. 

Lewis Nixon: He’d be a Firebender, but I can’t see Nix ever putting a lot of effort into it. While he’s got raw ability and natural skill, he’d prefer to use his more practical talents, such as observation and talking circles around people. Plus, Nix is drunk, like 90% of the time, and mixing Firebending with alcohol is dangerous. Since he doesn’t fit the stereotypical hothead Firebender mold  ---  except for a bit of a hedonistic streak  ---  a lot of people don’t even realize Nix has bending abilities at all.

Carwood Lipton: Stable Lip is a born Earthbender, with a deep connection not only to the world around him, but to other people. He has an extraordinary amount of control, and his willpower is nothing to sneeze at; Lip works with dirt and dust better than solid stone, preferring its mobility, but that makes him no less adaptable. When he commits to something, he sees it through, and he approaches learning any new skill the same way. While not extraordinarily powerful, his diligence sets him apart.

Ron Speirs: He would be a Firebender on the level of Azula  ---  very skilled, very powerful, very dangerous.  Ron would be one of the rare firebenders capable of bending blue fire, the hottest kind; he knows some absurd tricks, and feels most at ease around open flame. So many rumours exist of him incinerating his enemies alive, and even roasting comrades who have crossed him, that people are terrified of Speirs on principle.

Harry Welsh: Another Firebender, and Welsh is kind of explosive. His powers are basically like fire-crackers, going off at unpredictable times and causing unprecedented damage. He’s a chaos gremlin who loves to watch what he’s reaped, but also has a surprising amount of control. Harry doesn’t burn anything he doesn’t mean to burn, and while he can have fun with his powers, he knows when to douse the flames. Doesn’t mean he won’t happily singe people who annoy him, though.

Eugene Roe: Waterbender, with an aptitude for healing. It’s not...  something he enjoys, just something he’s always been good at. Eugene comes from a long line of skilled healers and Waterbenders, so that’s where he’s always been expected to direct his training. He has no real training to use his bending defensively, but a unique talent for sensing and manipulating the energies of living things which makes him a very strong healer. He will smack you with a water rope if you step out of line.

Joe Toye: An Earthbender with an astounding amount of power, even though he’s not particularly versatile. He’s excellent at controlling rocks, and has been known to create strong earthquakes, but he doesn’t use any showy tricks  ---  he just doesn’t think they’re quite his thing. To everyone’s surprise, though, he’s got a natural aptitude for working with metals. If anyone’s going to be able to get the hang of metalbending, it would be Toye; he’s got the irrepressible force of will and bullheadedness, so he’d probably keep trying until he finally got it.

George Luz: A dynamic Earthbender with a talent for adapting to any situation. George’s natural stubbornness and mischievous streak play to his advantage when using his powers. He’s been known to create fissures in the ground beneath people, just to startle them, and will sometimes cause mini rockslides to keep people on their toes. George’s playfulness masks a surprising amount of control  ---  for every rock he throws, he can catch them all before they hit the ground.

Bill Guarnere: Firebender, point blank. Bill is dynamic and driven, with a forceful personality; he has a way of drawing people to him like an open flame. Not to mention, dangerous when angry. Bill would make an extremely powerful firebender, more instinct than thought-out tactics. He’d absolutely be a master of the fire-breathing technique  ---  picture Bill doing his trademark roar, and fire just shooting out of his mouth!

Babe Heffron: Another Firebender, but Babe’s clumsy with it. He’s got a decent amount of power, but it’s poorly controlled. He’s been known to set things on fire by accident, and when he loses his temper things sometimes just...  combust. Not safe to leave him around an open flame. Babe tries, bless him, and has been training with Bill for ages now, but his powers always stay just a bit out of control. Poor Babe is a walking hazard.

David Webster:  Is this even a question? Boy’s a Waterbender through and through. Even if Web didn’t have such a natural connection with the element, he’s emotional and feelings-driven, very faithful to his own ideals. He feels most at easy in a large body of water, feeling it pulse and swirl around him. He’s really good at purifying water, and has a special talent for controlling water pressure; when outraged, he’s not afraid to just smack someone with a water whip, but Web still calls himself a pacifist.

Joe Liebgott: Okay, hear me out  ---  Joe would actually make a really good Airbender. While fiercely individualistic, they can also be dangerous when angry  ---  when their principles are challenged or threatened, Airbenders can go off, and that’s Joe to a tee. He’s very expressive, and has a mischievous streak...  but Joe also sets himself apart from the crowd, not letting them too close. When enraged, Joe has a habit of forming very destructive cyclones; he’s not above going off on his own for a bit, taking off through the air to brood. While he’s got an aptitude for his own bending skill, he’s always been very curious about the others  (even if he won’t admit it)  and loves to observe them.

Buck Compton: Buck’s charismatic and companionable nature would make him a great Waterbender. He’s a bit of a powerhouse in defensive arts, and very innovative when it comes to new ways of using his skill  ---  he’s got a few techniques that he’s pretty sure he invented, since no one’s ever seen them before. Water cyclones, hurricanes, even advanced techniques like water boxing  ---  Buck can do ‘em all.

Johnny Martin: Firebender, and you know it. He’ll set your ass on fire if you look at him wrong. His glare literally sends people running for water buckets.

Bull Randleman: A very steady Earthbender with a talent for creating earthquakes; he tends to use his powers to help people, clearing up rockslides and helping out with mine collapses, whenever possible. He can lift an extraordinary amount of weight, and move shocking quantities of stone around.

Don Malarkey: Earthbender here! He’s got a talent for finding the fun in his abilities, and sometimes gets scolded for not taking them seriously. He’s caused a few accidents messing around, especially when he created a rockslide that almost crushed a group of his friends; after that, Don learned to be more careful, and became very concerned with learning to control his abilities. He loves to tunnel around in the earth, and has uncovered a lot of treasures by pulling up things long-buried.

Skip Muck: Skip values harmony and companionship, good at diffusing tension; he has an individualistic streak, and a way of standing out in a crowd. This would make him a great Airbender! His mischievous nature means Skip would be all about somersaults and tricks mid-air; he loves sending gusts of wind to lift people’s hats off their head and ruffle their hair.

Alex Penkala: A Waterbender with a playful streak; he’s a splasher. Penk is observant and emotional, intensely faithful to his friends  ---  excellent waterbender traits! While he has no natural aptitude for combat, not training himself to use his abilities defensively, he has a natural gift for making water walls, and always used to entertain his younger siblings by creating water falls and sprinklers for them to play in.

[topicprinter]

They say that the only way to self-mastery is by assuming absolute control over your life processes. Entrepreneurship is one of the activities that can have a massive impact in that respect. It is an activity that will not only allow you to take matters into your own hands but also reveal the essence of the words responsibility, discipline, and productivity in all its glory.In this post, I will reveal some things that you seldom find on the headlines of famous media outlets. These are things that you learn only when you have hands-on experience in the area and you have spent days and nights trying to polish your strategies. My hope is that by revealing these things I will save you time, money, energy, regrets and unwanted conflict.Whether you are an entrepreneur already, or you are thinking to start your own business, this article will prove invaluable along the way.1.ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOILS DOWN TO COMMON SENSE…but common sense isn’t always common practice. That’s something a former colleague of mine told me while I was working as a business consultant. This simple yet powerful remark has stayed with me, and I keep referring to it, till this very day.The real question, however, is this: what does common sense look like and how do I know I have it?Common sense is nothing more than good sense and sound judgment in practical matters. Some examples include:You can’t hire someone just because you know them. It is common sense that you need to evaluate their background and identify whether or not it fits the type of product you sell.You can’t look and act unprofessionally. It is common sense that if you look and act that way nobody will trust you.You can’t expect your sales people to improvise on how to promote your product. It is common sense that you need to train them and provide them with the necessary material.You need to create an accurate image of your ideal customer. It is common sense that you need to know your customers in order to find them, understand their needs and target them accordingly.I will elaborate on most of these and some more below.Additionally, you identify common sense by detaching yourself from your ego and by stepping into your customer’s shoes.When you start your own business, you are blinded by your ego. It is the same feeling you get when you have your first child. Your business is your baby. You have an idea of how to raise it, but because it is your “possession” you can’t see things objectively, oftentimes reverting to unorthodox practices and behaviors. Even if you do things wrong, you are convinced that you do things right.Most of business owners fall into this trap and therefore suffer dramatically.I understand that when you do things wrong and you eventually have to face potential change, more often than not, you develop resistance towards change. That’s because of laziness and because of fear of change. You aren’t sure what to expect and you don’t know if the required change (which will certainly require time and money investment) will yield the expected returns.Well, I can assure you that if things aren’t going as planned, change is the surest way to go. To quote Albert Einstein:“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”2.YOUR IDEA IS WORTH NOTHING AND TRACTION IS EVERYTHINGTwo years ago, I attended an amazing entrepreneurship conference called Pioneers Festival. One of the speakers was Philipp Moehring from Angelist who gave a prodigious speech on what investors look for when they evaluate your company. In one of his slides, he mentioned that your idea is worth close to nothing.That is something incredibly important to grasp. Your idea, no matter how innovative you think it is, no matter how interesting it sounds in your head, no matter how much research you have put into it, is worth nothing.If your team is not great, if your execution is not close to perfect, if you haven’t properly identified your niche, if you don’t understand your customer’s needs, the idea is worth nothing.Which brings us to the most important part when it comes to product and business evaluations: Traction.If your product is converting, if it is generating revenue and if it is attracting interest, it is a great product.Do me a favor and watch Shark Tank. You will notice how the eyes of the sharks shine whenever the entrepreneur mentions good numbers in the users acquired or sales accumulated over the past year. Regardless of the industry or type of product.Great investors know that once your product generates traction and reaches product-market fit, it has the potential to become a gold mine.The reason I stress the importance of this is because some wannapreneurs have two bad habits:Are secretive about their ideas.Give insane evaluations to their companies when they are actually worth nothing.So, the main principle here is that, in the beginning, you have to assume that you know nothing and that your idea is worth nothing. Now you are more humble and you can make sure that you will focus on the fundamentals of your business.3.IF SOMEONE TELLS YOU THAT BRANDING ISN’T IMPORTANT, RUN AWAYI have heard people on the Internet suggest that as far as your product is great, your branding doesn’t matter. This is wrong and dangerous. When someone tells you that, they are either ignorant or they are leaving a lot of money on the table.The reason is twofold:Humans are visual creatures. We are attracted to aesthetically pleasing views and we will always favor something beautiful to something ugly.Every successful salesman and marketing person will tell you that most buyers are impulsive. They don’t always buy something because they need it, but more because they are convinced that they need it. Part of that convincing is how the product looks.That said, I am not suggesting that it is ok for your product to be average and that you should spend most of your time on marketing and branding.What I suggest, is that you should spend an equal amount of time on creating a great product and on promoting it successfully.Great branding makes your product look professional and people can trust you easier.Every product out there has to face competition. Successful branding is one of the surest ways to make your product stand out.4.NETWORKING IS PROBABLY 50% OF SUCCESSYou will hear a lot of people stress out the importance of networking in business success, but you can’t really understand that importance if you don’t experience it first hand.I am going to demonstrate this importance with a simple analogy. Imagine you are Super Mario. You fight turtles, you spit fire, you eat mushrooms and want to save the princess. At some point, you find a magic star that makes you invulnerable for a small time frame. That magic star is networking.Without the magic star, you struggle a lot. You face a lot of obstacles and difficulties. You need to try different approaches and tactics in order to reach the end of the game. With the magic star, nobody can touch you. You actually kind of bulldoze your way to success.Networking allows you to meet the right people and these people feel obliged to help you if you were introduced to them by someone they trust and respect.Now, this is good in theory but practically it is quite arduous because it requires a lot of effort and great social skills. There are some great books that explain how it is done, like the seminal “Never eat alone” by Keith Ferrazzi, but most of them repeat the same advice:Put yourself out there“Ping�� constantlyBe generous (buy people drinks, dinners etc.)Make it more about them and less about youLeverage social media for exposureIn that respect, I want to add one more thing: Do not consider networking unless you have made a lot of progress with your product development.If you are just starting and you have just an idea, going to networking events is a waste of time. You might listen to some successful people promote their story and you might get some interesting feedback, but, most probably, you will end up disappointed because no one will be interested in you.Make sure that you focus on creating a great product and once you see the first signs of traction, you will be in a position to promote it.5.WORK ONLY WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE PROFESSIONALProfessionalism and delivery will help you stand out. It is absurd how many businesses are leaving money on the table because of their inability to exude professionalism.In the trade business I run, our operations are in Greece at the moment. Some of the companies I decided to contact, in order to buy raw material and other services for my product, dumbfounded me with their lack of professionalism. I wanted to make really big orders, way bigger than what they usually get, and instead of treating me with utmost respect they lacked enthusiasm and oftentimes they didn’t even respond to emails. There is nothing worse than that when it comes to business.Jordan Belford mentions a similar incident in “Straight Line Persuasion System” about a time he visited a Porsche Dealership. He was very excited about buying a new car and when he starting discussing with the dealer he got turned off because he was unable to make him feel sure about what he was buying.So, if you really want to stand out, make sure to:Respond promptlyBe politeOver-deliverOffer competitive prices6.WHEN HIRING PEOPLE, DO THE BEER TESTA couple of weeks ago, I attended a startup event. Among the presenters was a company that developed a platform that helps consumers find the cheapest price of a product online.They are a very successful company and they stand out because of their incredible work environment. That, however, didn’t happen to them accidentally. Hiring the right people is a very challenging endeavor and many companies face extreme problems because of that.What the representative of this company suggests is that, when hiring, you should do the beer test. What this means in simple words is this:Ask yourself. If you go out for a beer with this person, will you have a good time?Does this person show empathy? Can they listen? Can they contribute? Are they open minded? How do they handle criticism? Are they eager to learn? Can they stay cool under pressure?All these are extremely critical and when coupled with a solid work ethic, you found the perfect match for your hire.7.THE BEGINNING IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART AND PREPARATION WILL SAVE YOU TIMEYour beginning will be borderline suffering. You will be really enthusiastic and everything, but once you realize how overwhelming the processes of entrepreneurship can be, you will start having second thoughts.That’s why what I suggest to people who have no previous experience in the area is to invest some time upfront in studying the subject. There are a ton of online courses on entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, management, coding etc. out there. With so much free knowledge, the world is your oyster.Also, read some great entrepreneurship books to see what others faced before you. My two favorite ones are:Zero to oneThe hard thing about hard thingsThey both focus on technology startups, but the lessons suggested are universal.Before I quit my day job as a business consultant, I spent almost a year reading and studying entrepreneurship. I still didn’t have a good idea of what this new world really is. I understood it when I actually started being “in business.”However, when you start working on your project, make sure to focus primarily on getting things done. Don’t inundate your schedule with podcasts and blogs and social media. You will lose your ability to focus and your performance will suffer dramatically.If you have a concrete work ethic in place that is characterized by discipline, flow immersion and time management, everything will work out fine.Until your launch everything will be vague and uncertain, but after your launch you will get a good idea of what works and what doesn’t in order to make the necessary adjustments and corrections.You will soon realize that after you spend some time “living” your product, you will feel that you “own” its processes and some things will work automatically. This is the best time because it is then when you can actually focus on profitability and sustainability.8.SHARE YOUR JOURNEY BECAUSE THAT INCREASES ENGAGEMENTThis is a pro tip and something that has helped companies enjoy tremendous growth.Sharing your journey allows your clients or customers to get an insider’s view of your business. It demonstrates that you are transparent and confident about your product and culture and it makes you look interesting and approachable.There are many people who have attempted this successfully, but I will mention here the most interesting ones:Space XElon Musk is a master at this. In space X for instance, he sells the journey impeccably.Space X emphasizes on the journey. A journey almost everybody wants to take part in.Additionally, their events are astonishing and the enthusiasm of their followers is palpable.Gary VaynerchukGary Vaynerchuk is a social media influencer and motivator with a huge following. He does a great job sharing his journey and simultaneously educating his following on marketing, branding and business matters.Even the Kardashians do that effectively. You might think that their personalities and attitude are unorthodox and silly, but there are millions of people out there who approve it and enjoy the fact that they can have a sneak peek into their lives.9.DON’T WASTE TIME IN IRRELEVANT STUFF — ALWAYS STRIVE FOR PRODUCT-MARKET FITThere is usually a huge confusion when people start.As I mentioned before, there are many things to be done and you oftentimes lose track of what really matters.There are usually two methods that can determine a great start to your business.The Japanese methodJapanese people are notorious for their proactivity and preparation. The Japanese method is inspired by the Japanese mentality and suggests that before your launch you should spend significant time making the first version of your product great and your branding professional.Bear in mind that you should choose that method when you are very confident that your product can stand out. You can evaluate that when you have identified a certain gap in a big market.Maybe you live in a developing country and you can bring a technology or product that is a big hit elsewhere around the world. Or maybe you think that the products in a specific market aren’t that competitive and you can build something better.The beta methodIf your idea is something quite innovative, test it in a small segment of the market first.Find a group of people who might be interested in the idea and pitch it to them.For instance, go to a subreddit or a forum and ask people what they think about your idea. If you get an overwhelmingly positive response, design a prototype or beta version and give it away for free so people can test it.If people like it, you have established the potentiality for a great product or service. Now it’s up to your mentality and execution if it will become successful.10.IT WILL BE THE MOST DIFFICULT THING YOU WILL EVER DO IN YOUR LIFEIt includes risk. It includes losing money. It includes losing friends. It includes losing your mind.A lot of people will question you, a lot of people will envy you and a lot of people will admire you.At the end of the day, none of that matters.The reason you decided to start your own business should be unaffected by external influence. Maybe you do it because it is challenging and because it gives your life more meaning. Maybe you do it because you want to make money and you think that money can buy you some freedom. Maybe you do it because you don’t like having a boss and you want to be your own boss.Be clear about your reasoning. Clear reasoning leads to clarity of intent and this makes your progress smoother.And make sure to read the following quote by the great Charles Bukowski every day:“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.”These are, in my opinion, the most critical elements to consider when starting a company.If you want to correct me or add more value to my ideas feel free to comment.This post was inspired my popular Medium article "So You Want to Start Your Own Business? — 10 Invaluable Things People Never Tell You"