#writing for licensors

[dduane]

Oh, just in passing: a couple of SPOCK'S WORLD notes

(from @magicalgirlcrazycatlady:

!!!!!!! AUDIOBOOK SPOCK'S WORLD!!!! EXISTS? READ BY THOSE TWO?????????

Yep. If you go over to, say, Ebay, you can usually find somebody selling the audiobook on cassette (and if you're very lucky, on CD).

It hasn't been reissued in decades, and I can't really be sure why. It may be that there are union-based (meaning SAG[-AFTRA]) issues with the way Nimoy and Takei were compensated for the original performances; so that if the audiobook was reissued in more modern media, the publisher would have to deal with the way union rules for such performances have changed. (Which might run into serious money.)

In any case, it's a shame it's not more readily available. Both of the gentlemen involved did a fabulous job. I've had the pleasure of telling George so, and I'm sad not to have been able to tell Nimoy the same. (sigh) Anyway, it was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in the endeavor.

...Also, per @rightspocko:

#oh my god you did that in 2 weeks#and you rewrote it so quickly and it’s still superb!#i never would’ve guessed because it’s so well structured and well written

The rewrite went as well as it did (and frankly as well as it could have done, under the circumstances) because before I ever started work on that book, I'd written a comprehensive outline.

It's not widely understood, I think, that when you're writing for a big IP owner / licensor, it is impossible to sell them a new project without first writing an outline that makes plain what it'll contain. Pantsing—however much some writers may enjoy that mode of novel writing, however much some may feel it to be the superior mode—has no place in the licensed-universe sales process. No licensor is going to even agree in principle with your agent that you're going to be brought in to do an original novel, let alone write the contract to back up their intent, until you've submitted an outline that tells Corporate in considerable detail what they (and their stockholders) are going to be getting for their money.

In the case of Spock's World, this rule went double, perhaps triple—regardless of the success of my previous work for Trek and Pocket. Spock's World was going to be their very first ever hardcover Star Trek novel. The whole project was a gamble... and the corporate Powers that Be therefore needed to know exactly what I was going to be giving them. So I did what I usually do for a book of the projected length—an outline somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 single-spaced pages. (ETA: For the hell of it, I just spent half an hour or so digging around for it, and [at the virtual "bottom" of a storage hard drive] found the ancient .arc file in which it'd been packed away. The outline is dated March 3rd, 1988, and comes to about 22 single-spaced pages. ...Call it 8K words and change.)

The outline, as always, was the "road map" I'd drawn for where I was going, to avoid wasting time in possibly getting lost along the way. All the structural work and serious plotting was already complete in the outline... ready to have the prose racked up in it, as a bookshelf's built ready to house its books.

And that's why the result, despite the near-disaster, still looks okay. All I had to do* was write again what "lost material" I'd already written, with the outline to guide me, or prompt me, where my memory failed. To this day I feel strongly that the book was significantly better because of that second write-through, however enforced. So this whole process turned into kind of a blessing in disguise (despite my poor lower back's more or less constant screams of protest).

That outline was what saved my butt... as others would, in years to come, further down the line. Those interested in having their own butts saved when necessary, and their writing life generally made less stressy, can look over here and see the outlining "blueprint" I use. C. J. Cherryh put me onto it; and what Carolyn doesn't know about writing a well- and tightly-plotted SF novel, seriously doesn't matter.

...And now I'm going to go make some spaghetti sauce. :)

*"All I had to do." CAN I EVEN HEAR MYSELF. (helpless laughter) It was like climbing hand over hand out of hell. But at least I could always see the light at the top of the tunnel...

[luckystarchild]

STOP SHARING THIS TWEET.

This is 99.99% likely to be fake. As someone who works in the anime industry, let me tell you why.

This has been sent to me dozens of times over the past few days, and it's pretty obvious to me that it's fake.

I work in the anime industry. Here's why I don't put any stock in this "official" announcement at all.

1. THE 'SOURCE' IS A TOTAL RANDO

The source is a random Twitter/X account. It isn't a studio or licensor. It's not even one of the "reputable" leakers. It's just some random person making a claim with zero backing and slapping the words "official" and "confirmed" on it.

Accurate leaks have happened, but they're usually accompanied by some kind of source claim (a leaked press release, a leak within the company, etc.) and a claim that an announcement is coming soon. This has nothing. This is just a random person saying shit for clicks.

Every one of their posts has "FOLLOW FORE MORE" in a subtweet. They're just farming for followers. The rest of the account is just random anime edits and posts + promotions for a discord they run.

I could literally write anything in a tweet and slap "OFFICIAL, CONFIRMED" on it, but if you see those words, you need to be asking, "Who confirmed it? What makes this official?" And in this case, it's NOTHING and NOBODY in the world of anime.

Media literacy, folks. It applies to Twitter/X. It ESPECIALLY applies to Twitter/X.

2. THIS 'SOURCE' DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE ANIME INDUSTRY

"Studio has not been announced" is a WILD thing to suggest here, because YYH's rights are LITERALLY OWNED BY AN ANIME STUDIO. Studio Pierrot is still a license-holder for this IP, and it would be weird as hell for them to not handle a remake.

(Also, "studio not announced"... NOTHING has been announced. The wording here is very sneaky, as it implies an announcement was made but the studio was just left out of it. If an announcement had been made, it would be Pierrot/the studio/Shueisha doing it.)

Not only has Pierrot made animated content for the series as recently as the 2018 OVAs, their copyright info is on literally every piece of YYH merch being produced this year (alongside Shueisha and Togashi). They still have some rights. They (in part) hold the IP. They still make art for it. They will be the studio for any remake unless they willingly let go of that license. Considering they're still making money off of it through merch sales and the liveaction adaptation (tho that's another can of licensing worms we could discuss), that's highly, HIGHLY unlikely.

The likelihood of Pierrot letting some other studio handle the remake is very, VERY slim. It's one of their hallmark, legendary series. Why would they ever let that go to a competitor?

The "studio hasn't been confirmed" bit tells me this person doesn't know who actually owns the rights to YYH, and when they don't even know that basic piece of information, it puts everything else they say into question.

3. THE TIMING IS SUSPICIOUS

Anime series are in production long before they air. How long in advance depends on the project. You can't keep a lid on a high profile project for an extended period. For big projects, studios want to start the hype train sooner rather than later. (Obviously there are exceptions to this (see the Fruits Basket remake) but we'll get to that later.)

This tweet claims the project is coming out in 2024. We are at the VERY TAIL END of 2023. It is basically 2024 already. That tweet isn't an official announcement (despite the word "official" on it), which means the studio/license holder would have to announce it even LATER than this tweet did. The latest anime seasonals begin airing in Q4/October/the Fall Simulcast season. That gives Pierrot less than a year of lead-up time to market the anime before its latest possible air date in 2024, and for this particular property, that does not seem realistic OR wise.

Let's examine Pierrot's recent treatment of the latest Bleach installment as evidence. They announced the project in March 2020 via a livestream event. They began airing the project in October 2022, MORE THAN TWO YEARS LATER. That gave them two years to market the series.

YYH, like Bleach, is one of Pierrot's hallmarks. The idea that they'd give it less than a year of marketing is just not realistic. They'd likely give it the same kind of treatment as the new Bleach arc, given it's one of their past tentpole titles getting revived.

(Also note that Pierrot animated the new Bleach installments after years of no new Bleach. They didn't let go of those rights. They held on and made more content later. Now apply that logic to YYH, and arrive again at: To suggest another studio would handle a new series is farfetched.)

If the tweet had said the series was dropping in 2025 or later, it would be much more believable. But the details they gave, again, discredit their claims from the jump.

If a new YYH was coming out in 2024, btw, the series would already be well underway and likely have been in production behind the scenes for quite some time. They probably would've announced it last year if they intended a 2024 release.

4. THE LIVEACTION OF IT ALL

A liveaction adaptation for YYH is about to drop (December 14 on Netflix).

I can already hear the argument of, "Oh, well maybe they'll announce a new anime for 2024 when the liveaction comes out," and while that might be a possibility, I think there's another, far more likely alternative.

If the liveaction does well and the license holders make a fuckton of money on it, or if they at least see a large resurgence in interest in the IP, THEN I think the license holders/anime production committee would start thinking about a new anime adaptation to cash in on that interest. But I do not see them making that decision before the streaming numbers for the liveaction come in, and I do NOT see them working on the anime before the liveaction has even aired.

The anime world moves slowly. The execs and committees behind the scenes like numbers and sales figures. If they see good numbers, balls might start rolling. But it's unlikely they're already in production NOW, let alone far enough into production to support a 2024 release for a remake.

If the Netflix show gets the ball rolling on a new YYH anime, that anime won't come out in 2024. There just isn't time.

And I can now hear some muttering the argument of, "Oh, well they probably just held the news to time it with the liveaction," but see again their habit of announcing projects with lots of lead-up marketing time.

CONCLUSION: THIS SEEMS FAKE.

BUT...

Given the details above and the COMPLETE LACK OF EVIDENCE supplied by the tweet, I do not expect we'll get an ACTUAL "official, confirmed" announcement for a remake anytime soon.

In the event that I'm wrong, what I'd predict is the announcement of a remake (one made by ACTUAL official sources, AKA Pierrot and Shuiesha) sometime in Q1 or Q2 2024. Pierrot would be the studio, and the project would be slated for late 2025, or even more likely, sometime in 2026. (And yes, projects slated for 2026 and later are in the works right now.)

I think the above is a longshot, but it's possible. The timing suggested in the tweet everyone is sharing isn't realistic at all, however.

Long story short:

DO NOT TRUST RANDOM TWITTER ACCOUNTS.

ANYONE CAN SAY "OFFICIAL" or "CONFIRMED"

THE ONLY OFFICIAL SOURCES FOR ANIME NEWS ARE STUDIOS AND LICENSORS

QUESTION EVERYTHING

[winxwiki]

Mermaid Magic is a decent tech demo for the future and I'm cautiously optimistic for the Winx Reboot

I was very negative on Mermaid Magic when it was announced and when I saw how the marketing was done. There's still no merch announced for Italy or Europe in general, no dolls, nothing. Hopefully the Rai broadcast brings something from licensors, but nothing has been leaked or announced.

Yet, I will say that it was a very enjoyable watch, despite some flaws (it gets better as you keep watching!). It really felt like I was watching something from early Rainbow, more in line with the Winx movies (SOTLK and 3D) in terms of writing and Rainbow's classic quirks that got ironed out with Nick's acquisition and subsequent demands from broadcasters. Large male cast, plenty of diversity, very pretty backgrounds and worldbuilding, decent animations (despite a very obvious low budget) and surprisingly complex plot (for the target audience, of course). We even got some monster guts and human blood. And butt shots. Butt shots are back. These are all healthy signs.

If the reboot is as decent as Mermaid Magic we're good. And considering the immense budget and marketing, they better not fumble this!

[fallloverfic]

@craftybookworm25 replied to your post "Censorship of panels in the Chinese print release of 再见, 我的国王/See You My King by Wen Yuan":

Thanks for compiling this! I found out about SYMK a couple days ago and binged it in 2-3 days. (Can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before.) The art? Amazing, beautiful, the art is literally so proportional and amazingly colored. The plot? Interesting, political. Good mix of sweet and deep. The characters? Green flags except the villains. They’re all so intricate and 3 dimensional. Each character has a distinct voice and personality. The relationships? Amazing. They’re all literally power couples. I just wish the fandom was bigger because it’s literally amazing and I have no one to talk to about it. I also sincerely hope they're willing to send the uncensored pages to be translated to a non-Chinese publisher for an uncensored release. I would love to have a hard copy

This got long so I put it in a post of its own, sorry. I've drafted a number of posts over the past year or so that touches on stuff here, including a sort of half-assed one on Blue Sky. But I'll go into it a little here. If you don't care, obviously feel free to ignore it.

I'm glad you're enjoying SYMK! It's a fun series for what it is, and I love Mimi/Zhang Li and Veelaveesa/Evtiti. There's some pretty art and neat ideas in it, a lot of fun humor, and it explores trauma from sexual assault in interesting ways. Also it's just fun when Mimi is thirsty over Zhang Li. And I'm glad you appreciated my summary of the censorship problems!

I'm not particularly sure what "proportional" means in this context. Wen Yuan is generally a good artist, though their art does have some issues (mostly Akinatton's design, it's just... mmm... Imu is also kind of strangely drawn).

I'm also not sure what a flag system is meant to mean for fictional characters. Red flags are for real people and situations, not folks who don't exist (e.g., I got into the situation and there was a red flag, so I left). Like... I'm not interested in dating or hanging out with or working with the characters, I'm interested in reading about them, so what is the value of a flag system here? The goal is to see how the characters interact with each other. And antagonists are meant to be antagonists. Generally, the best characters are messy. They make for great stories. I know this flag system is popular on booktok, which is one reason I avoid booktok. If everyone was squeaky clean for that green flag, whatever that means, the story would be boring.

I am writing the following while full of love for the series, as someone who's written three fics for it, bought a lot of merch for it, including the first three volumes of it in Chinese, and buys episodes of it on Kuaikan and Tappytoon. I've promoted it on multiple platforms, and suggested it to a number of people I know. It's a good series. If you don't like criticism of it, I would stop reading this post now. Here's a panel from Episode 93 of The Bois looking prette for buffer.

There's a lot of reasons I think the fandom is unfortunately small, and I'm not quite sure how those issues will be surmounted before it's complete or just outside the passage of time for the fandom to grow more, though I think the fandom is bigger than it looks, at least in China and Thailand. I've been in the fandom since October 2022, and at least from my perception, it hasn't grown much in that time, though it helps that there's a lot more story and an official English translation now.

Part of the issue is tag hunting. The most popular tags are SYMK and See You My King and seeyoumyking, but people who only read in say, English or any non-Chinese language, are statistically less likely to know that, especially if they find it through Tappytoon or Tapas, where that is not its English name. It's the official English name on Chinese merch, but that's not the name that English licensors use for it. So a small fandom is dispersed across many different tags (e.g., the three English names, the Chinese name, the transliteration of the Chinese names, the initialism, an assortment of versions of the name with and without spaces, on top of tags grabbing anything with "king" in it). This hasn't been an issue for other danmei, but at least every tag gets decently popular in a lot of those danmei. There's one particular danmei that is so popular that the accidental misspelling of a tag is ridiculously populated. On Blue Sky Social, of all places. But SYMK can't even really populate one tag, let alone a misspelling.

It seems to have a decent audience on Weibo (from what little I've seen), but even then, that's a drop in an ocean (though I think the signed copies of the books sell pretty fast in China, which speaks to fandom power). What little fandom I find outside Weibo is mostly the same small handful of people sharing screencaps and a couple cosplayers. It has less than a dozen pieces of fanart floating around and it's not spoken of much on the danmei servers I'm in (though I did end up in one server for Europeans who seemed really into it). It's got something of an audience on Instagram, but Instagram is a pain in the ass to navigate, especially because it's even more full of people just spamming screengrabs. (But I mean if you're looking for people to talk to about it... maybe try Instagram? I guess?)

But I think the central issue is that there are (to my knowledge) only really two big boys love comics based on Egyptian stuff, SYMK and ENNEAD. There are other boys love comics based on Egyptian history, culture, and mythology, like Cairo and エジプト神の恋人, but ENNEAD and SYMK are the two big ones that I know of, and there's little else outside Cairo and エジプト神の恋人; and Cairo is the only other one with an official English translation. Most other Egyptian comics I'm aware of aren't BL and/or aren't romance at all. Dear Monster, which is the next best thing, only has one Egyptian god romance in it, the other characters are just non-Egyptian fantasy creatures, and it's a visual novel. Pantheon by Hamish Steele, Oh, Suddenly, Egyptian God! by Yuka, 災禍の神は願わない by 尾羊英, and Legends of the Nile by Dooyong Jang and Bohyun Kim aren't BL or romance.

Why this matters is that comparison is unavoidable. ENNEAD has an older fandom (SYMK started in like 2022, ENNEAD existed in some form in 2017 or slightly before), which is larger, and, much as I do really love SYMK (again, I have like two shelves of merch, I've written three fics for it, and would love to write more, and recommend it whenever I can), ENNEAD is just, on all fronts (writing, art, character development, plotting, dynamics, the various themes it discusses, drama, and focusing on Egyptian mythology), the better comic. And I think most people who find out about SYMK can tell, and thus SYMK looks worse by comparison, and so folks have no interest in what SYMK has to offer as a result. Which is unfortunate, because I think SYMK is enjoyable on its own merits and even if you also like ENNEAD. There have been a number of folks in ENNEAD fandom who've recommended SYMK (myself included), particularly for folks who want more at least vaguely similar things to ENNEAD (I originally found out about SYMK through an ENNEAD fan Discord), but it's led to very little, at least in my experience.

I am also notoriously bad at getting people into new fandoms. I have very few followers/subscribers whom I've gotten to try other fandoms I write for (though I'm grateful to every single one who gives other fandoms a chance!). But I'm decently popular or at least well-known in ENNEAD as a writer and I think I've seen... a couple of my followers at best give any of my SYMK fics a try. Folks will try my other Korean fandom stuff, or my other popular danmei fandom fics, or my Japanese fandom fics, and even stuff from outside Asia. But not SYMK.

SYMK and ENNEAD are also very different comics, not just because the former is Chinese and the latter is Korean, but also because SYMK is an isekai story focusing on cross-cultural clash and political corruption, while ENNEAD focuses more on the failures of justice systems, how families enable abuse, what it means to be human (or at least how you find your purpose in life), how we engage with mythology (of the supernatural and political kind), truth, and responsibility. There are similarities (e.g., both stories focus on power dynamics, trauma from assault, sibling drama, anxiety and self-hatred, and how people who have been hurt can find love). And there are some very odd direct similarities to the point that I kind of wonder if Wen Yuan has read and/or is a fan of ENNEAD...

But my point here is that even though I think SYMK is not as good as ENNEAD, it's still good for what it is, and people should be able to appreciate it (like it's just more kind of Egyptian BL, what's not to like?). But... that's where SYMK's other issues likely come into play. Centrally, despite the fact it does go to dark places, many of which are also in ENNEAD (e.g., sexual assault, cannibalism, slavery, brother-brother incest, how strong men struggle to be viewed as victims of assault and find help as a result), it's just... too fluffy. The dynamic between the leads has, generally, been too boring. Near the end of the last season, it got pretty decent (around when Narcissus was really screwing with both Mimi and Zhang Li). But before that it was just kind of back and forth going nowhere, and the characters were inconsistently written.

Like people promote SYMK because it's, according to them, "everything ENNEAD fails to be" or whatever because they hate the dark stuff in ENNEAD and just want fluff (or at least think complaining loudly that this is what they hate and what they want makes them a better person). Or it's so much "better", and yet, despite the fact there's a lot of comic for SYMK now, very few people actually read or care about it outside China (and parts of Europe, and Thailand). Like, a popular criticism of ENNEAD is that sexual assault in narratives is fine, but not as much as what's in ENNEAD. And okay, fine, I say: read SYMK. It's got less of that.

-cue cricket noises-

So it seems like people prefer all that awful, awful non-con overload in ENNEAD after all. -pretending to be shocked because actually ENNEAD is well-written, well-drawn, and fun, lots of people do like that stuff, and people are just shoving their personal shame onto others-

Don't get me wrong, I know SYMK appeals to a lot of people who aren't satisfied with ENNEAD or just don't want what's in ENNEAD. But SYMK had a faster English translation during its publication cycle than ENNEAD did. SYMK has 93 episodes. The leads are together, it's got merch out the wazoo. People complained that it took forever to get an English translation of ENNEAD, that it has no merch (which isn't true at least now), and there's not enough romance in it. ENNEAD even had a month hiatus in Korean recently. And that led to no jumps in SYMK's fandom that I noticed. Something is keeping people from getting into SYMK and I can only conclude... it's at least some of the stuff people insist SYMK does "better" on, because people (myself included) disagree SYMK does better at it.

Or at least the things SYMK allegedly does better at aren't enough to surmount its less great aspects.

And we're not getting into how, because SYMK is Chinese, it's way more censored than most things. Like in a way I haven't seen even on other danmei. I admit I haven't explored all that many danmei manhua, but it's really egregious (not surprising; people get arrested in China for this kind of stuff due to the government's homophobia). And I think that bores a lot of people. It's too fluffy, too safe, too censored. Will-they-won't-they tension with a bit of humor just isn't grabbing people. And while I love Veelaveesa and Evtiti and find them cute and funny and love every single panel we get of them the best (like I both hope for and fear more Evtiti merch, it is my kryptonite, save my wallet), there's just not enough tension in their relationship to appeal to most folks, either.

Like let's compare: ENNEAD had a kiss between Seth and Osiris in S1E11, the Horuseth kiss in S1E14, and a sex scene that started in S1E29. SYMK had some hand holding and cuddling between Zhang Li and Stone early on... a maybe almost kiss in Episode 4, and then... nothing really until Episode 19, when Veelaveesa and Evtiti kiss and lounge in bed together (which is wonderful, but it's not sex, nor is it the leads). The leads have some daydreaming, and more recently some kissing and cuddling, but they don't really get it on (outside a dream of Mimi's) until Episode 92 (and it's some light touching, chest squishing, a couple kisses, some good make-outs, and then one shadow sequence before they're just on a bed together, versus multiple longer sex scenes in ENNEAD). SYMK is a decently chaste manhua, seemingly due to censorship. ENNEAD delivers much earlier, and in larger quantities. And despite the fact that Zhang Li and Mimi get along faster and stay together (in some respect) earlier than Horuseth, that is clearly not enough to keep an audience of much size (outside China). People can go on about how much "healthier" Zhang Li and Mimi are. But that doesn't seem to be grabbing anyone. SYMK is not the alternate BL I see any of the many ENNEAD fans I follow talking about, or an alternative people who dislike ENNEAD suggest, even when including manhua. Heck, since I started more regularly browsing tags for it, I see it brought up even less than I used to, which is bizarre, because I assumed the sex scene would bring in more fans.

The leads just aren't as fun, or even on their own, that fun. I like them, I like writing about them, I want to see what happens to them. I wish them the best future. They both have interesting struggles, Mimi in particular. But they're also kind of generally boring, even without Seth and Horus to compare to. Zhang Li is whatever the story needs him to be. Mimi bounces back and forth (partially because of Zhang Li's nonsense). The miscommunication becomes frustrating.

The antagonists aren't very compelling, either. Sutter is fun, but he vanished for a good chunk of the recent plot (and also his character feels a bit inconsistent) and now he's permagone. The church members are just irritating. The faux Set/Osiris priest died before doing much. Sutter's zombie never got much development (his most interesting moment is right before he's presumably dismembered). Mimi and Sutter's brother has been dead the entire time. We still don't know why Zhang Li was transported back. Narcissus is... whatever the plot needs him to be, which is kind of boring. So you've got a kind of vague, wandering plot, a meandering lead romance (with a side canon pairing who don't show much, especially since they're apart for most of the story), and that's... it.

Another central issue is that it doesn't fully embrace the Egyptian stuff. It's more of a mix of pseudo Greek-Egyptian stuff, and that's going to frustrate people looking for more... not exactly accurate, but more actually focused on Greek and/or Egyptian stuff. Since it's fantasy, and fiction, the author can do whatever they want, but in SYMK's case, that often feels like the Egyptian stuff in particular is there for the aesthetic, not as actual world-building. It does bring in some neat Egyptian cultural and historical stuff (like the cone bread), but it's less important than a comparable Egyptian boys love comic like ENNEAD, which more heavily embraces the Egyptian inspiration.

I also think the idea of "modern Chinese medical student going back to the past to learn how to survive in Ancient Egypt" is neat as a premise but boring in execution. Zhang Li is an expert spy and fighter and really smart, and he has reasons for being the way he is, but it makes a lot of problems lack tension. And when he does face real obstacles... the problems seem stupid. Like they're just designed for him to get rescued (assuming he didn't set it up himself to fuck with either Mimi or their enemies). The existence of magic is wonky as well. The world-building is basically just a mess in general. And anyone who doesn't care about isekai is going to give it a pass right off the bat (I know a number of people who hate isekai, it's a hard sell). ENNEAD, meanwhile, is not isekai, and deals with a lot of neat mythology (also it has more magic; magic is cool).

The art in SYMK is generally nice and the characters generally look good. That being said, Mimi is basically one of a small handful of good-looking and/or interesting characters. Zhang Li is pretty enough, but he's also kind of bland. I love Evtiti (visually, he's my favorite after Mimi, and personality-wise, he's my favorite), but he's a bit too slinky and he doesn't show up much. Veelaveesa is fine but there's something weird about his face, particularly near his hairline. Narcissus is fine and generic. Kaba's pretty, and again, seldom shows up. Sutter is nice, but his white hair looks odd (also he vanished for a lot of the manhua and he's now dead(?) and been revived to be white Mimi). And his bodyguard, and Stone, are just Mimi again. No one else comes to mind. Meanwhile, ENNEAD has a large cast of interesting, attractive, and fun characters. And for all Mojito's faults with art (and she does have some), she didn't do anything remotely like what Wen Yuan does with Akinatton (like even Ra isn't that bad imo). And that's... not great. And you meet him early. And from what I've seen of people's comments, that's a turn-off. Growing off that, people criticize ENNEAD because it's "whitewashing" or whatever (because they can't comprehend pale-skinned Egyptians and don't know mythology). Those people probably look at SYMK and give it an even wider pass (I imagine most of them are too clueless to realize Zhang Li is Chinese, but that's not the only issue). Also we're not getting into how a recent arc had Mimi, the main darker-skinned character... lighten his skin... (temporarily, as a disguise, but... the story does itself no favors...).

Another issue is that the English translation Kuaikan sends out is mostly garbage. Like atrociously bad. I've seen typos in some of Tappytoon's translations before, and I've never seen them as bad and frequent as what's in SYMK, to the point I really question if it's just gen-AI machine translation. Which discourages people from paying for it or paying attention to it. It's gotten better lately, but so far as I can tell, they've fixed nothing earlier.

I know, I rail against people comparing them and most of this is me comparing them, and that's not what you were doing, but well... that's where it ends up. At this point, given ENNEAD's prominence as the Egyptian boys love comic, I think its existence cannot be divorced from why SYMK's fandom is the way it is. That's not ENNEAD's fault or Mojito's fault or Wen Yuan's fault. It's just... the way it is. Maybe with time, the audience will grow. Maybe the CCP will reverse its homophobic policies and the comic will get to shine. We'll have to see!

Again, I like the series, for all its flaws. It does not surprise me, for many reasons, why it's not as popular as it could be.

That all being said, the only things I've actually seen people criticize are: the kind of racism, the slowness and will-they-won't they stuff, and that it's too fluffy. Most of the rest is very speculative and just based on observation on why something relatively similar is not appealing to a fanbase that should be all over it, and not just because I am bad at promoting things to other people. Far more popular people than I have recommended this series. It's done seemingly nothing. (Or people try it and then... never speak of it again)

Anyway, here's some cute shots of all the best bois in Episode 93 to make up for reading through all that.

From what I've seen at least of the preview for the Spanish physical release, the Spanish physical release is as uncensored as it can get, at least matching what's on Tappytoon (and I assume on Tapas). My hope is that another English publisher will get what's been put on Weibo, and they'll be allowed to do their own translation. I have the Chinese volumes, they're very pretty, I'm waiting for volume 3 to ship. But I'd love a physical version of this series that I can read and also isn't censored to heck. Like I was so mad they cut out the Veelaveesa/Evtiti stuff in the Chinese physical release and that was before I saw how much they butchered so much of Mimi and Zhang Li (and other characters, RIP borb). What gives me hope is that it does seem to have an audience: it gets a lot of merch, it's on its third volume, printing-wise, and it has two English licensors already. There are still a lot of English danmei translators, and manhua translations are slowly picking up, so my hope is maybe, at some point, we'll get an English physical release, too. I used to send in Seven Seas monthly surveys every month begging for ENNEAD before it came out, and after getting into SYMK, I added SYMK to the mix as well.

Reply 1

[davidmariottecomics]

Writing for your First Audience

Hello! 

Today's blog is mostly for newer to comics folks, though there's probably some useful stuff for old hats here too. As an editor, I see a LOT of scripts every year. Since I am reviewing a high-volume of them on a regular basis, I end up seeing some commonalities of both good practices and things that could make everyone down the line's life easier, so I thought I'd briefly talk about that! 

Who Reads the Script vs. Who Reads the Comic If you're making a comic and making it available to be read, the idea is you want someone reading the final product, right? The full execution of your (and your collaborators') ideas. But most of the time, unless you're quickly cartooning something, that final stage is not the initial execution of a comic. Exact workflows vary from person to person, team to team, but generally speaking, most comics start with a script that's going to be read and shared. 

Think of a good mystery. As a reader, you're compelled by putting the pieces together, seeing what's going to happen next, being surprised or vindicated (or both) when a reveal does happen, and these things work in tandem to keep you turning pages. A good script is like that, but you have to make sure you're leaving very clear signposts for the people you're working with to properly put together the puzzle. 

It's worth remembering at this point, that your comic is likely to have anywhere between 1 and 7 other people reading it at the script stage: an editor, a penciller/artist, possibly an inker, possibly a colorist, possibly a licensor, possibly a letterer, and possibly any of those sorts of people in duplicate! And because they are helping build and refine the story with you, they need to know what they're working on as early as possible. 

The very basic version of that is something like if a baddie is giving their grandiose speech before they blow up a bank vault or whatever, if you know they're going to thumb a detonator on page 8, you should probably make sure you show the detonator while they're speechifying on page 7, just so the action tracks more easily for the reader. And, more importantly at the script stage, so your artist knows that they should be drawing the villain with detonator in hand before they press the button. 

But there are a lot more complex versions, and a lot of those come down to formatting as much as the actual writing process. 

Where Do You Put the Information

Again, a lot of this is going to come to personal preference between the people involved, but I would generally consider what information the rest of your team will need and flag it as early as possible. Some of my favorite scripts to read as an editor start out with a reference section before the script itself. Some writers I work with will provide short descriptions of the major locations or set-pieces and props. If there's reference available--something we've seen previously in the series and are revisiting--maybe they'll drop in some pictures. If there's a new character joining the cast, they might have a short description of their appearance and personality. Some folks even go so far as to flag ahead of Page 1 word 1 to call out if they've got specific requests for the lettering. 

I am very grateful to my collaborators who don't mind that I don't tend to do that in my own scripts (though I try to be better). But I really appreciate it as an editor because it makes my life a lot easier knowing I can properly communicate that information not just to the rest of the team working on that issue's interiors, but also often by having that info and reference available for cover artists. 

The other place I see those larger reference archives added is the back of the script. Generally, I find if the reference is at the back of the script, it tends to be more photo-heavy with ideas for locations or specific callouts for characters (or sometimes memes). It doesn't reduce the helpfulness or importance of the reference, but I do find reference in the back tends to be for broader picture ideas that help set a more specific sense of place or build upon a reference, rather than helping to dictate the action. 

For myself, I tend to be a heavy in-script referencer. Which is to say, I add a lot of hyperlinks and comments to the things I have a specific idea on how they should look, as they enter the script. That's also a totally fine option, as long as you're planning your script for the other readers. Again, that's making sure the detonator's there before it's used, but it's also things like if you have a back-and-forth with your editor about something being unclear and you figure it out in the comments, make sure you also go back and add that clarity in the actual script so licensors or artists aren't having to track down and read through all your back-and-forth. Plus, as an editor, I tend to like to send licensors "clean" scripts, so I minimize the number of comments as much as possible. 

With all that said, figure out what works for you and your partners. A couple of times I've gotten scripts with accompanying thumbnails (usually when the writer is a cartoonist in their own right) and those have specific compositional ideas or funny little details that might not get illuminated in the script as written. I've had some writers drop like one link early on in a script to a shared folder that has all the references or mood boards or whatever for an issue in a single place. I've worked with teams who have created shared inspiration boards and reference boards that make getting a fill-in artist on-board super easy. 

Not Everyone Starts at the Start

I was talking with an artist friend at SDCC and she was mentioning how she likes to tackle issues in reverse page order. She reads it front to back, but then she starts drawing with the last page. Her reasoning, which makes a lot of sense, was starting at the back, she'll have the most energy for the most exciting pages, the cliffhanger or finale. And she'll know how things are set up at the end so as she works backwards to the front, she can keep continuity going because she already knows what she's supposed to be setting up. And I thought that was a very neat way of doing things! 

I bring this up because it speaks to one of the most important things: like half of knowing how to format for the people you're working with is finding out how they work. And that's not always an option. I have heard a lot of folks talk about how--despite comics being collaborative--they haven't really had a chance to speak to the writer or the artist or whoever else they're working with. Which makes working with them really hard. As an editor, I tend to facilitate communication at the start, but if the creators ask to or seem like they should be in direct communication, I link them up ASAP. 

All of which is to say, unless you're operating in total isolation, someone else is going to access your script and when they do, make sure you're making it illuminating for them so they can do their best job, rather than having to piece too much together on the go. 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Honkai Star Rail (Video game), My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon), the beach, The Broken Room by Peter Clines (Book), Crime Scene Kitchen (TV show), Dumbing of Age (Webcomic), Barbie (Movie), Guy's Grocery Games (TV show), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), not being at SDCC. 

New Releases this week (7/26/2023): Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors Summer Smash (Editor)

New Releases next week (8/2/2023): Nothing from me! 

Final Order Cut-Off next week (7/31/2023 - AKA Preorder Deadline) Godzilla: Best of Mechagodzilla (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog #64 (Editor)

Plug:  No big announcements, but maybe join my Patreon! You get this same blog, but without this part plugging my Patreon! Plus you get extra stuff! This week, I'm putting up Jimmy Squarefoot for all $5 and up backers and have my first "something weird" coming out for $10 and up backers: a presentation about some best practices on moderating (and making presentations for) panels! 

Pic of the Week: Took the day after SDCC off to recover at the beach, so that's what's here, but the real pic of the week if Becca's series of Freddie and Laurie's summer vacation! 

[derkastellan]

Kickstarter: It mostly delivers

Kickstarter was greeted with great enthusiasm especially by the indie and 3rd party publisher community initially. Suddenly you had a way to collect money to make exciting things.

Then a good number of projects actually failed to deliver anything. From my point of view, back in the day scamming wasn't the cause. Mostly it was just that many people new to publishing overestimated their own capabilities or their ability to deliver. In some cases, especially when it came to third party publishers, the licensor stepped in to protect the brand.

All was not well, but from my point of view, most still was.

Still, you could hit a few projects, collecting lots of money, which would then never deliver. Or deliver very little and then go silent. Enticing projects as such, promising to deliver lots of goodies on long-dead game lines people had once fallen in love with. Hard to resist!

I came into KS a bit after the initial rush, and I must say, besides pumping a lot of my money into crowdfunding, looking at the early lessons of others (as published on social media at the time, especially the now-defunct RPG discussion heaven Google+) and being also lucky, helped.

Some statistics, anecdotical, of course

I started getting lured into Kickstarter around fall 2012. In the time up until now I have backed 332 projects, mostly indies and third party products, but also some quite big publisher preorders.

Out of these 332 projects (only counting those that funded), I identified 11 problem projects that failed to deliver so far and some of them will likely not until the end of time. So, so far up to 96.7% of projects I would deem as delivered or sure to deliver (the 332 contain some recent pledges).

Let's look at those duds:

There's 3 'zine projects. So basically small, indie products that cost almost nothing. Most of those projects still delivered, but these three stopped updating up to four years ago. (Still amazed how mad people can get over an amount of 3-4$ in the comment sections of those failed projects.)

There are two full-priced (double-digit pledge) indie projects that petered out and didn't deliver.

Another cheap indie by a person I've known and followed for a while had a rewrite mid-project and has been stuck in art without updates since last year. Not promising but might revive.

Another project is horribly, horribly late (4 years by now) but I like this creator's output and the updates are still coming and they just finished another project, so this one is in all likelihood not a dud. Just a test of patience.

I really don't want to call out indies, though. But here's a few I'd like to name:

"City State of the Invincible Overlord": Judges Guild products were originally big campaign settings from the really early time of gaming. Their reissue projects have seen massive failures to deliver, and so has this one. Scandals surrounded the project. Partially extant since 2014. IIRC, even an indie publisher stepped in to partially deliver to protect his own brand.

"Distant Realms, a guide to the land of Leviathan": By now in its 9th year of being overdue, this project is notorious for its many updates of why the dog ate their homework, how the project was handed over from people that got money to people who do it out of a sense of obligation to people who basically just seem to write updates when they should give a damn refund. If you want an education in how to write bad excuses for not doing one's job, look to this project's updates. The chutzpah of some updates is quite impressive. And this publisher had many projects. They were also rude and unhelpful when contacted, even before this mess.

Delta Green hardcovers (two projects): Delivery promised for 2016 and 2019, respectively. I love Delta Green, and they did these campaigns promising lots of hardcovers. This was a "might not come again" thing - at least for the first one. The second one was on me. Now, I'm not overly unhappy with this one in spite of having spent hundreds of dollars on them. Thing is, they're delivering good stuff, beautiful stuff. But. So. Slow. We will get our shiny things, it's been trickling in. But I wonder how many people would have backed if they'd known their rewards would take almost ten years to deliver. I think that's worth calling out.

What to look out for

First of all, as Kickstarter makes you confirm, deliveries aren't guaranteed. That certainly covers their liability but helps us backers very little.

In general, look for these signs in KS projects:

Good: The project text has been already written as a final draft (not covering stretch goals). Look for projects that basically want to fund art and print.

Bad: Projects that are not written yet often overrun their time table terribly. Writing is very unpredictable. I had projects where I got updates for years about their writing progress, sometimes with elaborate tables and progress bars to prove they're still going. Chances are, you won't care anymore when they deliver.

Good: A known publisher with a good track record of delivering stuff. (There are known publishers that have a sordid record for delivering on their crowdfundings, so better check.)

Bad: An unknown or indie publisher who seeks funding for a whole line of books. They almost always vanish at some point, leaving you with less than you backed, too late, too little.

Good: A small project (one book, zine) with a limited scope. Very likely this publisher has a plan and can keep to it.

Bad: Projects with endless stretch goals. Typically this entices more backers, like a pyramid scheme, but makes project failure or partial delivery very likely. Even if delivered - how likely is it that the book #7 is still of good quality? Notable exception: Modiphiüs! They started really small (I even did some proofreading for them back in the early days), got some big projects funded, and they delivered everything. Talk about bucking the trend!

Bad: Reviving a long-dead (possibly old school) game line as an indie publisher, even if known people from back in the day are involved. This does seem unfair, because some of these have delivered top-notch products, but some really high profile failures cluster here. This includes often offerings of shiny new books for projects from earlier editions of D&D, things people remember fondly even from 3e which has been old enough now to trigger nostalgia in adults with spending money for quite a while.

Good: Zine projects! Yes, some of them will fail, but you get crazy and interesting ideas for a few bucks, so failure won't really hurt much in comparison.

Bad: Never trust a shiny project page with lots of art and stretch goals. Look for other signs this will work out, everything else is smoke and mirrors.

Hard to predict: The project owner is the main or only artist of the project. Some of these projects may turn out fantastic, but these are very likely to get overwhelmed as well (and then not deliver).

Good: The project owner has delivered similar size projects before. They either delivered similar projects through known RPG selling sites, or, if through crowdfunding, they not only delivered similar things but within a reasonable time frame.

Bad: One person projects. Yes, there are some amazing project creators out there who deliver like clockwork. But if it hinges on one person, be prepared for them to fall sick and all the other things that just happen to humans. It's simply riskier, so just be aware of that.

And there you have it. May your crowdfunding luck hold true!

[kenpiercemedia]

Updated Toy Fair Scheduling News To Members From The Toy Association

The Open Letter: Dear Toy Friends and Colleagues, I’m writing to you today not just as the chairperson of The Toy Association’s Board of Directors, but as someone deeply embedded in this industry, just like you. Our board is a mosaic of twenty voices from all facets of the toy world: manufacturers of various sizes, retailers, licensors, sales representatives, and more. Though our perspectives may…

[ippnoida]

Bologna Children’s Book Fair – bigger than ever

Life is too short to read a bad book. – James Joyce

Hardly four weeks after the London Book Fair, it was Bologna’s turn to open its doors in front of a large demonstration for a cease-fire in Gaza and the liberation of all hostages, both those in Palestinian and those in Israeli custody.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair was again configured in three co-located sections – the main children’s book fair, a generalist (non-children’s) extension under the heading Bologna Book Plus, and the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids. New features in the program were the TV/Film Rights Centre in collaboration with the United Nations and the Society of Illustrators in New York, and the Audio Forum, added to the existing Literary Translation Forum in partnership with app developer Beat Technology. Also new for 2024 was the Licensing Portfolio Review, an opportunity to bring together consumer goods and audiovisual companies with illustration and design talents to create new business opportunities.

In its fourth year, BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus) included the topical programme India in the Limelight, with exhibition spaces, book jacket exhibits, copyright exchanges, and training workshops on rights selling, author representation, scouting, and writing and self-publishing. This year’s emphasis on the Indian book market was organized in cooperation with the National BookTrust of India. With BBPlus’ Literary Translation Forum returning for a third year, the centerpiece there was Taiwan’s book industry. 

The Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/K), dedicated to brands and the licensing of content for children, teenagers, and young adults, was held for the 17th time as an integral part of BCBF, with a Licensing Business Lounge and features such as matchmaking events for companies in the fashion and retail sectors. In a collaboration with Licensing Magazine, BLTF/Kids also organized the 4th edition of the International Kids Licensing Days – three days of in-depth discussions with international brands on issues related to content for children and young adults, from licensing to publishing, from audiovisual to gaming. Some of the topics discussed continue to be available online on demand, including digital publishing, animation, omnichannel retailing, sustainability, and toys.

Bologna Global Rights Exchange online

BCBF also has an online rights exchange platform, the Bologna Global Rights Exchange database, GRE. Powered by the international rights platform PubMatch since 2020, it has some 20,000 titles and offers exhibitors the opportunity to present their titles and brands, create and name their own showcases, search content and trends, and schedule and hold calls directly on the platform.

The system is open to publishers, agents, agencies, scouts, licensees, licensors, developers, audiovisual producers, and service providers. It is free to all in-person BCBF exhibitors.

http://indianprinterpublisher.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/poplar-web250.jpg

Asia was also high on the agenda at the other two book fairs that were held recently – the Leipzig and Brussels book fairs. With 2085 exhibitors, including 445 at its Manga Comic Convention, the Leipzig Book Fair was attended by 283,000 visitors, both from the trade and the general public. At the Manga Comic Convention, several publishers from Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia had taken large booths. The Brussels Book Fair, with 380 booths and 75,000 trade and other visitors, had installed a large ‘Manga Village’ representing several Japanese publishing houses.

Bologna awards

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Among the winners of the BolognaRagazzi Awards, aimed at highlighting the most beautiful and innovative picture books published worldwide, three publishers from South Korea received special mentions – Atnoonbooks for its Mo Story, Woongjin ThinkBig for the book As You Drive, and Sakyejul for the title Rice Cake House of a Tiger. 

Another of BCBF’s awards is the Bologna Licensing Award for agencies, licensees ,and retailers on an international level, to enhance the content link within the entire supply chain as the basis of success. This year, a new category was introduced, dedicated to the Best Licensed Sustainable Project, to reward companies and brands that care about the future of the planet through the development of sustainable consumer goods and projects for children, teens, and young adults.

The next BCBF has been scheduled for 31 March to 3 April 2025. 

[mikepercy123]

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[aeformation]

Free Zone Company Formation in the UAE: Unleash Your Business Potential

Introduction

One of the significant changes to the UAE’s financial landscape is the introduction of Corporate Tax (CT) with effect from the year 2023. This critical shift has implications for both mainland and free zone companies. In this blog, we’ll explore corporate tax, its rate, and its impact on different types of companies in the UAE. 

What is Corporate Tax? 

Corporate tax is a levy placed on a firm’s profit to raise government revenue. The tax rate is applied to companies’ net profits within a financial year. It’s a significant part of most countries tax systems and is now becoming a reality for businesses in the UAE. 

The new corporate tax applies to all companies operating in the UAE, both onshore (mainland) and offshore (free zones). However, it does not apply to companies engaged in oil and gas exploration and production or to branches of foreign banks. Further, it applies to companies and not to individuals. 

As of the time of writing, the UAE has announced the introduction of corporate tax, effective from June 2023. The UAE has set the corporate tax rate at 9%, which is very competitive compared to global tax rates. 

Are Free Zone Companies Taxed Under CT? 

100% foreign ownership

Corporate Income Tax exemption on profits

Easy company registration

Fast processing times

World-class infrastructure

Disadvantages of Free Zone Licensors:

Limited scope of operations

Potential restrictions on access to the local market

No physical presence in the local market

Comparatively restricted business activities

Enhanced compliance by banks while opening bank account

Mainland Licensors:

Mainland companies operate under the jurisdiction of the UAE government. Each of the UAE’s seven emirates(states) has its mainland licensing authorities. Mainland licensors are responsible for issuing licenses to companies operating within their jurisdiction, which is within the emirate, excluding free zones in the emirate. Mainland companies have access to the local market and are open to any activity businesses need to license for. 

Advantages of Mainland Licensors:

Yes, under the new regulations, companies incorporated in UAE free zones are subject to corporate tax, the same as mainland companies. However, free zone companies that qualify for specific conditions have been incentivised with 0% tax rates. 

With this, free zone companies doing business with other free zones and the rest of the world are at an advantage, as they can use the incentive and offer competitive pricing compared to mainland companies. 

What Are the Compliance Requirements? 

Companies subject to corporate tax must file an annual tax return with the Federal Tax Authority. They must also keep accurate and up-to-date financial records, which must be available for review by the tax authorities. 

Tips for Entrepreneurs Starting a New Business 

For entrepreneurs planning to start a business in the UAE, it’s crucial to factor in corporate tax in financial planning and decision-making. 

As a first step, look at your business and the target market. Considering operational convenience, it is better to opt for a mainland license if you primarily target customers on the mainland. This can be different if you are providing services through the internet, and your presence does not mean any difference. 

Instead, if your target is companies in free zones or customers outside UAE, you should base your company in a free zone and meet conditions that qualify you for a 0% tax incentive. 

Even though this is a comprehensive definition, many other factors can influence this decision. One should be careful about shareholding, tax implications from a group company point of view, and many others. It is advisable to consult a tax consultant before you decide on this. You can also schedule a discussion with our consulting team, who will guide you through the tax implications of your business in the UAE.

Conclusion 

The introduction of the corporate tax in the UAE marks a significant milestone in the country’s fiscal landscape. While it adds a new layer of financial responsibility for businesses, the competitive rate of 9% is still attractive compared to global standards. Whether you’re operating a mainland company or a free zone company, understanding these changes and preparing for them is critical to maintaining compliance and ensuring the sustainability of your business in the UAE. 

[dduane]

I just read the part where Kirk experiences the Enterprise's point of view in The Wounded Sky to someone else, where she sees the crew as children she is training up to the Great Desire of exploration for exploration's sake, especially Jim. His reaction, essentially: "That was really pretty. ....And then he blows her up."

I hadn't thought about that before! I checked the copyright date, and it looks like The Wounded Sky came out a year before The Search for Spock, so you were writing without knowing that sacrifice would eventually happen.

How did you feel about that? Do you wish that writing decision had been made differently? (If, as a Trek writer, you're allowed to comment on other Trek writers' choices!)

You know, I tend not to think a whole lot about such issues. First of all, because (in the long run) it gets you nowhere in particular that's useful. And secondly, because it's not a thing that, as a Trek writer in any medium except film, you have the slightest power to change.

Now, at this end of time I think we can safely say that no one's going to hire me on to write a Trek film. And also that no one at that end of the creative spectrum is going to pay the slightest attention to anything I say, either. Both of those situations are just What's So, and neither of them bothers me. (Since I have universes of my own to manage at the moment, and that's where my attention properly lies.) So as regards my opinions about other writers' work, I'm pretty much off the hook.

If I had been on screenwriting duty for that film, would there be things I'd have wanted to do differently? Hell yeah. From the premise up. But the important thing here is: would those things necessarily have worked better on the screen / with the audience? Impossible to tell. And speaking as someone repeatedly given permission to work in someone's universe, the main thing to be aware of is the expectation that your chief responsibility is to do what best serves the characters and the IP of which they're part. (There's a post over at Out of Ambit with a lot more of my thoughts on the subject:)

The other thing to remember is that, though I've worn the Canonical Hat in my time, novel work is by definition non-canonical. Doing it, you are at all times working with the understanding that the licensor rarely views your work as anything better than a corporate side hustle—a way for the IP to make some cash on the side—and will ignore you and the stuff you've created unless given pressing reasons to do otherwise. (Such as when they might make some unexpected money off it... at which point you remind yourself as forcibly as necessary that what you did is Work For Hire; they own it, lock, stock and barrel, and you should not realistically expect to be given any credit.)

And, if you understand the rules and enjoy the work enough, all of this is okay. The reward is not in making a lot of money doing it, or even in having aspects of your work openly assumed into canon. The reward lies in being allowed to contribute to a given universe in public (and, yeah, getting paid for it by the licensor). It's not payback: it's payforward. And you're left an astonishing amount of freedom to bring your vision to that universe. (Sometimes... as one colleague has McCoy say... you have to be "very, very careful" to get away with it. But it can be done.)

The truth is that even in the 1980s, I was sharing this level of playing-in-a-universe with a goodish cohort of editors and writers: a big roomful at least. Now I'm sharing it (retroactively speaking) with hundreds of them. With the best will in the world, even in the 80's the licensors (as regarded film) couldn't have realistically polled/listened to all of us regarding our creative opinions about the screenplay end of things. As for what that'd look like nowadays... I'll leave you to your own deductions. 😏

Anyway, thanks for the question. It's always nice to know that there are people who want to know what you think. 😊

[luckystarchild]

Will you write any fanfictions for One Piece?

(Feeling deja vu. Have we talked about this? I feel like we have, but I can't find the post!)

Short answer: Probably not.

Long answer: I have zero degrees of professional separation from that series' producer/studio/licensor. Writing fanwork for the series could put me in a professionally hairy situation, especially if they perceive significant personal gain on my part resulting from my participation in the fandom. It's a paranoid worry, but it's one I can't quite shake. (This is the reason why I stopped streaming my live reactions to the new anime episodes, for the record.)

I hate to say this, but once I finish Lucky Child, I probably won't publish anything new under this name. I tend to gravitate toward anime fanfic, but in the event anime licensors start taking issue with Western fanfic, I don't want to be caught in that crossfire. Reputation is extremely important in this field, and I never want to step on anyone's toes. Plus, LC hangs around my neck like an albatross (see what I did there?), and it would be nice to start fresh in a new fandom without that reputation following me/my work.

I really have come to love One Piece, though, and I'm enjoying reading the stories you've sent me in recent weeks. Thanks for the ask and have a great day!

[itwasanangryinch]

It's not that they altered the more recent omnibus DVDs. It's that the for the original US Complete Season One DVD set and Complete Season Two set had the episodes edited closer to how they aired on American TV.

The first season (or two) weren't on BBCA or SyFy. Seasons 3-4 were on SyFy, but the 4th season specials starting with The Next Doctor moved over to BBCA where it remained through the end of Jodie's era.

We didn't notice any new (to us) scenes for Seasons 3, 4, or the Specials so it's something in how the original American broadcaster and licensor chose to edit the episodes. Mostly, it's little asides like this. Maybe 3 or 4 twenty second spots over the course of two seasons.

My suspicion is that they edited them as matters of "taste." Note in this one Rose referring to "nipping out for a quick fag." That's not an expression in the US and could (wrongly) be seen as homophobic, especially back in 2006 when they would have first been licensing these.

So I guess that's a lesson for fellow American fans: You don't have the complete episodes for Seasons One or Two if you have the original box sets. Both feature a partway see-through cover that slides over the fold out disk holders. Chris's disks are decorated like the Tardis coral interior on all but the last disk, David's are silver with singular monsters on each disk accented with Gallifreyan writing on the edges.

The recent box set that Best Buy and Walmart sold for 19.99 compiling the complete eras for 9 and 10 is, to my knowledge, the complete episodes as they were meant to be seen. You gain at the very most five minutes worth of footage across the seasons in exchange for absolutely no features.

Doctor Who | 2.04 - "The Girl in the Fireplace"

[moral-economy]

René Girard’s mimetic theory is an attempt to understand the effects human desire has had on the creation of human societies and relationships by analysis of both historical persecutive texts and fictive narratives. In Violence and the Sacred and The Scapegoat, he identified a process known as mimetic theory, a useful tool in literary analysis for identifying structural properties that are common across different tales. He argues that reading past the face of the narrative and into/behind how the myths form allows us to access truths and meanings otherwise obscured by bias. This theory is similar to the common idea that history is written by the victors and so obscures the loser’s perspective.

Girard’s way of reading texts has so far been applied to ancient stories like Oedipus Rex and medieval writings, like those of Guillaume de Machaut, and can also be useful for modern works. Specifically, the mimetic process helps to interpret the surrealist 1997 anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena by Kunihiko Ikuhara. This 39-episode show is fully available on Youtube by its licensor, Nozomi Entertainment, in both the original Japanese with English subtitles and with translated English dialogue. Differences between the two are minimal, but I will consider the former as it is closest to the original author’s intention. In this essay, I hope to show how Ikuhara’s Revolutionary Girl Utena not only displays Girard’s mimetic theory in action but explores the ways it encourages replication in an enclosed social system. First, I offer a brief overview of Girard’s mimetic theory to establish key aspects that I will use to interpret Utena. After, I will attempt a close reading of the Tale of the Rose plotline, which will briefly discuss incest, rape, and gender essentialism, but never graphically.

Girard’s mimetic theory begins with misplacement of desire. It can be understood best as a triangle in which one point, a subject, finds themself desiring an object because another, a mediator, desires it. Really, the object itself is not the subject’s focus; they want what the mediator has. In other words, they want to be the mediator. This occurs in two forms—external and internal mediation. External mediation, when the mediator is unavoidably different from the subject, minimizes the subject’s ability to effectively challenge the mediator and so has the least risk of enacted violence. It’s opposite, internal mediation occurs when the subject and mediator are similar and so as the subject is able to imitate the mediator. As they become more and more similar, Girard terms them mimetic doubles. This decrease in differentiation creates a mimetic rivalry that demands expression. There can be no satisfaction, however, because the root of the subject’s desire is the mediator and so the subject is in a double bind. They can never become the mediator, but they cannot destroy the mediator as that would eliminate their reason for desiring, for being a subject, and so tensions develop between the two.

As a result, the doubles engage in violence that further reduces their differentiation, eventually resulting in a sacrificial crisis. Defined in Violence and the Sacred:

The sacrificial crisis [is] a crisis of distinctions—that is, a crisis affecting the cultural order. This cultural order is nothing more than a regulated system of distinctions in which the differences among individuals are used to establish their “identity” and their mutual relationships.

Sacrificial crises threaten the existence of the community, and so the tension must be released. This happens by the process of scapegoating, when an innocent person or group is identified as monstrous or sinful, distinct in a notable, horrible way, and blamed for the falling of the culture. They are subjected to collective violence, murdered or banished, destroyed in some way. In doing so, the mimetic violence that was the cause of the sacrificial crisis is resolved, establishing a new social order, the sacred order.

At first glance, “sacred” is a curious word to signify the new system. This term comes from the process of double transference: the scapegoat is simultaneously the poison and remedy of the community and in this power becomes sacred. Girard writes: “The sacred, as they see it, involves order as well as disorder, peace as well as war, creation as well as destruction.” This new order must be upheld, which occurs through prohibitions, rituals, and myths. Girard explains how these prohibitions come about:

Whatever the pretext for the conflict may have been—food, weapons, land, women—the antagonists suspend their struggle, now and forever. Henceforth everything touched by the sacred violence belongs to the gods; as such, it becomes the object of a most solemn prohibition. The antagonists have been sobered and thoroughly frightened. From now on they will do everything possible to keep from relapsing into reciprocal violence. Moreover, divine anger has taught them that preventive measures are necessary. Wherever violence occurs, a prohibition is proclaimed.

Where prohibitions limit the ability to desire things that would otherwise create another mimetic crisis, rituals call attention to the original sacrifice in prescribed, controllable fashions. Rituals release tensions and divert violence towards another surrogate victim that symbolically represents the scapegoat. Rituals and prohibitions are both supported by myths, texts that are “the reinterpretation of these crises in the light of the cultural order that has arisen from them.” These preventative measures develop into systems that enforce patterns that continually enact violence against an innocent scapegoat or its substitute far past the original mimetic crisis.

The mimetic process occurs in differing levels of obscurity in Revolutionary Girl Utena. The constant substitutions, repetitions, and surreal nature of the show make it difficult to follow at times, reading it with a focus on these cycles can make it easier to understand. Divided into four story arcs, the show mainly follows the life of an orphaned teenage girl, Utena Tenjou, at the private Ohtori Academy. Often anachronistic and abstract, Utena’s story begins with her oblivious entry into a dueling tournament with the school’s Student Council for the prize of engagement with the Rose Bride, a student at the school named Anthy Himemiya. This engagement is accompanied by the “power to revolutionize the world,” though that means very different things for each competitor. Once she has Anthy’s hand, Utena is obliged to defend her position against the other students as she perceives Anthy’s role of Rose Bride as inhumane and wants to protect her from the abusive Student Council. This is emphasized by Utena’s desire to become a prince, inspired by an encounter with a nameless Prince as a young child. The tournament is directed by a secretive “End of the World” character, slowly revealed to be Anthy’s older brother and chairman of the school, Akio Ohtori, who eventually becomes a duelist himself.

This is where the first inklings of mimetic theory can be found: the duels are incredibly ceremonial and repetitive. It’s likely the repetition was budgetary—they use the exact same shots for each duel. Still, the ritualistic nature of the dueling game aggrandizes the game and brings to mind religious ceremony. The rituals also elevate the dueling stage to a supernatural state, as several of the mechanisms are magical. Anthy controls many of the supernatural elements, emphasizing the sacred feeling of the Rose Bride. They duel in a secret sky-arena, accessible by endless circles of stairs or a lift, which stands below a floating, upside-down castle. Costumes change magically, swords are drawn from Anthy’s chest, and occasionally a spirit named Dios engulfs Utena, letting her win duels easily. Reality is muddled at the least. In a Girardian reading of the ritual, one finds a clear mimetic triangle: the two duelists both desire the Rose Bride. Ikuhara plays up the mimesis of the duelists through their similar uniforms and shared goal. The duels release tensions from desires that each duelist holds, encouraging them to focus on the Rose Bride as the answer to their problems rather than engaging in emotional development. Akio is eventually revealed as the gamemaster and final duelist—a horrible realization that comes from a slow, horrific unrolling of his incestuous and pedophilic inclinations. Akio is the ultimate mediator for the duelists—not only is his dueling outfit the amalgamation of each Student Council member’s outfit, but he is the culmination of many of their true desires, unknown to them. Touga Kiryuu wishes for his social power, Kyouichi Saionji for his appeal to Touga, Juri Arisugawa for his supernatural ability, and Miki Kaoru and Nanami Kiryuu for his hold over his sibling. The mimetic doubling is spotlighted when it is revealed that Akio is a bastardized version of Utena’s childhood prince. As the winner of the Student’s dueling contest, she must fight with him in the same ritual manner for Anthy, the Rose Bride. What is missing is the surrogate victim: who has replaced the scapegoat? As Girard writes, “It is more difficult to spot a victim in a supernatural being who is a cult object.” Forced into a dehumanizing role as the Rose Bride, Anthy is continuously made into an object that bears the brunt of conflict—which occurs both in and outside the dueling arena. In episode 38, “End of the World,” Anthy finally admits this pain: “Because I’m the Rose Bride… Because I’m a heartless doll… I thought no matter what happened to my body, I wouldn’t feel the pain on the inside.”

Having established a clear ritual, Ikuhara has shown the present to be the post-sacrifice society, the sacred order. This means that there should also be prohibitions and myths present that guide cultural norms. The myth is more identifiable: the root of Utena’s world and the seed of the dueling games is a story known as the Tale of the Rose. Stories in Utena are told and re-told in different manners, intensity, and with different characters including in small, humorous interscene “shadow plays.” These scenes, acted by the “Shadow Girls,” tell the ongoing story, or parts of it, in ways that offer a different perspective and/or new information that one might only catch upon re-watching Utena. Their existence offers useful exposition and comic relief, and also reminds the audience to, like Girard encourages, read behind the plotline and past the characters as given on-screen. They tell the Tale of the Rose a few times, in various states of obscurity until episode 34: “The Rose Crest.” Here, we finally get an answer to whether the Shadow Girls are real (they purport to be student members of the “Kashira Players,” a theater group), but they seem unnaturally knowledgeable of the going-ons of Ohtori Academy. Their play begins with a vague warning; “Beware! Beware! They still exist somewhere in this world…so you, too, must beware!” Considering their audience consists of Anthy and Akio, who are at this point clearly mythic, and Utena, this warning seems directed at both Utena and the watcher. Then, they begin the tale:

“This story takes place when all the girls of the world were princesses. The world still hadn’t fallen completely into darkness then. The reason for this was because there was a Rose Prince.” The Rose Prince, a typical-looking prince on a white horse (in this case, a toy hobby-horse), slays monsters like Godzilla and loneliness for the girls, giving them a “promised kiss” when the job is done. These acts are what make the girls into princesses, and the world overflows with light. One day, an old woman tells the Prince that a Witch, who lives in a castle that floats in the sky, is plotting to steal the light of the world. (Here, the camera flashes into a close-up of Anthy’s face. Then, the shadow image of the castle is a clear representation of the castle that floats above the dueling arena.) The Student Council’s voices define the light as “That which is eternal… which shines,” “miracles,” and “the power to bring the world revolution.” Vowing to defeat the witch, the Prince flies to the castle where the old woman reveals herself to be the Witch. She traps him in the castle, then reveals herself again to be his little sister in disguise! (Here, Akio is spotlighted when the phrase “Rose Prince” is spoken, followed by Anthy at the words “Your little sister.”) The Witch/little sister is jealous that she cannot be made a princess by the Prince. This is upsetting, of course, because “A Girl who cannot become a princess is doomed to become a witch!”

The play ends with another warning for Utena to “Beware!” and more clips that shove the Anthy/Witch, Akio/Rose Prince parallels down the reader's throat. As told by the dominant culture, this myth feels incomparable to Girard’s persecutive texts. However, myths cannot be treated the same as histories. Girard writes:

… mythology cannot be directly assimilated to the pattern of representations of persecution that can be decoded, but it can be so indirectly. Instead of bearing certain faintly monstrous characteristics, the victim is hard to recognize as a victim because he is totally monstrous. This difference should not lead us to decide that the two types of texts cannot have a common source.

Since Ikuhara has already made the audience sympathetic to Anthy and morally disgusted with Akio, it’s clear that there is more past the surface of the myth. We’re further encouraged by the medium—the Tale of the Rose is delivered by actors with a history of obscurity and double meaning, who perform as two-dimensional shadows behind a screen. They must be hiding something.

Luckily, Ikuhara does not make the viewer complete the impossible decoding task alone. A scene shortly follows wherein the audience is reminded of how disgraceful Akio is. Alone with Utena, he speaks down on Anthy and attempts to “seduce” Utena again. She evades, and recalls the memory of meeting her childhood Prince. We’ve seen this before but only in story-book illustration. Here, it’s clear that this is the real event—the Prince (who appears to be Dios {the spirit that helps Utena win duels} and/or a young Akio) takes her to see a Witch/the Rose Bride (a young Anthy). Swords of Hate impale her as punishment “for taking the prince away from the girls of the world” according to the Prince. “It is the Tale of the Rose… they still tell the story even now.” Then, seemingly remembering something new, the truth, the Prince launches into a second story:

An exhausted Prince lies in a straw bed, tended to by the young Anthy. A machine prints out rolls of paper, jobs for him to complete, but he is fatigued. A desperate mob forms outside, begging him to save their daughters. Anthy begs him to rest and seals away his power to make him rest, then faces the crowd, claiming “Dios is no longer here! He belongs to me alone now. I’ve sealed him away where you can never touch him again!” The mob declares her a witch, and impales her with the Swords of Hate, where she is stuck, (spiritually, at least), to the present day. Exhausted by society and feeling some betrayal towards Anthy, Dios becomes the End of the World, Akio Ohtori. He creates the dueling game as a ritual to find a way to break the Rose Gate that Anthy is tied to, and regain his power. Seeing this result, the young Utena vows to become a Prince and save Anthy in Dios’ stead, though she is told that this is impossible because she is a girl, and thus will become a woman, not a Prince. The episode ends with Anthy asking Utena “Who are you?”

And so, Ikuhara brings the story back to the mimetic triangle. The crowd and Anthy both want the Rose Prince’s energy, though for different reasons. The Rose Prince Dios, being an embodiment of the power of miracles, to revolutionize the world, etc., is wanted for his power by the crowd, but wanted by Anthy out of familial love. Anthy becomes the ultimate scapegoat—blamed by society and her brother alike for Dios’ loss of power, which was inevitable from overwork. She takes the violence and pain, the “darkness” that Dios would otherwise fight off, as the Swords of Hate. Though not dead, she is a sacrificial object and loses her sense of agency. As the next ritual duel commences, though, Utena is aware of the truth, of Anthy’s relative innocence, and by Girard’s claims, this should be enough to break the cycle or at least catalyze a revolution.

First, however, the prohibitions of Utena’s sacred order must be considered. From the first seven minutes of the very first episode, there are clear gender roles, a strong sense of heteronormativity, and student/teacher hierarchies. Though not explicit bans, these social customs still function as prohibitions that relate to the original crisis. Gender is very rigid, with boys needing to fulfill the Prince role and save the girls, who then become princesses, or doomed to become witches if snubbed. There are clear boy’s and girl’s uniforms, though Utena is depicted in a modified boy’s uniform. Homosexuality is not even considered, (except for Utena as an aspiring Prince), as it would not apply to the Prince/princess binary. Those who do feel homosexual inclinations, besides Utena and those girls interested in her, are forced to repress themselves. Specifically, we see this occur in three of the Student Council members (Juri, Touga, and Saionji), who release this tension in the duel rituals. Students are meant to be obedient to the teachers, who enforce prohibitions like the dress code.

Utena is the notable exception to these guidelines, indicating from the start that she will play an interesting role in the story. She is curious to Anthy and Akio, the two supernatural beings who have seen their myth process cycle over and over, as a new type of character who could potentially cause a real revolution, and not just revolve within the story. That she is this way because she wants to be a Prince, which we later learn is because of the truth she was shown as a child, is not negligible. After all, by breaking prohibitions, Girard would claim that Utena would unleash mimetic desire once more (which she does, by attempting to become Dios/a Prince to save Anthy), and by knowing the truth, she acknowledges the victim, Anthy, as a victim. Ikuhara plays with memory and reality throughout Utena, and Utena is easily manipulated and confused by Akio, stories, and Ohtori Academy’s social norms, but eventually she is able to identify Anthy’s suffering as unjust and fight to save her.

This is where Ikuhara splits slightly with Girard. It is not enough for Utena to just identify Anthy as a scapegoat, she is required to fight to help her. And Anthy is not immediately willing to be freed. It’s reminiscent of Simone de Beauvoir’s discussion of women being complicit in and/or resigned to their unfreedoms. Anthy stabs Utena in the back, allowing Akio to take Utena’s sword and attempt to get his power back from the Rose Gates. He fails, and in an incredibly moving scene, Utena powers through her blood and pain, drags open the gates with her bare hands, and finds Anthy within. She reaches out, begging Anthy to grab her hand and escape, though Anthy warns her to leave or be harmed by the Swords of Hate. Finally, she reaches back, and when they finally touch, the arena collapses and Anthy falls from Utena’s view and Utena is impaled by the Swords. Tragically, it would seem that she failed, and she cries for forgiveness in her last strained last words: “I guess, in the end… I couldn’t be a prince… Forgive me, Himemiya [Anthy]... For pretending to be a prince.”

The final minutes of the final episode reveal that Utena has disappeared from Ohtori Academy. The other students look the same, but act more maturely and talk of graduation into the real world. Utena is a dim memory, recalled back as a strange girl who wore boy clothes. Akio is shown planning another round of the Duels, but, having been replaced as the sacrificial object by Utena, Anthy refuses. She leaves Ohtori Academy and heads into the outside world to find Utena. Perhaps this is out of ignorance, as she did not see Utena receive the Swords of Hate. On the other hand, because she is also a supernatural being with knowledge of the ritual’s mechanics, her knowledge might transcend the audience’s. Thus the audience is left uncertain of Utena’s wellbeing and whereabouts. Whether she is optimistic or naive, the final statement Ikuhara makes on cycles of victimization and scapegoating is that the victim must not only be acknowledged, but aided in the process of re-gaining agency and identity. They must choose to end the cycle for themselves, though not without help and support from those who saw their truth and reached out in love.

René Girard’s mimetic theory is not necessarily universal, and Kunihiko Ikuhara’s Revolutionary Girl Utena is certainly not fully explained by it. This essay washed over many and skipped even more sections of plot, theme, and symbols, and there are several other instances where the mimetic triangle can be seen or myths affect reality, namely the Black Rose arc. However, understanding the base mythic premise of Utena through Girard’s framework not only offers insight into Ikuhara’s cult classic but offers an exploration of what could occur when myth overtakes memory but the scapegoat is still present. Both authors encourage audiences to look past texts and stories, to question myths and prohibitions in order to uncover the truth and thus better understand the functions of the world around us. Girard and Ikuhara have a shared desire to break through false worldviews, summed up in a line repeated by several characters throughout Utena:

If it cannot break its egg’s shell, a chick will die without being born. We are the chick. The world is our egg. If we don't crack the world's shell, we will die without being born. Smash the world's shell! For the Revolution of the World

[theoutcastrogue]

Ada Palmer on how censorship begets self-censorship

The vast majority of all censorship is self-censorship. But that doesn’t mean it’s self-initiated self-censorship. Because what these censoring bodies are good at is scaring people into restraining their own speech. Two licensors in charge of the city of London can’t keep up, but a bunch of statutes saying you have to have licenses in the presence of two licensors in the city of London and a couple of big showy trials can totally transform what everyone in the city of London chooses to write and chooses to try to publish.

One question that people often bring up in the context of major infamous censoring efforts such as the USSR’s censoring effort, or indeed the Inquisition, is did it succeed? Or did it fail? And if you use as the metric, did it obliterate the idea it was targeting, you would always come up with fail in almost all situations. Very few censoring efforts ever, since the development of print, have succeeded in eradicating all forms of a thing.

So let’s look at the trial of Galileo, for example. Did it succeed? Well certainly we all think that the earth goes around the sun, so in that sense, no. But the condemnation of Galileo made Descartes withdraw from publication a treatise of radical philosophy he was about to publish, and sit there for years revising it and making it much, much, much more Catholically orthodox before putting it out. And it’s Descartes' work that’s the foundation of later work that’s the foundation of later work that influences all Western-derived thought. So in that sense, it succeeded. It transformed what happened through causing self-censorship.

And so similarly, our Inquisitors on a budget are gonna use their budget on one or two big, showy trials and making sure everyone knows about it. And they’re gonna spend their manpower publishing pamphlets about the trial to make sure everyone knows about it, so that people self-censor. And you see this operating in the USSR; you see this operating under the Comics Code; you see this all over. The censoring body can’t police everything, but they can saturate everything with fear. And a lot of their activities are dedicated pretty clearly to filling the world with reminders of their power.

Conrad Gessner, Historiae Animalium (1586)

So in our exhibit, you can see Conrad Gessner’s Encyclopedia of Animals from the second half of the 16th century, which is a big encyclopedia, lots of pictures of lizards and frogs and elephants. And they’re wonderful pictures. And by every one he has a little note saying, "and I want to thank the learned and excellent doctor so-and-so who sent me this picture of a lizard". Now Gessner is a Protestant, which means the Inquisition has to look at this and say whether Catholics are allowed to have this book by a Protestant or not. And they look at it and they say, yes you may have it. It is an encyclopedia of animals. It is not theological in nature, it is allowed. But they say, every time he thanks the learned and excellent doctor so-and-so, if doctor so-and-so is Protestant, you must cross out learned and excellent. Because Protestants aren’t learned and excellent. Protestants are bad and wrong. So, that has to be there, and they spend man hours doing this; they spend hundreds of man hours going through his encyclopedia of animals crossing out "learned and excellent". This is madness if your goal is eradicating information.

But what does it do? It means every time anyone sits down with that encyclopedia, on every page there’s a little black line which sends that little chill through your heart reminding you there is a power. It let me have this book. It could have not let me have this book. If I write a thing, that power will oversee that thing too. It spreads this culture of fear and the consciousness that you are in the power of this organization, and that is what that use of man hours really accomplishes.

Again, the vast majority of censorship is self-censorship, but the majority of self-censorship is not generated by the self, it’s generated by an external body that has taken action to cultivate this.

— Ada Palmer, Censorship and Information Control: A Global History from the Inquisition to the Internet, 2018 [Introduction: video / transcript]

[askagamedev]

What are some of the skills/lessons you have learned since you first started working in game dev that you are the most proud of? And which skills/lessons have benefited you the most?

I've probably learned enough lessons over the course of my career to write an entire book, and then some. In fact, thanks to your question I think I might try writing a series of "lessons learned" posts when the fancy strikes me. Today, I will answer both of your questions with the same lesson:

Everybody - player, artist, designer, engineer, QA, musician, writer, director, producer, executive, publisher, marketer, brand manager, influencer, interviewer, whatever - has a different perspective and different needs. If you want their buy-in, you need to show them the value in what you're proposing and you need to do so in a way they understand.

The same general principle applies across the board. Over the course of your career, you will need to convince others to agree with your line of thinking. You might need to show a player how the content you're creating is something they'll enjoy. You might need to explain to your lead why your chosen plan is a good one. You might need to persuade a brand manager why your ideas will work with the license. You might need to convey the specifics of a character to the character artist so they can figure out the visuals for that character. You might need to convince an interviewer that you're the right person to hire for the job.

Each of these people is looking for something of value to them within the context of the situation. Sometimes it is just about explaining the situation to them in a way that they understand, like how I often rely on using visual aids and diagrams to explain concepts at meetings to help the artists, producers, QA etc. understand the issues I am solving so they recognize it as a problem that needs solving. Sometimes it is about persuading the decisionmaker (e.g. a player, a licensor, or an interviewer) that your proposal is the best one. In those situations, you need to figure out what your audience wants and the best framing for how your proposal hits those notes. The better you are at figuring out how to do so and presenting it in a way that the audience understands, the more likely that you'll succeed in getting their buy-in.

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