#i mean thats what i get for trying to join a very competitive program. like i am not a competitive person | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dapanem · 6 years

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Okay since i dont always update for fics (Actually I just lost motivation for it once I got too into it) I decided to just do it like this:

-Marinette/Ladybug’s background would be that Marinette isnt a skater and she still design in my plot of this AU and she did design ladybug’s outfit. Marinette is always fascinated with all the figure skater’s outfits. Though she did skated on her childhood along with her best friend,Nino, she wasnt into it that much unlike him. Until she watched Adrien’s junior debut. Marinette then became a huge fan of Adrien Agreste. She was surprised to know that her figure skating otaku friend became best buds with him. So she had met him once (on his first debut). A few years after that Ladybug exsisted because of an accident. A video of her trying out a new costume while skating one of Gabriel Agreste’s master piece and a few complicated jumps and step sequences there got out. The perpetrator was cute little Manon who is also a skating otaku. Their family owned the skating house Marinette and Nino used to practice on their childhood (they still occasionally do it but of course Marinette trips here and there). This video went viral to all Skaters. Nino had called his friend the morning it got out because HIS FRIEND CAN SKATE AND DIDNT FALL ON HER FEET. Of course Marinette is all like I WAS FEELING THE OUTFIT I DIDNT MEAN FOR IT END UP LIKE THAT and went on a full day Panic Mode. Sure no one would recognize her (with the make up and all) but she was still scared. Enter Tikki who knows Marinette with or without make up (She was the one who painted her face on that video after all) saying she should join the next competition! But Marinette wouldnt budge. Because there is no way Marinette wont trip in front of the whole world. Eventually she was then convinced by Tikki’s reasons (like not letting the world know who is behind the “mask” and having an alias)(I honestly dont know if thats possible). So she joined the competition. With Tikki’s help, she met a proffesional coach name Alya Cesaire. There begins Ladybug’s adventure as a figure skater.

-Now enter Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir. Chat doesnt show much in this AU since I have absolutely know idea on where to put him (WHICH SUCKS CUS I LOVE BOTH OF THEM!!!) So it means Adrien has the most screen shows. So yeah Adrien Agreste is the son of Gabriel Agreste, A legend in the Skating World. Gabriel Agreste has made himself a respectful title because of his records. Every Grand Prix he enters, he break his record. Currently, the highest record he had made which is the highest skating record is 403. 50 for a combined score of the short program and free skate. This leaves Adrien being more pressured. He did well on his Junior debut. He won but it wasnt enough for his father because he didnt beat the highest record(Gabriel’s record). He didnt take much of the harsh words of his father that night before the celebration because he met his best friend there, Nino Lahiffe. He brought his best friend who made his costume and had supported him all through out. She was very shy around him and cant seem to make her words which he found cute (Reverse Crush AU!! But not really). Eventually he fell for Marinette but only Nino knows. His friendship with Nino is also something new to him. He was used to the intimidated hostile act towards him but with Nino’s chill personality, it surprised him. Then enter Ladybug’s viral video, his father became more strict. Practice almost 24 hours, He had to run two or three more miles than usual and stretching till he felt like he no longer have bones. It became a hell for him. His father had retired to become his coach(sorry forgot to mention this earlier). He didnt exactly hate Ladybug, it wasnt her fault his father is very competitive and demanding. But he did built a certain competitive attitude on her. So when she comes to the skating industry, he didnt fully welcomed her. But he was still nice to her. Then enter a small relaxing time for the skaters, which was more practice time for him, he decided to break a few rules. He decided to go around the country their in(which is where the Grand Prix Final happens). As he was about to go out, the papparazzi and his fans are waiting outside. This was a hindrance to his plans. Eventually he thought about diguises and asked Plagg, his make up artist, to do a unrecognizable “mask” to be able to hide to the press. Now Chat Noir he went around the country and had an accidental meeting with Marinette at some busy street. She was lost and got carried by the crowd. Marinette then fell in love with him (he doesnt know though) because of his fun and gentle way of being with her. Their hang out (*cough*date*cough*) got cut off by Nino noticing Marinette’s pigtails on the crowd. He doesnt want his identity be revealed to Marinette because he didnt act the way Adrien Agreste should act, so he left her with a goodbye and a kiss to the cheek.

-Nino/Carapace is ,as i stated earlier, the childhood best friend of Marinette. They grew up together and he always tried to keep Marinette from falling on ice. Eventually because of that he built up a slow pace. This became his signature move. He was called “The Turtle” on ice. Eventually that became a joke to all his friends and had decided to call him “Carapace”. His coach, Wayzz, helped him on getting his name known in the skating world. In his Junior Debut, he met his Best Friend who beat him to first place. He wasnt that depressed about it because he knows he did well on his short program and free skate. But he was worried about Adrien’s well being when he first laid his eyes on him. The boys was so skinny and he looks like he’ll fly away when a light wind blows. He was amazed once he saw him on ice. Adrien’s jumps compared to his are higher and much smoother. He step sequence are longer and faster. Everything about his skating just blew him away. When he looked at his best friend he saw how amazed she was and teased her about it. Marinette of course noticed the dissapointment in him and encouraged and supported him. She smiled and laugh with him. He really did love his best friend. Then a few years later, he met this tenacious coach, Alya Cesaire. The coach of his best friend. At first he was in denial about his feelings until she confessed to him at the small break for the skaters. He was confused at first. Then before the competition starts, he kissed her in front of the press.

-Alya/Rena Rouge enters the stage. Alya of course is a well known coach. But she has a secret. She is the infamous Rena Rouge of the Ice. She hid that title and lived the life of Alya Cesaire. She knows Tikki because she was the mentor of her make up artist, Trixx. Then she met Marinette and they just hit it off the perfectly well. Her alias, Ladybug, was made by her. Marinette also knows about her past as Rena Rouge. She found out about it when Alya told her her first every competition. Marinette’s Panic Mode had eased and she was avle to perform well on ice. Then time skip to when alya finds out she’s best buds with Nino Lahiffe, Alya freaked. She wasnt flustered around him but she acted more guarded and her tenacity level doubled. Then she found out why she was like that, its because she likes him. And the whole break she asked Marinette for help on trying to confess. All day was a failed attempts on romantic moods. So when Marinette got lost and the two of them are being carried by the crowds, she shouted and admitted her feelings. Of course that left a flustered Nino. She assured him that its fine if she doesnt reciprocate her feelings and fine on staying as friends. Eventually they found Marinette with a guy and Alya told her of what happened once they got to their hotel room.

-Chloe/Queen Bee is still somehow the same. Chloe is a teammate of Adrien. She and Adrien are friends but nothing as great as his friendship with Nino. She is boastful but when being Queen Bee, she acts the complete opposite of Chloe. She created Queen Bee as the persona for dating her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, Nathaniel Kutzburg, is a judge on the boys free skate. At first she only dated him for Adrien’s sake. But alas she was captivated by his shy demeanor. Nathaniel was hurt when she admits that she first approached him because of Adrien, but when Chloe told him that it was the greatest idea she had he was confused. She explained further as to why it was thw best idea she ever had. It was because she met him. The real him. But itll be a scandal if word got out that a skater and a judge are dating. So they both created Queen Bee. Pollen helps them on their secret meet ups and her outfits. She’s basically like her big sister. Then Ladybug came and she didnt really felt threathened. But she acts like it as Chloe.

-I also like the idea of Chloe acting hostile to everyone because of her mother(canon verse) so i put it in this AU. Both she and Adrien are mother less. Chloe’s mother left them because she got tired of the skating world and wants to settle down, but her dad (her coach) wanted to keep the skating legacy his family have. So they filed a divorce when Chloe was young. As to Adrien, his mother is a Ballet Artist. But she had died due to a car crash with him. He survived because of her mother. His father of course is a famous figure skater and he met Adrien’s mother, Emilie, when he was a newbie. Gabriel once studied ballet for the sake of skating and Emilie just loves Ballet.

-Marinette’s parents are still bakers. Though her mother was a gymnast. She used to win olympic medals. She was friends with Emilie too. But she never heard any news about her since she got married to Gabriel Agreste. She met Tom at her trip in France. She did her usual running and stretching at a park when she noticed a cute bakery nearby. She went inside and found him covered in flour with a cute smile on his face. She fell in love at that moment. He did too. So they went on cute dates and such. They got married before Emilie got married with Gabriel. So Emilie was at their wedding.

Okay so thats all that i can think of for now but i might add a few ones some time in the future. And just a heads up, if you guys think some of these sounds familiar its because i used Yuri on Ice!! As some base plot and just tweaked it a bit. I havent seen any fics about the skating Au for Miraculous Ladybug so I have no idea if they’ve been made yet. Now as for the drawing…Im not a good artist and Im doing my absolute best to draw and make up for the not updating for Marichat May thing. Also I kinda imagined Ladybug weaeing simple clothing for skating because of course you woulndt want things to get in your way as u skate. Her ribbons arent supposed to be long but I messed up lol. Thanks for reading this!

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sadeq888-blog · 5 years

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7 Ways You Could Start Affiliate Marketing Without A Website

You may have stumbled across this post because you’re interested in learning how to start affiliate marketing without a website. Although I personally feel that having a website is the best choice you can make for your online business as an affiliate, not everyone wants to keep up with the needs of building a website and maintaining it. So for those who may in that situation I want to share some other ways you can work as an affiliate and still make money online without a website.

1. Adding a Forum Signature

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2. Giveaway a FREE eBook

The aim of creating and giving away a FREE ebook is to make it accessible to lots of people and to have your affiliate links included in the book. You can get people to share your ebook by offering giveaway rights or Private Label Rights (PLR) etc. If you provide lots of value in your ebook, then you’re more likely to get it shared…especially if you’re giving it away for free. Some platforms you can share your book with: Payhip: You can upload your eBook onto Payhip and then share it with people in your niche. Social Media: You could put a link to your ebook on your social media bios, and you could also share your eBook via social media such as Facebook groups and Twitter etc. Be sure to provide value to any groups you join before promoting your content. Forums: Above I mentioned adding your affiliate link in your signature. If you’ve created a free ebook, you can add the link to your ebook as your forum signature instead. eBay: Although this wouldn’t be giving away the ebook for free, you could even try selling your book on eBay for a small amount and encourage your buyers to share the ebook with others.

3. Create a “Hub” using Hubpages.

If you’ve not heard of Hubpages yet, it’s a site that allows you to create a 1-page mini website/blog. You have the opportunity to create content you’re passionate about without having to invest time/money in your own website. It’s another good way to start affiliate marketing without a website. With Hubpages, you can create articles, known as “hubs”, and you can add affiliate links to the products you want to promote. This is usually good if you’re promoting an Amazon or eBay product. Furthermore, you can reach out to others in your niche to increase traffic to your article. It’s free to join, and you can sign up here, right now.

4. Share Your Link on Social Media

This is a free way to promote your affiliate link and makes some sales online. You could do this in one of 2 ways. You could either put your affiliate link in your social media bio. This will work for any social media account, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc…, then create valuable content for your followers, and encourage them to visit the link in your bio. Or you could send your affiliate link to other users in your niche via direct messages. There are sites that allow you to automate sending direct messages whenever a user follows you. A lot of people don’t really like automated messages, so at the very least try and make sure the content is valuable. Overall I personally recommend using the first method as the second method could come across as spammy. Social media websites don’t like this and if you’re seen as spammy you could get yourself banned. These methods would also work well for promoting your free ebook, as mentioned above. Top Tip: Try and use images within your post, as these get the most shares and impressions. They stand out more so people are more likely to click your links and visit your bio. You can use a photo editing program like Canva or Picmonkey to create professional, eye-catching graphics, for free.

5. Make Youtube Videos

Video has become a very popular form of internet marketing nowadays, so it’d be a really good move for you to branch into making videos on Youtube to promote your affiliate link(s). As usual, provide lots of value in your videos and encourage your viewers to visit the links in your description. It’s very easy to get a channel started and it’s free too. If you’re thinking of capturing your face or physical products then you’ll want to invest in a quality camera, or you could use the webcam on your computer. If you’re going to be recording your screen to review/promote software and websites, then you can use a free software like Screencast-o-Matic (upgrade option is $15/year)…or you could even use the video software available on your PC/Mac. I have a Macbook, so I often use QuickTime to record my screen and my voice.

6. Invest in Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

Pay Per Click (PPC) is a form of advertising that involves paying for the cost of a click. So you only pay when your site/advert gets clicked. Some of the most popular methods of PPC advertising is through Google AdWords and Bing Ads. I personally would recommend working on Bing advertising because it’s cheaper and there’s less competition in comparison to Google. You can use a tool like KWFinder to do keyword research and help you find profitable keywords for your PPC campaigns. This method will obviously cost you money, but it can be every effective if you know what you’re doing. I wouldn’t recommend this method if you’re a complete beginner as you could lose money if not done correctly. Note: Wealthy Affiliate offers some in-depth training on this, however, you would need to be a premium member to get access. You’ll also need to purchase a domain for your affiliate link as Google and Bing doesn’t accept direct affiliate links, especially Clickbank affiliate links from what I’ve heard. So in this situation, I’d recommend you purchase a domain name for your affiliate link if you want to promote it in PPC advertising.

7. Purchase Solo Ad Email Marketing

One further way to start affiliate marketing without a website is to promote your link via solo ad email marketing. Solo ads are a form of email marketing, but instead of sending the offer to your own list, you’re sending it to someone else’s list for a fee. Usually, the users you buy from have a huge list of targetted subscribers. This makes it easier to promote your offer to the right people. Using solo ads can also be a good way to build your own list, which you can then promote to…or you could choose to sell your list as solo ads in the future. One example of a website that offers solo ad services is Udimi. I haven’t used this site personally (although I plan to in the near future), but I have seen others use it and get some good results. Just be aware that this method will also cost money, approximately $25-$200+ depending on the number of visitors you wish to receive, and the cost per visitor that the solo ad seller charges. The End Thank You For Reading Read the full article

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mentalanalyzer · 7 years

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This is for you

I was thinking about making a post to night about my future, with so much going on lately, but I’ll save that for another time. Tonight, I want to tell a story, a story about my change, about how I’ve come to where I am today. How does one start a story like this though? How much detail does one leave out or put in? I think I’ll start by saying something very simple about myself, and explaining how I got to that point.

For many, especially within my own family, I sound like quite the success story. Went straight from high school to university, graduated with a BS in a “prestigeous” (not really) field. Now applying to PhD programs across the country to pursue my education (not in yet, but that is the assumption). But.... that’s not what makes people think its a success story, because on paper, it’s pretty meh (if I do say so myself). No it’s a success story because of where I come from, and where I am now. Not physically in life, but mentally.

I have gone in detail multiple times on here regarding my drug activities, its physical and mental effects (good or bad). There is one thing they did though, that is what sorta still keeps me away from them today, and that is it made me slow. This lethargy, made me lack focus, and motivation. Back in high school, this wasn’t a problem, life was just a dream. A river, and I was Huckleberry Fin flowing down the misissippi without a worry in my mind. Smoke eat sleep smoke eat sleep. A beautiful pattern I could continue my whole life. But life needs money, and money means work. In all actuality, for a brief moment during my sophmore-junior year, I did contemplate just getting some fast food or retail job, make shit money but enough, and just kick back and enjoy life for a little. I had no desire to go to school, to pursue a career in chemistry, nothing. I just wanted to have some fun and live a little. I say all this, so you can understand the type of person I was, the type of mentality I had. I didn’t care for anything but just “chilling” and relaxing. But that was then, before I sobered up and went to college.

Fast forward 2 years. I’m in college now, taking some difficult classes, and just joined a lab. It was all just too fast, too much going on all at once. I need to learn advanced biochemistry, chemistry, quantum mechanics, and advanced mathematics all at the same time? While trying to juggle friends, family, and my relationship too? To much to handle at one time. At least, too much to handle... high. Not gonna go into detail, but I sobered up. My vision became more clear, my ideals focused, and my thoughts quicker. This allowed me to become more motivated and driven. I have always been competitive inside, but now that I had the tools to rise to the top, I couldn’t just stand back. So tired of just wasting time, sitting around doing nothing. There is no better feeling than the feeling of purpose, like you are either achieving something, or are on your way to achieve something. And well, I can’t slow down, not anymore. That’s why I seem like I’m always flying forward. Because I started 3 years ago, and haven’t slowed down once. I don’t allow myself the satisfaction. People tell me why I don’t feel like getting my BS is such a huge accomplishment, why I just go, eh that process is over. Because I can’t, because mentally, I can’t tell my mind it’s over, I can’ even tell it we passed a section. In my mind, it’s just begun, what I was doing before was a warm up for the real race. There is no victory yet, because the race hasn’t even started yet. There is no celebrating, at least, not for mentally. That’s all it is at the end of the day, a mental game.

Anyways what is the point of all this? Because I see so much potential in you, much more than me actually. If you can get that drive inside you, that motivation, I have no doubt in my mind, you will surpass me and leave me in the dust. And that’s what I want, I love it when you’re better than me at anything. It drives me , it motivates me, it’s why I love bowling with you but don’t play pool with you. Because when you’re kicking my ass, and I’m trying to catch up, that’s when I have fun. You may be starting the race a little later than me, but what you don’t realize is, you’re a faster sprinter. You just need to actually start running, and thats why I’m constantly pushing you, hoping one of these pushes will be that jumpstart for you to start jogging, then start sprinting. But this is all mental, you mentally need to push yourself, you mentally need to make yourself run. Anyways, its too late to get into anymore detail, but I’m sure you get the gist. So I haven’t left you in the dust (yet), in fact, I’m behind you. I’m here to push you, but I can’t push you the whole way, nor can I make you run, that’s up to you.

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bwicblog · 7 years

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SA: i have never seen a small troll so happy in my life.

SA: I bought them ice cream.

TT: what flavor TT: if you say smTh like vanilla you are going To a(\/)Tually die

SA: why do you hate vanilla so much?

SA: I bought them what they liked best.

SA: it was butter pecan.

ID: guess what chat, i'm bored and bitchy so someone should give me a reason not to be.

ID: or a reason to be more bitchy. that works too.

DD: i think i would prefer to give you a reason to be less bitchy

DD: and in light of that it might be worth asking what you are feeling bitchy about!

DD: you can think of it as talking about your problems but also lets be real gossip is fun and bitching about yout bitchy feelings is cathartic

ID: pff well at least you're honest about why you're concerned. =:P i'm just bitchy because of some stuff that happened that i'm not about to share on the chat. for fear of the wrong eyes seeing.

ID: so sorry, no gossip!

DD: well thats unfortunate clearly i have no reason to keep talking to you DD: im joking of course i am sorry that bad things happened the fun part of gossip is getting together with friends to trash talk the people you dislike not the nature of the suffering itself DD: in the end it is my overall preference that my friends do not feel shitty DD: and as we have totally established we are at least on the first tier of friendship >:D

ID: you a trash talking pro then there daz? =:P i'll have to remember not to upset you. so you can't drag my good name through the mud.

ID: the first step of a long climb, you gotta be dedicated to this friendship.

DD: well okay to be honest i am not usually the one doing the trash talking unless it is in respect to my mechanical equipment some of which has developed an attitude as a result of the artificial intelligence frames i have installed to assist me with my work but that is more affectionate trashtalking like one might perform when calling their pet cuttlefish fat DD: mostly it is my friend trash talking but when i have issues i have to acknowledge usually it is me messing up like it was earlier with prisma and in those cases i just kind of go be by myself a bit because trash talking is fun but me crying to someone is significantly less so

DD: and of course i am dedicated or well as dedicated as i have reason to be which is to say you are fun to talk to and i can see myself doing so for the forseeable future but i am afraid i am not yet ready to lay down my life for you no matter how much colorful claw varnish you introduce me to

ID: man can you type. or is this a talk to text program. either way you're fast. and wordy.

ID: not saying its bad.

ID: before you get offended.

DD: i type very quickly but i am told i talk very quickly as well it is sometimes a problem but unfortunately i have a hard time telling when it is appropriate to stop because really i want to say all of the things that are relevant and i think theyre all important DD: also i am not offended dont worry you are only saying the truth

ID: and you should trash talk more, it's great.

DD: i dont really have anybody to trash talk though!

DD: except maybe the people on team jaycob

DD: they have awful taste that is quite worthy of trashing

ID: so far i don't think we've seen any of them around.

DD: the problem remains! 😦

DD: to clarify that is a sarcastic smiley i am not actually that torn up over the issue of not having a fight to pick with people and i am afraid i have been coming of as sufficiently ditzy lately that that may be unclear

ID: hahah, well. if it makes you feel better chat rooms are hard to guage that sort of shit.

ID: though some people put /s at the end of sarcastic remarks to indicate sarcasm.

DD: i feel like thats a little bit too on the nose sometimes

ID: also the colorful claw varnish is the best and you're really missing out by not going out and purchasing some that changes color.

DD: but its still probably better than a long paragraph explaining my intentions so i will keep it in mind!

ID: it's hella fun to run under different temperatured water.

ID: just use it when you reallllyyyy don't want someone to get offended.

DD: and oh dear well that is what we are going shopping for later isnt it! DD: there is not very much of anything at all to buy here in such a small town though admittedly the local burgers are delicious and its always more fun to buy that sort of thing in person with friends than just ordering it online for drone delivery

ID: because when they're already het up a long explanation can make it worse.

DD: why would people be offended?

ID: also yeah you probably went to the same burger place as i did with gliese and they had some fantastic burgers.

ID: because it can come off as...

ID: what's the word.

ID: that means you're talking down to a troll because you think they're dumb.

DD: condescending!

ID: that.

DD: and oh dear that makes sense DD: i think that was the issue with my apology explanation earlier as well DD: i was worried that i might be misrepresenting myself and i did not want prisma to think i was acting out of malice but really it came off like i thought he was dumb

DD: that sucks 😦

ID: yeah, it's a slippery slope of being understood and coming off as a prick.

ID: slipperier for you since you're a fish.

DD: !!

DD: what do you mean

ID: ....look, you know how stereotypes work right.

ID: the biggest stereotype for a fish for us lowbloods is that every troll with fins is a jerk.

DD: i have had little experience with socializing with large numbers of people DD: i have had much experience with watching tv

DD: and oh dear

DD: ... i guess i knew that i just didnt really think about it or how it might apply to me

ID: yeahhh. see you're in a position where you can just. not apply things to yourself and be safe doing it.

ID: where us lowerbloods have to be more wary and careful.

ID: better to assume a highblood is gonna mess you up. rather than trust one and get fucked up. y'know?

DD: ... yeah

DD: that makes sense DD: D:

DD: ... do i maybe come off like a person that would mess somebody else up though like generally stereotypes aside

ID: well i mean.

ID: if you were really devoted.

ID: some fish like to play the long con.

DD: the long con??

DD: i mean i understand what you mean i just dont understand why that would be something that you might be concerned about somebody else doing

ID: ...because i like living.

ID: and am also maybe a little paranoid.

DD: hm! DD: i am just asking because i mean yes i understand that i am a seadweller and this means i am sturdier than most lowbloods but also there are other seadwellers fully capable of hurting me too both physically emotionally socially and financially and in fact i have recently narrowly escaped an assassination attempt but i suppose i still do not see that much reason to be consistently concerned about somebody playing a long con on me DD: thought maybe that is why somebody tried to cull me so you may have a point in that respect

ID: hahah why did they try to assassinate you...? =:/

ID: is that what happened to your horns.

DD: yes!

DD: and i suppose it is because i am one of the two chief executives of a very rapidly successful starship tech company and there are some issues with you know brand competition

DD: and resentment because the field thus far has been dominated primarily by long-standing memebers of it an i am fairly young as well as the issue that well

iD: oh. yeah. cut-throat business, they don't like the new fish muscling in on things. i get it. i mean it's shitty but i understand.

DD: one of the other recent entrants into the field of helmstechnology development is qpin and they are uniquely known for their ruthless competitiveness though of course i cant strictly say that they were behind it

DD: though my co-ceo says it was likely them because the queenpin is the head and she has a lot of trouble in terms of competitiveness on account of being a jadeblood

DD: but all of that is politics and i am afraid that i am not particularly great at it and i have no idea who it was

ID: ...also jeesh i guess i should have. expected you to be working on helm shit since you're at the helm station. i'm kinda glad you're not allowed to talk about what you're developing now.

ID: but congrats on not dying.

ID: or becoming too maimed to continue working.

ID: sorry about the horns though.

DD: thank you!!

DD: i appreciate your celebration of my narrow avoidance of death : P

DD: also what is wrong with as you phrased it helm shit?

DD: i will refrain from talking about it if it makes you uncomfortable but i am afraid i dont understand

ID: you're the only person who is apparently willing to chat tonight so i'm glad you survived long enough to chat. =:P

ID: i don't like helm shit. it's like.

ID: the text version of claws on a chalkboard for me.

DD: truly high accolades

SA: nobody asked if they wanted me in the chat :/

DD: and oh my goodness well i will keep that in mind

DD: umm

ID: pris! sorry, i assumed you were napping.

SA: i'm teasing.

DD: i think maybe the assumption was that you were not present on account of earlier hads said-

DD: oh

DD: oops

ID: =:P

ID: 💚

DD: 💜 >:D

DD: do you maybe have anything that you would like to trash talk about because we have recently arrived at the conclusion that it is a worthwhile endeavor but i have nobody to trash talk and hads is being very secretive about the source of his miffedness

ID: yeah pris, give us some trash talk. =:P

SA: oh.

SA: um.

SA: ...

SA: this is. rather hard.

DD: unless of course you would like to join hads in the club of secretiveness which i assume is alternatively titled the club of the subjects of the trash talking being potentially present in the chatroom at a later date?

SA: no, I have no secret salt. I have made most of it known.

ID: yeah pris is a pretty honest guy.

DD: oh in that case what is difficult?

SA: I do not tend to hold on to animosity for extreme periods of time.

SA: It takes energy I do not have.

SA: I would rather reserve it for stopping hadean from getting into a bonus fight after Ashley.

SA: let me think.

ID: =:PPPP

DD: oh dear DD: see that statement there sounds a little bit like salt though maybe perhaps not the sort that is meant to be a source of amusement

ID: i need a post-victory fight tho pris!

SA: i think that it's very stupid that high bloods become very offended when I enter their space.

SA: they can't stand the idea i have as much money as them.

SA: that is sufficiently salty.

DD: also i think i understand that i tend to not hold onto angry feelings for very long but i in general am a lot more inclined to be sad rather than mad

ID: i'll take it! that's some salt. fuck them for getting snooty.

DD: and i appreciate the pun there though i am not sure what you mean DD: i dont find you offensive to be around at all

ID: the stereotypical fish daz.

DD: oh this is about stereotypes again

SA: it must be hard to live life with such a fragile ego that because someone is well-tailored and capable of pulling several thousand out of their wallet in cash, you must threaten them as much as possible to feel powerful again.

ID: do i gotta punch someone for you pris?

SA: you do not need a post victory fight you need a post-victory ice cream and bandaids.

ID: =:PPPP

SA: also dazzle I am regularly somewhat salty at Hadean. it is the spice of our friendship.

DD: yes seconding hads though more in spirit of concern rather than desire to actually punch anybody what i mean is that it sounds like you recently had a bad experience

DD: is that why hads is the saltlick

SA: yes but taht's also because he's salty anyways.

SA: ❤

ID: is salt a spice now.

ID: 💚

DD: <3< ??

ID: what.

SA: i did not recently have one, no. It just happens when I leave the loft. I live in West Haven, which is majority high-bloods.

ID: no. definitely no.

DD: platonic spade i suppose but i cannot find it in blue

DD: or purple or green

SA: oh no. It's not like that at all.

SA: I thought salt was a spice... is something only a spice if it grows?

ID: idk.

ID: daz is salt a spice.

DD: i am going to say yes though mostly out of convenience for the sake of making puns and less because i actually know

SA: oh.

SA: well that's as good of an answer as any.

DD: although on the topic of growing i can at least say acid is often used to spice food underwater so

DD: there is at least that

SA: that sounds like. hell.

SA: but i suppose i won't judge i eat scorpions.

ID: ...how does. acid food taste...?

ID: does acid impart a flavor?

SA: is it citrus-y, dazzle

DD: that depends on the acid you use i suppose sometimes it is bitter and other times it is more sour and unfortunately i cannot tell you if it is citrusy on account of i have never had a citrus fruit though it does not taste much like orange candies if that helps

DD: also it is often used to cook food not just season it

ID: huh.

ID: weird.

SA: you should try an orange sometime. they are wonderful

DD: more weird than eating scorpions?? :{

DD: and apparently also squirrels

ID: i like berries the best out of fruit. but they're usually more expensive.

SA: I do not eat rodents.

ID: since they spoil quicker.

ID: i eat squirrels. =:P

SA: horrid.

ID: any port in a storm pris.

DD: i will have to try both oranges and berries in that case maybe even a smoothie consisting of both 😄

SA: do not do that.

SA: Orange is a very particular flavor.

DD: i am taking this landdweller food thing step by step

DD: oh

DD: interesting

SA: citrus pairs well with other citrus.

ID: try orange juice.

ID: that's easy to find.

SA: lemon and lime, for example. Or Mango and orange.

SA: yes.

SA: orange juice.

ID: mango is a citrus? =:????

SA: ,...I always thought it was.

SA: "While both citrus and tropical fruits are grown in warm climates, citrus fruits refer specifically to the genus of flowering fruits in the Rutaceae family, which include oranges, grapefruits and lemons as well as certain other species and hybrids such as the pomelo, key lime and citron. Mango is not a citrus"

SA: now I'm mad at Hadean for telling me mango is not a citrus.

DD: i think i will just buy a pile of fruit

DD: and see which ones i enjoy

SA: and ruining sweeps of disbelief.

ID: ...i mean. mangos are too sweet for a citrus.

ID: was my logic.

SA: are... are oranges not sweet to you.

ID: not as sweet as a mango!

ID: oranges have that citrus taste!

SA: make sure you learn how to prepare them, Dazzle.

DD: you mean you cant eat them raw??

ID: yeah but some of them you don't eat the outsides.

ID: like citrus fruits.

DD: maybe i can go to a fruit restaurant

SA: just putting a mango in your mouthi s not the most brilliant idea.

ID: but you can eat the outside of a mango can't you?

SA: no.

SA: you also can't eat the outside of a banana.

SA: or.

SA: You can but it will make you very sad.

SA: I learned this the hard way.

SA: It was unfortunate.

ID: 'Answer: Although the pit of a mango isn't considered edible, some people do eat the mango skin. The skin is bitter-tasting, but the peel contains several healthful chemical compounds, including powerful antioxidants mangiferin, norathyriol, and resveratrol.'

ID: i have no idea what any of those words mean.

SA: so the short version is it will make you sad.

SA: healthy.

SA :but sad.

DD: i need to be healthier i think but i do not want to be more sad

DD: but maybe the health will be making up for it because honestly most of my sadness as of late has come from my health

SA: are you of poor constitution?

ID: i'll be honest and admit i've never eaten a mango. so i was guessing on eating the skin.

DD: not usually!!!

DD: i am just

ID; adjusting to being on land?

DD: not used to living on the land and everything is very dry and my gills hurt a lot and everything tastes weird so i am also hungry all the time

DD: and also everything is very hot

SA: you would probably be happier in a bay area.

SA: why they let you move to a desert

SA: Is beyond me.

ID: because of the station pris.

SA: yes, but... why put it there.

ID: close to a lowblood settlement.

DD: because it is a remote location where i am unlikely to be found again by the person who previously attempted to assassinate me and also because there is a psionic training station that is located in the area on account of it being a lowblood locale with a high psionic concentration

SA: oh so abducting.

DD: and that is very useful for my research

ID: easy to lure them away from a shitty town to be experimented on.

DD: i mean i am

DD: unsure i would phrase it that way

DD: ... the luring not the town thing the town is pretty shitty

ID: good thing i did it for you.

DD: oh dear

ID: you're poor and life sucks and maybe your lusus is dead and you're scared.

ID: some highblood offering you candy if you come to his station sounds pretty good.

DD: actually i believe most of the recruiting is done through online means

SA: a more polite way of saying it would be that it is often easier to accept being an pet and know you are cared for than it is to be free and struggle.

ID: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ my point remains.

DD: and the payment tends to be in caegars and i know that is not what you mean i simply think you maybe are not representing it very accurately

ID: it's still sucky to do.

ID: most of those trolls have to choose between that and death.

DD: i mean it is also kind of sucky to work public service at a cafe but

ID: ...i mean a cafe doesn't screw things in to you.

SA: being a living experiment and test subject is very different from being subject to a screaming indigo about how their latte was not enough foam.

ID: you can leave a shitty cafe job.

SA: ...do they foam lattes...

SA: I dont know.

SA: I have the all the time, and I have never thought about it.

ID: and you're probably less likely to die in a cafe job.

ID: or fry your psi.

ID: and probably get culled for that.

DD: well i mean first of all the only test subjects are the two cerulean trolls i believe and also the people that volunteer to help me out but that part is not mandatory the main purpose of this station is to prepare trolls that have been conscripted for helmservice for an easier transition upon ascension and also accept anybody that would like to volunteer for the service without conscription not

DD: testing things really

ID: yeah well i bet if you asked a lot of wrigglers why they volunteered.

ID: you'd get a lot of 'i didn't have any other option' answers.

DD: hm

DD: i guess i do not know

SA: does it not

SA; unsettle you.

ID: you sure don't! but the first step is realizing you don't know.

SA: that our ships are using an archiac biotechnical method of power when we could built a technical system or a disocnnecting system for them.

SA: My pilot training used my inhibitor to join and disconnect me from a ship without hurting me in the slightest.

SA: and yet this isn't the norm.

ID: man you also hear those stories about them chopping a helms' fronds off.

ID: since they don't need them for anything.

DD: well as a starship technician i kind of have to argue your useage of the word archaic because the biotech we have developed is currently eons ahead of our purely mechanical methods of transportation which are heavily limited by both fuel systems and speed and also i am not sure that you are hearing accurate stories about limb removal that is definitely not a standard practice and would probably be actively detrimental to the process and helmsman adjustment and biowire integration DD: as would be constantly placing the pilot into painful situations upon connect and reconnect though maybe that may be the case withoutdated systems??? DD: the point of helmsman system design is to ensure a fluid and efficient connection

ID: ...huh.

ID: i mean tbh i never really paid attention to schoolfeeding about helms since. you gotta figure that stuff is just propaganda to make you think it's great.

DD: a decent amount of it probably is but that is the case with all fleet propaganda!! which is not necessarily a bad thing to be honest if you ask me personally because focusing on the negative aspects of a situation is never going to motivate anybody when you think about it regardless of what the job it

ID: i mean the ratio of cons to pros of some jobs are a lot easier to swallow than others. =:P

DD: that is very true DD: i would not want to be a garbage person i am not ashamed to admit this

ID: and i like walking.

DD: or a fighter like sipara i am fairly sturdy but i do not like being attacked

ID: if you could not tell by my adventurer lifestyle.

ID: and you can say that i can explore wayyyy more stuff in a ship but i'm pretty sure it is soooo not the same.

DD: haha yes that is true i suppose i do not consider it much considering i am both very fond of swimming over walking and also my experience on starships as a nonpsionic troll involves not very much walking anyways

DD: partially because i am stuck in my coon trying to adjust to orbit but also primarily because there is also not much room to walk

ID: ...i guess since i've already dived in to this ball of squick i might as well ask since you'd know best.

ID: does like. your kind of psi make you better or worse or not usable for a helm?

DD: yes very much so!

DD: there is a psionic ranking system of course in terms of the amount of raw power available but also the type of psionics make a difference for example cerulean psychics and indigos are not functional for ship powering at all and varieties among lowbloods that exhibit nonphysical properties such as clairvoyance are typically not high enough on the actual kinetic energy production to be able to power a ship with any efficiency as conversion to a useable power source is often very inefficient and also takes up energy in the process which rather defeats the point

DD: for example telekinetic type psionics tend to be the most effective for helming while more psychically oriented powers are not

SA: sometimes hybridization allows multifaceted psionics but it's also very rare in natural occurance.

SA: i can pilot a starfighter with my telekinesis as long as the ship and my inhibitor are programmed to allow the link through.

Sa: But an entire ship wuld be beyond me.

SA; and for the most part starfighters rely on a psion's ability to generate shields and manipulate other variables for a quicker reactions time, but not flight itself.

DD: there are also augments that assist with that!

ID: hahahah okay can this be enough helms talk now.

ID: i've exceeded my comfort zone.

DD: that is part of what the psionic training facility that i am part of helps with-

DD: oh dear my apologies

DD: i will stop!

SA: 😃

ID: i mean i asked so it's fine.

ID: just. new convo now plzkthx.

ID: ...i mean i should volunteer a new subject huh.

ID: pris did you have dinner?

ID: both of you for that matter.

ID: miss hungry because i don't eat.

SA: ...

SA: maybe.

ID: =>:I the ice cream you had earlier isn't dinner btw.

SA: i had a fruit salad.

DD: dinner??

DD: ...

DD: oh dear

DD: i am afraid i lost track of time

DD: i was going to say i did have dinner but that feels as though it was a long time ago and it occurs to me that that may have been dinner yesternight and it is possible that part of my discomfort with my health is because i am actually very hungry

ID: i'm gonna make you both set alarms to eat. =>:(

ID: a fruit salad and ice cream isn't enough for a night pris.

SA: mrmrm.

SA: I'll be back in a bit.

ID: if you get lonely while eating call sips' mobile and i'll steal it to vid chat. =:P

SA: well I may as well call it now then.

SA: i am.

SA: go find it.

ID: woofbesat, fetch. i see how it is. =:PPP

DD: i unfortunately tend to not notice my alarms it has been somewhat detrimental my friend used to ahve somebody come pull me away from my work and i thought it was sillybut now i am realizing it was probably very necessary

ID: get one of those bracelets that vibrate as an alarm.

ID: they might work better.

DD: but also that is my cue to go find food before i keel over and die so goodbye it was lovely talking to you and also that is a good idea i should find one of those

ID: ...damnit now the chat is empty again. =>:(

VC: Not quite.

VC: I'm taking a rrest on a courrierr trip, what's everryone else up to?

ID: uh i sent all the hungry skeletons off to eat because they all forget or think that a fruit salad is a meal.

ID: so they're doing that. and i'm just sitting here twiddling ym thumbs and watching pris eat on vid-chat on another mobile.

ID: ....is it rude to text someone while watching another troll in a vid chat.

SA: i'm talking.

SA: asshole.

SA: that. that wasn't serious

VC: Oh, I don't think I've met you before, SA.

SA: Hello.

SA: I am prisma.

ID: =:P i can multitask pris!

VC: I'm Cennef. And you and Hadean apparently know each other well, I take it?

ID: yeah we're buds.

ID: pris is cool, so be nice to him. =:P

SA: cennef. it's nice to meet you.

VC: He's yellow, what reason do I have to _not_ be civil?

VC: It's not like he's one of this room's silly highbloods.

VC: You seem well-mannerrred, so I agrree in turrn.

ID: he can speak kinda highblood-y sometimes but it was just how he was raised so don't pick on him. =:P

VC: Mannerrs and phrrassing of some things isn't an exclusive highblood trrait. I harrdly would.

VC: Pherrres talks like he's trrrying to sound cerrulean sometimes and that doesn't botherr me.

ID: i mean glad you understand that. some lowbloods get so offended when you use a 'highblood' term!

ID: like saying tub is gonna turn you blue.

VC: Ha. I may not carre forr highbloods, but - oh _rreally_

VC: Using theirr language isn't exactly a sin.

VC: That's rridiculous.

ID: you've never met a lowblood who got all snooty with you over it?

ID: the 'uhm, did you mean ABLUTION TRAP?' types?

VC: I suppose I have now that I think of it, but they arren't exactly trrolls I spent a lot of time arround.

VC: My ex quads werren't like that at all, norr arre any of my currrent frriends.

ID: wise move. there's having a grudge against highbloods and then there's overcull.

VC: I rreally only have a grrrudge against _one_ highblood, but I do lack fondness forr them in generral.

SA: i overcull teal bloods.

VC: Though perrhaps it might be prrrudent to stop talking about it in case any of them do come in.

SA: they have always patronized me.

SA: 😉

VC: Pfft, what

VC: I know you'rre joking, but I don't rreally get it

ID: hahah, it's a chat thing. we joke that teals are the worst because they're in the middle so they lash out more.

VC: Ohhhh

VC: To be honest, I have only met one tealblood outside of deliverries, which don't rreally count.

VC: He was...verrry odd.

ID: that's a tealblood for you.

VC: Well, he wasn't a lawtroll orr anything. He was some sorrt of perrforrmer.

ID: ...huh. was it the dumpster troll.

ID: ...do you know what i'm talking about. probably not.

VC: ...he cerrtainly _belonged_ in a dumpsterr but otherrwise no, I do not.

VC: Mine talked like some sorrt of flowerrry idiot and called himself barrd.

VC: Is that what this dumpsterr trroll did.

ID: yes!

VC: Oh my god.

SA: why is there a known dumpster dweller.

ID: he got ceruleans mad about historical bulge piercings.

SA; what dessert should I get?

VC: _Oh my god._

ID: and they threw him in a dumpster.

ID: ...the fluffy one.

VC: For once. I am on the bluebloods' side.

VC: _What is wrong with him._

VC: Correction.

VC: How many things arrre wrrong with him.

ID: and then he started dueling them in the dumpster.

VC: Though I'd probably be -

VC: _Highbloods._

ID: until someone came and rescued his hide.

ID: it was hilarious.

VC: That's completely rrridiculous.

ID: it was. but that made it hilarious.

ID: so what are you delivering...?

VC: Sorry, I was getting back on the road. I have my phone on talk-to-text now. It's some sorrrt of book collection for this olive.

ID: you're fine. how are you traveling? and that sounds. boring.

VC: Haha, I have no clue. They could be about stunning adventurrres, for all I know. I don't usually get told the details of what I deliverrr, unless they'rre imporrtant forr trransit.

VC: I rrride my lusus.

VC: She's not exactly a hoofbeast orr anything, but she can go at a decent pace with a trroll as small as I am.

ID: heyy a troll after my own pumper. though my lusus is a variety of hoofbeast.

VC: Ohh, what kind?

ID: antelope kind. but one of the big ones. he can carry me and my stuff no problem. and we have similar rocking racks.

VC: Pfft. Do you now.

VC: I have decently sized horns myself.

ID: about time. like this chat is mostly nubhorn central.

VC: I can prrrove I am not nubhorned.

VC: Ignorre the goofy exprression, this is just what I had on frrond. Also unforrrtunately I should pay attention to the terrrain now, it's getting rrough.

ID: huh. sorry i've not got an image right on hand to share. and i'm not in the prettiest shape for selfies, so you'll just have to take me at my word. =:P

VC: Haha

VC: Well I fully expect one laterrr

VC: But underrstandable - ow

VC: I rreally _should_ stop talking, dammit

ID: your lusus bad at navigating?

SA: the fluffy one

SA: that didn't tell me anything...

ID: point the camera at the menu for me.

SA: there...

ID: uhhh. the lemon tart thingy. since you said you like citrus.

SA: okay.

SA: delicious...

ID: you're welcome. =:P

#c:cennef #c:dazzle #c:hadean #c:prisma

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fmservers · 5 years

Text

Why longer term sheets are better

Recently in a conversation, the length of term sheets came as a topic (I assure you, it was a riveting conversation). The complaint was that a term sheet which had recently been received was too long, and therefore the VC who sent it wasn’t being founder friendly. The travails of successfully raising money!

Actually though, a longer term sheet is much more founder friendly and good business practice, and founders should be leery of VCs bearing short contracts.

Historically (i.e. about 6 years ago), term sheets used to be staid affairs, printed on plain white paper in standard Times New Roman font right out of Word. It was a wretched and horrifying world until the cool VCs showed up, who added design accoutrements (Bolded section heads! Logos! Colors!) while claiming that they had a “single-page” term sheet for founders, implying that the term sheet’s simplicity and prettiness showed that they weren’t really investors, but more like a Brooklyn barista with an art side hustle (and a lot of cash).

Here’s the thing, term sheets have an incredibly important purpose, which is to set forth in clear language the terms of a deal. Unfortunately in modern venture capital, there are a lot of terms that have to be negotiated in any equity round, from financial terms to option pools, to board structure, to voting rights on major business decisions like selling the company, and much more. Simpler term sheets either relegate many of these items to “standard venture capital terms apply” or some other vague language, or just wholly don’t mention them at all.

The challenge is that once the term sheet is signed, it becomes the blueprint by which the legal counsels for the VC and founder begin to write up the legal contracts that allows the VC to buy equity in the startup. When term sheets are clear, precise, and comprehensive, the lawyers just go to work and turn those agreed-upon terms into legal language in relatively short order.

When there are key terms that are “standard” or absent from a term sheet though, lawyers do what lawyers have to do: they negotiate for their respective party. Suddenly a term that seems fairly standard is up for debate, and unless a founder (and their VC) is paying very close attention to the legal process (from experience, no one really is), then the legal bills for the round can spiral very, very rapidly. That can pose a double whammy for a startup, since many VCs continue to charge the legal fees of conducting a round to the startup they are investing in.

I’ve seen founders in absolute sticker shock after seeing the legal costs of their round total into the upper tens of thousands of dollars because their lawyers racked up time trying to plow through term after term that could have been made clearer by the parties up front.

So, what’s more founder friendly: a longer term sheet that sets the deal terms clearly up front and likely saves the founder legal costs, or a shorter (but color!) term sheet that can end up costing far more down the line?

This is mostly a problem for first-time founders raising their first round of capital. I have a sinking feeling that many VCs take advantage of this naiveté to get better terms than they might have gotten otherwise had they actually walked through all the language up front. In later rounds, founders either ask all the right questions about the next round of capital, or their other existing investors figure this out on their behalf.

It’s good legal practice to always get all material terms figured out before your lawyers start writing contracts, whether in fundraising, or customer contracts, or what have you. You can’t always predict if there is something else that will end up being a disagreement, but getting most of the terms squared away will save legal time, and that is money ultimately in your pocket.

Side note: Extra Crunch published part two of five of our comprehensive guide to legal issues facing startups, this time focused on intellectual property. Don’t miss out on part one which focused on corporate issues.

Extra Crunch’s first conference call is today

We are hosting the first conference call for Extra Crunch subscribers today at 2pm EST / 11am PST. Call-in details are being sent out to members by email roughly one hour in advance. Today, Eric Eldon and I will talk briefly about Extra Crunch, and then TechCrunch social and product maestro Josh Constine is going to talk about the strategic issues confronting the social giants. Join us!

More SoftBank Vision Fund sadness

Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Written by Arman Tabatabai

Get out your popcorn because there’s more drama involving SoftBank’s giant Vision Fund and its LP base. Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund stated that it no longer planned to invest in the Vision Fund. Despite previous discussions with SoftBank, the fund plans to instead put its money into infrastructure across areas like energy, healthcare, and education.

With assets of roughly $15 billion under management, Bahrain’s fund is small potatoes when it comes to SoftBank, and its contribution likely would have been much smaller than those of its Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia counterparts. However, after recent reports that Persian Gulf LPs are growing frustrated with the Vision Fund and are putting more money to work in infrastructure, Bahrain’s decision could indicate a broader change in sentiment towards the Vision Fund. Just look at the comment the CEO of Bahrain’s Fund gave to Reuters:

“We talked with them and with many people, but it shows we’ve not seen something we think we can add value to or it could add value to us.”

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has wanted to scale up the size of Vision Fund II, but that dream may well be fading as more large wealth managers decline to engage.

Steam and video game streaming

Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Extra Crunch writer Chris Morris had a dive into the challenges facing Steam yesterday. Steam is facing two trends. First, publishers are increasingly getting smart about owning their customer relationship, which is hard to do with the design of Steam’s platform. The second is that video game streaming is getting closer to reality, and that doesn’t bode well for a game store. Plus, developers want to keep more of their revenue, and Steam takes a lot.

What’s interesting here is that publishers (and I mean big, AAA publishers) are increasingly comfortable with the notion that they can attract customers to their own independent store fronts and don’t have to pay the Steam tax in order to get in front of customers. What concerns me is that indie developers both don’t have the leverage to negotiate with Steam and don’t have the marketing budgets or fanbases to reach out to a wide audience. That’s not a great world, and an opportunity I think to figure out how to create a more even playing field for independent game creators.

The chip space keeps getting hotter as Korea’s SK leads round for Chinese chipmaker

IvancoVlad via Getty Images

Written by Arman Tabatabai

TechCrunch writer Rita Liao reported overnight that the A.I.-focused Chinese chipmaker Horizon Robotics raised a $600 million round led by subsidiaries of Korea’s SK Group, including its semiconductors segment.

We’ve previously discussed the intensifying global competition in the chip space, and SK’s investment shows that no one wants to miss out on the next innovative technology like previous incumbents who now find themselves playing catch up.

It’s worth noting that Intel’s venture arm, Intel Capital, is also an investor in Horizon and led their previous fundraise, as Horizon seems to offer up another opportunity for the US chip giant to make up lost ground in AI chip innovation and to gain share in the Chinese market now that they have canceled a partnership with China’s state-backed chipmaker Unisoc.

The data point is another positive for Chinese chipmakers, who seem to still have access to foreign capital on top of more than enough domestic — often state-backed — investments. The city of Beijing just raised its first venture fund with $1.5 billion focused on chips, A.I., and other areas, while China is reportedly nearing the closing of its second state-backed semis fund that some estimate might be nearly $50 billion in size.

More news

Written by Arman Tabatabai

California may have canceled HSR, but China is moving forward with an IPO

While US high-speed rail (HSR) projects continue to fall flat on their face, China Railway Corporation is now planning to IPO its Beijing to Shanghai HSR line within the next year. There’s always some financial risk with publicly-traded infrastructure, but the line’s securely profitable and the deal should help shore up the finances of its owner as it plans to make its largest rail investments ever this year.

Japan’s antitrust investigation is the latest in Asia’s new wave of regulatory scrutiny

Japan is reportedly initiating an antitrust investigation into the country’s biggest ecommerce platforms. Investigators will be looking to see whether Amazon Japan, Rakuten and SoftBank-subsidiary Yahoo! Japan launched benefit programs that ultimately are subsidized by and cut into the revenue of its small-to-midsize vendor suppliers.

The investigation is the latest in Japan’s broader effort to increase regulatory scrutiny on big tech, a global trend that seems to be permeating Asia as seen in our previous discussions on India. While it’s unclear how the heightened scrutiny will impact companies’ perception of these markets, it’s certainly clear that the “move fast and break things” playbook is getting tougher to run.

Obsessions

We have a bit of a theme around emerging markets, macroeconomics, and the next set of users to join the internet.

More discussion of megaprojects, infrastructure, and “why can’t we build things”

Thanks

To every member of Extra Crunch: thank you. You allow us to get off the ad-laden media churn conveyor belt and spend quality time on amazing ideas, people, and companies. If I can ever be of assistance, hit reply, or send an email to [email protected].

This newsletter is written with the assistance of Arman Tabatabai from New York

Via Danny Crichton https://techcrunch.com

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viralhottopics · 7 years

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How to fight back against the excessive Photoshop that’s bad for body image

Fake photos are everywhere.

Image: Christopher Mineses/Mashable

When Sarah Krasley Kickstarted her customizable bathing suit line, she faced an ethical dilemma: should she Photoshop her models if her company mission was to make women feel more comfortable in swimwear? She went searching for some guidance online, but came up short.

That’s when the idea for the Retouchers Accord was born. What if she could get retouchers, photographers, designers, brands, celebrities and media companies to follow a code of ethics for altering images? She put together a board, a website, social media accounts and strategy sessions to suss out a pledge and all the while, in the background, new complaints about excessive photoshopping kept exploding on social media.

SEE ALSO: Hey, trolls: Woman will wear a bikini if she wants, thank you

It seemed as if the time was ripe for change. But a big hurdle remained.

“We heard a lot of folks in retouching and styling saying this is never gonna work. You cant tell a client not to retouch the work,” she said.

Thanks to an amazing group of collaborators, we launched the first Hippocratic oath for image-makers! Join us: https://t.co/wzT5N4C5Kw http://pic.twitter.com/451ClLxjmR

retouchersaccord (@retoucheraccord) March 21, 2017

So how do we get to a point where retouchers can “practice authenticity” and “advance the understanding of healthy body image,” per the oath? It will be up to armies of social media users to keep praising body positive campaigns, consumers buying products from brands that don’t “body sculpt” models in photos, and industry folks raving about how it’s good for business, activists and Retouchers Accord supporters said.

And the stakes are high. Advocacy groups warn of the psychological dangers of seeing a constant stream of perfect bodies that don’t exist. The barrage can contribute to eating disorders and a lack of self worth. Altered images have become so ubiquitous it’s a given that celebrities don’t look anything like what you see in magazines and on film, but even when we know the images aren’t real, a damaging expectation is set.

SEE ALSO: The secret Hollywood procedure that has fooled us for years

Krasley’s pledge can’t fix the problem on its own, and it won’t please the most ardent body positive activists, but it can get the ball rolling from the industry’s inside. It’s open to interpretation and focuses on using retouching in an ethical way, not doing away with it completely.

“There arent any guidelines, theres a lot of outcry, we need some organizing principles.”

“We’re looking to help in this moment were in right now. There arent any guidelines, theres a lot of outcry, we need some organizing principles and guidelines to get the industry out of this paralysis of, ‘Oh this problem is too big we dont know what to do,'” she said.

That’s something Dana Suchow can relate to. The body positive activist and founder of dothehotpants.com went viral in 2014 when she posted an article to her fashion blog spotlighting photos she wishes she hadn’t altered. Back then, she couldn’t see a place for fashion and body positivity to coexist. Today, the glimpses are there, but it’s still not mainstream, she said. Everyone’s still feeling around in the dark for a way to make it so.

“Brands are starting to learn they can make money off body positivity, as well, but is Chanel going to be showing cellulite and body hair? Absolutely not. Theyre going to keep requesting [heavy Photoshop] because thats what society wants,” Suchow said.

The cover of March 2017 @voguemagazine. Can we please stop with the aggressive photoshop? Look at Gigi’s hand/arm… http://pic.twitter.com/3tqppySyaz

Kim Pincombe~Cole (@kimpcole) February 8, 2017

Women are gonna be insecure about their knee caps now that Kendall and Gigi set the standard of not having any https://t.co/jlrYw9w414

anna (@hesthirIs) October 20, 2016

Photoshop fails have been publicized far and wide like when Gigi Hadid’s arm looked like Inspector Gadget’son the cover of Vogue or when she went knee-less for W. There are far more fails than success stories these days, Krasley said.

“Women are under daily attack, whether you walk by a billboard, you see a magazine, you get something in the mail, you see a popup, you see something on TV, … How do we fight this battle? Its daunting when you try to look at it. I commend Retouchers Accord for beginning to try,” Suchow said.

Even more daunting is that for every retoucher who signs the pledge, there are plenty of others who won’t, said Substantia Jones, a photo activist and founder of the Adipositivity Project, a photo series that proudly puts fat on display.

What’s to stop clients from going elsewhere? You.

“Theyre going to need it to be backed up with dollars, the consumers are gonna rule on this one,” Jones said. That means, if you want the standards to change, you have to buy from brands that strive for realness in their ads and call out ones that don’t.

The final draft of the pledge was finished earlier this month, and it’s clear that early adopters were already on board with body positivity. But the hope is that eventually it won’t be all about preaching to the choir.

“Nobody wants to get left behind, nobody wants to be the one person going too far.”

One retouching agency that’s taken the oath and is a member of the accord’s advisory board, Feather Creative, has had a more natural approach since its founding. They’ll fix lighting and smudged makeup, but extreme retouching isn’t their game.

“Its been pushed to the extremes and now were seeing the industry pull back from that,” Cofounder Linn Edwards said. “When digital photography came on the scene, suddenly anything is possible, the style of retouching went too far, people were too airbrushed, the ability was suddenly there to easily shape somebody … Nobody wants to get left behind, nobody wants to be the one person going too far.”

Mix, match & share! For every unretouched swim photo you post with #AerieREAL, well donate $1 (up to $10K) to @NEDA.

A post shared by aerie (@aerie) on Mar 21, 2017 at 6:02pm PDT

Some brands are using their stance against Photoshop as a marketing tool. Aerie stopped Photoshopping models the company says the models are completely unretouched in 2014 and by 2016, sales spiked 20%. And Target just came out with a Photoshop-free swimwear campaign, too. In 2014, ModCloth became the first retailer to sign an anti-Photoshop pledge created by girl empowerment advocates Brave Girls Alliance. It goes further than the Retouchers Accord no material alterations unless marked with a “Truth in Advertising” label but only about 40 small retailers have signed it since ModCloth, Nancy Gruver, a Brave Girls Alliance leader said. She’s hopeful that retouchers on the inside can move the needle more.

Krasley is, too. Can retouchers help each other write contracts with policies that avoid awkward conversations about excessive alterations with clients? Can they convince celebrities to only work with retouchers that take the pledge? Can they teach each other authentic retouching techniques? Can they get Adobe involved? Can they get fashion magazines in on this, too?

shoutout to target for not using photoshop in their latest swimwear campaign!!! http://pic.twitter.com/2wkxVPebia

gab (@gabby_frost) March 20, 2017

They’re lofty goals, but Krasley sees potential because a similar, and very successful, pledge already exists in the product design industry.

The Designers Accord, which aims to mainstream sustainability in design practice, launched 10 years ago and now has thousands of members and is taught in design programs.

Valerie Casey, who originally wrote the online manifesto which would become the Designers Accord, is now on Krasley’s board. To thrive, Retouchers Accord members will need to articulate how they can make their clients more successful, Casey said.

“That was the key to the success of the Designers Accord we werent the conscience for our clients, we were their competitive advantage,” Casey said.

But Krasley thinks it can go one step further.

“I hope the public outcry makes it so this isnt a competitive advantage any more, this is just something you need to do, like youre a weird outlier if you don’t.”

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