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cywscross · 5 years

Note

got any f/f fic recs?

Okay so apparently not Final Fantasy but femslash. I’m stupid, sorry. Uhh I don’t read that many femslash compared to slash but I can name some:

NARUTO

Sing as their bones go marching in again by felinedetached (Sakura/Ino)

Instead, it goes like this: Haruno Sakura is the daughter of two civilians, from civilian families. She is nothing and no one—smart, yes, top kunoichi, yes, but she will never be on par with clan kids. She is teammates to an orphan powerhouse from a dead clan and the last remaining Uchiha.

Haruno Sakura is nothing and nobody, but she breathes and grows and thrives and the forest thrives with her.

(She opens her eyes to wood, grown from nothing, and Hatake Kakashi stares in disbelief at the tree where his student used to be.)

Or, Haruno Sakura should have had the goddamn Mokuton and this author is mad.

No one there to shame me for my youth by felinedetached (Sakura/Ino)

What she hadn’t expected was to be what is apparently next in line for Kakashi’s position—although, she supposes it was inevitable—or for the nurses at the hospital to look at her with such adoration.

Sakura’s not complaining, she just hadn’t expected it.

(She’s the medic on a team of powerhouses, the backline fighter to Naruto and Sasuke’s brilliance, and she never thought it would be her people looked at like this.)

But it is her; and as she gets glances and propositions from both civilian and ninja, from male and female alike, she wonders.

The Fair Maiden by Tozette (Sakura/Ino)

Basically: Princess Ino has been kidnapped by the terrible dragon Sakura! Brave knights Chouji and Shikamaru must rescue her from the fearsome beast. It... does not go entirely as expected.

The Shinobi version of Pride by grit (Sakura/Hinata/Karin)

The coffee sways dangerously.

“Why,” Sakura interrupts, before the chaos can get any worse, “are you in my kitchen?”

every fire is a lesson learned by blackkat (Konan/Sakura)

Just when Konan has lost hope, she meets a hero.

three birds watch and the fourth flies by grit (Minato!Sakura/Kushina)

There's a legend in her hands like clay, so she must work hard to be formidable, to be everything he was and she isn't, because what if she screws up the future, selfish enough to make space for her own?

She pours over heaps of sealing scrolls and tries not to think too hard on what happens if she fails.

Or: Timid Minato but this time around, she's Sakura.

throw it my way (all the love you keep) by amako (Sakura/Ino)

The crux of the matter is: they don't have a Hokage, the one that could be Hokage is sharing a Moment with his soulmate or whatever, and when asked to take the mantle again, Tsunade had broken a few bones. Not hers, obviously.

will to live by justdoityoufucker (Sakura/Ino)

Sakura joins the ANBU. The entire world seems a little tilted after that, but they all adapt.

Bumpy Future by Dovey (Sakura/Hinata)

It's her last year at the academy when Sakura hits her head. When she wakes up, she has a little trouble matching memories to the people in them- but she'll have to get it right eventually, yeah?

in which sakura pairs vague associations with the wrong people, and everyone is much happier because of it (Except Iruka-sensei).

the Rebel ‘verse by felinedetached (Sakura/Ino)

(Three things come after that:

The moment of realisation. The moment she realises Sasuke’s left the village, gone off to do who knows what with Orochimaru-

Her memory returns to her - she was useless against her teammate; taken down by a pressure point and unable to do anything to prevent him from getting at it.

Inner rages, throws herself around, cursing and screaming until finally, finally she calms and she says Uchiha Sasuke is a traitor.)

In which Sakura gets the character development she deserved.

shattered dreams into rhapsodies by blackkat (Kushina/Mikoto)

For the prompt "I’m a monster/guardian that the local village give sacrifices too and you’re the new sacrifice but don’t worry I won’t eat you, I’m kinda lonely"

-0-

HARRY POTTER

Four Walls (And the Right People) by blackkat (Lily/Narcissa)

“Is coming in there going to make me lose my will to live?” Lily calls, amused.

“No!” Harry protests, wounded, like she and Narcissa haven’t previously walked in on structural damage, fires, flooding, and mysteriously conjured cat-sized dragons. Sirius has been a terrible influence on them.

the girl who lived (again) by dirgewithoutmusic (trans!Harry/Ginny)

Molly tried her best. When Harry had told them, Arthur had asked excitedly, "is this a Muggle thing?" Hermione had hurried out a "no!" and a frantic history of gender diversity in the wizarding world.

"It's just that I'm a girl," Harry had said, and Arthur had nodded and asked her about how telephone booths worked. He would call her by the right pronouns until the day he died at the respectable old age of one hundred and thirty three, and he would make it seem easy.

But Molly had to try. Hermione explained things faster and higher-pitched every time Molly messed up a pronoun. Molly frowned and muttered and put extra potatoes on Harry's plate at breakfast. Harry slept in Ron's room, which didn't bother either of them but which made Hermione scowl.

Harry got boxes of sweets and warm hugs, as Molly chewed things over. For her fifteenth Christmas, the Weasley sweater she would receive would be a bright, friendly, terrible pink.

The next time Harry visited, Molly put her on Ginny's floor to sleep-- for some definition of sleep that involved Hermione hissing threats at three in the morning if Harry and Ginny didn't "shut up about Wronski feints, do you know what time it is."

-0-

GAME OF THRONES

When Warp Is Fire And Weft Is Ice by afterandalasia (Dany/Sansa)

People tell many stories about them, the Mother of Dragons and the Queen in the North.

Some of them even have a grain of truth in them.

a strangeness of sunlight by musicforswimming (Dany/Sansa)

Someone calls Sansa home, and sets her free in doing so.

Ivory and Dragonglass by madeinessos (Rhaenys/Sansa)

For the valar-morekinks prompt on livejournal: "Rhaeneys follows in her father's footsteps when she and Sansa run away together to the free cities so they can be with each other . Both ladies left a letter to their families so that their absence wouldn't spark the embers of another rebellion."

Sansa in Dorne by sear (Arianne/Sansa)

Alayne Stone wakes confused, in the body of the young maid she once was. She has returned to Winterfell, before everything went wrong. All she wants now is to be free, to never be hurt again. Dorne will give her that.

Mirror of the sun by myrish_lace (Dany/Sansa)

Daenerys arrives at Winterfell to attempt to treat with Jon Snow. She's immediately side-tracked by her fascination with Sansa Stark, and the two grow closer. Told from Daenerys's point of view.

-0-0-

And these are genderswap femslash, in case you’re not a fan:

TEEN WOLF

Utterly Appropriate by wynnebat (Peter/Stiles)

There's only one person whom Stiles would marry, and whoever has asked for her hand isn't on that list.

Spin a Web of Silk by twothumbsandnostakeincanon (somanyofthekids) (Peter/Stiles)

“Darling, will you marry me?”

Stiles stared into the eyes of the light of her life, the one who held her heart- her love.

And then she looked back at the man who had asked the question.

“Yes.”

Sugar Babies Not Sugar Vaginas by twothumbsandnostakeincanon (somanyofthekids) (Peter/Stiles)

Stiles is a copywriter working for a service that's been contacted by a company that sells something called Passion Dust. It's so much worse than it sounds.

Free Birth Control by twothumbsandnostakeincanon (somanyofthekids) (Peter/Stiles)

“I can’t believe they haven’t fixed the footbridge yet,” Peter said, disgruntled as she toweled off her feet, getting all the muck from the creek off of them.

“I can,” Talia said absently as she shelled peas on the front porch. “The only people who use that bridge are you, Stilinski, and Stilinski’s clients. And Stilinski does her best to avoid clients. Did you hear what she did to the woman who took out the bridge?” Talia settled further back into her chair. Peter immediately recognized it as Gossip Position, and leaned in eagerly.

“No, tell me everything.”

Ain't No Stranger (Been This Way Before) by pibroch (littleblackdog) (Peter/Stiles)

Stiles loved orgasms, and she really loved the shuddery, mind-numbing orgasms Peter had spent months meticulously and enthusiastically learning to coax out of her. She also loved the relief from cramps she’d get from a good climax or four, and Peter had no complaints about blood. Definitely a win-win, all around. - Stiles has a period from hell, and Peter has a surprise.

On The Loose by SmartKIN (Peter/Stiles)

Stiles has a job to do; Hot Lady Sniper almost ruins it for her.

The Same Damn Hunger by Twisted_Mind (Allison/Stiles)

There’s no soft jazz, no flower petals or candles, because that’s not what this is.

-0-

MARVEL

Mightier Than The Sword by aloneintherain (Johnny/Peter)

Janey Storm freezes in the doorway.

Pen is half naked. Her boney, freckled shoulders and the faded sports bra she’s had since high school are on display. Bruises from this morning’s encounter with the Scorpion haven’t had time to heal yet—purples and sickly greens tesselate over her ribs and toned stomach.

Janey can see every unedited part of Pen: her open knuckles, blood a sharp red against her pale skin; her unbrushed hair, grown out past Pen’s jaw like a tangle of weeds; her loose jeans, slung low on her hips, with fraying ends and ripped knees. Janey stands there and sees Pen Parker, a half naked, wide-eyed girl choking on her heart.

“It’s occupied,” Pen manages.

Or: a universe where Johnny and Peter were born girls.

-0-

YOWAMUSHI PEDAL

One For The Road by Atropa Belladonna (WorldsJunk) (Onoda/Arakita)

Fuck her entire life on a cactus she’s a fucking loser. Not because Onoda’s boobs are bigger than her’s - ok, they’ve always been. Actually, everyone has bigger tits than she does, she is flat as hell and she likes it. Why the hell would she want a couple of Shinkai-style jugs waving around in the wind when she’s riding for fucks’s sakes, that’s impractical as all fuck. No, Arakita is a loser because now she can’t stop thinking about Onoda-chan’s tits and no way she is perving like this on an innocent girl that is all around too good for the likes of her.

#Naruto #Teen Wolf #Marvel #Yowamushi Pedal #Harry Potter #Game of Thrones #Naruto Fanfic Rec #Teen Wolf Fanfic Rec #Misc Fanfic Rec #Harry Potter Fanfic Rec #Marvel and DC Fanfic Rec #Femslash

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momestuck · 5 years

Text

Epilogues: Meat ch 28-32 [Epilogue 5]

So now we’re in different hands.

chapter 28

We return to John, this time with alt-Calliope narrating about his alarmingly blunt teeth. Also on further thought I have no more reason to use ‘she’ pronouns for alt-Calliope than proper Calliope (alt-Calliope does not even seem to use the name Calliope in narration, just things like ‘the dead cherub’), so I will use they pronouns, and will edit the previous post to reflect that.

alt-Calliope declares that they are not going to be ‘inserting thoughts into peoples’ heads’, though they will be ‘truthfully’ reporting those thoughts with more clarity than the subject of narration is necessarily prepared to acknowledge.

john would be mortified with human embarrassment if he could understand the clarity and precision with which i am willing to telegraph his thoughts. but his embarrassment is irrelevant to me. as always, the truth is paramount.

This mortifying description of how John thinks of Terezi includes a reference to “gap moe”, because of f u c k i n g course it does.

John worries if this makes him like a creepy weeb who collects body pillows, but in dialogue dismisses this as something that would only make sense to a human. Unfortunately, Tegiri exists to disprove that sentiment!

Despite alt-Calliope’s avowed dedication to ‘truth’, there is obviously more to this than not contradicting the ‘truth’ of events or thoughts... she is deciding how to present the ‘true’ information, what to state and what to leave implicit and what to brush over. a story also concerns what’s ‘relevant’ and ‘essential’, as Rose said so long ago.

chapter 29

Jane, it seems, has been using the trickster-mode lollipop during her campaign. This leads to an argument with the narration about whether or not it’s “problematic” - neither Jane nor alt-Calliope think so, though neither can be considered someone presented in a 100% positive light at this point...

(Jane mostly argues in the in-universe political campaign situation, when of course the argument about ‘trickster mode’ was the whole ‘caucasian’ shitshow)

Anyway, despite her prior statements, alt-Calliope is not above interfering in the narration if it’s for the sake of cherub artefacts.

jane rubs her eyes under her glasses and groans. trickster mode is also quite exhausting. what a strange quirk of human biology that excess euphoria must necessarily be followed by crippling despair. she carelessly tosses the lollipop on the floor, lurches toward her desk...

no.

she turns around promptly, her body jolted by the surprise of her sudden reversal. she bends over, cradles the lollipop reverentially, and situates it carefully in a place signifying respect: atop the mantle, after clearing space for it by shoving several brittle, worthless objects to the floor.

alt-Calliope narrates that she’s totally got Dirk’s number - “he probably thinks he’s a very clever boy, my brother did too” - as Dirk works on a long red rifle in between other tasks designed to distract.

Jane wonders about trying to blackmail Jake by revealing that he’s been having sex with trolls. Dirk challenges this as xenophobic. There’s an odd exchange...

JANE: What ISN’T xenophobic?

DIRK: Well, for one thing, what you just said there?

DIRK: Probably also xenophobic.

JANE: WHAT?

DIRK: Sorry, that’s just how it is.

DIRK: You either gotta roll with the woke shit, or decide to commit laborious, symbolic, melodramatic suicide in the process of utterly giving up.

This may be referring to his suicide in the other branch, I guess? idefk what this is trying to say ><

chapter 30

Karkat and Dave are attempting to win over Jake. This involves a lot of jokes about “neoliberal austerity measures”, super pacs, and so on... and the two of them playing off each other. Dave has been presenting “visionary”, “avant-garde” campaign ads based on SBAHJ.

alt-Calliope notes that Jake has now been freed from Dirk’s indirect narrative control, able to make his own decisions. In tiny text, Dirk grumbles about this. Without his control, he declares, Jake is a purely reactive ‘dead bug’; with it, Jake is like an ant controlled by Cordyceps towards a “greater purpose” (i.e., reproducing Cordyceps ¬¬)

Anyway, Karkat ultimately makes a speech: he doesn’t say he’ll be the best president, but that whichever one wins, it will set a precedent on the matter of troll reproductive rights that will last for a very long time. Jane is, necessarily, far more concerned with nice appearances than doing right:

KARKAT: NO MATTER HOW NICE SHE WAS WHEN YOU WERE KIDS, HER DEDICATION TO THE APPEARANCE OF THAT “NICENESS” HAS ALREADY LED HER DOWN A PATH OF CORRUPTION AND DUPLICITY.

KARKAT: BECAUSE WHEN YOU LIVE INSIDE A SKIN THAT’S A LIE, YOU’LL EITHER GROW TO FIT IT, OR COLLAPSE UNDER THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF YOUR OWN SHIT-SPEWING COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.

KARKAT: TRUST ME, I FUCKING KNOW, BECAUSE I USED TO SPEW AN UNTOLD AMOUNT OF SHIT.

I think this is well put. I think it gets to the heart of a lot of things, that this story is talking about, apart from the free will/alternate possibilities stuff...

Anyway, that wins Jake over to their side.

chapter 31

Back to Terezi eating weird things in space. (Nice!)

Do god tiers need to eat? ...come to think of it, Terezi never actually went god tier.

Anyway, Terezi and John have a heart to heart. About the doomed timeline... and about Vriska. Terezi refers to the Remem8er flash, where she found a connection with the Terezi from the Game Over timeline.

TEREZI: TH4TS WHY 1M OUT H3R3

TEREZI: YOU S33...

TEREZI: TH4T DOOM3D T3R3Z1 M1SS3D VR1SK4 *SO* MUCH, 1T W4S L1K3 4 HOL3 1N H3R H34RT

TEREZI: 1 R3M3MB3R TH3 W4Y SH3 F3LT, B3C4US3 ON3 T1M3, 4LL H3R M3MOR13S C4M3 FLOOD1NG B4CK

TEREZI: 1 3V3N GOT TO S33 WH4T H4PP3N3D WH3N SH3 D13D

TEREZI: SH3 4ND 4NOTH3R VR1SK4 GHOST F1N4LLY FOUND 34CH OTH3R

TEREZI: 1T M4D3 M3 SO H4PPY G3TT1NG TO F33L TH4T, 4S 1F 1T W4S ON3 OF MY OWN M3MOR13S

TEREZI: 1T JUST R31NFORC3D TH3 F33L1NG TH4T TH3R3 W4S SOM3TH1NG SP3C14L B3TW33N US

TEREZI: 4ND 1 JUST K3PT H4NG1NG ON TO TH4T B3L13F, R1GHT UP UNT1L...

TEREZI: OH, 1 DONT KNOW

TEREZI: NOW???

TEREZI: 1V3 PR4CT1C4LLY D3VOT3D MY L1F3 TO C3RT41N M3MOR13S, TO TH3 1D34 TH4T TWO P3OPL3 C4N B3 M34NT TO B3 W1TH 34CH OTH3R ON SOM3 COSM1C L3V3L, 3V3N 1F TH3Y 4LW4YS S33M TO G3T 34CH OTH3R 1NTO TROUBL3

TEREZI: 4LL TH4T 1NV3STM3NT, 4LL TH4T S34RCH1NG...

TEREZI: 4ND FOR *WH4T*?

TEREZI: OV3R 4 SW33P TOG3TH3R, 4ND SH3 JUST D1S4PP34RS 1NTO THE VO1D 4G41N?!

TEREZI: WH4T 4 HUG3 B1TCH

T_T

Anyway, this gets to the crux of the matter: Earth C may supposedly be paradise, but it doesn’t feel like it for either of them. To quote a certain book series, “perhaps some people just don’t have the knack of being happy”.

Anyway, Terezi can’t bear to part with John just yet - so she offers to take a look at his tooth wound. There’s a very funny moment where alt-Calliope narrates the blade drawing in a way so as to personally antagonise Dirk, who is pissed.

Terezi removes the poisonous tooth and then dresses John’s wound - I’ll be interested to hear from @drc4ble if her wound care is up to snuff. Then they have post-surgery makeouts.

Literally any even slightly intimate moment lol (or even a fight)... I miss feeling able to be that affectionate with people.

Although this is a het scene, it actually feels surprisingly... not het. idk. Not sure how to clarify that.

alt-Calliope, I guess, hasn’t lost her obsession with shipping and intimacy from when she was small. She claims she’s merely allowing John to perceive his “true” thoughts - and that’s why he’s being so bold. But that involves a decision, right, about which of his thoughts are “true”?

chapter 32

Apparently “proximity to a black hole”, a proxy for void, renders Roxy’s internal monologue perceptible to alt-Calliope, even though it wouldn’t normally be for those “on a higher textual plane”.

as for alt-Calliope, narrated as Jade:

looking beyond the wall she faces, and beyond everything past it, through the very fabric of narrative itself. they scan the ciliary veins of pacing, motivation, foreshadowing, irony—a continuum that has been upended by the prince’s interference.

Dirk and alt-Calliope are back to arguing in the narration - about how diverse the crowds are, for example. Dirk dismisses alt-Calliope’s narration as “fake-woke”.

Anyway, despite Dirk’s needling in the narration, Roxy and Dave have a well-observed conversation about like, figuring out your gay/trans/nb/etc, coming out and so forth. Dave talks about like, various stages of more-or-less-ironic self-denial. Dirk gets increasingly irate at the discussion of gender and sexuality that doesn’t lead straightforwardly into like, clear-cut relationships.

Also he’s preparing to assassinate Jake. Unable to force his thoughts into narration, he just speaks out loud, and I guess alt-Calliope reports his words.

Dirk starts climbing the bell tower. Alt-Calliope tries various means to stop him: narrating that his feet feel heavy - he monologues that he has determination to get past this - dropping a bell on him - he monologues that he’s destroying the bell with his sword. Then they just dismiss him as boring...

Alt-Calliope resorts to warning Dave of the assassination attempt. This is turning into Death Note here... “ah, but what you didn’t realise is...” type shit stacking on top of each other. Dave stands in front of Jake, which would be a Heroic death, something Dirk isn’t willing to expose him to. But Dirk’s gun isn’t loaded with bullets, but with... tranq darts. But moreover, he was misleading us as to his intentions.

He wasn’t going to shoot Jake at all. He was going to shoot alt-Calliope/Jade... giving him back control over the narration!

That was interesting though. Cherubs are fuckin’ weird, I’ll totally concede. Still not sure what makes them tick. What they idealize, what they really want. It all comes across to me as a little cloying. Perfection to them is a sweetness beyond comprehension. Sugar so potent it’s poison to us. To our bodies, to our souls. Like the place she was operating from was a realm of self-construction. A bubble of pure, phantasmal confection.

Well, I for one have had enough of that goddamn toothache. I’m back in the protein saddle, motherfuckers. I’m clacking my tongs, and the charcoal is hot.

Now who’s hungry for meat?

Epilogue 5, in toto

So this is just a ludicrously meta version of Death Note now? ok, ok...

Dirk has essentially taken the role of Caliborn, in terms of representing one of two poles of what Homestuck is “about”. Where Caliborn was about tedious masculinity and over the top carnage, Dirk seems to want plots: plans unfolding, some kind of big elegant modernist [that may be incorrect] construction where everything is “in its proper place” according to an artistic vision.

alt-Calliope now seems to want to tell a story about the personal, about complex but ultimately happy relationships, and of course to let these characters fulfil ‘their own will’, somehow...

#momestuck

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ascendant-rp · 2 years

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Name: Khalid al-Bariqi. Gender and pronouns: cis man & he/him. Age: 38. Occupation: Double Agent for the CIA (feeds them lies and is basically a double agent for the Earth Syndicate). Affiliation: Earth Syndicate. Power: Poison Generation. Suggested FC’s: Rami Malek.

Your being is either the rebellious adventurer who listens to the inner voice or allows the Virgo to be the boss and settles for the devoted and responsible approach, but as a highly frustrated traditionalist. The balance of Virgo-Sagittarius people compromise by working in an integrated and formal framework, but keeping a bold, impulsive spirit. You have a strong autonomous aspect and high standards. Your Sagittarius Moon makes you a lover of freedom and a rebel; someone who is impulsive and adventurous. On the other hand, the Virgo Sun leads you to be careful, tolerant, quiet and methodical. These are very diverse signs, which lead to a multifaceted and interesting person, but one who is mixed up. When setting your goals and defining your beliefs and life-style, you are never certain which part of your twin personality should be in charge. You believe you ought to be your own boss and this is probably correct. Being an independent businessperson is a good choice for Virgo-Sagittarius. No matter what you choose for your profession, your work behavior always shows a Virgo's realism and administration, together with the Sagittarius fervor and nerve. Impulsiveness at times, counteracts your best attempts. A full social life and a lot of outside interests are very important. You will surprise yourself and just move on one day if you let your attachment to your job make you feel restricted. You have a powerful need to express your feelings and beliefs and are very humorous, but there is also a leaning toward speaking out and being blunt with off the cuff comments. You may at times, because of this, disaffect those very close to you. You should attempt to think about the feelings of others before you speak. As wonderful as they may be, keeping your thoughts to yourself is sometime better. Your success in life is helped by your persuasive, charming manner, which draws people to you. There are times when you fancy testing your luck, use intuition, or go with some amorous or daring notion even though you seem to be fairly unworried most of the time. If you feel you are somewhat restricted or controlled by work, marriage or life-style, this yearning will overcome you. At the first sign of boredom or drudgery you get fidgety. By being sure your pursuits and work offer the exhilaration and variety you require, you can learn to manage that unpredictable nature of yours.

THE KILLJOY – confidant

You like to speak first, think later, something the Killjoy has learned to accept and cherish. They needed someone, so you quickly took them under your wing and truly made them feel safe and fully respected for who they are despite their powers and the possible danger accompanying it. This strength is something to be admired, in your opinion, their entire character and spirit.

THE AMBASSADOR – stranger

The two of you met in a diner in Queens, immediately recognized one another as enemies, as Ascendants fighting for different syndicates. You know you should’ve just addressed the elephant in the room and maybe hold a gun against their head the moment you had a chance to. You haven’t seen them ever since and the fact you haven’t done anything still annoys you.

THE CHARLATAN – former partner in crime

You paid some good money for their help without anyone knowing, of course, giving the Charlatan a huge advantage if only they’d reveal how you gave them money for their services. The service itself? Reading the emotions of your opponents on the poker table so you’d eventually win and split the money with them.

THE IDEALIST is currently TAKEN and is played by RAMI MALEK.

look through all of their connections.

Khalid was never an easy child. Always questioning his father’s shady businesses and not caring for his traditional, boring views, Khalid rather enjoyed roaming around with his friends, eager to find his own place in life. Charming and bold, he loved being the leader of his own little pack, determining their every move and leading them to adventures, eager to explore the world around him. This helped to release him from the clutches of his own father, whose plans included his only son taking over his drug regime. With everything being set up against his will, Khalid soon found himself in the middle of a war. One of his father’s biggest rivals chose to take action. A lovely Sunday morning in Chicago, the only rain that day were bullets, shot directly into his father at brunch. That’s when Khalid ran to the police, seeking shelter, unable to lead everything his father had built, at the age of 12.

He found out soon enough how important the CIA was around here. They’d made sure to protect and help him find his own place in this world. New York City was big, one could easily hide from a Chicago drug boss around five big families. Khalid swore to obey the law from now on, always trying his best to do good in school and, hopefully, work for those who’d saved him from this mess to begin with. Of course his mother remained in contact and he received a large sum of money every year on his birthday. And yet, despite doing everything in his power to defy his father’s legacy and become his own man, the past eventually caught up to him. Word spread about a Chicagoean troublemaker entering New York City looking for someone. Unwilling to substitute for his father but more than willing to avenge him, Khalid chose to follow the rumors, leading him to no other than Darius, a man he only knew by his name, but recognized by his face almost immediately. His father’s gun, sloppily aimed at the one that had been the last reminder of his father -- and a trigger, pulled all the way, fast, and it was done.

While he wasn’t a fan of killing, others began to appreciate Khalid’s willingness to do what had to be done. With the help of his mother, Khalid began to slither his way back to the CIA, a bosses son unwilling to take over his father’s business, turned spy for the CIA, turned... good? Not really. To honor his father’s legacy, Khalid got into contact with the Earth Syndicate. Their idea of help from outside was a double agent willing to do what had to be done. Khalid had found his equals, his family. So he chose both sides equally - his past and future, in an attempt to become his own person, to play with the cards life had dealt him. To be worthy. To be something.

#idealistbio #virgot #virgo #killjoy #ambassador #charlatan #taken #earth

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seanmalatesta · 5 years

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4 Must-Have Traits in Every Person You Hire

Most leaders I’ve met want to build a high-performance organization. Instinctively, they know that this requires great people. But few of them have ever taken the time to define exactly what they are looking for when it comes to the ideal candidate.

Good leaders begin the recruiting process with a written job description. This generally includes the required educational experience and technical skills. But great leaders do more than this. They take a step back and look at the baseline qualities of the candidate.

They ask questions like—

What kind of employees are we trying to attract?

What kind of people will get the results we want and others expect?

What kind of people do we want to surround ourselves with?

What kind of people will contribute to the culture we are trying to build?

Warm bodies are obviously not enough. Better-than-average won’t get you there either. Even “really good people” are insufficient. You need higher standards if you are going to achieve your mission.

As I have thought about this, I have reduced these high standards to a sort of formula: H3S.

I want to fill my company with people who are humble, honest, hungry, and smart. The “h” in the word “high” represents the first three attributes. The “s” in the word “standards” represents the last attribute. All are equally important, but let me expound on each of them separately.

For simplicity sake, I’m going to use the masculine pronoun below, but it should be understood that the ideal candidate may, of course, be either a man or a woman. Gender is irrelevant.

Humble

Humble people have a good sense of himself. They don’t think more highly of themselves than they should (pride), nor lower than they ought (poor self-esteem). They are sober-minded, having a realistic grip on their strengths and weaknesses.

They do not exhibit self-ambition. They might be ambitious for the cause, company, or team, but they’re not ambitious for themselves. They aren’t overly concerned about their title, status, or position relative to others.

Humble people assume the posture of a learner and don’t pretend to know more than they do. It never crosses their mind that they may be the smartest person in the room.

They respect other points of view and asks questions to make sure that they understand an idea before criticizing it. They make other people feel smart and competent.

They are others-centered, no matter who the other person is. They acknowledge “the little people,” those that are easily overlooked by everyone else. They are valued and treated as peers.

Whenever I hire an executive, I always like to take him or her to dinner. I am always interested to see how they treat the host, the waiters, and even the busboys. Will they be curt? Demanding or brusque? Does they treat the people who serve them with dignity? Do they even notice them? Are they appreciative?

I am always leery of people who suck-up to those they want something from and disrespect everyone else. There’s no explaining it away. This is a character flaw. I have no patience for it, and I don’t want someone like that working in my organization.

Humble people are open to correction and not defensive. They are quick to admit mistakes and apologize. They know how to say, “I am sorry. What I did was wrong. Will you please forgive me?” Everyone makes mistakes. The truly humble try to make it right. Usually, they have had plenty of practice.

They are conscious of the contributions others have made to their life, career, and achievement. They are quick to give credit and express sincere gratitude. Conversely, when others compliment them, they offer a simple thank-you, without making a big fuss about it.

Finally, they do not consider certain jobs to be beneath them. They see what needs to be done, pitch in, and are just happy to be part of the team.

Honest

As Dr. Stephen R. Covey points out in The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People:

Honesty is telling the truth—in other words, conforming our words to reality. Integrity is conforming reality to our words—in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. This requires an integrated character, a oneness, primarily with self but also with life. (195–196)

When I use the term honesty, I am referring to both honesty and integrity.

At the most basic level, honest people not lie, exaggerate, or misrepresent the facts. Spin control is a foreign concept. So is bragging. If anything, they are given to understatement, especially about their own accomplishments.

They do not withhold negative information but give you the good, the bad, and the ugly. They have the courage to face reality head on and make their words conform to it. They would never ask someone else to lie on their behalf or cover for them.

They are also honest in giving others feedback. They are able to be direct without being hurtful. They don’t say anything about those who are absent that they wouldn’t say if they were present. They avoid drama.

Finally, honest people keep their commitments, even when it is difficult, expensive, or inconvenient. If they said they’d do it, they do. You can take it to the bank.

Early in my career, I was able to land the job as a marketing director at one of the larger publishing houses. The only problem was that I didn’t have any experience. None!

So my new boss put me on an informal 90-day probationary period. He said, “Look, I think you will do fine, but let’s agree to a 90-day trial run. If everything goes as planned, I will give you a raise equal to 10 percent of your annual salary. If not, we’ll shake hands and part company as friends.” I enthusiastically agreed, rolled up my sleeves, and got to work.

Knowing that this was an enormous opportunity, I read everything I could on marketing. I worked hard. I got to the office early and left late. I was determined to prove to my boss that he had made the right decision.

At the end of the 90-day period, I was actually looking forward to my review. I knew I had exceeded his expectations. I was confident I would get the raise.

My boss called me into his office. After the usual pleasantries, he said, “Mike, you have done an outstanding job. You have exceeded my expectations in every way. I am very proud of you.”

“But I have one problem,” he continued. “Last week, our parent company instituted a salary and wage freeze. They have refused to consider any exceptions.”

My heart sank. Though I tried to appear professional, I’m sure that my disappointment was written all over my face.

Then he handed me an envelope and said the most amazing thing. “In that envelope is a check for the amount I promised you. It’s not from the company, but from me personally. I have discussed this with my wife, and we are both in agreement. You don’t have a choice about whether or not to accept it. So don’t even think about refusing. I made a commitment to you. You lived up to your end of the bargain—and then some—and I want to live up to mine.”

As a young businessman, that act made an enormous impression on me. Not only did it bond me to my boss—still one of my best friends—for life, it has provided concrete guidance in every tough decision I have ever made.

Hungry

A hungry person is someone with an appetite. Metaphorically speaking, their last meal is already a fading memory. They want to eat, and they want to eat now. All they can think about is food!

In other words, hungry people don’t dwell on past accomplishments. They are never satisfied. They’re always reaching for more—setting higher goals. They are driven to exceed whatever expectations have been imposed upon them. This is just a part of their make-up.

They are intellectually curious. They read constantly—news sources, magazines, and books. Lots of books. They love learning new things and sharing that learning with others.

Hungry people don’t get stuck in a rut. They’re open to new ideas and new ways of solving old problems. That means they’re always looking for the best solution and embrace change if it will take them—or the company—to a new level.

They come to meetings prepared, having completed their homework. In the meeting, they listen actively, asking lots of questions and taking notes. Afterward, they follow up. They complete assignments on time without someone having to prod them. They are relentless when it comes to execution.

In short, hungry people full out, holding nothing back. More than anything, they want to win and are willing to pay the price to do so.

Smart

Smart people usually score high on traditional IQ tests. But not always. You have to be careful. Some people are book-smart but street-stupid. I’d like to have both. But if forced to choose, I’ll take the street-smart candidate.

Smart people are a quick study. They can connect the dots without a lot of help. They have a natural ability to think laterally, that is, across disciplines. They can apply learning from one field or category to another.

They’re comfortable using metaphors and analogies. They know how to make complex subjects simple without confusing themselves and everyone else in the process.

I was a philosophy major. Some of the books I had to read were really difficult. I remember reading, re-reading, and then re-re-reading some particularly tough passages. Then it dawned on me. If this guy is so smart, why can’t he explain this in a way that is easy to follow? I concluded it was a case of “the emperor having no clothes.”

In my experience, confusion often masquerades as complexity. Listening to an explanation, you might be tempted to think that you’re just not smart enough to understand the issue. In reality, the presenter may not understand it well enough to make it simple. I want people working for me who are smart enough to work through the complexity in order to arrive at a simple explanation.

Smart people also ask thoughtful questions. They see connections between topics that others miss. They are aware of nuances. And they have diverse interests, which come in handy when trying to understand new information.

They are also able to focus mentally, for long periods of time if necessary. They don’t give up quickly. They keep pressing until they gain clarity or insight. They are a creative problem solvers.

Finally, smart people have cognitive intelligence. That’s mostly what I have covered here. But that alone is not sufficient. In my opinion, a successful candidate also needs emotional, relational, and even spiritual intelligence to succeed.

Summary

It’s hard to find the buried treasure unless you have a map. It’s difficult to win a scavenger hunt unless you have a list. And it’s impossible to hire the right people unless you know exactly what you are looking for.

In my company, I want to hire people who are H3S: humble, honest, hungry, and smart. If I can do that consistently, I will build a great and enduring organization.

By the way, I have also developed a list of 25 questions to ask candidates. These questions help you discern whether or not he or she is the ideal candidate. You will find them, if you know what to look for.

from Michael Hyatt https://ift.tt/2Zw8dPX via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Michael Hyatt

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njawaidofficial · 6 years

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Queens Are Questioning RuPaul’s Grip On Drag Culture After His Controversial Trans Comments

https://styleveryday.com/2018/03/09/queens-are-questioning-rupauls-grip-on-drag-culture-after-his-controversial-trans-comments/

Queens Are Questioning RuPaul’s Grip On Drag Culture After His Controversial Trans Comments

RuPaul in drag promoting the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.

VH1

“I’m not just [a] drag queen,” RuPaul once said. “I am the drag queen — number one.”

For more than 20 years, RuPaul has been the face of drag in America. In the early ‘90s, the nation’s curiosity was piqued by the 6-foot-4-inch man who strutted around unapologetically in outrageous dresses, dazzling blonde wigs, and thigh-high boots — the same man who coined the famous phrase, “You’re born naked and the rest is drag.” RuPaul wiggled his way into the public consciousness with hits like “Supermodel” and “Snapshot,” became the face of a high-profile MAC cosmetics campaign, and even briefly helmed a talk show, The RuPaul Show, in the mid ‘90s.

But it was RuPaul’s Drag Race, the Emmy award–winning show, that truly brought drag culture — and, with it, RuPaul — out from gay bars and ballrooms and into people’s living rooms.

The show, soon to begin its 10th season but currently airing its third season of the All Stars iteration, may have begun as a wry parody of America’s Next Top Model, but it’s since evolved into a pop culture smash embraced not only by the LGBT community but the internet at large. (If you’ve been online at all in the last few years, chances are you’ve encountered a reaction GIF from the meme-generating show.)

But in light of what have been called transphobic comments by the television star, some in the LGBT community, including drag queens and former Drag Race contestants, are questioning the influence RuPaul wields over drag culture and wondering whether drag is evolving beyond the queen who helped pioneer it.

Chelsea Guglielmino / Getty Images

The controversy began this past weekend when RuPaul was asked by the Guardian if he would allow a transgender contestant to compete on the show if they had physically transitioned. The answer? “Probably not.”

“You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body,” RuPaul told the newspaper.

“It takes on a different thing; it changes the whole concept of what we’re doing,” he said. “We’ve had some girls who’ve had some injections in the face and maybe a little bit in the butt here and there, but they haven’t transitioned.”

(RuPaul’s representatives did not respond to multiple requests for comment from BuzzFeed News. In the Guardian piece, RuPaul was out of drag, and has said in multiple interviews that he doesn’t really care what gender or pronouns people use when referring to him.)

In the interview, RuPaul noted that Peppermint, a queen who appeared on Drag Race Season 9 and who finished as first runner-up, did identify as a woman while competing in the show, but argued she hadn’t “really transitioned” because she didn’t have breast implants.

Peppermint in 2017.

Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

Several former contestants on the show were quick to express their shock, hurt, and strong disagreement with RuPaul’s comments.

“My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men, and gender non-conforming folks doing drag,” tweeted the the show’s most recent winner, Sasha Velour. “That’s the real world of drag, like it or not.”

“A queen is a queen and I’m sad that we keep having to say this,” Velour said.

Tatianna, a veteran queen from Season 2 of Drag Race who later competed on All Stars, said, “Drag is art. Drag is for everyone. Drag can be created by anyone.”

Gia Gunn, another former contestant from the show’s sixth season, said on Twitter, “Trans women were the first entertainers I ever saw in drag and have always been a big part of the industry.”

Gunn, who came out as trans after her stint on the show, later asked in a YouTube video, “Does this mean as a trans woman I will no longer be considered for future seasons of All Stars?”

Yet some contestants also defended RuPaul. Season 8’s Derrick Barry said RuPaul should be able to set his own rules: “You may not agree with all the rules, but please be respectful to his vision for the show.”

VH1

But for many trans and gender-nonconforming people, the comments RuPaul made weren’t surprising given his past history, according to Meredith Talusan, the executive editor at Condé Nast’s LGBT vertical, Them, and a former BuzzFeed employee.

Talusan, who is trans, told BuzzFeed News that she used to watch Drag Race but stopped after RuPaul came under fire in 2014 for using the words like “tranny” and “she-male” in segments on the show.

That controversy prompted GLAAD, the LGBT media watchdog, to release a statement condemning the use of the derogatory terms. “These words only serve to dehumanize transgender people and should not be used,” GLAAD said.

After that storm, Logo, the network on which Drag Race previously aired before switching to VH1, issued an apologetic statement: “We have heard the concerns around this segment. We are committed to sharing a diverse range of trans stories across all our screens and look forward to featuring positive and groundbreaking stories of trans people in the future.”

“I just didn’t necessarily feel like he was responding to the criticism,” Talusan said of the 2014 controversy. “I didn’t really see a demonstration of real affinity with the trans community and so I guess not having felt that myself, I felt like it was a show I didn’t absolutely need in my life.”

Venus Selenite, a black trans woman writer, also said on Twitter that RuPaul’s past comments had “shown us who he is.”

“His recent comments about not allowing trans people on Drag Race are not surprising,” Selenite said. “They are harmful and wrong, but not surprising.”

Selenite, who declined an interview with BuzzFeed News, recently wrote a Twitter thread titled “#RuPaul, His Transphobic History, and Why He Is Not the Know-It-All on Drag.”

Season 9 winner Sasha Velour defended trans drag queens after RuPaul’s comments.

Afp Contributor / AFP / Getty Images

Peppermint, the trans queen RuPaul mentioned in the Guardian piece, told BuzzFeed News she felt “perplexed, sad, fearful, and speechless” upon hearing the host’s words for the first time.

“My womanhood is not really up for debate and negotiation by anybody else, and my womanhood is not at stake,” Peppermint said.

Mathew Rodriguez, a staff writer at the LGBT-focused website Into, said RuPaul should not be afforded any leniency based on his status or star power.

“I don’t think that in other instances we would be like, ‘okay,’ if a show discriminated against a group of people based on their bodily reality,” he told BuzzFeed News.

For Rodriguez, RuPaul’s rules about anatomy were a “masking for transmisogyny and misogyny in general,” and they also overlooked the historical contributions of trans women to drag.

“A lot of culture starts on the margins, and with drag culture, that starts with trans women of color,” Rodriguez said. “The most marginalized in our community kind of helped build this art, this craft and now as it gets more mainstream they’re being kept out of the conversation.”

For instance, Marsha P. Johnson, who played an integral role in the Stonewall riots of 1969, was a black drag performer who many believe would have identified today as a trans woman (the term transgender was not in wide use in her lifetime).

The country’s leading trans rights group, the National Center for Transgender Equality, has noted the difference between people who perform drag and people who are transgender, but adds, “While some drag queens live their lives as men outside of their drag personae, people of any gender can be drag queens.”

After the outraged reaction to his comments, RuPaul eventually released a statement, saying, “I understand and regret the hurt I have caused.”

“The trans community are heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement,” he said. “You are my teachers.”

Talusan, the Them editor, said RuPaul needs to be reminded of the influence he wields as a gatekeeper in the drag community. “RuPaul isn’t necessarily mindful of just the power he has within this industry, the power that he has in terms of controlling people’s livelihoods, being able to sort of like turn people into celebrities,” she said.

“I personally know very successful trans drag queens who are just like, ‘I will just never have the opportunity to make — my career advancement, ya know, is limited, simply because of the fact that I can never be on Drag Race,’” she said.

“I think it’s a good time for us to examine our dependence upon one source for what’s supposed to be a diverse kind of flow for information and culture and art, which is drag”

For Peppermint, RuPaul’s comments should prompt some soul-searching in the LGBT community over the influence Drag Race holds over drag culture.

“I think it’s a good time for us to examine our dependence upon one source for what’s supposed to be a diverse kind of flow for information and culture and art, which is drag,” said Peppermint.

However, she stressed she didn’t think it’s time to “invalidate or demote RuPaul” after this recent mishap.

“I think we just need to look for someone else who can provide just as much influence,” she said.

More local drag queens are now making themselves heard online in the aftermath of RuPaul’s comments, according to Rodriguez.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of local performers speak up and say, ‘Hey, this is only one facet of drag and the community’s so much larger,’” he said.“So if this is something that you love, but maybe you’re not totally invested in RuPaul anymore, go to your local bars, support your local queens.’”

“Drag Race is not the only way in America to consume drag,” Rodriguez said.

“Drag Race is not the only way in America to consume drag.”

With growing pains being a part of any successful franchise, Peppermint said she doesn’t believe this will be the nail in the coffin for the show. “I don’t think it’s going to tarnish the show or turn people off from watching it,” she said. “I think, if anything, I’m hoping it causes people from the community to rally around it and take care of this precious, this gift that we have.”

But, she cautioned, the show needs to adapt to keep up with the times.

“I think anything that’s going to survive in the future needs to be adaptable … people who don’t adapt, things that don’t adapt, they die off,” she said.

Peppermint said she hopes she won’t be the last trans queen to compete on the highly rated reality show — and RuPaul has since indicated he’s open to including trans queens. After his initial apology, the host tweeted, “In the 10 years we’ve been casting Drag Race, the only thing we’ve ever screened for is charisma uniqueness nerve and talent. And that will never change.” (However, the tweet was mocked by some, as rather than including a picture of the striped trans flag, RuPaul shared an image of green and yellow stripes that some were quick to note appeared to be a 1950s artwork titled “Train Landscape”).

Despite her hurt, Peppermint hopes RuPaul is able to recover from this latest blunder.

“She’s human and has the right to her opinions and she said she’s learned from this experience and it appears as though there was a little bit of an evolution or a change, at least some openness.”

“I have to take that for what it is. If she’s apologizing, I accept it. If she’s saying she’s open, I accept that,” Peppermint said.

“Everyone has room to change.”

LINK: RuPaul’s Version Of LGBT History Erases Decades Of Trans Drag Queens

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ntrending · 6 years

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How Etsy's revolution has become a 'cautionary tale of capitalism'

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/how-etsys-revolution-has-become-a-cautionary-tale-of-capitalism/

How Etsy's revolution has become a 'cautionary tale of capitalism'

The first time Josh Silverman addressed the staff of Etsy as their newly installed chief executive, he tried to connect with a work force known for its diversity, idealism and sincerity.

“Hello,” he said. “My name is Josh. I identify as male. My preferred pronouns are ‘him’ and ‘he.’ Most people just call me Josh.”

It was May 3, and Mr. Silverman was speaking to a roomful of traumatized employees. The day before, Etsy had fired 80 people, the first big layoffs at the online marketplace for handmade and vintage arts and crafts. Among those ousted was Etsy’s beloved chief executive of six years, Chad Dickerson.

Now Mr. Silverman — an Etsy board member but an unknown to most employees — stood in the Etsytorium, trying to win over a hostile crowd. His earnest introduction was an olive branch of sorts, an effort to signal that he was attuned to Etsy’s vibrant gay and transgender community, and would be respectful of the company’s distinctive culture. But to many in attendance, his remarks came off as tone deaf, and his inability to read the room foreshadowed sweeping changes that would soon transform Etsy.

The drama began last November, when Mr. Silverman joined the Etsy board and began asking tough questions of management. Soon after that, an activist investor took a stake in Etsy and called for the sale of the company. Then powerful private equity firms began buying shares, stoking fears of a takeover. The board was under pressure, and in early May abruptly fired Mr. Dickerson and installed Mr. Silverman.

On the same day as the chief executive changeover, the company announced its first layoffs. Within weeks of assuming control, Mr. Silverman shut down several projects that had been in the works for months. Not long after that, he fired another 140 employees.

It was a dizzying series of events at a company that has long held itself up as a paragon of righteous business practices. Etsy’s founders believed its business model — helping mostly female entrepreneurs make a living online — was inherently just. Employees shared their emotions freely, often crying at the office. Perks included generous paid parental leave, free organic food and a pet-friendly workplace. Etsy was certified as a B Corp by a nonprofit called B Lab, denoting its particularly high social and environmental standards.

Read more on the New York Times: From Atari (Remember It?), a New Console With Old Games How Etsy Employees Dress for the Office Why ‘Made in America’ Is Stitched Into the Law, but Not the Uniforms

But once Etsy went public in 2015, it was evaluated just like any other company traded on the stock market. By late last year, expenses were growing fast. And even as the company reported $88 million in revenues during the third quarter, it posted a net loss of $2.5 million. After a few quarters of tepid results, investors grew impatient and a classic clash of corporate governance came spilling into view — how would a company like Etsy balance the short-term demands of its shareholders with its high-minded long-term mission?

By some important metrics, Etsy appears to be improving under Mr. Silverman’s leadership. Revenues are up, as are “gross merchandise sales” — the total value of goods being sold on Etsy. The company’s stock has risen about 50 percent in the six months since he took over.

The Times invited Etsy sellers to share their experiences. Hundreds replied; here are selected responses.

“I’ve seen Etsy through all these changes, and for the first time, I’m worried.”— Abby Glassenberg

By other measures, however, Etsy is barely recognizable. The “Values-Aligned Business” team, which oversaw the company’s social and environmental efforts, was dismantled. A new focus on profitability has sapped many employees of their enthusiasm. A workplace that once encouraged workers to express their feelings has clammed up. Etsy is no longer a B Corp.

Today, as Mr. Silverman continues to push for change and investors keep close watch on the stock, what’s most frustrating to some close observers of the company is that Etsy seems to have given up so much to gain so little.

“Etsy had the potential to be one of the truly great ones,” said Matt Stinchcomb, an early employee who now runs the Good Work Institute,which was originally an Etsy charitable foundation before being spun off last year. “But it looks like they are cutting anything that’s not essential to the business. This is a cautionary tale of capitalism.”

Etsy was founded in 2005 by a group of friends including Robert Kalin, an amateur furniture maker who was looking for a better way to sell his goods online. To explain the power of Etsy’s community of buyers and sellers, Mr. Kalin often read aloud from a children’s book, Swimmy, which is about a school of fish finding strength in numbers. Mr. Kalin became the chief executive, and his sensitive affect set the tone for the company culture.

Makers and crafts enthusiasts flocked to the site, grateful that there was somewhere besides eBay and Amazon where they could buy and sell jewelry, furniture and clothing online. Abby Glassenberg was one of the site’s first sellers, using it to find a market for her handmade stuffed animals, and has chronicled Etsy over the years with her popular blog and podcast. “At this point it was really hard to sell online,” she said. “Etsy was a godsend.”

As Etsy grew, it eschewed traditional corporate customs in favor of a more freewheeling approach. Building consensus was more important than moving fast. Employees believed Etsy could be equally beneficial to buyers, sellers, staff and the planet. The idealism was infectious, and many people turned down higher salaries from other companies to work for Etsy.

Yet for all its efforts to stand apart, Etsy followed the established playbook when it came to financing its growth. Venture capitalists poured some $85 million into the company, making a takeover or initial public offering all but inevitable.

In 2011, the board decided to replace Mr. Kalin with Mr. Dickerson, who was then the chief technology officer. As C.E.O., Mr. Dickerson oversaw dramatic growth. When he took Etsy public in 2015, the company had 1.4 million active sellers, nearly 20 million buyers and had gross merchandise sales of $2 billion a year.

True to form, Etsy found ways to make its initial public offering inclusive. It marketed shares to small investors and Etsy sellers and tried to concentrate shares in a smaller than usual number of institutional holders. Besides upholding the company’s egalitarian ethos, the effort had a strategic rationale. The hope was that such a shareholder base might insulate Etsy from some of the short-term pressures of the stock market.

It didn’t work. In the first nine months after the offering, the stock fell 75 percent. Etsy was still spending heavily on growth and marketing, and while revenues were up in early quarters, the company was unprofitable. Insiders were selling shares, creating more supply than demand for the stock. It didn’t help that Amazon launched a competing vertical, Handmade at Amazon.

Yet even as Etsy grew to number more than 1,000 staffers, the company’s unorthodox culture survived. Mr. Dickerson held weekly “Office Hours,” when any employee could ask him about anything, and spoke openly about his doubts, admitting when he didn’t know the answer to a question.

Etsy became a B Corp in 2012, completing a certification process that put the company on par with Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s in terms of social and environmental bona fides. Meditation and yoga classes were offered during the workday. Companywide meetings, known as “Y’all Hands,” featured musical performances by employees. New mothers and fathers got six months of fully paid parental leave. The company moved into an old Jehovah’s Witness building in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, giving it an eco-friendly face-lift. Men and women shared bathrooms, which were adorned with signs that read “we believe that gender is not binary.”

The emotional, individualistic culture had its drawbacks. The emphasis on go-it-alone craftsmanship meant Etsy managed its own data centers, instead of using more efficient options like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud. With everyone empowered to express themselves, there was a lot of sharing going on. Inboxes were stuffed with unnecessary emails, which dragged on productivity.

Share & Written By CNBC

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