#'are you still on the market' is just as insane as the fit check btw the hits really just kept on coming ����

[mobius-m-mobius]

#happy anniversary to remembering this actually happened 😘✌️

Loki S2 Anniversary x Episode 5 - “Science/Fiction”

[sanstropfremir]

4th gen bg haven't gained popularity outside of their own fanbases which is also why it's rare to see like any of them on variety shows but I've been getting the feeling that ggs are still doing pretty well? Like gg always have been more popular but IVE's been doing like insanely well and even itzy and aespa have done leagues better than the 4th gen bgs from the big three. Anyways I'm sure someone already asked but what 4th gen groups do you think people should keep an eye on on or check out?

that's because girl groups have double the intended audience than boy groups lmao. girl groups are marketed to male AND female audiences, but boy groups are only marketed to female audiences, for many obvious heteronormative reasons.

alrighty (cracks knuckles) you want recs? lemme give you some recs:

purple kiss: debuted 2021. had the most perfect first comeback and have a no skip discography. great performers and have really good intro choreographies. bside recs: pretty psycho, cast pearls before swine

billlie: debuted 2021. they got a big boost in popularity thanks to gingamingayo but i'm gonna rec them anyways bc they deserve it. their debut track inexplicably samples christmas music. they did an excellent kick it cover. bside recs: flipp!ng a coin, overlap

pixy: debuted 2021. flop bc their company is tiny but they do a mean horror concept and have some of the best bsides in the game. they're having a comeback right now pls support. bside recs: greedy, the moon, moonlight.

xg: debuted 2022. they're a korean japanese collab group so they don't promote the same way as other groups do. absolute banger of a first single produced by simon from dalmation, and they're going to be releasing another at the end of the month

cignature: debuted 2020. also flops but they make bangers. boyfriend is what caught my attention but i'm a big fan of assa as well. bside recs: villain, hinghing

tan: debuted 2022. formed from a literal survival show and has the MOST second gen energy you will see outside of someone from second gen. which is fitting because one of the members is actually second gen. incredible rnb debut track and the english version is even better. and here's an acapella version for good measure. surely this traffic light cover will cure my mental illness. they're about to have a comeback that's gonna blow my brains out. bside recs: literally just listen to their whole ep it's three and a half songs.

tempest: debuted 2022. the new boy group from yuehua (woodz's agency). super fun debut track and they're very promising performers. i would commit a crime for hanbin (pink hair). bside recs: bad at love, just a little bit

blitzers: debuted 2021. major first year theatre kid energy and i find it so endearing. the debut choreo involved spinning their maknae 360 degrees for no reason. their first comeback was my favourite choreo of 2021. bside recs: hop in, love bottle.

nine.i: debuted 2022. the most insane (figurative) debut choreo i have ever seen. here's me losing my shit about it in the tags, and here's a reaction video they did where they explain all of the move choices. so basically content made for me and me only. also one of their members produced their entire ep. bside recs: beauty inside, wasted youth

tnx: debuted 2022. these boys are FRESH (like debuted a month ago fresh) but i've been keeping an eye on them thanks to this frankly better than it should have been win cover. all those boys made it into the group btw. bside recs: 180sec, burst up.

omega x: debuted 2021. formed entirely from members of disbanded 3rd gen flop groups as a 'second chance' type group. if you want crunch, here's some crunchy. if you want bright, here's some bright. bside recs: younger, action, bounce with me

dkz (formerly dongkiz): debuted 2019. these boys are mega flops that have already gone through a name change AND a lineup change. absolutely banging music and they do mostly bright and fun concepts. see: cupid, crazy night, lupin, blockbuster, fever

a.c.e: debuted 2017. they debuted in hot pants with only a fetish gear company sponsorship and a dream. they. are. singers. who. SING. they're officially on hiatus rn bc 4/5 of them are in the military but you should still support them. see also: take me higher, down, changer, goblin, undercover

onf: debuted 2017. they're also on hiatus because they all enlisted at the same time (minus their japanese member u) but you should still support them because they produce summer bangers. see: sukhumvit swimming, complete, popping, beautiful beautiful, we must love, goosebumps. also one of the greatest bsides of all time

onlyoneof: debuted 2019. blew up a little bit last year for doing a homoerotic pseudo kink choreo with a dick grab. if you like stuff adjacent to western indie/alt music these are the boys for you. see: savannah, dora maar, sage, angel, designer, gaslighting

golden child: debuted 2017. picking up the story mv slack. one of their members can play paganini and if you don't know what that means, it's not an insignificant skill. see: pump it up, wannabe, burn it (also a story mv)

oneus: debuted 2019. it's likely that most people know about oneus already but in case you didnt, you're welcome. extremely strong dance group and with impeccable concepts. also they have the actual best fourth gen dancer yeo hwanwoong. see: luna, bring it on, no diggity, valkyrie. their sibling group is the kband onewe and you should check them out too.

ok that's enough for now, i think.

[hueningkai]

So not sure if I can still send in an ask about toys BUT IF YES CAN I SHARE!?

So my big thing as a kid, it depended haha. Based on my memory, doll wise I was more into bratz dolls? Like legit the fact they had bobble sized heads and they didn't have feet when taking off their "shoes" was so hilarious to me as a kid that made me love them but also the fashion? Amazing, still holds up to this day. Gosh I had so many bratz dolls lol. I had a bratz rock angelz one (it was Sasha, she was my fav) that I lowkey got salty because my friend stole her from me and denied it she ever did :') i had the bratz snow lodge house along with those skating dolls (best doll house ever btw) then I had two sleepover ones. One was cloe and she had the cutest piggy slippers and comfy pj's (it was plaid sweats and a simple white top with a fluffy bathrobe and a matching sleep mask) and another was Sasha again and she was my fancy sleepover one. She came with these fantastic silk floral robes and pj's, she even had the "normal feet" switch so you could have these rose heels or her actual feet. The best part was this cushion that acted as the sparkly powder for you to use and this (overly musky scented) mini perfume like I loved them. I think I may still have them(?) The rest of my collection i sadly sold because I was "too old for dolls" and I kinda regret that because oof. I also had barbie dolls, those ranged from all kinds like I had one that had a washing machine (which fun fact i put actual soap thinking it would make the experience more real. Not a smart idea but lil me was happy lol) and I remember those fashion design line? I wish I could remember the name but it had like a more fancier option of clothes that you could buy to your barbie doll as a whole so it was a clothing line for your dolls. I have to double check this online lol. I also had a few my scene dolls! Also anyone remember soda pop girls? Yeah my shiz. Polly pocket as well! I had so many and even had those tiny ones that were of magnet? (Random side not but anyone else liked chewing on the polly pocket outfits or pretending you had a lip ring using a dolls bracelet or was that just me?)

Outside of dolls, I had quite the my little pony collection. Heck I even had a few playsets! One was a giant castle that was fantastic and another was I belive a bakery? I remember there was this oven that if you out the metal part of the pony a cake would pop up lol. Also sold those. My proudest collection? My littles pet shop lol. I STILL have my original toys (not the playsets sadly) and even own some of the limited figures where you and to send in stickers to get it? One was a ladybug and a Kola if I remember! Other toys included some pokemon ones and I had a very interesting phase of collecting hot wheel cars? Man I had a good collection as well lol.

OF COURSEEEE!! I just hope you see this anon bc I absolutely love the detail here and appreciate you sending it <3333

agreeeeeed. to this day bratz are iconic and had some of the best fashion in the doll market. the detail & accessories... mga know how to accessorise. you had some amazing ones! the rock angelz line is insanely good, I also really loved the pretty in punk line! omg the sleepover ones were adorable. yasmin was my fav btw! the smells yes! gosh they really did so well with bratz. that is sad :( I actually owned a few recently in my collection but sold them for extra money but I am always tempted to collect again. the collector dolls were gorgeous. side note did you ever watch the live action movie?? bc I love it lmao it may not be the best movie ever but it is a guilty pleasure for me for sure

hmmmmm I'm not sure! there's been so many fashion lines and such that I can't think rn what this is !! I might be able to figure it out if you can give me more detail <3 YES SODA POP GIRLS!! very obscure but sooo good, what a fun line !! I used to chew polly pocket clothes but omg wait I think I did that with the bracelets too, they fit perfectly as a ring hahahahaa!!

oooooo sounds like you had either gen 2 or 3? gen 2 and 3 were based around magnetic play a lot of the time !! I have lady cupcake from gen 2 who has a metal magnetic nose which sticks to a cake and makes it pop up. as a child I had the gen 3 bakery and it had the oven with a magnetic piece that popped open to reveal the cake (I have the oven now!) these are my fav gens (gen 2 being my favourite) and I looooved the magnetic play features. I always wanted to own the castle so I am jealous !!

anon I would love to see anything you have esp your littlest pet shops omg! the fact you had the mail in limited ones too ... so cool! wow you've had so many good collections <3

here's a few of my fav g3s that I own in mib packaging. I had star catcher as a child and she was my favourite so I was glad when I got hold of her new in the box hehe!

( tell me about your childhood toys )

[laws-yellow-submarine]

Did you know. That I would like to hear. Everything I can about your OCs/Quasi-Self Inserts? Because Cringe Culture is dead and I love them.

First of all: THANK YOU for asking about them lol I saw the ask and I got so so excited cause I literally never stop thinking about them lol that being said, I apologize for the novel I just wrote about them lmfao I put it all under the cut (hopefully it works on mobile!), so hopefully I don’t bog down everyone’s feed.

So I don’t wanna reveal too much about Skylar (full name Valentine Skylar), cause I really do plan on actually writing the fic I planned for her (I’m just really good at procrastinating lmao), but like I said in an earlier post: she’s my bisexual disaster brain child running away from her homophobic parents and the threat of conversion therapy by impulsively deciding to sneak onto Law’s submarine when he visits her home island. I’m basing the conversion therapy stuff off of something similar in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead (one of my all time FAVORITES! If you like vampires, action, and romance I can’t recommend it enough! Though you should start with the first series, Vampire Academy as it introduces the world and the cast of characters and the events of that series lead directly into the Bloodlines series. I took some inspiration from Vampire Academy too for some other events in the fic as well).

Skylar is...a lot like me in personality lol she’s 5’5”, goofy, loves to laugh and sing and just generally have fun, and she’s very clumsy. She’s also got major anxiety, but it’s not something she actually has a diagnosis for (so she doesn’t know there’s a problem and can’t handle it when it flares up, she’s unprepared to deal with it). She does like to read, mostly fiction, and she likes to look at the stars, and gaze out the windows of the sub when they’re submerged. She’s very musically gifted. Part of her deal with Law for essentially free room and board is that she cooks (they don’t have a designated cook otherwise, and this way they never have to let Law back in the kitchen again), and while she’s cooking she’ll be singing so loud it carries through the pipes on the sub (almost like they have radio lmfao). She’s also impulsive; her decision to sneak onto Law’s sub was totally spur of the moment, she knew the risks, she knew exactly who’s ship she was sneaking onto (thanks to wanted posters), and that it was dangerous, but she still packed up as much of her stuff as she could, stole a TON of her parents’ money, and snuck on anyway. Law wonders a lot whether she’s just an idiot or possibly someone trying to spy on him (either for the Marines, or more sinisterly for Doflamingo. He knows the likelihood for either of these things is extremely slim, but he keeps her close so he can keep an eye on her. He can’t afford to make a mistake with that). It takes a LONG time for them to move past the “I don’t trust you” stage, and even then she’s much more invested than he is for a really long time, mostly because he’s an emotionally constipated BUTT who doesn’t like to acknowledge that he FEELS THINGS lmao

Most of her life she’s been fighting against someone else’s control; mostly her parents (she’s 21 at the start of the story but hasn’t been able to feel like a true adult until she leaves, they’ve had such a hold over her AND they’re powerful people where she lives so she HAS to leave the island completely to be free). She also experienced some of this with her girlfriend, Mimi, though not to nearly the same extreme. Mimi had big dreams of getting off their island and becoming a world famous musician, along with Skylar. Skylar just wants to travel the world, but Mimi’s loud personality manipulated her into adopting the dream of being a musician. It wasn’t malicious in any way, but usually when Mimi would say “We’re doing this” or “We don’t like that”, Skylar usually agreed. She wouldn’t speak out against it, in part due to finally feeling loved (ahh parent issues lol). About a year before the start of the story, Mimi joins the Marines as a way to start earning some money, as well as getting her foot out the door in a way (it gets her off the island, so all that’s needed is to earn enough to get settled somewhere, go back for Skylar, and then they can begin their life together). Unfortunately, her patrol ship was destroyed by a pirate crew a few months later, and she’s now MIA and presumed dead. 

Being with Law and his crew is really the first time she’s been able to try deciding things for herself, and then follow through. He’s not gonna try to push her in any direction, that’s not his business, and so there comes an extra sense of freedom with them that she’s never had before. 

Law also keeps her around because he finds out she has a roundabout connection to Doflamingo, and he thinks he can find a way to exploit that connection for information. Her parents have a very on-the-level business selling pharmaceuticals, which is what keeps them in good standing with the Marines when they come to the island (there’s no actual base set up, but there’s another close by). They ALSO have a black market business smuggling hallucinogens throughout the Grand Line, beginning to venture into the other seas as well, starting with North Blue. There’s a fruit that grows on the island called the Follia Fruit (literally Insanity in Italian) which causes strong hallucinations when eaten. They were able to get a good foot in the black market using Doflamingo’s connections, and they know HIM because they were actually formerly part of his crew (they left the crew before Law joined, so he doesn’t know them, and they left because Skylar’s grandmother was dying and leaving the entire fortune and family-run business to them, otherwise they would’ve stayed with Doffy. Skylar’s more of an object for them to use.) Skylar vaguely knows her parents have an underworld contact, she’s seen his Jolly Roger in her father’s office, near his wall safe, but she doesn’t know who he actually is. At most she’s heard mention of a “Joker” and that’s it, so Law can easily fish for information without giving up that he’s honestly using her too (he doesn’t have any reason to just be nice to her, especially since she snuck onboard before he ever met her, and that’s part of the journey; balancing his goal with the fact he’s developing feelings for the person he’s using to help achieve that goal). It’s a slooooooooow burn btw lol takes a long time for things to truly get going between them, but when it does it kinda picks up quick. It’s gonna be fun lol

Speaking of the Follia Fruit, that’s how Skylar got her devil fruit. I do NOT have a name for it yet, because I can’t find one I like that still overall fits? But essentially she can manipulate light particles (photons? Idk science stuff, whatever light is actually made of). She can use it to create a camouflage cover (it’s main use, she’s a sneaky person despite also being clumsy as hell lmfao), and that works like she’s placing a cloak over herself (like an invisibility cloak!), and she also eventually learns to create force fields of hardened light, like the light bridges in Portal 2 (it takes a lot of energy though, so it’s not nearly as easy, but it does come in handy). Whether these are all actually scientifically sound remains irrelevant, in my universe it works muahahaha (there is precedent for these powers at least, I just don’t know how it all actually works. Science is NOT my forte). She was actually trying to eat the Follia Fruit when she ate the devil fruit instead, as when consumed in a large enough dose it can be fatal (so yeah, WARNING there: her girlfriend is dead, she’s being tortured, she manages to escape at one point and decides she absolutely is NOT going back). Fortunately, she didn’t check what fruit she was eating before chowing down, and she not only lived but she gained super powers lol. She also at one point asks Law to help teach her how to fight and defend herself, which is super fun cause she’s NOT in shape lol but she does eventually learn at least basic hand to hand and how to use a blade (typically a knife or a dagger, she’s small).

Skylar also works very hard to develop her Observation Haki. I’ve always wondered if it was possible to manipulate your haki so you could be indetectable by other users, which would be extremely useful when your abilities include sneaking and camouflage. So Skylar learns how to do it, focusing more on the detection aspects of haki than any of the other uses (predicting movement). It hasn’t been shown in canon, obviously, but I think it’s feasible.

Clearly I’ve thought a lot about all this, now it’s just a matter of writing actual sentences lmao

My other main OC is Monkey D. Hazel. She’s Luffy’s big sister, older by about 4 years (so she’s older than Ace and Sabo by 1 year). She’s a good big sister lol she’s super protective, almost mothering despite not being that much older, and it drives the boys nuts (but they still love her anyway and appreciate her for it and all that. They can take care of themselves, but they know if they ever needed her to step in she would in a heartbeat). She’s not nearly as chaotic as Luffy, but she does follow him into a lot of shenanigans (usually with a shrug and a grin like “yup that’s Luffy”). She’s always wanted to help Luffy achieve his dream, and write down his adventures for future generations to read, so she stayed behind until he was ready to start on his own pirate journey.

She also totally had a thing with Ace (I know it can be kinda iffy, given their shared past and psuedo-sibling status, but I think they work well together, and given that they were 2 teens going through puberty at the same time in the same area, I think it’s extremely likely they could’ve developed feelings for each other that they didn’t necessarily fully understand at the time. I also don’t think she’d be one to participate in the sake drinking scene that the boys use to say “ok we’re brothers now”, and until she was an adult only saw Ace as a close friend that Luffy also saw as a big brother. Being that they were in the same age group, I think it’s less likely she’d see him and Sabo as brothers until they were much older. Sorry if that seems like I’m making excuses, I know not everyone is going to agree with that kind of “ship”, but I literally started shipping them on accident and now I can’t stop cause it makes sense to me that something would have happened between them, even something small). Any relationship they did have ended when Ace left to be a pirate, and with time spent apart and both growing older, Hazel’s views turn more sisterly, like “We grew up together, he’s practically my brother” (though Ace’s may or may not have stayed kind of the same. It makes for interesting conversation when they do meet again in Alabasta). When he dies, she’s absolutely devastated, and does start to wonder “what if?”, like what if she’d pursued a real relationship with him from the beginning, gone with him, could she have kept him safe, etc. It takes a very long time for her to come to terms with it, and to accept that she couldn’t have done anything to stop it, nor was it her place to try. She loses her best friend, and it does take some of the spark out of her, so she’s more reserved after the time skip.

She loses her right leg in a fight with CP9, essentially the bones gets crushed, and her new pal Franky helps whip up a cool robot leg for her in between work on the new ship. It’s got a few bells and whistles: a pistol in the kneecap, a roller blade in the bottom of the foot, and she can detach the metal plates in a way that makes her taller (if she stands on one leg lol). She thinks Franky is SUPER cool (I always hated that the girls in the series never think robots or ninjas or anything are cool, she’s not like that lmfao), and Luffy is jealous of her robot leg.

She sustained some pretty major burns to her right side at Marineford (either by Akainu when he murdered Ace; she stepped in front of Luffy, Ace stepped in front of her, the magma-arm didn’t touch her skin because it was stopped by her coat, but the heat was enough to still cause 3rd-degree burns to her arm, shoulder, and face because it’s fucking LAVA, and destroy half of her clothing; OR some other thing set on fire and burned her lol I dunno enough to say whether that’s feasible with magma but I like that version better, that it was caused in some way by Akainu). It was a question of if she’d ever be able to use her arm again, but Law’s a very good doctor (though she did threaten him when he wouldn’t let her see Luffy right away, saying with him being in critical condition they couldn’t risk an infection. She was not happy). She actually bonds slightly with Law after they escape and she’s in stable condition, cause she breaks down about what happened before he can escape (lol). In her mind she’s just lost another person she cared about (a brother-type figure, and someone she loves very much in her own way), and Luffy could very well be on his deathbed, and she can’t even see him, and the rest of their crew is who knows where, and she may lose use of her arm, and she HURTS, and it’s a lot to take in. Law keeps trying to tell her to calm down or she’ll undo everything he just did to save her, and she accuses him of being insensitive (I mean...yeah), and throws out a comment like “what you never lost anybody? Fuck off”. He glares at her, then sits and sighs, hiding his face beneath his hat. He’s silent for a while, then tells her he’s also lost a sibling. He doesn’t say anything more, doesn’t give details, but it still hits like a slap to the face, and she realizes he’s offering an olive branch by telling her that, and that hey here’s someone who knows exactly how you feel right now, don’t push away the only person who understands. They don’t bring it up again, but she does start to calm down.

The Crew: When she met Zoro she kept scolding Luffy about bossing him around, that it’s not his place to tell someone they’re joining the crew (of course he doesn’t listen), but after Zoro joins they get along really really well (she also mildly flirts with him for fun, he blushes like crazy, but it’s pretty harmless overall. Those three together is pretty chaotic on its own lol). 

She didn’t trust Nami at first, as she came out of nowhere after messing with a different pirate, so she’s wary that the girl has something up her sleeve regarding her brother, but after they defeat Arlong Hazel is extremely protective of her, and the two take care of each other (also again: mild flirting. That time spent with Ace as a teen really helped Hazel’s confidence as a flirt, but after the time skip a lot of that goes away).

Hazel and Usopp tell stories together, usually for the whole crew, and she sees him as another little brother sort of figure. Chopper is baby, she loves Chopper instantly and will beat down anyone that looks at him funny. She doesn’t flirt with Sanji, because she doesn’t like the way he falls over himself around her and doesn’t want to encourage more of it, but once he (finally) takes the hint the two have a very strong friendship. She was very wary of Robin, until Water 7/Enies Lobby, and now sees her as an older sister. Robin, for her part, and even Franky to some degree, wish that Hazel would stop trying to be the crew’s grown up, and would go have fun as a girl in her early 20’s. She does ease up once the two join the crew, but bonds with the adults a lot. She’s someone the younger crew members go to with problems, but Robin and Franky, and eventually Brook and Jinbei, are who Hazel goes to for advice.

After the 5th time of Brook asking to see her panties, she says fuck it and throws a clean pair at him, saying that’s all he gets and if he asks her one more time she WILL throw him overboard. He doesn’t bring it up again.

Jinbei actually shows her the basics of Fishman Karate on their way back to Marineford before the timeskip. She still can’t move too well, so she just watches, but she incorporates what she learns into her fighting style.

She wanted to stay with Luffy when he went to train with Rayliegh, but the old man put a stop to it right away saying she’d not only be too distracted to focus on her own training, but she’d likely coddle Luffy. It was better for them to spend some time apart anyway, for really the first time in their lives, and though she’s nervous about not being with him she agrees. Hancock ends up taking her under her wing for the time being, but only because she’s Luffy’s sister (and therefore not a threat lmfao).

As far as after the time skip, she’s mostly the same but doesn’t immediately jump into Luffy’s shenanigans, and can be more of a voice of reason when needed. At Punk Hazard, she’s the first one of the Straw Hats (besides Luffy) to trust Law and agree that they should form an alliance. She furiously hates Caesar, like she isn’t even able to be near him or his heart cause she might stab him and ruin the whole plan (you don’t mess with kids man Hazel WILL fuck you up). At Dressrosa she joins in the fight to help the Tontattas, and follows Usopp and Robin to the port under the coliseum. When she sees Sabo, she IMMEDIATELY bursts into tears and latches onto his shoulders so tight it would take a crowbar to separate them (not that he tries, he’s happy to see her too). She also scolds Robin later for not telling her, but the older woman just laughs and says “but isn’t this so much better?” It is, but Hazel won’t admit it yet lol

She doesn’t go with Luffy to Whole Cake Island, but she does end up meeting up with him and Zoro in Wano, and helps rescue O-Tama.

Potential love interests for Hazel (besides Ace) would be Zoro, Nami, or Law, but honestly she could be shipped with anyone which makes it super fun lol (if anyone read this whole thing and has ideas send them in I’d love to hear them!!)

Anyway thank you for reading this entire long ass essay about my brain children! I think about them a lot, as I’m sure you can tell lol

[larimeke-blog]

Tokyo Talk .33

Mari from Team Lari here!

So, it’s finally happened. Time to talk about Tokyo. Now this is the one prefecture I could name from before I started this adventure! Sailormoon, Kagome from “Inuyasha,” and many other anime characters reside in the famous city. Thanks to these anime from my childhood, I gained an appreciation for animation and the Japanese culture. Hence, I feel so warm and fuzzy talking about Tokyo!

Did you know that Tokyo is the mot populous metropolis? There’s twenty three central wards and multiple cities, towns, and villages that surrounded the inner structures. Aka, it’s HUGE.

Since I don’t think I can possibly fit everything into one post, I’ll just split Tokyo into (hopefully) 3 parts. If I need more posts, I’ll add more. Hehe, so—10.33 of 47!

*Akihabara*

Honestly, have you seen how many anime references I’ve put up here so far? It’s a no brainer that when in Tokyo, I plan on going to Akihabara!

This district used to be known for it’s technological advancements (the age before anime, hehe.) It’s still known for creating and distributing the hottest new technology. For instance, Akihabara Crossfield hopes to be the focal point for global technology and trade. Oh! And the Yodobashi electronics store has a camera section to outshine all others! I’ll have to tell Laurel that. Maybe we can update her camera there…

No wonder why there’s so many tech animes! (Ahem, “Big O” for the win…)

Ooooo! Akihabara used to be known for technology, but now when you utter the word, you’ll probably hear the far off cries of an enthusiastic otaku (fan.) I would be one of those people shouting, btw. You what’s cool? There’s tax free shopping for foreign tourists. Hey, I’m a foreign tourist….aaaaah.

There’s anime and manga and games and trinkets galore at Radio Kaikan and Super Potato (I love that name.) If you set us free there, I’m not sure if there would be any coming back from that. If you can see us in Books A Million or a Barnes N’ Noble, triple the amount of foam from our mouths and barbaric gurgles, and you might have a better picture.

And, dangit, they have anime themed cafes! Do you know how much torture it was to sit here on my butt while I saw pictures of one of my favorite animes (Saiyuki) have their own anime café?

Do you see that? That could have been me. That could have been my Hakkai drink and coaster. But no. Only sadness and pain were my consolation prizes.

*runs off to a corner*

I can’t continue. Akihabara is my weak point. Let’s move to something else. *sniff*

The Imperial Palace! Unfortunately, the original Edo Palace is reduced down to ruins now, and the Imperial Palace that replaced it is also gone to history. Imperial Palace version two is still up and running. It is not open to the public, and it does let the public come in twice a year, once for the New Year and another for the Emperor’s birthday in December. What is open daily for the public are the Imperial Gardens. The gardens are placed over where the Edo Castle used to call its home. You can see the leftover foundation of a guard tower among other lost structures in the flower and foliage filled garden.

I would like to include the famous Fish Market on my list of places to go, but I heard that they are moving in mid to late 2018. I’m not sure when Laurel and I will eventually get to Japan, but I’m sure we’ll arrive after the market uproots to its new location. Le sigh.

That’s all for now. Part 2 will come soon. Until then, see you lovely folks later.

Also, you know who else lives in Tokyo? My character from "Drawing a Line." Kanako Hiragana wants to switch jobs, no longer interested in being an anime character designer. That is until a famous director approaches her and offers the most insane plan; to produce a self made anime in less than two years. It's an offer she can indeed resist, but the question is, can she resist the man attached to it? The story is currently on hiatus due to busy life stuff, but make sure to check it out. There can always be another chapter out when you least expect it!

https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3310417/1/Drawing-a-Line

[simplemlmsponsoring]

New Post has been published on https://simplemlmsponsoring.com/attraction-marketing-formula/copywriting/these-are-the-16-painful-lessons-i-learned-writing-10211-headlines-in-100-days/

These are the 16 painful lessons I learned writing 10,211 headlines in 100 days

Cue: instant anxiety attack.

In a Facebook group, I had just announced my experiment for the next 100 days:

Write 100 headlines for 100 companies in 100 days.

To which a certain someone posted this comment:

Joel is a Copy Hackers veteran. I have tremendous respect for him.

So I naturally felt nauseous when I read his words of… what’s another word for “dyspepsia”?

His follow-up comment didn’t help:

The room started spinning.

My breath was shallow. My stomach made tiger noises, and I might have peed a little. What the hell had I just committed to?

For some unimaginable reason, I soldiered on, convinced I could prove Mr. Joel Klettke and all the [super-sane] naysayers wrong. So I began….

The terrifying climb to 10,000 headlines: What I did every day for 100 days (even when it hurt)

Each day, I’d pick a topic to write 100 headlines about.

Oh, that’s another thing: every day, I’d write about a different topic. Because 100 headlines in 100 days wasn’t crazy enough – I needed to add that extra edge of insanity.

So each day I’d dive into a site for The Topic of the Day. Things like:

Pacific Shave Company The Fart Candle Quip Toothbrush

And I’d see what the players in that world were doing. (For consumer products, I’d check Amazon reviews just like Jo taught me.)

Then I’d write my headlines – more about that very soon – and share them with my growing list of 53 interested-in-watching-me-fall subscribers. My first few posts to those fine folks – which you can check out here – were ROUGH. See, I had no process. I was doing what we all do when we start writing copy but don’t really think about it as more than words on a page. My hacked process went like so:

I’d write as many headlines as I could (without a template or starting point), Identify themes in those headlines, Highlight a few words, Hit a wall and Glance at my list of ~400 headline formulas.

Each time I glanced at those formulas, I generated anywhere from 3 to 8 new headlines. Some stuck too close to the template. Some were the product of what was clearly the wrong mindset. Some went off the rails entirely. If you want to see how disparate a group of headlines written fast can be, check out my Tutorial Tuesday replay here, where I live-write a bunch of headlines in this reusable Airstory headlines template:



Sometimes I’d catch a hot streak and 100 headlines seemed to write themselves. Those days were magic.

It won’t surprise you to find that, as the days wore on and as 100 headlines turned into 2500 headlines, I learned a bunch of stuff. Like, I learned I’d need to adjust my voice rather than fit each topic into my voice – something I had completely overlooked during concept and something that was, alone, worth learning over the 100-day experiment.

That was a small lesson.

Five much larger lessons cropped up, which I’d love to share with you now (before we get into the pain of 10,211 headlines)…

The 5 big content lessons @prettyflycopy learned during his “100 headlines a day” experiment, on…Click To Tweet

Lesson 1: What headlines actually are.

Turns out each day was not an exercise in finding “100 ways for Justin to phrase things.”

It was an exercise in finding “100 value propositions for the company.”

Headlines are – very often – variations on a value proposition.

When I realized that, I found myself in a tricky spot. This was no longer a side experiment. This was a job. I was doing the work of copywriting. I instantly knew what Joel had hinted at:

The project might not be so fun.

BTW, I should mention I’m an in-house writer with a day job. So these posts were in addition to my full-time gig. And client work. And family time.

Lord help me if I had a lunch meeting – I had to tack on extra time in the evening. On weekends, replace “work” with “client work.” …Have I mentioned my wife is a saint?

Within 10 days, I could whip up 25 headlines in minutes – no template needed. Common formulas ingrained themselves in my brain and I started each day with lines like:

For ___ who want to ___ Get ___ without the ___ Helping ____ do ____ The only ____ that doesn’t ____ The (good news) inside (bad news)

These first headlines would never be the best of the bunch, but they eased me into the post. Writing them gave me a rhythm. I’d often find the germ of a better headline in the first attempts. It was the crappy first draft every copywriter needs.

As I mentioned, I started with about 400 headline formulas. As the first 10 days went by, I eliminated 110 formulas from my template. Some were duplicates, some were lazy… and others felt manipulative (more on that later). But a handful rose to the top.

By Day 20, I was rolling. I adapted recurring themes, discovered how to really empathize with the customer and found myself digging deeper. I even used a few lines in my client work and day job. And when I missed a single day? I felt so bad that, the following afternoon, I wrote 200 lines.

By now I was writing headlines like:

On Day 30, I felt like a whiz. Whipping 50-60 lines off the top of my head, no problemo. My subscriber list was growing. I started tinkering with themes from the 7 deadly sins, and I was sailing smooth. Sometimes a bad list of headlines cropped up, but no worries. I felt good. I felt alive.

I felt smart.

I should have expected what followed…

Day 40 brought complete and total burnout.

I was tired. I wasn’t sleeping. And my brain was drained.

Actual video of me at work

Also, my wife was over it. My kids had stopped asking me to play with them because they knew I’d say no. It was a dark time for the rebellion. If it weren’t for Joel’s quote on my screen – yes, I made it my screensaver – I might have given up.

On Day 50, I gave myself a day off. I still posted for my readers, but I didn’t write my 100 headlines. I broke the streak.

It felt GREAT, to be honest.

One day off wasn’t enough to make me a good family man again, but, hey, it was a start. Which brings me to…

Lesson 2: Take breaks.

Recharge your soul. Your sanity (and your family) will appreciate it.

By Day 50, I also changed the way I approached topics. I picked fun brands. There were a lot of Shark Tank products, weird Kickstarter campaigns and ridiculous items like mailable potatoes, light-up toilets, and wine for cats. Strange as it was, I loved these. I wrote headlines like:

Maybe this was my niche??

Just like that, two more big lessons smacked me in the brain…

Lesson 3: If you’re not enjoying the process, change the process.

This feeling might mean that you’re doing it wrong.

Keep tweaking until you find your fit.

And:

Lesson 4: The way you’re thinking about a “niche” may be entirely wrong.

I was looking for a category when I should have been looking for a voice.

The WHO mattered more than the WHAT.

Days 50-70 were light. I collaborated with other writers, like Lianna Patch, Alaura Weaver and Hillary Weiss, who let me write headlines for their existing content. Working with them made me step up my game. Because not only would I have to emulate their voice, but I’d also have their feedback. They’d be the judge of the lines.

Those posts made me feel so much less alone.

And I gained some street cred. People were reaching out to me, and I landed 3 podcast interviews. Recognizable names – like Joanna Wiebe! – subscribed to my recap or followed me on social.

I had become “The Headline Guy.”

I was getting faster, too. I could hit 80+ lines without referring to the list of formulas and often knocked out full lists of 100 headlines during lunch. This meant more free time at home with my family—something I did not take for granted.

By the time @prettyflycopy had written 7000 headlines, he started to get, well, kinda good at itClick To Tweet

On Day 71, I went full masochist.

I threw out the list of formulas.

I took 37 classic direct response headlines, printed them out… and that’s all I used for the last 29 posts. From that point forward, it was Eugene Schwartz, John Caples, Jay Abraham… and me.

Things got veeeery interesting.

I revisited previous topics, chose a few I was afraid to tackle earlier, and homed in on brands I thought would be fun. By focusing on the direct response examples, the lists became more emotional. I was hitting on fears and wishes. The lines had more story. More empathy.

But there was a dark side.

I teetered on clickbait. (BTW, I *hate* clickbait. In fact, an underlying theme of this project was to prove clickbait shouldn’t exist. I was tired of clicking ads that used the work of copywriting geniuses only to be taken to disappointing articles. Eyes on you, BuzzFeed-style-headlines.)

I wanted only to use the power of these direct response classics for good. Because I knew, with a little extra effort, writers could properly manage expectations. So I dove into the curiosity behind the lines and phrased them to be more positive.

The new style took longer to write – some posts clocked in at 2 hours – but that was OK. It meant I wasn’t coasting. I was challenging myself.

I also cashed in a few mental health days. I still posted but didn’t write a list of headlines. This helped me regulate my sanity, remember my kids and spend time with my wife. Plus, it eliminated the soul-crushing anxiety that paralyzed my brain when I blanked on ideas for topics. I needed those small breaks.

By this point, I was getting fast, I was getting good and I was finding my groove not with 100s of headline formulas but with a small list of awesome ones. Next up, I found myself diving deeper into emotions I hadn’t really explored in my copywriting before – emotions like:

Fear Frustration Powerlessness Anger Betrayal Revenge

The lines were good.

Probably some of the strongest I’d written.

But I didn’t like going to The Dark Side.

It felt manipulative. I realized that writing aggressive-style copy just isn’t me. More validation that – to me – voice is more important than topic.

On Day 90, I struck a balance between bolder emotions and the formulas I had memorized. I went back to The Light Side. Security, happiness, relaxation, hope. Ah, now this was me. And my headlines were – objectively – far better than where they’d been back at Day 20 or when I went to the Dark Side. Here’s a snapshot of Day 95:

At Day 100, I was ecstatic. I had written 10,211 lines. 100 days of posting. 106 days of writing headlines. Yes, it took a few extra days, but nobody seemed to care.

Lesson 5: Family first. Always.

I had learned a ton.

Mostly, that The Headline Project wasn’t fair to my family. I was a shitty husband and father for 3 months. I know that’s not the lesson you want to read, but I cannot overstate the importance of family first. I’m lucky the damage I caused was only temporary. Now my wife smiles and my kids rush me for hugs again when I come home. Because it’s playtime.

As for what I learned during the whole process, well, that’s the whole reason you’re reading this, isn’t it?

So, here we go…

16 hard-earned headline takeaways 1. There are no shortcuts.

Do the work.

No hacks, article, or template can match putting on the gloves and getting dirty. There comes a time to stop reading and start doing. Practice makes permanent. It’s the only way to make things stick.

2. Clear beats clever. But sometimes you can do both.

Some of my favorite lines were direct and infused with personality.

Like these ones:

Once you learn to think on your feet, it doesn’t matter where you’re standing (Dumore Improv) Sorry. We don’t believe in wedgies (Pair of Thieves Underwear) Send a potato. It’ll still be funny when you’re sober (Potato Parcel) Just because dating can be awkward doesn’t mean you need to be (Nuphero Pheromone Spray) Where we write like Ogilvy & drink like Hemingway (The Copywriter Club)

They’re fun, but and they make sense. Those headlines all came late in the day’s post – often in the last half – so you need to dig.

Dig to find the best copy, via @copyhackers @prettyflycopyClick To Tweet

3. Don’t force your personality.

Sometimes I made light of sensitive topics. The biohazard cleaning post comes to mind.

But if you need these guys, it’s not a time to joke. Don’t put funny where funny doesn’t belong.

(Yes, this may sound contradictory to the whole voicey-nichey thing, but it’s not. This is something that wouldn’t be in my niche. See, I struggle to keep myself out of my writing. I need to find brands where that’s a fit.)

4. Boring topics don’t need to be boring.

Some of the tech sites were super nerdy. Bland copy for good software. And it’s a shame because they’re products that everyone can use.

However, the average consumer couldn’t understand what they do.

Surprisingly, these posts were fun to write once I swapped features for benefits:

Make your data sexy (Plotly graphing software) Helping families make it through long weekends without WiFi (Duracell batteries) Park your domains in a friendly lot (Domahub) Speed reading isn’t a skill. It’s a Chrome extension (Spritz speed reading app) How to animate your presentations like Pixar (Whiteboard animation agency)

I mean, I’m still not the guy to pitch a tech company. But if they asked me to explore the mainstream, I could give it a go.

5. Learn what you suck at.

Brands targeting women ain’t my thang. And that’s OK. Knowing this helped me turn down a project I now know I never could’ve done right.

6. Great things happen when you become your audience.

Remember Freaky Friday, The Change-Up or The Hot Chick? Or any of the other bazillion movies where characters change bodies?

After the initial flow of lines ended, I’d close my eyes and imagine myself as the consumer.

I’d mentally put myself in their body and ask myself:

Who would I be? What would I want? How would I feel? Which pains hurt most? What’s missing in my life?

Suddenly, the headlines were easier to write.

7. Writing headlines for a company you *think* you want to work with may result in a very different outcome.

I wrote 100 lines for a brand I had unsuccessfully cold-pitched.

Turns out, I struggled to find their voice.

I’m glad they didn’t get back to me. I wouldn’t have been a good fit. Now, before I reach out to a company, I practice.

Y’know, just in case they say yes.

8. Consumer products can be surprisingly fun to write about *if* they provide real value.

I never wrote much about physical goods before this.

But 7 of my top 11 posts were for products. And they were fun! I didn’t love writing about things you buy just to have (e.g., shirts, toys, grilling accessories), but if it adds value to your life – even if just a laugh – I’m all about it.

9. Google Images is a gold mine.

The day I accidentally clicked “image results” was a game changer.

I was writing about owl rescue, and I was stumped. When I saw the pictures, memes, movie stills and gifs, it was an awakening. The Harry Potter theme alone provided enough inspiration to finish the post. I never would’ve made that connection.

Now, whenever I get stuck, I go straight to images.

10. Write like Dr. Seuss.

Let your mind get silly. Funny rhymes, alliteration and a little wackiness are great for getting into a flow.

No, you’re not going to use them on your final product. But the path they lead you down might take you to your goal.

Here’s what I mean:

Rain, rain, go away. I’ll stay dry & watch them play (Under The Weather Sports Pods) Would you, could you, on a boat? (Florida Sailing Club) Sticks and stones may break your bones, but my words will make you money (Pretty Fly Copy)  (ß actually, I did use this one on my final product) 11. Bold the important words.

Identify the keywords in your sentence.

Delete the rest.

Now go make new sentences with what remains. Tinker enough and you’ll find your line.

12. Templates have a place in this world.

I’ve never been one to rely on templates. It always felt like color-by-numbers. But now I see, when you add your own spin, they have tremendous value.

That being said, here’s an Airstory template with the headline formulas I used during my 100 days. To help you kick-start your own headline writing.

Use the formulas in Airstory 13. Clickbait is never OK and I will punch you in the face if you say different.

Because it’s lazy. In one post, I intentionally wrote in BuzzFeed’s style and it took zero skill. No effort, no challenge and no concentration. I could’ve written it while riding bareback on a zebra and cooking soup.

Stop wasting curiosity headlines on disappointing articles. It makes people hate you.

Instead, focus. If you’ve got a great headline on a shitty article, rewrite the article. You’re better than that.

14. “Copywriters aren’t born. They practice.”

I don’t know who to attribute this quote to, but they’re right.

Writing 10,000 headlines helped me nail messaging more than reading any article ever could.

Now instead of sifting through 41 million search results, I’m writing better.

15. Hard work never gets easier.

This project was like shooting myself with a gun each day to build a tolerance to bullets. It never didn’t hurt. But I learned I can take the pain.

16. Everything I learned about how to find my niche was wrong.

Wrong for me, I mean.

I was all over the map for 3 months. Sporting goods, bottomless muffins, poop-scented candles… You name it, I wrote about it.

And here’s what I found: the voice of the brand matters just as much as what they sell.

I want to work with fun, casual brands. Because that’s who I am.

The voice of the brand matters just as much as what they sell via @copyhackers @prettyflycopyClick To Tweet

So, I’m helping web-based services with taglines and easy-to-read copy. Simple messages for complicated businesses. It’s not something I ever would’ve focused on before, but it turns out, I’m pretty darn good at it.

TBH, between you and me, I’m still trying to figure it out…

Day 100: So, can I take on Caples, Schwartz and Ogilvy now?

Writing 100 headlines a day doesn’t mean I can beat a control.

It means I can think quicker and faster. It means the common formulas are familiar and I have a mental database to pull from. It means I can dig deeper than most people. I won’t stop until I strike gold. Oh, and I can probably find said gold in less time.

But am I better than YOUR best line? Well, that depends on you.

To win you need to test. You need to study your audience and feel their pain. And you need to be able to solve it. I explored ways to help people, but I never actually did it. I did write some great headlines though…

Should you do an experiment like The Headline Project?

A lot of people reached out to me when I finished. People wanted to work with me. People wrote to me the same way I write to those I admire.

Even Joel Klettke gave me a virtual pat on the back.

Best part was: it felt earned. I didn’t feel like an imposter.

The Headline Project gave me a seat at the big kid’s table. It crushed me at times, but it built me back up. It allowed me to re-prioritize my family into first position, and it gave me a path. More importantly, it grew the quality of my network. Admirable writers are now acquaintances. I’ve spoken at a summit. I’ve been recognized at events. And people email me for advice.

Would I recommend you do it? Maybe.

Anyone CAN do it. There’s nothing special about me. This wasn’t any easier for me than it would be for you. The only difference is that I did it.

And I’m glad I did…

…But I’m happy it’s over.

Stop waiting for permission.

There comes a point when you need to walk away from more lessons, more training, more videos – and get to work.

I didn’t get paid for The Headline Project. Nobody told me to write. I just did it.

So whatever your big idea is – a blog challenge, growing your list, finding your voice – whatever thing you’ve been reading about for months, you don’t need approval to begin.

And if permission is the thing you’ve been waiting for, here it is. I give you permission to start.

Go do something cool.

~justin

  Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

The post These are the 16 painful lessons I learned writing 10,211 headlines in 100 days appeared first on Copywriting for startups and marketers.

Read more: copyhackers.com

[molecloth26-blog]

3 REASONS YOU NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA BLACKOUT

Earlier this year I realized that I was experiencing kind of a burnout. & this isn’t a complaining blog post- I’m just acknowledging that I felt burnt out. It’s ok. It’s part of the job. It’s part of life. In all areas of life whether it be your job, relationship, being a mother, WHATEVER, it’s normal to experience burnout.

Creating content 7 days a week for 9.5 years gave me burnout.

I’ll never forget when I was a bartender, there was always this guy who used to sit at the bar. He was a really major, successful real estate agent, & he would always tell me that I was crazy for working 7 days a week. He would always say how you need at least 1 day off to recharge & rejuvenate. Here I was, in my early 20s, laughing at him in my head- thinking that I was this badass who could take on working 7 days a week. In reality, I needed to check my ego.

Sure, that works for a while. It works until it doesn’t anymore. It works until you’re getting headaches from looking at a screen, or carpal tunnel from typing on a phone or computer, or fatigue, or lack of creativity.

Anyway, it did work for me for a very long time. I was creating content 7 days a week & then, like I said, a couple months ago, I felt totally drained. Instead of taking a huge break & going back to it, I thought it would be strategic to take 2-3 days off a month where I had a complete social media break. I go dark. Let the phone die. Spend time with what’s in front of me. Read a real book. Spend time with my husband & Chihuahuas. We cook, catch up on our shoes, walk our dogs, meet friends at the beach. Its’ really rejuvenating. Sometimes I even sleep. Ha!

It’s nice to give yourself that break from the pressure of feeling like you constantly have to create, whether it be a blog post, or Instagram Stories, or scrolling through DMs, or letting yourself be a slave to your email inbox.

Anyways, that’s my story. I know I can be intense at time, & I’m certainly not telling anyone to emulate exactly what I do- it’s just what works for me. It’s important to have those days that are free of social media. 2 days in a row on a Saturday & Sunday works really well. I’ve been finding it makes me a better creator.

Here are the top 3 reasons you should try a social media blackout:

♡ RECHARGES YOUR BATTERIES

At times, I feel like I AM A CELL PHONE. When I’m at 1% I’m not helping anyone. Not my audience, my husband, my family or my friends. When I feel that I’m on 1%, that means it’s time to check myself before I wreck myself. It means it’s time to recharge. How I do that is by letting my phone die, turning off the TV, grabbing a REAL BOOK, & hopping into bed with my Kardashian blanket ( btw, you need one of these blankets, they’re insanely soft >> more here ). I conserve my energy very carefully & that means being of aware of the people I surround myself with & the content I consume. It’s so important that you take the time to recharge that battery so you can function as your best self.

As Tim Ferriss says: “Take at least one day off of digital leashes per week. Turn them off or, better still, leave them in the garage or in the car. I do this on at least Saturday, and I recommend you leave the phone at home if you go out for dinner. So what if you return a phone call an hour later or the next morning? As one reader put it to a miffed co-worker who worked 24/7 and expected the same: “I’m not the president of the US. No one should need me at 8pm at night. OK, you didn’t get a hold of me. But what bad happened?” The answer? Nothing.”

♡ ALLOWS YOU TO CONNECT WITH WHAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU

My dogs, my husband, my books, my family, my friends- these are all things I want to make sure I connect with & don’t neglect. When It comes to being present & being in the moment the phone is such a distraction. When it’s in your face all day, you aren’t connecting in a meaningful way. When I go out with my friends, I make it a point to put my phone away & not look at it. It would be SO PREDICTABLE for me to pull it out & be on it all the time in front of my friends & I don’t want to be like that. Sometimes I read on my phone, but it’s just not the same as reading a real book. The smell & feel of a real book really gets me off. Also, when I read on my phone I end up scrolling, & I’ve found that when I scroll I end up a little bit depressed. That’s why I keep the content I consume very minimal- I have a wellness person, a beauty person, a fitness person & about 2 others I follow on Instagram. Besides these 5 people, I don’t watch anyone’s Stories or scroll profiles. On Facebook, I’m part of my group & that’s it, because I want to stay in my own lane & I don’t want to be served SO MUCH CONTENT all the time. Mark Manson in his book Everything is Fucked, talks about why we’re all so unhappy despite having more than ever before & what’s contributing to this paradox.

♡ IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL ( & YOUR EYES )

It’s just good for your soul to get the fuck off your phone. There’s not a lot to say here except it’s therapeutic, & cathartic. It’s just good for you. It’s good for your eyes, wrists & neck. ( If you’re having issues with your neck & back from staring at your phone, you need to try cupping & acupuncture– life-changing ). & if you have carpal tunnel in your wrists like me, then try doing some stretches a few times a day. If your wrists are really bad try out this wrist exerciser.

Would love to know if social media breaks are your guys’ thing. Give me the scoop, give me the gossip, give me the tips, give me the tricks, give me the latest- I need all the help I can get.

Since it’s Friday I’ll probably be doing a blackout tomorrow, possibly Sunday too so I can hang out at the farmer’s market, baking dark chocolate chip cookies, reading my latest book ( Unbreakable by Sharon Osbourne ), & French kissing my dogs.

Until next time…

x, lauryn

+ Other tips on protecting your energy here.

++ More details on the blue light glass here.

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Source: https://www.theskinnyconfidential.com/3-reasons-need-social-media-blackout/