#( this promo looks so awesome tbh )

[teafiend]

Photos source: @Danbal_er (Twitter/X) via JEC’s Instagram posts

[ca-suffit]

I say "attempted to change it" (about the origin of the harlequin portrayal) because S2 ep3 promo I've seen so far treats the introduction of Lestat playing that character as super cool and awesome and Armand seems to have swooned over him via Lestat's attitude in portrayal of this character. Which is unhinged because Armand of all people would likely know the racism inherent to the harlequin.

And also I think I've seen an interview, but don't quote me here because it could very well be fandom bs, where Sam(?) talked about the difference between Lelio and Harlequin and the only thing he expressed was the trickster nature of the Harlequin vs the lover's nature of Lelio or smth. Nothing to aknowledge Harlequin is blackface and maybe Lestat had those racist biases as a human/fresh vampire (very possible) or etc.

Which is why I'm so serious when I say I hope he comments on the situation, least AMC are utter fools and trying to pull an "It's not racist when WE do it because, um, reasons!!!"

thank u for explaining! I don't want to doom spiral so I can't say anything before seeing the episode. It's a bunch of theatre ppl making the show tho and the racial commentary is usually good, I don't see why they'd skip over a mention of it. It's not surprising it hasn't been brought up in interviews before the episode has aired tho. Sam also is never gonna be the one to deep dive into racial topics lol.

Idk anything about this stuff so I went looking on youtube to see performances and general videos. This is *always* mentioned somehow when talking about the character and the mask, so it's not rly hidden info once u poke around the tiniest bit.

I will say tho that I don't think ur supposed to see Lestat in that role as being very positive tbh. We've basically been told that it's Armand switching the roles for him in the play in his version of events and he's supposed to look goofy. I always took it to be intentional for Armand to try and downplay his desire while still clearly being overtaken by it. The plays are book canon so I don't see anything outright problematic about how this is set up in terms of what it means for Armand and Lestat. It doesn't suddenly make them good or bad ppl by itself. There's limited characters to pick from in the play. They're old, popular plays with multiple influences and versions. Pretty much *everything* is also rooted in racism tbh, especially hundreds of years ago in France. I'm not trying to tell u how to feel, I'm just saying I'm not gonna get angry ahead of time with a show that's already mentioning racial history in every scene we see. Daniel's always ready to blurt out some racist shit to Armand as it is and show off his white, liberal knowledge about history so I can p easily see this being a setup for that.

Sorry the part about Lestat "maybe" having racist biases made me lol too bcuz....of course he did. He still has them through the entirety of S1! He's white and French from 17whatever. He thinks racism is an American problem. He'd be saying slurs all over the place if this show wanted to be authentic about it. We're getting the toned down version of what would rly be "book accurate" for those who want that lol.

Anyways here's the videos. Most of the commentary about race stuff is near the end of all of them.

[efangamez]

Lil bit of a rant post, but I can't WAIT until I see what people make for the GRIM-tober jam, a jam where people make things for GRIM: A Retro FPS-Styled TTRPG!

I'm currently at my parent's house, but I'm so excited to get back on the horse working on GRIM's map pack and expansion, The Palace of Eyes. It'll be a super dope expansion with a lot of really cool areas, enemies, and new bonkers weapons to choose from to enhance your arsenal.

Also, got back the first map, and it looks really awesome. I'm gonna see if I can make my own this coming week, but if not, I've got some artists lined up to make some maps! Here's a sneakus peekus ;)

On an unrelated but kinda related note, sales have slowed down a bit because of my lack of posting, but that's okay! It's already exceeded my expectations, but I feel that with some more word-spreading on Reddit and other places I'm gonna do this week, it'll get better!

So please, if ya wanna support this game so that I can hire someone to do printing layout, PLEASE support GRIM below and spread the word on Reddit, Twitter, Discord, Threads, BlueSky, and any other places you can! That's the best way to support me tbh, because self promo on those places is heavily discouraged, but spreading the word boosts the games SEO!

Love y'all, and I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend thus far!

[alternatemars]

So side order theory!

I think tartar is returning in the dlc, i mean there's evidence everywhere

For one they're shown in the splatoon 2 final splatfest promo art

Like why would they put a character in there if they weren't gonna bring em back

And two the creatures that chase 8 are like robots

And finally look at this, it's from the teaser

If you look closely you can see wires

Not to mention this thing

Side order is freaking awesome and hella dark looking and tbh I'm all for it.

My other theory for where it takes place, it could be taking place deeper in the deep sea metro like even lower levels.

Anyways if you read this thanks!

[unintentionaloracle]

Okay decided to do another "rounding up my quick fire thoughts on stuff from Raw having seen it on Hulu" thing (I think I actually got like, most of the matches this time and Sami's segment, but missed whatever thing occurred with Liv and Dom/any other backstage segments that might've happened that didn't make YouTube [though I did see Becky's awesome pre-match promo on YouTube but they cut what came before she started talking], and I think they cut the middle chunk of the Women's Battle Royal out which is boo.)

-Jey and Damian's segment was great, we're gonna eat with that. Also Jey telling Damian to tell Rhea he said hi was for me and I love it.

-JD, my least favorite Judgey Boy tbh, y'all are on the thinnest of ice with the screwups, Damian in charge, and Finn MIA this week. You aren't even on the merch after all these months, man, you're expendable.

-Darn it I don't want DIY drama I want my boy Johnny to thrive. (Their match with Awesome Truth was really good though I'm happy with it)

-Also it was just tag team/faction drama/breakups(?) season Monday, dang with The Imperium stuff.

-Although rip to Vinci but Alpha Academy hurts me more ESPECIALLY CHAD BEING MEAN TO OTIS HE'S YOUR NUMBER ONE GUY!😭 I could excuse suplexing Sami out of his wife's arms in his hometown but I draw the line at insulting your former co-tag champ and your other teammates.

-Also I like their explanation for why Gunther isn't going for the title for a while/focusing on King of the Ring first. It's nice that he's not falling into the old "This Random Guy Was Slightly Mean To Me, Forget Any Title Ambitions I Need To Beat Him Up" trap.

-Drew was on fire as usual but yeah I agree the burger line was a no from me. Did like Sheamus's comeback and their "longtime friends" convo. I'm down to see what The Once And Future Banger Bros Bring Baby.

-And The King of the Ring bracket is looking stacked already. I do also want Xavier to get a proper reign after the last one he deserves it but my heart still belongs to the hypothetical Jimmysweep.

-Not too surprised they focused mainly on Sami's title woes but I do admit I was hoping for a "yeah, Chad sucks, Cathy. Listen, I'm kinda stuck on my boy Kev nearly getting MURDERED three days ago..."

-I found it a little funny Ricochet and Santos matched despite being on opposite teams. (Also oooh Damian you wanna turn face or tweener so bad oooh.)

-I did see Becky's promo on YouTube (love her getting a walk and talk like Sami and Kevin. That's squad goals). Thought it was cool and I loved her encouraging Maxxine. Lord knows that girl needs it between the Chad stuff and Candice's bullying.

-Hulu didn't show me Chelsea getting eliminated but slipping back in because officials didn't see. Heaven forbid women do anything.

-Really thought Liv was gonna take it (her gear was cute too). But I think this might be the last straw before she super officially snaps for realsies.

-I'm definitely in the camp of "Becky doesn't really need another title reign, she's almost done it all and what she hasn't (like Queen or Ms. MITB) she doesn't really need at this point either" (love her though)...

...but I also felt her last two solo title reigns managed to show some love to some of the women who don't usually get shots at the gold (Pre-beating Ronda!Liv and Doudrop!Piper getting shots on PPV against her while Bianca was kept from the title, using the NXT Women's Title like it was Raw's unofficial women's midcard belt), so who knows? Heck, we don't even know if she's gonna have a long reign, so... *Shrug*

[fagcrisis]

alright so! im not gonna bother with a very organized post i wouldnt be me if i did but here are my collision thoughts!

i liked the theme song, which sets it apart from dynamite and rampage in that it isnt dogshit. i also liked the set and the presentation, although i wouldve loved if it was more distinct from dynamite (also i miss the tunnels) but overall they made a great job of adhering to the companys aesthetic while making a new distinct looking product. i also was hoping since its live on tnt that they would have different editors, this clearly isnt the case, editing was shit. not a collision issue aew just needs better editors.

i agree with everyone on this, commentary was a little rough. i didnt really know nigel before (i never have time for roh) so i didn't know what to expect and he and kevin obviously need time to figure out how theyre gonna work together, and kevin also clearly struggled with the american format (ad breaks, promos between matches etc). overall it is still better than dynamite commentary and i have high hopes for them! not even Hoarse Corpse Jr at the main could take them down to his level.

i'll admit i didn't fully watch punk's promo at the start, im a notorious promo skipper but i watched most of it, and it seemed alright to me. there was a bit of dissonance between how they seem to be bringing him back as a heel but being in chicago didnt get the response to his speech that he wouldve gotten elsewhere.

super excited about everyone showing up on the show if this is for real a roster split they picked some good fucking people for collision! jurys out on scorpio sky ive only ever seen him with frankie kazarian and i dont like kaz so

all the matches were good, even the tnt match i wasnt at all interested in was kind of like watchable and christian pretending he won the tnt title was really funny so ill let him have this. andrade and buddy were pretty incredible and miro looked fucking huge and awesome so ill forgive tony nese being there. skyewillow vs the outcasts slapped altho i wish they yknow. had more than one womens match. but it was really good skye looked incredible she and willow worked great together and im so happy she got the pin! i really hope skye and willow continue teaming together. also the outcats r much more enjoyable when saraya is not there, i love their over the top heel antics tbh

the main was good! sadly i dont give a shit about ftr and juice so it was kind of a struggle but they are good (well ftr are) i just dont like em. anyway punk looked good he was moving well and i thought it was well paced and everyone got their due time in the spotlight (being in the ring w punk)

overall this was a very solid start to this show, obviously we know aew can put on a good show but its the question of whether they are able to keep this momentum going. good wrestlers and a nice new look doesnt make the show good immediately, so im a little hesitant to say anything more about its impact right now but i had fun

[walriding]

What are the trends when it comes to writing that you adore? Have you ever developed an OC for a certain fandom?

mun q's || accepting

What are the trends when it comes to writing that you adore?

what even are The Trends(tm) these days........ honestly I think the relative lack of trends is what I like the most, and the fact that it doesn't feel like there's an accepted checklist of fancy graphics or specific writing styles anymore? I've been rping on tumblr for like ten years at this point, and when I started people didn't really give a shit about using a set format for icons or promos, trimming threads wasn't a thing, no one even used small text. and I don't miss all of that (untrimmed threads my beloathed) but for a while after that it felt like you definitely got less attention if you weren't curating a certain aesthetic. and there's obviously nothing wrong with going for a cohesive look with your graphics or spending a lot of time on icons, because I love seeing what people come up with! but as someone who's never entirely enjoyed working on that kind of stuff myself, I appreciate that the rpc seems to have shifted back towards not caring about all of that as much. I'm doing a bunch of iconless threads right now and tbh it's nice and feels lower pressure than having to pick an icon and then spending twenty minutes lamenting the fact that my icons are old and shitty and I just don't have time to make new ones. but at the same time I write with some people with awesome icons and headers, and who take the time to add colored text and everything -- and that's great too! and I love that we can all write together and no one seems to have a stick up their ass about that kind of thing anymore.

Have you ever developed an OC for a certain fandom?

the aforementioned warrior cat oc is to date the only oc I have ever written / developed lol. I joke around that Miles has basically become an oc at this point, which I don't think is necessarily untrue. it's not like he was a super well developed character to begin with, and I've thrown him into enough aus that I feel like he should qualify as like. 60% oc at the very least.

I don't really have a good reason for not having any ocs either, other than the fact that specific characters are usually what draw me into a fandom in the first place. I tend to be less interested in the larger universes and more interested in individual characters, so I'm more compelled to keep developing the canon characters that I see something intriguing about, if that makes any sense? I guess I've never really looked at a fandom and been like "wow I love that world / story so much I want to make a character that belongs there." it tends to be more of a "wow I love and understand that character so much, they're mine now." because I also can't think of a fandom I've participated in where latching on to a specific character wasn't my driving force behind getting into the fandom in the first place.

[hunt3r-dot-me]

Hi OP, sorry to use your (very very good) artwork as a means to vent, but this is something I've been wanting to get off my chest for a good while.

For those who either need a reminder, don't know, or have genuinely forgotten, here's what Sally's redesign looked like:

A character design featuring the most generic mullet ever, smooth as the brain of the executive that greenlighted this. (Assuming (s)he was even available when the brains were being handed out, of course.) And it's not like "oh, it's just a promo render, the art department probably had more leeway—"

…nah fam, they kept that traincar going to the very end of the run. Which if you're going for a basic, prim and proper, regal-type princess for the hero to go "well, excuuUUuuse me" to, that's fine, I suppose, if a bit insulting, even to the very thing I'm referencing, but for tomboy bisexual disaster Sally Acorn? One of the main characters, no less, originally made to basically outsnark Sonic "I'm so sorry you have nothing better to do in your life" the Hedgehog?

NO. nnNO.

nnnnnnNO!

She looks like a background incidental character that got promoted to the main cast, and even then, that is an outright slur to the formerly incidental characters this franchise gave us. Lemme remind ya'll: Lanolin started out as an incidental character. LANOLIN.

Unironically, post-SGW Sally just feels like what you get off Wish or Temu than the character I remember from the cartoons and comics, and it really does just boil down to that fricking 60s-ahh hairdo. Again, if you wanna do that vibe elsewhere? Cool! Great! Awesome! Amazing! Spectacular! Go for it! But for a main character in a Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off, it makes her feel more like a yet-to-be-revealed twist villain to me than when she was an actual villain.

AND EVEN. THEN.

HOW DOES THIS FEEL MORE FAITHFUL THAN THE ACTUAL NON-ROBOTICIZED VILLAIN VERSION OF HER THAT CAME AFTER THIS?!?!

Tbh, that's why I believe fanart like OP's above has done a much better job presenting post-SGW Sally than the actual comics did. Comics which, mind you at the time, were made largely by passionate fans of the franchise. The writer made a two-dozen chapter fancomic in the early 2000s. One artist did another, arguably more well-known and beloved, fancomic. One artist did artwork for the first mentioned fancomic at one point.

I'm not gonna pretend like this inconsequential thing that happened well over a decade ago in response to a lawsuit is actionable to the creative team behind it (or the heads behind them at the time) in Anno Domini Current Year. I'm stupid, stubborn, emotionally broken, and prone to rants like the one you're reading, but I'm not petty. And that's why I'm honestly glad most of the fandom retroactively decided to make Sally's redesign more in line with her original look, keeping the distinctness that made that original work as well as it did.

But yeah, this rant's been almost a decade in the making. Maybe I am petty. Or maybe I don't want to be anymore.

Up to you. And by a lesser extent, to me.

Both designs are good and valid

[sungtaro]

🐇HI ERI💞 teubunny here I've been crazy busy so I couldnt come for a while. I did watch the mv when it came out tho! I love LOVE the song I need to listen to the rest of the album. The mv kinda surprised me bc I expected more summer vibes but .... Like can we even complain with how good they look? I wanted to ask ur opinion abt it and abt the album. What's ur fave song so far? how've been enjoying the cb? (ALSO PINK YOSHI I NEARLY DIED)🐇🐇

HIIIII I MISSED U !!!! teucomeback time for me is like . i cannot listen to anything else i can't tune in for anything else it is full teunnel vision ... i love the album no surprise there haha. my favorite bside is wonderland ! she has the perfect summer sound. but i also love i want your love, stupid, and bomb, and i do rly like bona bona ! the choreography is so powerful . and the mv is basically all references to their past eras !! which is why it's all over the place LOL so the boat scenes where they're dressed more comfortably are for i love you and hello, and that's where we got all the summer vibes i guess haha. tbh not my favorite mv of theirs ever, but i think it would take something crazy to dethrone miss ILY for me. i'm just happy to get new content and i reeeeally hope that esp with their anniversary coming up that we get new treasure map like PLEASE we all are begging ... i love the pink hair on yoshi too ! and junkyu's blue hair was such a big step for him he never dyes his hair (mix/nine trauma) but he looks so cute. also can we talk abt how much asahi is shining this era with all of his center parts !! jihoon too my main slayer ... i just hope they are having fun with promos and i know teumes are working hard to try and get them a music show win + encore stage, which would be awesome if it happens esp close to the anniversary . fingers crossed for inkigayo this week !! definitely let me know when you listen to the album what you think :D <3

[wikiangela]

finally getting to Lone star 4x09 😂 I've been watching the episodes days late recently lol

(but 4x09 - BEST episode this season so far hands down, and possibly one of my faves ever, it was so fucking good)

thoughts and spoilers under the cut

aww Marjan's coming back??? yaaay I'm so excited 😍

idk why but all the joking etc in this scene feels kinda awkward and cringe and lowkey almost forced...? 😂 idk, maybe it's just me, it just feels weird 😂

awww Marjan is such a good person fr, she cares soooo much 🥺 she's amazing

ngl I didn't think we'd stick with the Grant and Kiley storyline for more than one episode, but it looks like he's... going after Marjan or something? 😬 it's exciting but also worrying (and I just realized I either didn't watch the promo or forgot everything about it bc I have no idea where we're going 😂)

Owen freaking out about the party is so funny lmao - I'm gonna say it once more: Rob Lowe is SO GOOD in comedic roles

oh shit Marjan 😱😱 and she was in the car that caused that family to crash oh my god 😱 oh I feel so bad 😰😰

and of course Grant is fine 🙄 I really want him to die tbh

seeing Marjan like this is literally making me tear up 😭 she's such a good person and this is what she gets for it, that's so not fair 😭

oh my god Mouse is the only one who survived?!??? 💔😭 are you kidding me, I wasn't prepared to be hit in the feels like this tonight oh god - and she's blaming herself noooo baby 🥺😭

I'm crying - they gave me a hurt Marjan and a little girl who just lost her best friend, and they broke me 😭

thank god they all know Marj so well and are so worried - and thank god for Grace always being the best 😭

I knew it was gonna happen but it still surprised - RIP Rick, he was just trying to help jfc

Grant needs to fucking die, get his annoying face off my screen ��

OH SHIT and she got shot too???! don't fucking do this to me oh my god 😭 I cannot handle this

Mouse is fucking awesome, I'm praying she doesn't get hurt (and that Marjan will be fine)

my hear is breaking fr, my poor Marjan 😭💔

this episode is fucking good

the best this season so far, hands down

Marjan's a damn hero and they need to save her 😭😭😭

and, again, Mouse is fucking amazing fr

oh my god they're so close to her!!

they came for her and they're so close and she hears them and I'm fucking crying 😭

omg she has the flare gun is she gonna use it?!! YAAAAS!!! SHE KILLED HIM!! THAT'S MY GIRL! ❤️😍😍

omg is Mouse not really there??? did she die? what the fuck??? oh they got me with her fr

okay, I need to take a moment for Carlos in glasses and TK sleeping while hugging Carlos' arm because that's too adorable 😍 😂 look at them 🥺😍

wait what the fuck, so Mouse and that family were never in this car crash?! why are you messing with my emotions like this oh my god

oh my god Mouse was Marjan

oh my god

this makes it so much better and so much sadder

oh my god what

I'm literally sobbing 😭

her mom calls her mouse 😭😭😭

OH MY GOD THAT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!

Mouse was Marjan!!! (lowkey crying bc she still feels guilty for that crash 😭) that was a twist I didn't see coming but it makes so much sense oh my god

it was Marjan's episode Natacha did an amazing job fr - I was a sobbing mess by the end of it

I love how this episode finally felt like they're all a family, you know, planning the party bc Marjan was coming back, and immediately knowing that something's wrong bc not showing up or not having her phone on is so unlike her - they know her so well 😭 - and they all worked together to save her and it was amazing

and Marjan!!! she basically saved herself, while barely able to walk, bleeding from her head and then after being shot???! she's so fucking strong and badass and amazing

(and I said multiple time that Mouse was amazing, which means - Marjan is SO fucking amazing)

and I love that we got at least a little bit of her backstory, about her family dynamics, with her parents not coming to her games etc (while Tommy sat through three hours of ballet, bless her soul, ballet sucks 😂)

I need an episode like that for every single one of them (but maybe with less near-death experiences pls 😂)

I literally loved it SO MUCH - it might be one of my faves episodes of this show ever tbh, so good (and to think my stupid ass wanted to drop this show two episodes ago wtf bitch lmao)

it was amazing, I need time to process lmao

[allsassnoclass]

Helloooooo I just wanted to pop by to say that I am just so impressed by the amount of work you pour into the fic exchange!! You run it all so well from pairing people up to checking in on writers to running the blog to creating masterlists and running the fic exchange blog it's crazy!!! The 5sos slash community is lucky to have you! 💌

oh!!!!! thank you so much!!!! i have a lot of fun running it honestly, and i'm glad so many people enjoy participating and/or reading all the fics!

(the fic exchange in question, for anyone who's confused)

[hemingway-papers]

We don't talk enough about how Yuji Ohno clearly loved contemporary black american & caribbean culture and music and tried very hard to capture it when he composed for lupin iii. which played a big role in bringing black music and culture to japan, as did many of his peers in the burgeoning Citypop genre.

You can hear it in The Wiz (1978) clear as day this IS the lupin soundtrack this was exactly what Yuji Ohno intro and OST track is trying to envoke. and became legendary in its own right. it sounds almost interchangeable i love that. that's just one example off the top of my head because i was taking about living The Wiz but this style of music was already a decade old by 78.

You can hear it in Issac Hayes Shaft theme lol from 1971. this is part of the blaxploitation era which was a new type of very popular detective crime & action shows in the early 70s that starred black actors and artists for the first time (but also fell into exploitative and racially insensitive themes at times hence the name. this genre VERY clearly played a huge part of the look sound and theme later used in Part 2.

as much as you had James Bond and Noir oldies and Columbo all mixed in it, you can't forget this element of early 70s blaxploitation action detective movies & tv . tho we rarely mention it and many might not realize how many lupin tropes and motifs come from black art. the Motown chorus of ladies singing lupins name. the random man just smoothly exposition dumping about how cool and sexy shaft is in the middle of the song lol. it's all there.

the adult swim bumper / promo is well aware of this and doing a parody of that old school fuckalicious blaxploitation action schlock lol. they understood the assignment it seems:

stuff like this is THE nexus origin point from which you get the iconic Lupin III funk/disco/smooth jazz sound. which blended well with the older jazzier themes from noir and bond. a music style which has carried over into the Persona series, Cowboy Bebop, sonic games and more. that's why japanese games and series with a crime and mystery theme always sound like this.

THAT is why it is called AFRO LUPIN '68. IM NOT KIDDING .

everyone say thank you Mr. Hayes lol

although speaking of. the part 1 soundtrack has a lot of a late 60s british psychedelic rock mixed in which is also so awesome. the ending song always reminds me of like Procol Harum Whiter Shade of Pale or something. the Bee Gees had a very similar shift from british psychedelic folk rock to disco cause that was just what was big and happening

We didn't circle back to black caribbean music much but this is a great example of a blend of calypso and funk getting big on the japanese music scene and the reason a lot of citypop has steal drums and latin american instruments and such. one of my all time favorite albums All of Me (1979) features mostly afrolatino caribbean music mixed with funk and motown inspired vocals and instrumentation and it's an incredibly joyous experience of music tbh. the Samba tracks on the 78 lupin ost also reflect the importance of latino and afrolatino music in all this. most "nostalgic" video games from the 80s and 90s feature music that can be considered citypop because that was the fashion and pop of the time, so you'll have Chao Garden sounding like a track straight off of any calypso mix on youtube. an example if you don't know what it sounds like off the top of your head

it is extremely joyful and exciting to understand more about where our favorite stuff comes from . because of antiblackness in america and japan (in otaku and other reactionaries who dominate anime and video game scenes tbh), the importance and iconography of black culture on japanese pop culture is often erased. a lot of this stuff is just OLD as well and not something young fans would have or would be expected to have heard of with the best of intentions. you can have the most pro-black politics and appreciation and easily just never have encountered or watched an obscure and very dated tv show from 1971 to make that connection without being directed there. so it's a fun deep dive. know your lupistory lmafo. the impact people in the world have on each other is really beautiful 🏝🎆❤️

the wizard of oz (1939) is a lot like the castle of cagliostro where the movie is full of a certain sincere lightness and hope that is cherished deeply for a reason a very good reason. but the source material and other adaptations of the wizard of oz and lupin iii are all markedly different and at times the tone will venture into dark cynical experimental and surreal. which can REALLY put people off to it when they go in expecting more of the other thing. but if you go into it expected entirely anything possible it can be REALLY cool and interesting and weird, iconic and great stuff. i love you mystery of mamo i love you The Wiz i like how you are kind of scary and would have made me cry as a child now i think you're actually like genius. and i still love you cagliostro and judy garlands oz you are literally nestled deep where my tender heart and soul are ❤️

[miiilowo]

hullo, whats your favorite platform to post on? thinking of going outside tumblr but i dont know which sites are good for new artists

honestly? tumblr. 100%. theres no hidden algorithm that pushes you around for one, which is GREAT. you want to self promo by reblogging your own art? awesome! nobody will judge you for it. wanna spam a shitton of tags so it gets more reach? awesome! nobody will judge you for it! theyre hidden!

once you DO gain a following, its a lot less draining than other social media. theres no urge to want to like...Keep up, yknow? You generally wont lose followers or traction for not posting, and even then, since followers are kinda hidden outta view on tumblr its less of a factor that could weigh on you. outta sight outta mind.

tumblr feels a lot more relaxed than other sites. more natural. stuff like insta feels really performative but i find you can kinda just chill out on here. post whatever you want. no insights either on your stats and how big your reach is. its just less all-mind consuming tbh. feels healthier

instagram sucks SHIT for new artists. it took me 4 years to reach 1.8k on insta and im nearing 3k on here and ive been here less than a year posting the same stuff. the only reason i have a following on instagram at all is because the buzzfeed unsolved dudes included one of my drawings in a fanart post and it boosted my account and got the ball rolling to finally put me into The Almighty Algorithm!

instagram also has a thing where it crops the image to be a better fit for insta which is fucking annoying as all hell and sucks for artists

i didnt spend too much time on twitter, but i can say its pretty decent for artists if youre willing to self promote. specially fandom spaces, cause (idk if this is still a trend) bigger artists would go 'hey! if youre a small artist, drop some of ur art + introduce yourself and ill retweet it' which is cool! big fan of that. on the flipside youll be using twitter. which i do not recommend for anyone ever. because its twitter. like seriously that outweighs anything positive i could say about it

you get better interaction on tumblr anyway cause of the tags. people arent afraid to lose their shit in the tags when they reblog ur stuff. on twt quote retweeting steals interactions from the artists and people are a lot less likely to just comment on something. and insta ONLY has a commenting feature, and it also gets you less interaction. reblogging is the primary way art gets around here, and once it starts getting around, looking at the tags is always my absolute number one fav thing

anyways. thats all i have to say. i think

[1d-discourseoftheday]

Wed 6 Jan ‘21

One Direction news time, cause that's definitely the only thing of note happening in the world today!! Well TBH US police letting other white supremacists run rampant and do whatever they want is much less surprising to me than Harry actually dating a woman would be, so let's just get on with our distraction and investigate that shall we?

First up, rumors of a Zayn single and I KNOW I KNOW, but like sooner or later some of this Zayn news has to be true right?? And this one seems plenty likely so WHY NOT-- according to Power Radio UK maaaybe a Zayn single tomorrow called Vibez! That would be awesome, I hope so, and maybe the video he was filming in Dec was for that! I look forward to finding out. Liam has announced the openers for his upcoming final Veeps show; UK singer songwriter Nina Nesbitt, 16 year old Claire Rosinkranz, and Liam's very own cousin performer Ross Harris (that'll be the family member he told us would be featured).

And, yes, so many pap pics of Harry and Olivia today (and of Olivia and her husband who are getting papped almost as much as her and her new 'beau' innnnteresting)-- but they aren't new pics exactly. Today's morning batch were taken the same time as that single one of them at the house we saw back on Monday (maybe that one wasn't mean to go out the other day so we wouldn't know that, no wonder those UAs got suspended! Oopsy!), and the same day as Harry's hiking pic (released yesterday). Is the plan to take a week's worth every weekend and release them at the same press time every day or is that just this week? Well in any case, the Wednesday batch show Harry tenderly holding his hand to her back... er well, about 4 inches away that is, the two of them engaging in scandalous, uh, masked eye contact, and Olivia wearing Harry's accessories (and her enagagement ring, if we're tracking accessories- but then Harry is usually wearing his engagement rings too, it's only fair.) They are accompanied by a slew of coworkers and managers, for that extra touch of Romance.

LISTEN THOUGH. Is the reason they had to set up a whole pap extravaganza to get Holivia properly moving that we failed to react properly to the more subtle attempts? Remember when Harry was papped on set in that pastel jogger and shirt combo and we thought oh, it's to show us the vote shirt on election day? Well, I'm sure it was, but why do one thing when you can do at at least three (regular promo, get out the vote advocacy, repping Jeff's sister's clothing brand, AND setting up for a stunt)-- just a few days later Olivia posted a picture of herself in the same shirt. I guess we should have asked why she was drawing attention to a Vote shirt that way after the election, why Harry was papped with her specifically on set multiple times, why she was defending him online, etc-- but instead everyone was like hmm a friend aw how nice :). I'm FASCINATED by the possibility that the bar for the public to believe Harry is dating a woman has risen to the point where the tried and true methods aren't working and they had to be like well fuck. We're really going to have to step it up a notch huh? Anyway rememeber kids: clothes sharing means you're dating! They're all in with it now with her getting papped left and right in his accessories and car, but she's gonna have to show up in the Vogue dress next to out-do years of Harry and Louis' shared wardrobe, though I think Harry in a dress of hers would be an original twist that could be fun-- again, why get only ONE kind of headline when you can multitask?

Maybe the second set of pap pics out today (Harry, Olivia, Jeff, Glenne and Tommy Bruce frolicking in the streets of Santa Barbara and packing into Harry's convertible like the cast of a low budget teen party movie) prompting the secondary trend #harrywearamask and fandom outrage over their blithe disregard for recommended protocol wasn't the multitasking they had in mind though. Are they in fact a pod of some sort, very likely, are they the lowest possible risk group as rich young white people who can fully avoid contact with anyone at higher risk and do they stay outdoors for all of this, also yes, would it have been difficult to forsee that the optics of it would enrage people given that the situation in LA right now is about equivalent to Italy last March only without the government action that might help, I meeeean-- isn't understanding optics your JOBS you fookin losers?? Meanwhile fans hacked security camera footage to prove that Harry wears a mask in his down time and that the no mask look was... for optics?! Not sure I follow love but all right.

[stevethehairington]

Congratulations!! Honestly I’ve never seen a fic get anywhere close to 1k so 2k is so fucking impressive. That’s insane! I was wondering if you have any tips for bringing in readers? Obviously your writing is amazing. Currently I’m struggling to get 20 kudos. 😅

so sorry for the late reply, it's been a busy week! but thank you so much!!!!! i'm honestly so like shocked that it's managed to get up to 2k! it just baffles me that at least two thousand people have read/liked something that i wrote. it's incredibly validating and i just feel so so so grateful.

ooh, tips for bringing in readers hm.

share your fic on multiple platforms! obviously, once that fic is posted it's going to show up in the tags you've used on ao3 (assuming that's where you've posted it!), but you want it to reach more than just those looking on ao3, because not everyone looks in the general pairing tag or narrows their search down to the trope tags you may have used. so my advice here, is to take that link and make a tumblr post with it! make a tweet that includes it! throw that link up on instagram if you use that for fandom stuff. if you're in any discord servers for that fandom/pairing, drop the link there too! spread it around as far and wide as you can so you can get as many eyes on it as possible!

do not be afraid of some good ol' shameless self-promo! in the same vein as #1, don't be afraid to then promote those posts you've made about your fic! self-reblog, self-retweet, self-rewhatever! get your fic circulating! it's your blog/page/account, so you shouldn't ever feel bad about boosting up your own content!

find yourself a good group of friends who will hype the hell out of you and your works! not only is it ridiculously nice to have a group of people who you can talk with about fandom stuff, and spitball ideas with, and discuss theories or headcanons with until they turn into something more, but it is also soooo incredible to have people that are in your corner and that will read anything you put out and who will then also reblog/retweet/rewhatever your fics too! even if you run in the same general circle, they're still going to have connections with other people that you won't, so if they help you out by reblogging your fic, then that spreads it even further than just your own followers. and like, in my experience, fandom friends will be some of the most ride or die, supportive people that will stop at nothing to hype you up to the highest point they possibly can, so like hang onto them as tight as you possibly can because they are just the absolute best things ever <3

create some sort of banner/moodboard/graphic to go with the fic i have not personally done this, just because i am usually far too impatient once i finish a fic and i just want to get it up asap lol, BUT. i know that there are fics i've seen that have totally eye catching banners or moodboards or things like that that the writers will attach to the beginning of the fic but also to their promo posts, and those absolutely will grab attention! like, someone will be scrolling through the tag and see the banner/moodboard/whatever you made and go woah, that's cool, what is this? and they'll check out your post and if it's something they decide they're into, then the fic itself too!

i'm trying to think if there's any other advice i could give you, but tbh these are the things i stick to doing the most with my own fics. hopefully that was at least a little bit helpful!! i wish you the absolute best of luck, though! trying to get engagement on writing can be very difficult, but it's really awesome that you're putting yourself out there no matter what and sharing something you've created! that's so special and you should be very proud of yourself for that!!

(also, if your fic is a steddie fic or another st pairing that i'm into and you want to drop me the link i would totally love to check it out!!)

[makeup-manifestation]

Time for another tutorial! Continuing on with the ToT boys, our next inspiration comes from detective/secret agent/general ray of sunshine, Luke Pearce!

I’m going to admit that I went with Luke next just to get him out of the way, not because I don’t love him but because I know that I would have difficultly coming up with a proper design for him, especially because his color scheme is kind of difficult to translate into eyeshadow without it looking weird or muddy. I sort of agonized over it for a bit, and originally I was going to go with something that drew a bit more inspiration from Peanut and the yellows that he is often associated with in promo art. But then, I made a mistake that eventually turned into something better! I when I was putting on my makeup this morning (because I often do these looks and do outfits to match them and wear them to class) I had taken my brush and taken some of my yellow, but when I started putting it on I thought “huh, this is looking more orange than I remembered.” And then I realized what happened. I had been messing around and experimenting last night because I was trying to see if I could recreate the freckles that the main character’s virtual avatar has from the movie Belle, because I’m going to see it tomorrow (this experiment failed, if I were to do it I properly would probably need a smaller brush or red graphic eyeliner), and I had forgotten to wipe the red eyeshadow off of my brush. So, when I used it this morning, the leftover red mixed with the yellow to make this warm yellow-ish orange (my palette already has an orange but it’s a lot brighter and looks sort of like a traffic cone, it has its uses but not for this)! I then improvised with some other colors and came out with something that looked really nice when it was all blended. That’s enough blabber, sorry if this feels like one of those recipes in which the author tells their entire life story and prevents you from getting to that awesome soup recipe in a timely manner, on to the tutorial!

Products used/recommended! (If you don’t have these, use whatever alternatives you have that are close to the shades that I used! They don’t have to be expensive, tbh most of my makeup is drugstore, the only stuff that isn’t is like my foundation and concealer.)

Makeup Revolution Reloaded Euphoria Palette (in case you can’t tell this palette is probably going to be in most of my tutorials, I love it to death it’s so colorful and it’s super pigmented when you use primer, plus it’s normally under $10!)

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette (horrible confession I bought this palette so long ago that the one I’m using is the old discontinued version. It still works though, plus I checked and the new version that is being sold now has all of the same shades plus a few more, so I say that it’s still worth a buy, especially if you want some softer earthy tones for more every day looks!)

I was finally able to make out the text on my eyeshadow primer and match it to the actual product! It’s the Wet n Wild photofocus eyeshadow primer!

Eyeshadow “C” Brush (e.l.f.)

Small Angled Brush (e.l.f.)

Here’s the diagram! Written instructions will be below!

1. Apply your eyeshadow primer to your eyelids and creases!

2. Alternate between using red and yellow (the shades labeled as “1” on the diagram) on your inner corners until they mix into a pleasant yellowish orange (make sure to wipe off your brush when you switch colors!)

3. Wipe off your brush and take some of the olive green (the shade labeled as “2” on the diagram) and apply it to the rest of your eyelid. Make sure to blend it properly with the orange!

4. Wipe off your brush and take some of the brown labeled as “3” on the diagram and apply it to your crease. Make sure to blend!

5. Typically I prefer to line my eyes with black, and I usually use a liquid liner, but this look was coming out looking a bit earthy so I decided to just line using the small angled brush in the brown labeled “4” on the diagram so it would come out softer!

And that’s the tutorial! Tbh I was trying to avoid being super long winded in my intro but I want to drop this story: so I’m really bad at small talk with strangers, so of course icebreakers make me want to throw myself out of a window. I was my first official stats class of the semester (and thankfully the last math class that I will have to take in my undergrad, woo!) and my professor said “okay so take like three minutes to introduce yourself to the people sitting near you”, and then everyone sitting around me turned to other people and started talking, and the one other person next to me was a TA, so I was too nervous to actually say anything to anyone or interrupt so I was just kind of sitting there like this:

My social ineptitude aside, I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial, and happy pulling! Our next ToT boy will be Vyn!

If you want to make a request, check out my pinned post and then shoot me an ask!

Other ToT looks:

Marius: https://makeup-manifestation.tumblr.com/post/673614434674032640/okay-yall-its-time-for-the-first-official