#But crowdsourcing ideas sounds fun

[cerealmonster15]

Maybe. Maybe want 2 try the drawing 1 character per color meme thing. UNLESS I GET SCARED‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ Idk we’ll see lol but Gimmie some SUGGESTIONS for COLORS otherwise I will be forced to take matters into my own hands 🫴

[justanotherfanartist]

taps mic. ahem.

help a student write a dumb rvb research paper? pretty please?? for funsies???

This is exactly what it sounds like.

My current final of the year for my language composition class is a massive synthesis + argumentative research paper on any topic of our choosing, and Roosterteeth + RVB has too much messy junk going on that I’m knee-deep invested in mentally at this point to pass up the opportunity to write about it.

And yknow, I see a ton of media analysis posts coming out of the fandom all the time and I’ve always loved seeing it and reading into it and sharing ideas and whatnot and this feels like my way of doing that too.

Essentially what I’m reaching out for is for you guys to help me crowdsource resources and share your ideas with me to include in my term paper*.

things that would be wizard cool of you to send me are:

any interviews or behind the scenes with the cast and creators you happen to know of

your own analysis or hot takes of the characters or the show as a whole

what the show has meant to you

any clips of old Roosterteeth expos

for the older fans, a rough idea of what the release timeline looked like for the episodes and what the buildup and fan reaction was for each one

any commentary or hot takes on how the fandom has changed since you joined/that you know of

what Roosterteeth did wrong (writing wise and irl)

what Roosterteeth did right (writing wise and irl)

tropes within the show you noticed whether originated by the show or not

tropes within the fandom, things like similar portrayals or bad/good takes on characters or face canons that span artists

literally anything you can give me, media, commentary, or opinion wise

(not to say I can’t find things on my own, I already have, but this is also about varying opinions and the general outlook of the fandom as a whole and measuring the broader impact of a show like RvB and it would be incredibly cool of you to help me out even with just crumbs of character opinions)

The idea is to get evidence together from clips, personal anecdotes, and opinions so I can present an accurate read on the fandom, especially when it comes to fan interpretation of RVB vs Roosterteeth’s intentions for the show (and behavior as a company) and explore what the show was supposed to be, what it literally is, how people see it, what its impact has been, and a general overview of the it’s legacy and lifespan, that sort of thing.

My thesis is most likely going to end up something in the ballpark of “How Roosterteeth exemplifies the Franchisation of Indie Media” or “Why RvB is one of the most complicated/misunderstood/divisive shows in modern media” or “How Fandoms interpret and recontextualize media”

I’m going to guess that I likely won’t be able to post the finished paper up online without a solid buffer window to avoid the two mortifying scenarios that are (a) being accused of creative plagiarism and (b) having to tell my instructor that the tumblr account with a 100% match to my course final is, in fact, my tumblr account, are two things I desperately want to avoid.

However if I can, simply for the sake of contributing to the fandom and creating something for us to all contribute to and discuss and crediting various peoples’ help and input would be ideal and, if at all possible, that would be the end goal.

so yeah. if you’re up for it I’d love for you to dm me your thoughts or (more conveniently for the both of us) fill out this Google form down here!

*im not gonna, like, repost your detailed character analysis as my own or something. I’m just trying to find some good quotes, general opinions, and ideas from the fandom so that I can accurately represent them and do our little corner of the internet Justice. And also because the audience of a work is a massive factor in media analysis lmfao. and also to create a community sourced Fun Thing™️ we can all look at and bite the corners off of instead of watching Roosterteeth crash and burn in the backgroun

[normalestenstars]

also while everyone is here i've been vaguely thinking about this. you know those series specific polls that are aimed at people who have never seen that media. the "which thing didn't happen in this media" polls. because enstars is so off the rails, at first i thought this could be a fun poll among fans because the cast is so big it's unlikely that the average fan knows EVERYTHING about everyone

the only problem with this idea is that. so i would not call myself an avid reader, and therefore would have a hard time making up things about the cast. with something as unpredictable as enstars, you cant even jokingly say kanata would drown people because like, that literally kind of happened (context: summer snow). basically i don't want to say false things about characters i don't know well/havent read all stories about because my lies could be entirely true 😓 if that makes sense

so maybe this could be like, a crowdsourced idea! people submit one true + false trivia, and then i could make into a poll, or maybe even make into a longer quiz for fun...??? possibly???

either way is this something that would interest y'all? it sounds potentially fun to me but i wanna know how everyone else feels about this! 🤔

[tarantula-hawk-wasp]

On instagram there’s an “evil art style challenge” where you crowdsourcing ideas for what the opposite of your art style is and that sounds fun

(I did that 4 years ago with the art style bend challenge) but it’s been 4 years so!!

I’m gonna ask on here and on insta but what do you think would be the evil opposite version of my art style

[wirewitchviolet]

Console Design- Can I have my cake and eat it too?

Recently I spilled the beans that I have a little hobby project slowly brewing away where I am designing a new game console. I'm still not ready to really properly pitch the whole thing, but between sharing that, explaining computer architecture, and seeing people's feedback, it keeps pushing itself towards the front burners over more practical projects I SHOULD be giving my focus to, and while people are paying attention, I might as well try to crowdsource answers to some questions I'm getting hung up on.

So... a lot of what I'm doing here is, I'll be honest, rooted in nostalgia for 16-bit consoles. There's a certain retro appeal to the look, speed, and general immediacy of 8-bit games, and more than plenty of support for making games that evoke that feel, and even recently made free dev tools for people to just make new games for older systems, and as I'm writing this, there is this massive renaissance going on with indie devs restricting them to the constraints of early polygonal-graphics-focused consoles, but we mostly skipped right past that 16-bit period, and all its hallmarks:

2D graphics with more color-depth than people really knew what to do with. All sorts of hardware-level flashy effects like transparency, resolution changes, neat little raster effects. A soundscape of crunchy FM synth and sparingly used sampling with distortion effects. Just a little taste of support for polygonal graphics. Not enough to go all-in, but enough to make a nice spice here and there. A general push to show off with fancy jointed paper doll sprites, 3D effects from sprite-scaling, just... clear ambitions all over to make low res 2D eye candy. Plus everything was cartridge based, allowing people to add extra custom chips for things they really wanted that they didn't quite have the power for.

So that's basically what I want to deliver here. A platform where you have more toys and tricks than you know what to do with if you're coming from 8-bit style stuff, but a real tricky set of restrictions to work around from a more modern approach, hopefully with its own look and sound. To that end I've been doing a ton of research into how some of those work... and a lot of it involves fun little tricks between scanlines. In particular, if you look at that mode 7 video above, right around 7:50, we've got this real eye-popping barrel distortion background. What's going on here, on a hardware level, is we have the ability to, essentially, apply one single image as a texture to a single parallelogram, which in this case is just taking a rectangular background and squishing it in towards the center then out towards its regular dimensions... but where doing that squishing and stretching between individual scan lines as we send the video out to the screen. Several changes to the shape before we've even finished rendering out one frame of the video, and tada, weird barrel.

Being able to support tricks like THAT, specifically, is a must-have feature for what I'm working on, and I'm pretty confident I can design the hardware with that exact capability... but the original hardware doing that was, to my understanding, very much working with the peculiarities of how a CRT worked and the exact number of operations it could get done while the beam was swiping back to the left to draw the next line, and I legitimately have no idea if tricks like this are even really possible if I slap together a similar chipset and send video out an HDMI cord to a modern display.

Like, I know I can fake that. I've got a Retron 5 hooked to a cheap flat panel TV with Castlevania 4 plugged in, but my understanding is that's actually emulating an SNES in software on some very-much-overkill for this sort of thing modern processor. What I would LIKE to do is build this with a chipset you really can push to its limits, hooked to modern display, and get this sort of effect. Because while I realize a big chunk of the audience for this sort of thing totally have nice well-maintained CRTs, I don't want to be married to hardware people no longer manufacture. And I'd rather not have some way more capable sub-processor wedged in here just to get the video output of whatever cheap fast legit 16-bit chipset I use otherwise to play nice with HDMI standards.

I'm still sort of in the dark about HDMI and modern display options, to be clear. And you know in a perfect world I'd like to have support built into this if you want to hook it to a CRT, but at the end of the day I need to pick an aspect ratio, and it's probably gonna be 16:9.

A similar fork in the road I may need to pick a lane for before I can really get going is looking at ASIC chips. What I'd really love is to be able to just point people at a design files for the casing and PCBs, and a warehouse of old mass-produced chips that sell for pennies, make the whole thing a neat little home electronics kit where the total price of everything is like, maybe $10 or $20 or something, you get out a soldering iron, and assemble it all yourself. But, I might need to custom design a chip or two in the end, and there's a chance it ends up being cheaper to just build literally the whole system on one chip. Simpler, easier to make a portable version of the whole thing, but it loses that DIY feel.

And of course there's also the risk that the overall architecture and chipset I'm looking at isn't going to have the oomph to do what I want it to do at a nice steady 60 FPS (maybe 120?) I'm just kind of assuming once I commit to a path I'll be able to find a dirt cheap chipset covering all the bases I need it to that'll hold up at a faster clock speed than consoles really ran at in the mid-90s. I want people to be able to do things smoothly that historically really had some slowdown, and you know, I AM planning to have a higher base resolution than the systems I'm taking inspiration from (maybe the same height but clearly more width).

And of course the real pain is going to be prototyping all this since none of it's going to work without hooking display AND something popped into a cartridge slot. I'm at least saving myself some headache starting with a controller I can at least test in other things, but wow there's gonna be so many different potential failure points to worry about at one step in here.

[silver-crowned-riders]

[A video is attatched, presumably recorded last night]

[Beau is squinting, seemingly placing the camera into someone's hands.]

🎀🖤: Yeah, like that. Get whoever's talking inside of that frame. Just try to pretend I'm letting ya play around with that like it's a MetaPad and you're my son I don't givacrap about, you get me?~

[A Mawile's chirping can be heard in response. Beau smiles and gives double thumbs up, meanwhile Jace walks across the frame behind her. Beau pulls back to look at him which now makes it clear he's pacing in circles.]

🎀🖤: D'ya want me to get Skitty?

🧵💥: I'm NOT gonna CUDDLE MY SKITTY when I'm giving him the DISTORTION REALM SPAWN COOKIES!!

[Beau shrugs and walks towards him.]

🎀🖤: I don't mind, he probably doesn't mind, he likes you!

🧵💥: No, no he's gonna hate meee, he hates meee...

[Then, the sound of metal doors being kicked open. Jace makes a little squeak sound. The camera turns to a man stretching one of his shoulders, an Absol's horn bobbing along at the bottom of the frame.]

[He has hair dyed striking colors and a long red coat. Definitely stands out, but in contrast to his lackeys, he talks very calmly.]

🦋🐺: I'm back, anything blow up while I was gone? Heheh.

🎀🖤: Fortunately no, bossman!

🧵💥: Nuh-nothing at all, mister-the-boss!

[He smiles and shakes his head.]

🦋🐺: I thought I told you guys, the formality's unnecessary.

[Jace seems embarassed then takes a quick peek at the camera, perhaps he's used to talking the boss up in front of other people.]

[An Espurr floats by the boss's head. He catches her in the air and drops the large metal pipe he was holding in his other hand to clatter in the ground. Right, criminals...]

🧵💥: A-ah, right, UHHHM so Casey! We have a uh suprise. foryouu.

🦋🐺: Hm?

[The boss puts Espurr in the ball and follows Jace's awkward shuffle with his hands in his pockets.]

🎀🖤: We were looking for fun ways to show appreciation for our boss!

🧵💥: So I made ahem. uh I made cookies.

🦋🐺: Really? Never envisioned you firey boys trying something like baking, hah!

[He smiles and punches Jace's shoulder playfully. Jace blushes visibly.]

🧵💥: AHAYEAH WELLABOutthatuh-

🎀🖤: Yeah, you'd think it would limit our creativity, or be super boring yaknow? But Jace was kinda adamant on the cookies idea for whatever reason, so... we kinda had the idea to-

[The two of them freeze when they see the boss has now locked eyes with the tray of... uh, "cookies".]

🧵💥: theeee distortion-realm-spawn cookies!~~*

🎀🖤: With crowdsourced ingredient portions!

🦋🐺: Huh.

[The three sit around a table.]

🦋🐺: Crowdsourced, huh? Like all the Riders voted on it?

🎀🖤: ...Sure, yeah!

🧵💥: They have Capsakid seeds in them, forwarning. A lot, actually! And like, tons of salt too. I, uh... might as well have one first since I made this whole mess in the first place. You don't have to have any if you don't wanna, misterbossman...

[Jace picks up one of the charred disks and looks at it, bracing himself, while the other two go for a bite.]

🎀🖤: Ahh, cmon Jace, don't beat yourself up-

[The spice startles Beau and makes her choke a little. She gives reassuring thumbs up and strained smile to Jace before holding back a cough. The boss looks at her with confusion while chewing his.]

[The boss then does something unthinkable... He takes a second bite. Jace drops his cookie and stares. Beau watches him do this and is sent further into a coughing fit.]

🧵💥: ...

🧵💥: ...What are you doing

🦋🐺: Uh. Eating, how about you?

🧵💥: You... you like it?

[He finishes the cookie. Thinks on it for a second. Nods and takes a second one.]

🎀🖤: Like- ACK. Like actually?

🧵💥: Wuh. Why on earth... um, wh-what'cha like about it?

[Jace is looking at him like he's a freak. He shrugs.]

🦋🐺: Don't see the issue. It's very flavorful. Thanks for this, Jace! Maybe char it even blacker next time, y'know?

[Jace stares at his boss with shock, then concern, then slight disgust.]

🦋🐺: So, how do we wanna split these?

🧵💥: You c- you can... have them. All.

🎀🖤: Mhm!

🦋🐺: Haha! Fine by me.

[Jace finally settles on "relief" for what he's feeling and lets out a sigh. He looks at Beau with an "I'm gonna go sit in a hole for 10 hours now" kind of look. Xe doesn't seem to object. End video.]

[barricadescon]

Hello folks! We are putting together a Les Mis themed CAH deck (loosely inspired by the similar game based on Moby Dick) - to play at the con, and to make freely available afterwards!

Here’s a fun and easy chance to contribute to a fun fandom experience, by offering submissions for the cards!

Register for the con HERE or find out more at our FAQ page!

[phantomrose96]

Clearly Chat Noir hasn't reverted yet because the magic is the only thing holding him together right now. Both in the sense that Plagg's emotional buffer is the only thing between him and fifteen or so repressed meltdowns, and also in the very literal sense that he was bleeding out when the suit went on and will resume bleeding out when the suit comes off again.

(Why Won't You Go Home)

From my tags earlier:

HEY ANON I LIKE THIS A LOT. (especially with the promised Angst Round 2 of what the hell would happen when the suit finally comes off)

Hey I'm Very Into The Idea of hearing other people's headcanons on this. Crowdsourced theories sound way more fun than me just declaring a Word of God here.

[snuggetfish]

Reading about majima and his s/o being cool uncle and aunty really made my heart swell, it’s just so precious 😩 Can we have more headcanons of them visiting the kids and having fun,or maybe how they help kids out when kiryu goes to prison? (I imagine one time the kids were at school and kiryu in the supermarket, so at the orphanage there was only rikiya and mikio, i think them interacting with majima and his wife would be funny ❤️)

(referenced ask is here) Lots of ideas you've thrown in, anon, let's see... 👀

In terms of activities with the kids, my instinct says that Majima's gonna want to be part of all the highly physical activities. Whether it's beach volleyball, drawing a makeshift baseball field in the sand, racing from one end of the coast to another or skipping rope, he's got loads of energy to expend. But that's not to say he wouldn't take an interest also in the hobbies of the calmer, shier kids. He's biased, sure, but if one of the little girls would want to show him her drawings or ask for some help with her sandcastle... Majima wouldn't dream of saying no 😌

Homework and story reading though, those really aren't up his alley at all. I think here is where aunty would have to step it, playing the part of the composed narrator while he provides sound effects and acting to really bring the story to life ✨

Another thing that's better left to his partner (and Haruka) is cooking. Now, Majima isn't bad in the kitchen the same way Kiryu is, he's just... impatient and easily bored. So if he's left in charge of making the kids' meals, you can bet he'll start by "crowdsourcing" ingredient ideas, asking every child what their favourite food is and then trying to combine them all in one horrible concoction... gummy bear curry anyone?

Of course not every kid will want to take part in every sport or activity, so it'll be a tough task to ensure none of them feel left out. But there's always one event everyone's guaranteed to love: movie night. Deciding what to watch is the only struggle here, with Majima lobbying hard for zombie movies, the little ones begging for the newest animated film that's likely not even released on DVD yet... and Majima's partner trying to appease both parties by suggesting something kid-friendly, but with enough action and adult-oriented jokes that they can all enjoy it. And if some parts do get a little too scary or some kids start feeling sleepy? Well, the couple's arms are always open for snuggles and reassuring hugs. 💙 But if they’re the ones to fall asleep first, well then... the sharpies may or may not come out 👀 Ok but the image of Rikiya and Mikio stuck in a house with Majima is too funny somehow. Because I think the two dudes would be terrified of him, at least inwardly. Not only does he look 100% like the hardboiled Tokyo yakuza they've always imagined, with his eyepatch and haircut and flashy outfit, but he's also so unpredictable in his behaviour. And if they've heard even a little of his reputation... well, they'd probably try to do everything to stay on his good side, to the point where they become annoying. Always lighting his cigarette, always handing him ashtrays, towels, cups, whatever he needs.

On his part, Majima can't stand this kind of grovelling, so he won't abstain from snarky remarks like: "Ya wanna hold my dick while I take a piss, too?". I think this is where his partner would have to defuse the tension a little, maybe try to put the young yakuza at ease by starting casual chats about Okinawan food and customs. With time, I think they'll find that Majima is not just a good listener, but also a man of good, honest principles. A role model to follow, just like Kiryu. 💙

[ambitionsource]

did you guys ever have voice casts for the characters? like people/singers you think the characters would sound like n all that? if so would you mind sharing them?

This is such an interesting question... admittedly, Es and I hadn’t really thought about it! We especially just think about the actual actors for those who already sing, but we can provide a couple other samples for each person if it intrigues you to know! Let’s see...

FARKLE | Corey actually does sing -- though not often in this version of reality -- but I do believe he has some professional training. We think of this song he’s recorded in particular, which I think is a really good example of how he sounds circa S1 in my head (this song is actually a bop. The YT version cuts out like 20 seconds too early but I found a version on Tumblr last year that was full so now I have it on my phone LMAO let’s go 2015 Corey). Anyway, it’s that pretty stereotypical power tenor vibe. A couple more comparisons I suggest are:

Jonathan Groff -- I think Jonathan Groff is the best comparison I can make. He’s theatrical, he has a pretty impressive range, but he rests pretty comfortably in the natural tenor range. Like he can do Kristoff one minute and King George from Hamilton the next, and I think that is equitable to Farkle’s range. The man key is that he’s a powerful vocalist. I think Farkle’s true center of his voice has a higher resting place than Groff, but it’s close enough. Example track: Bohemian Rhapsody. One of Glee’s best and an amazing display of Groff’s vocal range in one track. Farkle could match this beat for beat, flair for flair.

Chris Colfer -- I think that the flair Chris Colfer brings to a lot of his performances on Glee match well to Farkle’s vocal stylings as well (which is why he’s done a few performances with that version), but to be clear, I think Colfer’s voice is softer / higher than Farkle’s. It’s more about... emotion and inflection here than tone. Example track: Not the Boy Next Door. Farkle did this on the show, so you know we endorse it. This was also the track Esther brought up when I asked for her opinion.

Brendon Urie -- I think that Urie’s range is really akin to Farkle’s. I don’t think Farkle has at all the same kind of flair or inflection that Urie does (and Farkle is obviously more Broadway than radio), but on certain tracks I think it’s pretty cross applicable. Example track: Dying In LA

I’ll continue this under a read more to spare everyone who doesn’t want to read on because clearly this will be lengthy LOL.

RILEY | I have not heard Rowan sing since the thinly attached source material theme song days, so I honestly don’t think of her much as Riley’s voice (though I think she could do it if trained for it). Especially because of all the mains, Riley is one of the ones who is meant to be less trained and unimposing. For me, the most important quality to Riley’s voice is that it’s not overwhelming. It’s beautiful, and leaves an impact when you listen, but it’s never going to be Maya or Zay’s big, brassy vocals. And that’s fine. That’s what makes it unique in the landscape of the show (and why it appeals to Lucas rather than turns him away). A couple more comparisons I suggest are:

Amanda Seyfried -- I admittedly only know Seyfried’s work in the first Mamma Mia film, but she has the right delicate soprano that I envision Riley having. It’s like... a lilting, soft thing that’s enjoyable to listen to but can escalate into strong belting if needed and handle it effectively enough. Example track: Thank You For Music. Literally a perfect track for Riles.

Phillipa Soo -- Another great example of a powerful soprano player. Case in point enough that we’ve had Riley do a Eliza Hamilton song on the show already. Gentle and gorgeous, but sharp and intense when it needs to be. Example track: Burn.

mxmtoon -- First of all, let this be my plug that everyone should listen to mxmtoon. I love her. She has this lovely gentle voice and her instrumentation is so good. Her EP dusk is gorgeous and I cannot recommend it enough. But she is a great non-theater example of what I think Riley’s voice is like. She varies between ukulele and piano, and everything is just really understated and nice. Example track: show and tell.

MAYA | This is easy. I literally don’t have to say like anything. She just is Sab. That’s it. Like Sab is a phenomenal vocalist and she’s brassy and bold and has range and that’s all Maya is. Like literally that’s it LOL. If you need examples, hit her discography, but I’ll specifically highlight “Sue Me,” “Looking At Me,” and “Diamonds Are Forever” aka the Sab songs we’ve had her do on the show.

ZAY | Zay is an interesting one, because I don’t really think he fits any specific category in my head. He kind of defies definition. He definitely has a brassy swing to him that allows him to pull off showstopping numbers (like his Kossal audition with “Ain’t No Way”), but he can pull it back and reshape it to fit breathtaking musical theater renditions (like “Music and the Mirror”) or banging contemporary (think “Consideration” or “Self Control”) in a way that I don’t think Farkle or Maya can. He is the most vocally versatile of the bunch, and that makes his comparisons sort of wide-reaching as well. I’m not really familiar with Amir’s vocal ability outside of rap (so at least we know he can do that), but based purely on what I hear in my imagination, a few comparisons:

Leslie Odom Jr. -- A younger and less polished Odom, to be clear, but this is a big one for me. I think Odom’s vocal strength and range is so impressive, and what really strikes me is how... grounded and resonant his voice is. That’s a big thing for Zay for me -- you never doubt he’ll be able to support his vocals and that they’re strongly rooted. If he ever cracked or ran out of breath, it would be a shock. This is also really tied to Zay because of how much I would kill to see him perform “Wait For It” and how I feel like it’s such a Zay song. But anywho... Example track: Wait For It.

Frank Ocean -- Ocean has such a cool interesting range and does a lot of things with his performances vocally, so that’s why he’s on here in that he also defies definition. I think Zay also considers Ocean a musical inspiration, so it makes sense that he would adopt or emulate some of his style. I feel like he also translates emotion well, which is a key Zay trait too. Example track: Godspeed.

Amber Riley -- Now hear me out here. Obviously, Zay is a baritone and Amber is like a mezzo soprano / alto / what have you, but the reason I’m listing this Glee legend as a comp is because the quality of her performances is so sharp. It’s like, any time Amber performed on the show it was jawdropping. Her vocal runs are insane, the power behind her vocals is awe-inspiring. She captivates you from the first note, and that is why I always think of Zay. That’s how it is when he performs too, especially in moments where he’s trying to sell it (like his Kossal audition). I wouldn’t be giving my authentic comparisons if I didn’t mention this. So there. Example track: And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going (I would sell my soul to see Zay perform this. Please. PLEASE. Maybe I’ll crowdsource with Charlie and we’ll both sell our kidneys).

CHARLIE | Speaking of Charlie, he’s an interesting one, too. I honestly didn’t really... have a concept of how he sounded in my head, but then when I learned that Tanner sings, it was not at all whatever was deep in my head. But I love his voice, so I think I kind of ended up reconfiguring my perception of what Charlie sounds like around that revelation and now I’m still kind of trying to figure out exactly what that sounds like in the context of the show. The thing is, though, I think Charlie also doesn’t really know what his style is (LMAO), so it’s okay that we’re experimenting a little bit. Like in S1, the few times he sang, it was all over the place but mainly radio. Then in S2, he did predominantly musical theater duets. And now in S3, we’ve really just gone all over the map (from punk-rock opera with “Superstar” to bubblegum pop with “Party For One”) and there’s a lot of fun in that. Where Charlie will land, I don’t know yet, but I will share with you all Tanner’s only recorded song at this point and you all can start to orient yourselves from there. But a few other ideas to get the ball rolling:

Norbert Leo Butz -- Now here’s the thing... Charlie doesn’t sound like this LOL. The reason I’m including Butz is because I started writing about Jeremy Jordan and his rendition of “If I Didn’t Believe In You” and Jordan’s rendition is truly just so inferior that I realized no, I really don’t think Charlie sounds like Jeremy Jordan. So then I ended up here, and you know what, here’s the thing. I think an older Charlie would sound like Norbert Leo Butz. Like, give him 10 or so years, and this is where he’ll settle. To a degree at least -- I don’t think he’ll ever go quite as brassy or bold as Butz can lean sometimes, but the way he like... emotes through his vocals feels extremely Charlie, and the range is about right in terms of voice part. Anyway, give him 10 years, and then get to the point with this amazing example track that is one of my favorite musical theater tracks ever even though I hate the character who sings it. Example track: If I Didn’t Believe In You.

Oshima Brothers -- The shape of the O bros vocals don’t quite match how I hear Charlie in my head (they’re a bit too flat), but the essence of their performances resonate with him very strongly. It’s that gentle, soft-spoken acoustic vibe that I think is so core to Charlie’s performing delivery, which is part of why he’s so consistently overlooked even when he proves time and time again that he can bring compelling vocals (i.e. Haverford’s semi-finals setlist). Example track: Cadence.

Harry Styles -- It’s funny to think that if Charlie saw I was comparing him to Harry Styles he would lose his shit, but I want to be very specific about why and under what conditions I’m including him as a comparison (as he’ll show up on another person’s list too). I think Styles specifically works as a comp for Charlie in regards to the general tone and quality of his voice, in particular when it is on a softer acoustic (like “Cherry” or “Sweet Creature”) and when it’s more upbeat (like “Lights Up”). Like I’m not out here being like Charlie is as good as Harry Styles LOL, but I think the core qualities of their voices are similar. Especially when cross-compared with the other examples above along with Tanner’s actual voice. Example track: Sweet Creature.

ISADORA | Isadora is an anomaly of sorts, since she’s that character archetype where they never expected to be a singer but then ended up being talented anyway (Asher is in the same box). I tend to imagine her with a defined alto register, and a slightly huskier, gravelly tone as compared to Maya’s polished, trained vocals and Riley’s gentle, chime-like resonance. So it’s like... gritty, in a way? I have never heard Ceci sing, though I’ve been told she has once upon a time, but I am working basically from scratch in regards to how I imagine her. So without further ado, some comparisons I suggest:

Jorja Smith -- I think Jorja is the most Isa-like track we’ve had her do on the show thus far, to my brain at least. She has this charming edge to her vocals even when they’re on the softer side which is exactly what I envision for her, and I think there’s such a strong definition to when she jumps into her lower register. Whereas with Isa, I think it would be the same, but reaching into her upper notes would be even more of an audible stretch. Example track: Don’t Watch Me Cry.

Dua Lipa -- Another strong alto here, which automatically tracks Isadora for me. Dua especially has that husky quality I was describing. I would recommend all of her Live Acoustic EP to get a sense of what I’m highlighting most as a comparable, but it’s just that like... slight grit, gonna-kick-your-ass alto excellence. It’s so hard to articulate so I hope you get what I’m saying LOL. Example track: Tears Dry On Their Own Acoustic.

Madison Reyes -- I don’t know how many of y’all have watched Julie and the Phantoms yet, but it’s fun. And Madison has a great voice, which made her another good comp for Isadora. Same thing of like that unpolished but compelling belter, slightly gravelly quality. Example track: Wake Up.

LUCAS | Obviously, Lucas doesn’t sing all that often. And when we do give him songs, or roles in songs, most of the time it’s of a variation where he can more talk-sing the words than actually Sing. But he’s not totally exempt, so he deserves a comparison. For me, it’s like... the way Lucas would tell it it’s like he’s the worst singer ever in the history of the universe and you should never hear him, but honestly he’s like. Fine. He’s not great and he would never have gotten into the school for singing, but he’s not terrible. He’s passable. When he tries, it’s charming. I think the biggest key that makes him different from everyone else is he doesn’t have much of a range -- when I pick songs for him, I always try to go for ones that kind of stay within the same octave or register for the entirety so it’s almost like monotone singing, because that’s about what he can handle decently (his performance in 211 being an exception, of course, because it had to be). So, comparing accordingly:

Harry Styles -- I warned you he’d be back again, but this criteria is even more hyper-specific than Charlie. I think Styles is a great comp for Lucas in the very limited tracks where he is not showing off in any capacity and is really just keeping it stripped down and to the point (think “To Be So Lonely”). His cover of “Girl Crush” is another good example of what I mean. It’s basically like the same 4 or 5 notes and very little movement or flash, and his voice kind of takes on a grittier, flatter quality which is what I’m aiming for. Example track: From the Dining Table

That’s really it honestly. He doesn’t perform enough to warrant much else. You get the idea lmao.

ASHER | Although we didn’t expect it back in the days of S1, Asher has certainly jumped up to take spotlight in terms of performing in the last couple of seasons! Ricky (along with Liam) are actual singers and were together in a band for several years, so there’s no doubt they can sing and I think of their voices most often (in particular, I recommend the “Compass” music video, because it’s a good song and allows you to actively see which boy is singing what). But admittedly, Ricky’s handful of solo tracks since FIYM went on hiatus are average at best (and his lyricism... king you need Liam to write your lyrics LMAO), so I don’t usually jump to his music as examples of what I think he -- or Asher -- is actually capable of. So with Ricky’s good vocals as a base, here are some additional comparisons:

Ruel -- Cannot stress this one enough. There’s a reason Asher’s true initial debut was Ruel’s best track (”Younger”). He just has that perfect like... strong tenor with soft edges that feels very teenage twink and very Asher. It’s not quite Diva!Asher flair, but at Asher’s most base vocal style, I think Ruel is the perfect match. Example track: Down For You

Troye Sivan -- Same kind of traits here in terms of like smooth tenor, and in this case it actually is a certified twink singing so the crossover is even more apt. I don’t think Asher is as... electronic as Troye’s production often is, but the general range of his voice is close enough to be considered a match. Example track: 10/10

DYLAN | So same FIYM video shared in Asher’s applies here as well, but I think what works so well about Liam’s voice in regards to Dylan is that I think the key trait to Dylan is that he’s not flashy. When I think about Liam’s voice (and I love his voice, he’s my favorite FIYM member), I often think about when Sue on Glee called Quinn’s voice a “soft, forgettable alto,” but only it’s a tenor and I mean it in a nice way. The most endeared way. Dylan is less about being impressive and more about just like... character. His voice is not the best in the bunch but you can feel how him all of his performances are through his inflections and his energy. That’s what Dylan vocally feels like to me. So aside from his soft, forgettable tenor on the second verse of “Compass,” here’s a couple other niche comparisons for Dyl Pickle:

Princeton in Avenue Q -- Whenever “Purpose” comes on shuffle, I think about Dylan because of how distinct and energetic the delivery of the song is. There’s just so many little quirks and inflections and moments of fun within the vocals, and that reminds me so much of how Dylan performs. Little laughs, free-wheeling runs, stuff like that. Example track: Purpose.

Graham Verchere -- This dude like isn’t even actually a singer and he isn’t that big an actor, but I love love love his rendition of “Thirteen” with Grace VanderWaal and every time I listen to it I think about Dylan and Asher. It captures the other end of Dylan’s range for me (the soft, forgettable tenor thing) in the sense of like... imagining Dylan plucking out songs for fun on his guitar while hanging out with Asher and then playfully serenading him and the two of them doing a carefree, easy duet like this. I just love it. So I’ll include it. Example track: Thirteen.

[subjecta5newtella]

Filigree

(I promised like 3 people I’d write some happier Nalby, and I crowdsourced holiday prompts to keep me from losing my absolute and entire mind at work, so here we go!!)

-----------------------

It’s not particularly that he’d wanted to go to the symphony alone on Christmas Eve. It’s just that Alby’s coworker hadn’t been able to go and had offered his tickets up, and he hadn’t had a good excuse not to take them. He didn’t have other plans. He’d been in the city for a month and a half, and hadn’t really met anyone other than his coworkers, who all had better places to be tonight. Maybe the concert will be a little less lonely than sitting at home, at any rate. 

They’re surprisingly good seats, he finds out. Not that it really matters. Alby’s not averse to orchestral music, he supposes, but there can’t be that much to look at.

Except.

Except the first chair violinist takes his seat, and good god, he’s gorgeous. He’s tall, probably just a little taller than Alby, with long, blond hair tied up out of his face, and with an odd, fluid sort of grace to the way he moves, even despite a slight limp. Maybe Alby doesn’t appreciate high art enough, but he can’t help feeling like this whole thing suddenly became a much better idea. So he’s chronically single and likes attractive men. Sue him. 

The concert starts, and Alby does his best not to stare. He’s doing a mostly decent job at first, just barely nodding along to some of the more upbeat movements and clapping politely at the correct intervals, but then the guy- Newt Ross, he’d checked the name in the program, although that can’t be his real name- has a solo. He steps into the spotlight, fingers poised on the strings, and everything else falls away. It’s only the music, and it’s only Newt, eyes closed, swaying slightly in place as he plays. The music is the type of beautiful that presses at an ache deep inside of you you hadn’t known you had, high and sweet and almost a little sad. 

Alby’s not sure how long it goes on. Time stretches, tangled tightly between the notes, and he hopes it’ll never end, just keep existing in this breathless space. Eventually, though, it has to, silver threads replaced by applause that he’s a second late in joining, he’s been so deeply entranced. 

For the last few songs, he more or less gives up trying not to stare. He doubts he’s the only one, anyway, although he kind of hopes he is. 

After the show, he waits around and tries not to look like he’s waiting for the musicians to file out. He checks his phone for the texts he’s not getting, scrolls through social media that’s mostly dry because everyone’s busy with family, plays a couple rounds of a matching game that he hates but can’t bring himself to permanently delete. 

Finally, Newt comes out, and Alby’s hope or fear or both that he wouldn’t be as beautiful up close is proven irrational. His hair is loose now, falling just past his shoulders, and his face is flushed a little pink from the cold. His coat collar is flipped up, and he shifts the violin case to his other hand to fix it. And, okay, there’s absolutely no way this guy is single, but Alby can at least compliment his playing. 

“Newt!” he calls, doing his absolute best not to come off as stalkerish when Newt turns. 

“Huh? Oh. Hi?”

“Hi. Sorry, hope this isn’t super weird, I just wanted to tell you that I loved your solo.”

Newt smiles. “Thank you. Only a little creepy, but I’m willing to forgive it.”

“That’s generous of you.”

“What can I say, I’m feeling the Christmas spirit. What’s your name?”

“Alby. Uh, Alby Grant.”

“Well, nice to meet you. Where are you headed?”

“Subway. Orange Line.”

“I’m taking the Red from there. Walk with me?” Alby must look surprised, because Newt says, “You’re shivering, and if we’re gonna talk, might as well walk as we do it.”

Alby had been shivering, but he hadn’t known it was that obvious. “I’m from a lot farther south.”

“Where?” Newt starts walking, shifting his case to his other hand so it’s not in between them. 

Alby falls into step beside him. “Tiny beach town in South Carolina. Definitely doesn’t snow there. You?”

“London, originally. Are you new here, then?”

“Was it the fact that I’m slowly freezing, or the fact that I was alone at the symphony on Christmas Eve that gave it away?”

Newt laughs. “Don’t worry, you’re not the only one without grand plans. My friends are all out of town, and my sister’s staying with me, but she’s out at some party.”

Alby would be lying if he said his heart hadn’t jumped a little when Newt had failed to mention any kind of significant other. Maybe it was just an oversight, but it does seem like the kind of thing one would mention during the holidays. 

“That’s rough,” Alby says, not quite sure what else to say.

Newt shrugs. “I’ve had worse Christmases. It’ll be alright.”

They fall into silence for a moment, before Alby asks, “When did you start playing the violin?”

“Started when I was ten, but for a while it was just something I did, ya know? School credit or whatever. I only got serious about it when I was sixteen and broke my leg and couldn’t do anything else.”

So that explained the limp, maybe, something that hadn’t healed quite right, but Alby’s not about to ask. Instead, he says, “Well, it seemed like it worked out. You’re incredible.”

Newt ducks his head a little, and if Alby’s quick glance isn’t mistaken, he’s gone just a little pinker, although it could just be the cold. “Thank you,”

“I’m half-tempted to come back to the next performance,” Alby says as they descend the stairs to the station, and he’s only sort of joking.

“Well, if you want to see the orchestra and help me pay my bills, go for it.”

“And if I just want to see you play?” The words are out of Alby’s mouth before he really thinks them through, catching even him off guard with their boldness. 

Newt smirks, and Alby takes a second to appreciate how unfairly hot the expression is on him. “Well, if that’s all you want...” 

He waits for a couple people to pass and makes his way to a side alcove, just out of the path of traffic. He sets the violin case down and opens the clasps, resting the violin on his knee to attach the shoulder rest. 

Alby dodges around another few straggling passengers, still trying to process exactly what Newt is doing. “Here?”

Newt shrugs, adjusting his bow. “Plenty of people busk in the subway.”

“How many of them play in a major symphony orchestra?”

“Some of them, maybe. It’s kind of fun.”

With that, Newt straightens up, settles the violin into place under his chin, and hovers the bow just over the strings. His eyes close, and he starts to play. 

What was beautiful in a concert hall is otherworldly in this near-empty subway station. It resonates differently, echoing off the tiled walls and the low ceilings, with the rumble of trains below them, though it still carries the same hints of something unspeakably sad and achingly sweet. And Alby wants to sit and listen forever, yes, but he also wants to know, wants to know what it all means, the grace and the sorrow. He wants to know Newt, if Newt will let him. 

He stands and he listens, watches as Newt sways, as the few people rushing for their trains linger just a moment on the edge of this ethereal something, and then, once again, it comes to a finish and Newt opens his eyes. 

When all is said and done, they both miss the trains they meant to get on. They end up stuck waiting in the space between platforms, just talking, unwilling to part until they have to, and Alby ends up running to make the last train on the Orange Line before it stops for the night. And it doesn’t matter, because when he comes home to his empty apartment and the sounds of other people’s Christmas parties drifting through the walls, he has three new texts from Newt on his phone and it’s all a little less lonely.

[faejilly]

i am for you (10/?)

This chapter brought to you by that time I accidentally left Sucker on loop on Spotify for like three days. idk why either, that’s all I’ve got tho 

***

[misfit group mms]

[tessa]: oh, it's nice to be home on a Friday night [tessa]: I love the ALA con but my pajamas are so much more comfortable

[dot]: says you and Ragnor, maybe. The rest of you got any plans? I've got itchy feet but I can't decide what I want to do or where to go

[magnus]: you always have itchy feet

[dot]: you're one to talk

[cat]: so you're crowdsourcing for ideas?

[dot]: why not?

[cat]: Sorry, I have to work a double tomorrow, I'm with Tessa. Tea and putting my feet up, that's the life

[magnus]: Alexander and I are going dancing.

[cat]: I can see your giddy smile from here, you've got it bad

[magnus]: Yes, I do

[raphael]: you've had worse taste, I must admit

[magnus]: was that a compliment?

[raphael]: he's not a total idiot. He has a sense of humor, too

[tessa]: what [tessa]: did you make a joke? One someone else could recognize rather than one where you laughed at them in your head? And then he GOT IT? [tessa]: Magnus, your boy's magical, I can't wait to meet him

[magnus]: not today, sorry darling

[dot]: oh we know. Have fun

[magnus]: so much fun

[raphael]: please don't give us the details

[magnus]: just for that, you're getting pictures tonight [magnus]: so many pictures [magnus]: every possible outfit combination [magnus]: every menu item I consider for dinner [magnus]: every step in line on the way to the club

[raphael]: why are you such an asshole

[magnus]: but I'll stop once we get inside [magnus]: because I love you

[dot]: or because Pandemonium uses those weird spotlights and strobes so most pics look terrible

[cat]: oh no, it's because Magnus will be too busy admiring Alec

[raphael]: never thought I'd be thankful for Magnus' libido

[magnus]: harsh. I'll have you know he has a beautiful soul

[dot]: you're not going to a club to grind against Alec's *soul*

[cat]: apparently he can multi-task. Enjoy his soul, pretty eyes, and how he moves his hips?

[magnus]: stop objectifying my boyfriend [magnus]: or wait 'til he can hear you so I can at least enjoy him blushing

[cat]: ah, young love

[magnus]: you're the same age I am

[cat]: but I'm not in love, thank god, it sounds exhausting

[magnus]: bah humbug?

[ragnor]: exactly [ragnor]: But I also have plans, actually. Quieter ones.The observatory's doing a talk on the Lyrids, and then they're having a midnight picnic while we see how well they show up

[dot]: oooh. Can I come?

[ragnor]: if you can get here in half an hour, it's a bit of a drive to the site. Have to get far enough out of town to avoid the worst of the light pollution

[dot]: on it

[magnus]: hmmm, I have to start planning my photo montage [magnus]: you're gonna love it, Raphael [magnus]: you should get a new SD card [magnus]: so you can save them ALL

[cat]: I'm so sorry, Raphael

[magnus]: OH. IT'S ON. YOU'RE GETTING THEM TOO

[cat]: ohnomyphone'sdyingwhatwasthat

[tessa]: have fun, children. And Ragnor.

***

[maia]: Alec's here. With Magnus. Dancing. In public. Holy shit Magnus can dance. Alec's not bad, but wow. WOW.

[simon]: why are you telling me this when I can't come &see it for myself? That's just mean

[maia]: so you can tell Becky and she can give you that look that she does when she doesn't believe you? Because that look's hilarious

[simon]: you are a cruel woman

[maia]: you're just jealous Becky likes me better

[simon]: Everyone likes you better. You are objectively the best, I am proud of everyone for liking you better.

[maia]: awww. That was really sweet you big dork

[simon]: 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[maia]: less sweet, more dork

[simon]: hey, at least I didn't try and make long-stemmed rose emojis for you [simon]: that'd be a bit much

[maia]: SPEAKING OF A BIT MUCH [maia]: I think there's glitter in Alec's hair. From Magnus' ... Everything?

[simon]: WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS? I hate Pandemonium's lighting, I can't even ask you to get pics, they never come out

[maia]: well Lydia's seen Alec do this before, apparently, the dancing at least if not the glitter, and Clary's right here staring at them with me, and I can't very well tell Izzy or Jace, they're all stuck in *wait are we supposed to worry about him now?* mode and it's clearly very confusing for them that their big brother is his own person and has sex. Possibly a lot of sex? Alec and Magnus are very close together with this dancing thing. [maia]: They're really hot, babe

[simon]: I'm your last choice? AND you're telling me other boys are hot? I'm hurt

[maia]: no you're not, you know I love you (and you also know they're hot)

[simon]: I do, don't I? Love you too.

[maia]: were you agreeing with both of those?

[simon]: obviously [simon]: I can get away with that 'cause he's not actually my brother and also I know you'll never tell him I said that because you like me enough not to want me to be QUITE that mortified [simon]: aw shit, you'd totally tell Becky or Clary tho. Please don't tell Becky & Clary

[maia]: I'll consider it 😏 [maia]: Clary's probably safe. She seems really weirded out by Alec's date-behavior. Pointing out that we both already knew he was hot might make her head explode. [maia]: do you think it's because she thinks of Alec as a brother or just because he's so *Alec* iykwim?

[simon]: probably both. Clary's good at multi-tasking her emotions

[maia]: Was that a compliment or an insult?

[simon]: no idea [simon]: and Bubbie's back, gotta go. She did want to know if you're still good for Shabbat next week?

[maia]: course. Tell her I'll bring the wine

[simon]: told you everyone should like you best 😍

[maia]: 😘

***

[clary]: alinealinealinehelp in eed tot alkto you

[aline]: it's after 2 in the morning there what are you doing? Are you all right? Is someone dying? Do I need to get a plane ticket?

[clary]: SORRY. Everyone'sfine (alec's borfiiiiirnis so gorgeous and i don't even,i had to tell you because you'retheonlyone who gets it)

[aline]: alec's what? WHAT. [aline]: CLARY [aline]: CLARY WTF [aline]: I AM GOING TO CALL LUKE AND MAKE SURE NO ONE'S DYING

[aline]: clary? If you're asleep and no one's dying I'm going to kill you

[clary]: sorry, sorry. Got some water and a keyboard I candothisnow. Sort of. Sorry

[aline]: how drunk are you

[clary]: not too drunk for these conversation [clary]: thank god my phone's well trained

[aline]: thank god I woke up and had coffee already [aline]: can you start over now?

[clary]: yeah like. A week or twss ago this guy THIS GUY with the best clothes I've ever seen and eyeliner to rival Izzy's came into the store looking for a book and he said *ALEC* sent him

[aline]: what

[clary]: i KNOW. right. I did not know that was a thing for Alec. Maybe it's just Magnus is a thing for Alec? That would make more sense, I don't think he knew what he looked like at that point but MAGNUS HAD THIS LITTLE SMILE WHEN HE SAID aLEC's name and it was amazing and adorable and istg he's so beautiful i want his vests like all of them do you think if they get married I could borrow his vests?

[aline]: clary. You need to, idk. I cannot follow this story and if you don't figure it out I'm going to call you and if that doesn't help I'm going to call EVERYONE YOU ARE EVEN SORT OF RELATED TO UNTIL SOMEONE EXPLAINS

[clary]: NO you can't that's why I'm talking to you Maia went home to sle [clary]: sleep because Maia actually knows how to adult and Jace and Izzy are being like scowly because you know it's *Alec* and they're worried and Lydia is [clary]: Lydia more Alec's friend than my friend even though we are also friends and how does she make her hair stay like that do you think? It never falls out of those braids

[aline]: BREATHE

[clary]: ok

[aline]: drink some water

[clary]: ok

[aline]: try again

[clary]: so Alec has a boyfriend who he met via an accidental email message or something like in an actual freaking movie [clary]: and for their first date they came to THE HUNTER'S MOON AND SIMON'S GIG LAST WEEK

[aline]: why would anyone start with that

[clary]: and then they left early and Alec's was freshly shaved when he got to the bookstore the next *afternoon* like he had only just managed to get home and clean up before he had to show up and also he keeps smiling and I have a suspiciousness he hasn't slept back at his own place all week

[aline]: how did starting with meeting our family work, that's impossible

[clary]: I have no damn clue but we tried to tease him at dinner last week and now Maryse invited Magnus (that's the boyfriend in case I forgot that part?) to family dinner this week and apparently he said YES [clary]: IT'S BEEN A WEEK and ALEC IS BRINGING HIS OBYFRIENDTOD INNER S unday wait it's like almost three that's TOMORROW

[aline]: Alec's never invited anyone to a family anything ever. I've never even managed to figure out if he's ever gone on a date because wherever he goes it's not where any of us are. EVER.

[clary]: OH HE DATES NOW [clary]: I SAW THEM AT PANDEMONIUM TONIGHT AND I [clary]: they were *dancing* and I was maybe 4 people away and Alec didn't even notice [clary]: and Alec's my *brother* and they're boys but even I could tell they were really hot. as in people were staring hot and Alec didn't care

[aline]: holy shit

[clary]: like. I really don't want to know this about them but they may have had sex in the bathroom because let me tell you Alec was all blushing and dark eyed and hi's HAIR and you know that loose-happy-post-orgasm thing was going on with the dancing

[aline]: I don't want to know this about them or you that you would recognize that, you're twelve

[clary]: I am TWENV. I'm TWEMT fucking 21

[aline]: maybe he'd just had a drink and was enjoying a night out [aline]: ...

[clary]: yeah. Cuz that's not LESS WEIRD? Alec drinking and going out in public and not noticing someone he knows near-by? (MAIA. ME. we're not subtle) ALEC NOT NOTICING FAMILY? I HAVE NEVER. You have never. NEVER.

[aline]: this is the most disturbing conversation to be having. Especially with you

[clary]: WHY ESPECIALLY ME? You've known Izzy since she ewas actually a bb izzy and me since i was a teenager why'mI worse? [clary]: and i am not a virgin wtf aline you took me to the 18nighht at Galore togetherallthetime before you met Helen. And after you met Helen but before either of you had the balls to ask her out. Or the other her. Or you. I think I lost track of the nouns in that sentence

[aline]: drink more water

[clary]: k

[aline]: and then get some sleep

[clary]: BUT aLEC AND mAGNUS

[aline]: are adults and apparently very happy about that fact, they'll be fine

[clary]: but Izzy and Jace are being WEIRD ABOUT IT i need help

[aline]: why? How? What do you think I'm going to do from a different continent? And are you even going to remember this conversation after you get some sleep?

[clary]: that's why typing i can read it if i forgot

[aline]: uh. I think that's going to go a little differently than you expect

[clary]: oh, Simon's saved everysingle durmngdi drunk text I've ever sent him, this is way more like real words than usual

[aline]: that's terrifying I can't know that you're twelve

[clary]: stop saying that!

[aline]: you're drunk texting me about your brother's boyfriend [aline]: who you actually called both gorgeous and hot like he's a celebrity on a poster [aline]: stop acting like you're twelve

[clary]: oh [clary]: point [clary]: but

[aline]: and honestly considering Alec I think you're the one being weird [aline]: it's perfectly normal to be worried about someone doing something out of character

[clary]: ugh not you too [clary]: but the SMILES [clary]: the way they just. Everything. [clary]: I think they're soulmates

[aline]: there's no such thing

[clary]: I didn't think so either. but now?  [clary]: aw shit the tired hit I gotta go sleep [clary]: love you

[aline]: but [aline]: god damn it [aline]: I’m calling you back in six hours to wake you up and make you suffer

***

[aline]: I just had the weirdest conversation with Clary

[helen]: it's 3 in the morning there

[aline]: drunk!Clary. Not even why it was weird though. I think.

[helen]: what she's twelve she can't be drunk texting people on the other side of the planet, that's just wrong

[aline]: that's what I said!

[helen]: great minds

[aline]: hot bods

[helen]: 🥂

[aline]: 💕

[helen]: so what did drunk Clary have to say that was even weirder than the fact that drunk Clary was texting you from the other side of the planet?

[aline]: Alec brought a date to Simon's gig last week and they're going to family dinner Sunday AND they were apparently at Pandemonium last night. Alec didn't notice Clary. While he was dancing. In public. With some guy *Clary* called hot and gorgeous and beautiful.

[helen]: wtf Clary's possibly even more gay than you are. She and Alec are both solid sixes.

[aline]: I KNOW, RIGHT?

[helen]: I don't know what to do with this information

[aline]: exactly [aline]: and Clary was in all seriousness (I think) calling them soulmates and then she decided she was tired and stopped talking to me

[aline]: and it's 3am there everyone else is probably asleep  [aline]: I'm just staring at my phone. I feel like I should do something with all this? But there's nothing?

[helen]: so you had to share the WTF with me?

[aline]: obviously

[helen]: well [helen]: thanks? [helen]: but I'm at my stop so you're gonna have to figure out the WTF on your own for awhile

[aline]: but I don't wanna

[helen]: too bad

[aline]: ha. Just for that, I'm going back to bed. Blankets and pillows and that one line of sunlight that makes it through between the curtains...

[helen]: I hate you

[aline]: love you too, babe. 👋🏼 

[soapberryspringsrpg]

Are there any BIG plot drops that are possibilities in the future? Can you hint at what they might be? Have you ever thought about having a plot drop poll?

We Mods keep a page of brainstorms and possible future plot drops, big and small, waiting for a good time or moment when we think the rp needs spicing up, or when the alchemy of a current group would make the time right. Since things in rp are so swift-moving, there’s a fair amount of the Mods revising and adjusting the intentionally-malleable plots, otherwise I would give you hints. We love our characters, and this rp was always envisioned to be more character driven than subject to some overarching mod end game. Not to mention, we try to time big plot drops at a point when we don’t have a bunch of players who’ve just joined and would be left out of things.

But moving on - we love accepting ideas from players! The recent Blob plot stemmed from a suggestion from player @thebetrayermelancon, for example. A poll sounds like a fun idea for a crowdsourced big plot idea.

All players are invited on and off anon to submit ideas for plots. We Mods will then curate a few of the submissions (and secretly add our own) into a poll for people to vote on. 

[iamzachvalenti]

Happy First Ever WriScrivember Everyone!!!

What is WriScrivember?

#WriScrivember (Write a Script in November) is an alternative to NaNoWriMo and it’s intended for folks that think 50k words in 30 days doesn’t sound fun for whatever reason and/or would prefer to write a script > a novel!

What kind of script can I write?

Whatever you want! I’m writing YouTube video scripts this month, but a lot of folks are doing stuff in TV, Film, Radio/Audio Drama - you name it.

What are the rules?

Not many and very flexible.

The Big Goal(TM) is to write 90 pages. That could be 1 feature film or 90x 1-page sketches.

The Regular Goal(TM) is to complete 1x full draft on a script of any length.

The Real Goal(TM) is to be more creative this month than last month, even if it’s just by writing one more sentence than you were going to otherwise.

But isn’t it too late to sign up?

NO! You’re just on time any time before the end of the month :-)

If you sign up on the website, you’ll get daily emails with advice, resources, and fun links to stuff I love, as well as specials guests from around the world / internet.

How much does it cost?

The low low cost of FREE!

It’s partially a benefit for Puerto Rico, with a suggested donation of $7. If you give as part of #WriScrivember, please fwd any donation receipts to WriScrivember@uplift.is so we can track the community’s impact.

What is The Official WriScrivember Audio Drama Contest?

Lastly, if you’re someone who’s been thinking about writing an Audio Drama, we’re running a crowdsourced contest: one lucky winner voted on by all Audio Drama script submitters will get their script produced by me and my friends in the Audio Drama community! The final result will then be available on Bandcamp as a pay-what-you-want download with all proceeds going to United for Puerto Rico.

Rules for that contest are that scripts must be under 35 pages with a maximum of 10 characters. No hate speech or porn. Anything else is fair game! Submission and judging details to come - sign up for the emails at wriscrivember.org for more.

Sweet! Anything else?

Not really.... I’ll be running weekly writing sprints on Twitter every Wednesday and sending out daily emails to the list.

But wait! I have questions and ideas to improve this!! What should I do??

Please get at me with any questions and know that this does not belong to me, so if you think the rules are dumb, you can actually change them with the rest of the community: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-9cMkAXpNsdyD_wv5NIDRNLp6-3LsJ4JGt5Aax5bh_g/edit

Please follow the guidelines on the doc and everything will work out great! If you have an issue with any of the guidelines, simply leave a comment and we’ll work it out together!!!

[anilatac]

March of Robots 1

Had to start this challenge off with a classic. Despite that, I've never actually seen the movie. To make matters worse, it also sounds like a movie I'd really like. Time traveling, and conspiracy and sci-fi?! Maybe I'll watch it today?

Also can I just flex and say I did this drawing in 25 mins without erasing. No erasing! Come on, that's pretty bomb. I'm pretty excited to see how the rest of this month plays out. Quite the contrast from last month's soft and pretty fairies already.

I recorded this drawing so I might make a time lapse video later. Would you want to see that?

Be sure to drop your suggestions and requests for this challenge in the comments! I think it would be more fun to start crowdsourcing ideas for these little daily doodles. Expand my own repetoire while creating art you want to see!

Homebase for the March of Robots challenge: https://www.instagram.com/marchofrobots/

[growinstablog]

5 Tips And Tricks For A Great Instagram Stories Strategy

If you’ve ever considered using Instagram Stories for business, now’s the time. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you make the most out of your Instagram Stories strategy. 

Since its launch in 2016, Instagram Stories has spread like wildfire. Just two years after its release, the feature, which allows Instagram users to share short-lived and “in the moment” photos and videos with their followers, counts over 500 million daily active users.

If you’ve ever considered using Instagram Stories for business, now’s the time. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has even said that Stories will play a more integral role in social media marketing strategy stating “We expect Stories are on track to overtake posts in feeds as the most common way that people share across all social apps. That’s because Stories is a better format for sharing multiple quick video clips throughout your day.”

Not only are Instagram Stories fun and creative, but they’re great for growing engagement, building brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, and even making e-commerce sales. In fact, 25% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers actively seek Instagram Stories to educate themselves before making a purchase.

As engagement and return on investment for Instagram Stories continue to rise, the platform has rolled out new features for brands to better connect with their audience. If you’re new to Instagram Stories, here are a few tips to keep in mind to make your Instagram Stories strategy as successful as possible:

Create Opportunities For Engagement

From a business perspective, one of the most beneficial aspects of Instagram Stories is the ability to garner consumer engagement. Have you ever wanted to survey your audience about their interests, likes, and dislikes? Now you can! Brands can opt to include interactive “stickers” in their Stories that feature polls, Q&A’s, quizzes, countdowns, and even donations.

Whether you want to collect feedback on your products, crowdsource ideas, or simply entertain your followers, stickers offer a way to engage with your Instagram audience. These conversations can spark future ideas, lead to one-on-one communication with a loyal customer, or gauge sentiment on a current product.

Assume Everyone Is Watching With Their Sound Off

Leveraging video content is one of Instagram Stories’ most popular uses, but in all actuality, 30% of the videos are watched without any sound. Not only do you not want to leave these users behind, but you also don’t want to take time to create content where the message is never adequately communicated. Ask yourself: “If I watched this Instagram Story without sound, would I still get the main message?”

Be sure to supplement your Instagram Stories with written captions that tease or summarise the audio. This ensures that those that haven’t turned their sound on still understand the main takeaway of the Story, while also motivating them to stick around until the end of the video.

Be Authentic

Instagram Stories is the ideal hub for authentic content, which is one of the best ways to establish a loyal following and customer base. Research has shown that 86% of people say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support.

Stories are a great way to boost your brand’s personality. Try posting content like a Q&A session about your brand, a behind-the-scenes look at your headquarters or manufacturing centre, or even a day in the life with your brand’s CEO.

This style of content provides a humanised element to the operation that no other form of digital marketing can really nail, and it allows your brand to make a genuine connection with your audience.

Collect And Use Stories Data

Instagram offers some useful data for business accounts, so be sure to use it to your benefit. Everything you plan should be based on the data you’ve collected on your past activities. You should be looking at averages for metrics like taps forward, exit rate, and audience reach. Analyse what kind of Stories are enticing your audience to watch the longest, what makes them leave, which type is receiving the most views, and so on.

When you’ve collected this information, it’s important to let it inform the rest of your Instagram Story strategy. For example, you might learn that engagement is particularly low on content that’s posted in the evening. This means that you would find more success posting Stories in the morning or afternoon time — it’s more likely to resonate with your audience at this time.

Leverage Influencers And Celebrities

Influencer marketing has been one of the most popular marketing tactics in recent years, and it’s proving to be as effective as it is trendy. Finding an authority in your industry or famous face is a great way to draw interest from your followers, especially when they’re relevant and on-brand.

Instagram Stories is a great place to feature these types of partnerships. The informal nature of Stories allows influencers to be candid and authentic with their audience, which means that brand partnerships are viewed as more natural and feel less like a traditional sponsored campaign. Also, using Instagram Stories for an influencer takeover helps to increase brand exposure and expand your total audience.

Instagram Stories provides today’s brands with a new and unique way to engage with their audience, and there’s no better time than now to begin capitalising on all it offers. Be sure to make some room for Instagram Stories in your digital marketing strategy — your brand is sure to be rewarded for it.

Read next: How To Engage Your Followers With The New Join Chat Sticker For Instagram Stories

#How to#instagram stories#Strategy

https://growinsta.xyz/5-tips-and-tricks-for-a-great-instagram-stories-strategy/