#Overtly Digitized

[lumilasi]

I wanted to make something more detailed today, as I didn't have a long ass day at uni for a change. Unfortunately, I slept so poorly I don't have the energy to do so. Instead, I decided to finish these doodles (sloppily I admit) I started couple days ago about Stefan and his two (future at this point in time these are from) love interests.

(Stefan is polyromantic bi, he wasn't aware of the former until Matt taught him about the concept, as he's more up-to-date with the terminology there, having grown up in a more LGBT+ friendly environment)

Also, this is the first time I've drawn him smiling - well more smirking - I just realized. Stefan is usually Very Grumpy.

[vampirecatprince]

I just watched that new TADC episode that dropped and DAMN

I've always liked Kinger, but this episode was amazing and had some phenomenal character development for Pomni? There were just some phenomenal character moments for everyone too? I feel like the pilot and the second episode were set up for the universe and the concept and introducing the concepts of this world and now that we have our expectations set, I'm seeing it really begin to shift more into exploring the characters and their different dynamics and I'm genuinely beginning to get a feel for them much more.

Between the scene right before Pomni and Kinger escape where he's lucid, the scene with Caine that implies him having some mild degree of the awareness of the implications of his actions may endanger the very fabric of the reality these characters live in, and that fun little tiny scene with Jax at the very end where he just backs off because of how Pomni doesn't give him any fuel to bully Kinger over?

There was some DAMN good character writing in this episode and I love the worldbuilding and character development we got!

[gottaarc]

The last who remembers.

(Some closeups:)

[blurrymango]

I draw things that are normal to draw like Spot Splatter Splash smoking a cigarette.

Outfit reference below cut.

It's my favorite outfit of hers god I love it. Image not mine I got it off Google however I do in fact have this mini.

[biracy-draws]

Dragon(guy) appreciation day

[yaseraphine]

pick a card - who is crushing on you ?

This is a reading I did back in April of this year. I made it with the energy of the Taurus new moon. Hope it resonates <3

PILE SELECTION :

Pile 1 Pile 2 Pile 3

/!\ DISCLAIMER /!\ (for all the delulus - here's your anti-delulu pill)

A tarot reading is supposed to give guidance based on your current energies, it is NEVER a replacement for therapy. It shouldn't dictate your life choices but more so guide you while making the choices. At the end of the day, you are the master of your soul and destiny. Remember that you have all the power and the free will to take the actions you want. Use discernment . Also remember : energies shift, a reading might resonate with you today but not tomorrow.

PILE 1

song - Ah W Noss by Nancy Ajram

Possible astrological placements :

Heavy Aquarius energy, heavy air and earth energy, Sun moon or mercury in aquarius (especially moon); Sun in Taurus, Venus in Aries, Mars in Aquarius / Aries, Capricorn rising ; Taurus, Aquarius and Aries personal planets; Chiron in the 4th house / the 10th house

Physical appearance : slightly under 6 ft , dark eye color, probably has eyebags or , looks mad 24/7, straight dark brown hair or jet black hair ; appears judgmental asf. might be skinny but still kind of muscular, has a visible scar on their face around their eyebrows or eyes or lips,

They dress casually , I see a lot of sportswear, neutral color, black, gray, white and maybe beige or marine blue

Tarot cards : 9 of swords, 10 of Pentacles, The Magician, The Tower, King of Pentacles, 3 of swords, Page of Pentacles, Ace of swords

MBTI : INTJ, INFJ, ISTJ

Who is this person ?

HUGE overthinker, career oriented, hard worker, well known in their field but prefer to work in the shadows, top grader, highly critical of themself and of other people, plans everything, a mastermind, ambitious, sharp mind, introvert, lowkey anti-social, overtly sensitive, might be in college, pursuing a master's degree; might be their last year as an undergrad, anxiety disorder, really anxious and sensitive to the outside world, a loner, might just hangout with 3 people max and they're always seeing together in the hallways or in the school's library, intimidating exterior, people are scared to approach them because they think they will disturb their peace lmao, deep voice, barely speaks, fierceful look, don't talk much, undercover hopeless romantic, might watch a lot of rom-com or romance K-dramas, might read slice of life romance oriented manhwas , watches anime, probably went on several friends trips to tokyo, kyoto, and bangkok with his friends.

Probably has a lot of family problems, is the "man of the family", has a part time job either as a waiter or something related to their field of study.

During lectures, either sits in the front or at the far back (to be in peace lol) and is really concentrated on the class, isn’t scared to asked questions even when there are a hundred students in the amphitheater looking at them

Might be a bit conservative or just religious, possibly muslim

might be a minimalist, a digital minimalist (James Scholz vibes)

Ethnicities/ Race : korean, pakistani, chinese, vietnamese, indian, afghan,arabic, north african,...

The effect you have on them ? 

This crush shocked them to their core. As they were on their way to become the King of Pentacles, you came and made all their plans crumble.

I feel like love is their blind spot and whenever they develop some type of feelings for people everything around them breaks down. They might have Venus in the 6th house or Venus in the 8th house, or Pluto might be aspecting their venus on their natal chart. I feel like they might have had a traumatic love experience when they were in middle school/ freshman year of highschool that left them deeply hurt and created deep emotional wounds. They’re still traumatized from this experience and them having a crush on you is sadly reopening their wounds and it’s obviously so triggering. Despite the fact that this crush is hurting them, they know it’s also healing them in a way ? Like their heart is not completely dead and in shambles and will not be forever. I am hearing "Your heart is broken , not permanently shattered.”

How do you appear to them ? How do they see you ? 

You appear peaceful to them. You might be an INFJ, ENFJ , INTP, ISFP or ISFJ.

You might have Virgo, Pisces or Libra placements (sun, moon, mercury, venus, rising,..). You could have 3rd/9th house placements, Moon in the 3rd or 4th house. You could be a scorpio or capricorn rising. You probably have 1st house, 6th house and 8th house synastry with them. (even 12th house for some)

You might have at some point awkwardly smiled at them in the school halls or library and it left a mark on them. They probably think about it often. Whenever they think about you, they can feel themselves calming down, slowing down. They’re probably really busy and therefore always stressed out but when you cross their mind, they can feel the stress disappearing for a short period of time.

They see you as a more relaxed version of themselves. They see you as being someone who is content with being alone. You could be a popular loner like you’re really well liked but you still enjoy doing your own thing. You probably are similar to them and they see that. They see the mirroring of you both. You have a really similar energy as this person and they sense it. But you’re much more confident, or content and laid-back/ chill than them and I think they kind of envy you for that.

You’re represented by the 9 of pentacles while they’re represented by the 10 of pentacles on their way to become a King of pentacles. Despite the fact that you’re “behind” them in the race of life, you don’t seem to be freaking out about it. Instead, they see you taking it easy. You’re taking your time because you have this deep trust in the Universe that everything happens in time and for a reason. They don’t understand how you’re able to just go with the flow while also  having somewhat of a plan and a pretty clear direction on where your life is headed.

PILE 2 (slight 18+ stuff)

song - GOOD LOYAL THOTS by Odetari / EYES ON ME by Asteria

Possible astrological placements : 

Cancer rising for men, Virgo risings for woman/non-binary, Venus in Libra, Venus in Aquarius, Mercury in Libra, Moon in Pisces/Scorpio/Cancer, Moon in Virgo, 5th house placements, 7th house placements, the asteroid lilith (1181) could be prominent/ significant in their chart. 10th/4th house placements. Libra, Sagittarius and Cancer placements. Could be born in late November.

Physical appearance : if it’s a man : looks like those bad boys in these dark romance novels, 2019 e-boy/girl/enby vibes, angelic eyes, looks kind of innocent in a way, similar eyes to troye sivan (not necessarily the colour but just the energy they give). No matter their gender, they just look really androgenous, really nice and warm smile, rodrick heffley vibes, carrington vibes (the content creator)

Ethnicity/ race : If this person identifies themselves as male then they might be half white half latino (esp mexican) or fully white (i am getting english, american or even german some italian blood even). If not, then they could be any ethnicities honestly but I am heavily picking up on White (Eastern Europe), American. They could look really racially ambigous. Could be half asian (filipino or thai/ viet heavy) and white (icelandic, german, eastern europe in general)

Tarot cards : 4 of swords, 2 of Wands, Queen of Cups, 2 of Cups, The Emperor, 7 of pentacles, 10 of swords,  Ace of Wands

MBTI : this one is hard to pick up one exactly the energy is a bit too “mutable” in a way but I’d say surely an IXXP or EXXJ type. Picking up especially on INTP, ISTP, ENFJ or ENTJ

Who is this person ? 

Could be any ethnicities honestly, any gender, probably non-binary, trans, or just do not label themselves

Activist for LGBTQ+ rights, if they’re a man probably bisexual, feminist, anti-specist, probably anarchist > for sure politically inclined and left winged, even far left or marxist for some 

Might enjoy philosophy, history, metaphysics, poetry, travelling 

In their 20s, probably really young / I am getting 17/18/19 years old, if they go to college they probably are really popular on campus.

Might play the guitar, the drums, listen to indie music, indie rock, hyper pop, Artsy, paint their nails black, nails often painted with chipped nail polish, probably enjoys painting, cinema

They LOOOVE getting attention, compliments, being the center of attention. They are probably really charismatic and a lot of people tend to crush on them and they cling to them/ get addicted to their energy/aura. They’re really magnetic, a true charmer, a smooth operator, a smooth talker. I’ll be fully honest though , they are probably in their fuckboy/girl/enby era. Probably sleeps around, goes to parties every week. They’re probably always surrounded by women or generally speaking feminine energies LOOOVE them like they get addicted to them (especially true if they’re a man). Probably a womanizer too.

People might assume that they’re reckless and only there for a good time, not a long time. They are kind of the talk of the town. People see them as smart, artistic. People consistantly gossip about them and their every move, might also make terrible and false assumptions on them. Despite their f*ckboy/girl/enby traits they are deep down really sweet and sensitive. They honeslty hope to find their true love one day, they just have some kind of attachment issues that makes it hard for them to trust and settle. For now, I don’t think they're ready to delve into them (the attachment issues) yet. (it’s giving mother wounds and daddy issues lol)

Always attached to messy situationships/ friends with benefits situations, messy breakups, crazy exes, revenge,...

They're really nonchalant, cool dude vibes “you know i am a cool guy you can trust me”; probably thinks they understand women and the “female nature” (HELP-) “I understand women, I understand emotions,..” vibes

Generally don’t really walk the talk lmaoo (they’re kind of a p*ssy that pretends to be tough, too cool for school lol), light skin energy HEAVY, actually really funny and empathetic, really sweet too

The effect you have on them ? 

I’ll say it, they’re probably too prideful to come to you lol They’re used to people approaching them first. That's how almost all of their relationships started. They probably are like : I am attracted to pile 2 and I have the situation in control. They will probably come up to me like everyone else does anyways so it’s fine, no need to make the first move (the sagittarian ego lord -). They probably like you because they think  you’re naive, innocent and their paternalistic/ manspreading tendencies might tickle a bit for that reason. They assume you’re some kind of pure angel, and that you don’t know much about the world. They see you as a Page of Cups or Queen of Cups when really you are a High Priestess. You just pretend to be clueless/ or not as perceptive to protect your peace. They want to protect you and take you to outside world. Take you to art exhibitions, while they manspread their knowledge about a specific art movement and they imagine you being impressed by how perceptive and educated they are. (they don't have to be a man to manspread just to clarify lol). To be honest, they have a deep desire for recognition and it shows in what they imagine doing with you.

Honestly, they underestimate you quite a bit. You’re so much smarter than you appear to be .

I have a hard time knowing what kind of effect you have on them since they seem so self focused. You just feed their desire to provide and protect. This desire might come from some kind of daddy issues or complicated relationship with their masculinity/masculine side.

How do you appear to them ? How do they see you ? +18 stuff here

As I said above, they see you as a "princess" to be saved, an angel. They probably think you’re too pure for this world, that you’re "vanilla", innocent. They really like your body. They probably scrutinize it a lot looking at every curve. They love your chest area and your thighs/butt. Honestly, it’s getting really sexual lol They probably have a lot of dirty thoughts about you, dominating you but not in a mean way, really soft dom vibes. They would love to see you in pink/white lacy lingerie / really sweet lolita vibes (the japanese style). I won’t elaborate further on the 18+ description but just know they're really imaginative lol They also see you as really sweet and caring . They think you’re really selfless and empathetic. In their eyes, you seem to be really emotionally intelligent. If you’re hyper feminine or petite THEY LOVE IT.

PILE 3

song - Feelin' Myself by will.i.am ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, DJ Mustard / French Montana's verse especially

/!\ While tapping with the energy, your resistance to this person was HEAVY. You probably know exactly who this person is and you probably are annoyed that they seem to follow you everywhere, even in a random tarot reading on Tumblr lmaoo I am so sorry for you. This reading could trigger you, annoy you or make your eyes roll, just to warn you.

Possible astrological placements : Libra rising, Leo rising, Sun, Moon, Venus and/or Mars in Leo, probably have many placements between the first and the 5th house, heavy on the 1st house, 3rd house and 2nd house, Gemini Sun or Venus, Mercury, cancer placements

Physical appearance : probably dresses like a 2013/2014 rapper (lmaoo sorryy guys), ages - 25 / but strong late 30s early 40s, millennial loser vibes (help-), ear piercing, eyebrow arch piercing, likes to wear Grillz, they’re probably not very tall like around 1m69 to 1m76 or something (5,5 ft, 5.7 ft). They could be skinny or just slim.

Ethnicity/ race : I know the moodboard only showcases black men, but I am picking up they could just as well be asian or White, arabic,...

Tarot cards : 3 of cups, The Emperor, 7 of Pentacles, The Sun, 4 of Pentacles,

MBTI : ESFP, ESFJ, ENFP, ENTP, 

Who is this person ? 

Their name could start with a P, Patrick, Peter, could have a similar vibe to Peter Kavinsky from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before for some.

For a minority of you, they are still a student in college probably majoring in Business or economy. Probably skips many lectures, classes.

For most of you though, they are a real grown adult, who has taxes to pay and works either part time or full time at the same job as you.

You could work at a store like a 7/11 or just stores that you find in gas stations, or something like that.

You might meet them, see them at work and you probably find them annoying as hell. You think they’re childish and that they should grow tf up. They’re probably older than you which makes their immature behavior even more embarrassing. You probably see them as a scrub or a manchild (ain’t shit by doja at is coming up they really get on your nerves lmaoo). They probably hit on you the first day at your job and they never really stopped 

Always comes at work late, prefers to have fun, doesn’t like having too many responsibilities, doesn’t like rigidity, always cracking a joke, the clown of the class vibes, super extraverted, loud, really good on the dancefloor, might go to the club every week, doesn’t have much going on in their life, does the bare minimum at work, unstable financially, doesn’t have any career ambition, culture vultures, they remind me of the Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber lightskin era, they love alcohol, hennessy, malibu,..

Really popular in your local community, probably has at least 500 followers on insta but I am picking it’s more than that like 1500 and plus, super active on social media, probably has snapchat, posts stories almost on a daily basis, they are known at work to crack jokes, loves 90s/old school rap, gangsta rap, 90’s RnB, jodeci, Boys II Men,  probably a sneakerhead,  that’s random but they might be attracted to milfs or women with character lmaoo, a millennial that hangs out with gen zers (help-), eternal teenage boy type of energy, childlike spirit, nice, really likeable, social butterfly, you just can’t hate them, might be the type of person to sing out loud randomly.

The effect you have on them ? 

They like you. They like the fact that you are hard to get. They love the chase. I think they’re attracted to the duality of your respective personalities. It’s probably an opposites attract type of situation in their head. They like your black cat energy. The effect you have on them is that you just entertain them in a way. They like the chase, the adrenaline that comes with it and since you’re guarded they see it as a good challenge. 

How do you appear to them ? How do they see you ? 

You might be an ISTJ, or INTJ. You might have Capricorn, Aquarius, Virgo or Taurus placements. You might be a Taurus rising. I am picking up too that you hate loud people and attention seekers. You probably don’t like dependent and clingy people too. You probably have a really cutthroat and no bullshit energy that they love (and lowkey find amusing they like to annoy you but in a flirty way that’s just the way they flirt I think). They think you’re too serious for your own good. You’re probably working part time while you’re still in college and they think you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. They think you should slow down and just enjoy the moment, live in the moment and let loose. They think you smell good, always look clean and put together. They see you as high maintenance. You’re probably like the high maintenance era of Saweetie. Icy Grl vibes (go to check the music video of this song this might be your exact vibes). They see you as a diva but not in a derogatory sense, they  actually like it. It’s giving Mariah Carey and Eminem's dynamic lol (enemies to lovers orr 👀 (i know you just gave me the biggest bombastic side eye lmaoo sorry)). “Boy why are you so obsessed with me?” but you’re like really mad and fed up lmaoo

Literally you : you're giving goddess energy ✨ go get your bag sis as you should the dusties don't even deserve to breath the same air as you period.💅

remember guys : stay blessed <3 (and happy spooky season hehe best season of the year anyone who disagrees you can argue with the wall)

[mclalan]

Can you share what your art-making process is? What software and tools do you use?? I'm falling in love with your work!!

Thank you, I'm so happy you like my work and are interested in the process. The short answer is I mostly use Adobe Animate.

I hate how I'm using an Adobe product (although I still regard it as a MacroMedia Flash product), but there's just no other software that compares to its jankiness. Perhaps it's just my long familiarity with the program, but nothing I've experienced matches how it simultaneously feels like drawing in MS Paint and using Microsoft PowerPoint vector shapes. The result is something that feels in-between the two; handmade yet computer-generated.

Typically, I'll start with a hand-drawn sketch, often beginning as a thumbnail done with pencil and paper.

I'll then do a mix of hand drawing and vector shape tool rendering. I use the Paint Brush tool to hand draw strokes, and the line and shape tools mixed with transform to make more geometrically accurate shapes. The design is rendered into divided closed loop shapes, ready to be filled with a solid. The strokes are kept or removed depending on the design.

These fill shapes are then either coloured and rendered in Adobe Animate, using fills, gradients, or a more complex process of masks and effects.

Alternatively, I'll bring all these vector shapes into Photoshop and use them as clipping masks. The vector shapes act like masking taped areas or shields to maintain sharp edges, while the brush is like an atomized airbrush used to build soft volumed forms.

Please excuse all that horrible Adobe Cloud and AI bloatware...

And there we go!

Variations in the process include just using MS Paint, index color in Photoshop, or 3D programs.

Very old works of mine were almost abstract, just exploring digital mark-making, which was a trend I was following in the mid 2010s that I loved. This kind of stuff.

While my current work uses its digital material specificity as an intermediary to the subject in the illustration.

For example, #ersatz.world parodies clip-art and flash edutainment styles but imagines the characters living within that kind of world. The designs are meant to be cute, easy to read, light in computer processing, but also irreverent, janky, and generic too.

People typically regard this sort of clip art style as ephemeral trash, but I always found them charming. I use Ersatz World primarily as a satire vehicle, parodying educational formats to spoof corporate explainer content and digital media.

However, part of the problem with Ersatz is I've made it look too polished, complex, and I've grown too attached to the characters, which I imagine is a typical issue with overbuilding a world. So recently, I've made an even jankier Ersatz-like set of characters to play about with, using an even simpler style with less cohesion. I like to try and use slightly different styles and digital material styles to relate to the property at hand.

That’s why #autonymus has a bitmap digital material and a denser feel to it. Unlike Ersatz, Autonymus is not meant to be an overt semi-meta fiction. It’s not exactly pixel art, but the pixels are just about visible, as the intention is to create a digital expressionist depth to the setting. Although it’s still stylized and not realistic to our world, I definitely still want to evoke semblances of our world. That’s why there’s attention to landscape, plant life, and implied life beyond what you see in the frame with the characters, etc. But I'm still making a cartoon, and I still want it to feel at ease with itself being a digital material work. Characters are therefore flat, simple, stiff, and the speech style is like a bad Shakespeare parody. I like to balance between ugly and appealing, simple and complex, familiar and unfamiliar.

In regard to things like inspiration, references, and my relationship to aesthetic genres; these things certainly factor into my work, perhaps I'm even overtly dependent on them. My work can definitely be post-modernist in method; creating new, ironic, or fragmented interpretations through deconstructing a mix of various styles or methods. But at the same time, I'm still trying to make a digital gestural representation where the aesthetic is driven by my relationship to the software and techniques directly—not simply in an attempt to reference a style. For example, I like drawing lines in sweeping strokes, not to a point of geometric perfection, but just in a way where the curves are smooth and simple. But if I want perfectly curved or straight lines, I'll use the vector tools.

Working this way, you can sort of learn why certain styles and design choices in past vector aesthetics were made, as they would have also needed to make similar choices. That’s why I’m more mindful of using digital material specificity as a foundation to build narrative and subjects upon these days.

For example, genre references like cyberpunk clichés for #cyberhell or late medieval design for #autonymus or 2005 to 2015 era subculture fashion for #gradientgoblinz.

I think it’s important to take inspiration and reference from a wide variety of sources, but I think they’d mean nothing without having something to say or express. Autonymus, although it is a collection of tropes and clichés, isn’t just about that. It’s a story about the tensions of socially constructed systems and how that shapes faith, technology, and the natural world, or at least that's what I'm aiming for anyway.

But despite all that, I think there’s a danger of locking myself into the past by using these methods. For example, using nostalgia and references to past aesthetics can result in just recreating the past in a form of role-play. To avoid that, I try and evoke the past through a messy, inaccurate pastiche rather than caring to accurately re-enact anything. I’m probably not always successful at communicating the deliberateness of this, and it can certainly get very frustrating and pedantic. To be honest, I do kind of hate aesthetic labels (terms like Y2K, global coffee house, utopian scholastic designs from a pre-9/11 world).

I do not believe that a project aimed solely at mapping history through aesthetic styles is worthwhile. Sure, they can be handy for organizing style trends, but they can also be reductive and ahistoric. Who are these people to define the history of these design eras? The result is a kind of suffocating simulation of design history but removed from context, perfect for moodboardism. I wish it felt more tongue-in-cheek, less absolute of itself in its own practice. Instead, it acts to legitimize and engender those making these labels, almost giving them ownership of the design styles. It’s similar to the logic and process of generative AI and its databases in a way, just done manually.

I’m very inspired by artists like Oneohtrix Point Never in this regard, as I think he’s able to create an aesthetic portal to all kinds of memories, feelings, and worlds reminiscent of the past, while still being in the present. It’s more a reflection of how timelines are messy now, like a memory or dream, rather than an audacity to say the past was actually like that, or to try to actually map some kind of timeline.

I think the benefit of this process is how it avoids the other side of the spectrum—being locked into chasing the cutting edge of digital processes. I don't necessarily think using an old digital process means your work inherits the semiotics of old aesthetics. Non-digital mediums don’t have this issue to this degree, as you can still paint in oils and be considered contemporary, or at least it's not frowned upon to such a degree. And I also don't think anyone in the heyday of Flash ever made work the same as I do, especially as computers are more powerful now so can handle more. I probably shouldn't boast too much about that though, as artists at the time probably just had more sense than to use Flash like a painting program! So then, why is my use of Adobe Animate critiqued as obsolete and an aesthetic dead-end? Because to whose standards is this process obsolete? If you value digital aesthetics as an apparatus in industry practice, then sure, my work is redundant.

But as wonderful as the latest tech can be in creating new aesthetics, I do feel it can be overtly dependent on the trends and directions of tech corporations, and therefore act as an indirect propaganda tool to their hegemony over digital aesthetics, such as the ever-demanding processing power needed for simulated realism. If anything, work that does follow in the direction of the latest tech trends is ironically the quickest to date once the trends move on.

I've noticed I've not really described what my work is about, just the process, in this text. But I don't know, maybe I like Flash because it is regarded as redundant. No one really cares about it, so I feel free to make whatever I want, and can decide on form myself, to my own standards, the quality of my work. As fun as making images is, I find it difficult to put into words what it is exactly I'm expressing in my work, and perhaps that would spoil it anyway.

[clarekirener]

Maybe I've missed the posts on Tumblr but if you're not on Twitter you might have missed the marketing on the official social media accounts. I'll post some. Amazon knows the Haladriel fanbase exists. That's what the marketing told me: they've learned what's popular and what gets them views. I don't know how much of what's popular will influence the writing and I'll do a post on my speculations in light of delayed renewal- things I've said on Twitter for 2 months.

But right now here's some of the digital marketing:

On the official The Rings of Power account, The Haladriel Nation tweet (4.1k likes) and the tweet with the BTS video of Charlie Vickers and Morfydd Clark (6.9k likes) were among the posts that got the most engagement.

The only two posts with greater likes were a BTS video about the Siege of Eregion (5.7k likes) and one thanking viewers (7k likes). Their other posts average around 2k likes.

The shift was unmissable when Prime Video was comparing Sauron and Galadriel to Daisy and Billy from Daisy Jones & The Six, a romantic couple.

Another account (Amazon MGM Studios) in on the action.

The Rings of Power account social media manager addressing us as Haladriel Nation on the official account and then on his personal account. He got people trying to get him fired for this post by the way.

International Prime accounts on Twitter, TikTok, Insta, and YouTube Shorts.

Prime Mexico calling Sauron and Galadriel "my parents"

Prime Video Brazil made a YouTube Short saying "the love of Sauron and Galadriel speaks louder"

The Rings of Power account on Instagram:

Prime Video Australia/NZ posting Haladriel edits on TikTok:

There are a lot of official accounts associated with Prime Video, Amazon MGM, and then there's the TROP account. They've all been posting edits of the fight from different angles regularly and this is just some of the digital marketing. They do post other dynamics of course but none this shippy and none as much as the Haladriel dynamic. The TROP account started a Fan Artist Friday 3 weeks ago to highlight fan art. They picked a canon compliant non-shippy Silvergifting fan art and they did the same for the Haladriel fan art as well. It was definitely carely chosen to avoid accusations of bias Irving Lopez got over the official account shouting out Haladriel Nation lol. The rest were just character art- they posted Adar fanart last Friday.

Unlike other marketing formats which requires more planning and time to coordinate, digital marketing is the most reactive to fan response. These official accounts were lurking on Haladriel fan accounts and responding to them during S2, and reposting Haladriel fans but it shifted post-s2 into overtly shipping material.

And baiting only works for so long before folks stop buying. I've said this before. When people hear there's only one scene, they'll just watch that scene on YouTube or TikTok. This happens a lot with other fandoms. Folks posting YouTube scene playlists and TikTok outright posting everything. But I'll save this for a post about PR in the context of the flux the show is in.

[theamazingdigitalraceway]

WELCOME TO:

Banner and reference art by @iamespecter

Meet the racers! Reference page! Kart inspirations! "Blame" Animatic! Abel! "Joyride" Animatic!

The Halloween DLC Monster Designs

CHAPTER LINKS

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15(WIP)

SOFT CANON ONESHOTS

Burger (showtime)

Burgers And Ties (showtime)

Rev Theory (suggestive) (showtime)

Hearts (showtime)

Gummybunny

Don't Comfort Me (gummybunny)

Brotherly Hatred (Seth)

Echo (Seth)

Remembrance (SethxKinger)

God Maker (Abel)

NON CANON ONESHOTS

Joyride (NSFW) (SethxPomni)

Three Way (NSFW) (CainexPomnixSeth)

Attention Span (showtime)

Breather (actor AU)

FAQs & Request Rules: 👇👇👇👇👇

What is The Amazing Digital Raceway?

This is an AU based on The Amazing Digital Circus by Gooseworx

This AU takes place inside of a racing video game with surprises around every corner! It's a story of romance, mystery, and suspense!

What ships are in the AU?

Showtime and Abstragedy are the main features

But I'm a multi-shipper so who knows what will happen-

Can I make OCs, fanart or fanfiction?

YES! ALL THE YES! We welcome new racers with open arms!

Draw or write away!

You can also OC x Canon ship if you wish

What about NSFW?

Yes, however please be responsible. NO MINORS and tag such content properly

NSFW will be part of the AU, but will be avoidable for those who don't wish to read it

Do you allow Y/N insert requests?

Yes, you can request the characters reacting to SFW situations and shenanigans from "y/n" (I use it to exercise character traits)

Why sfw only? Because these are adult characters interacting directly with the reader in the prompt. I don't know how old the reader is and I'm not comfortable writing anything overtly romantic, suggestive, or NSFW for an unknown entity

Both serious and silly topics are okay

Where can I request extra content? (Not y/n)

Right here! The ask box is just above!

No request is guaranteed

Extra content can be anything as long as it falls within the boundaries

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND WHAT I WON'T WRITE:

[stuck1nthelimbo]

[ edging ] * jjk men x f!reader // 0.5k, 2nd pov, no beta, no specific male character, reader w/ a vagina, smut, masturbation, edging, fingering, implied intercourse || ✨m.list✨

The relaxing music of a mobile game floats around in the otherwise silent bedroom. Lying on your back, and the hood of an oversized hoodie covering your head, your nimble fingers work on unlocking online game achievements. Immersed in the fantasy world of the device, you fail to notice his intense gaze.

Leaning his head on the fist with the elbow jabbed into the mattress, his eyes trail down from the phone to the sole piece of clothing you’re wearing with the hoodie, white cotton underwear. He rests a hand on your stomach, but you pay him no heed. His limb dances around, sneaking around. The final destination is on top of your underwear. Your focus doesn’t waver, set on the game.

Fingers hover over the fabric, the pads of his digits barely brushing on the material. After a second or two, the middle and ring fingers nudge on the damp spot of the panties near the entrance. Your attention doesn't shift from the game. The long digits pulse on the underwear, rhythmically and lightly tapping against it, before withdrawing and flicking the edge of the material, gliding underneath.

As soon as his fingers come in contact with the clit, your hips jolt. Eyes might still be glued to the smartphone screen, but all of your senses disengage and concentrate on the middle finger that gradually but steadily presses between the pussy lips. The ring finger joins in, aligning around the sensitive nub, squeezing it between the phalanges of the digits. He teases until the whimper is forced out of you and as soon as your breathing becomes unsteady, he halts all motion. You whine, unconsciously humping against his hand that he yanks away as far as your stretchy panties let him.

You grip the edges of the smartphone, eyes stuck on the flickering screen. Your soaking cunt clenches around emptiness, twitching when his hand returns to its last location. The fingers resume the previous activity, sluggishly drawing circles on your clit. As time passes, his hand becomes aggressive, two fingers simultaneously grinding against the bud of nerves, with firm and erratic circling. A low gasp escapes you when those wandering fingers plunge inside and dripping walls clamp on them.

Your eyes, unfocused, stare at the screen of the device, the attention now entirely diverted to your nether region being violated. After a minute or two of edging, slowing down whenever you mewl, alerting him how close you’re to reaching an orgasm, his fingers empty your cunt. Instead, lay down flat on your pussy, covering it entirely, ceasing all movement similar to the last time.

With his hand motionless, you toss your phone aside, helplessly tugging onto his thumb and weakly pull, while confronting his wicked grin with overtly innocent and watery eyes. Something malicious glints in his. Stimulated, slumbering body props up, as his fingers fill your cunt, pumping in and out without an ounce of resistance. The clear wetness smears on the inner sides of your thighs, dripping onto the bed, the squelching sounds echoing in silence alongside your throaty huffs.

While his hand tirelessly works, he gradually positions himself between your legs, free hand clumsily feeling the outline of his painful bulge, ready for action.

a/n: in the middle of drafting, i realized i didn't have a particular character in mind; everyone fits the criteria, so imagine who you want, be free!! tagging with jjk tags, but you can imagine literally anyone lol [requests: open]

© stuck1nthelimbo; do not redistribute, repost, modify, or use in any way, form, and/or shape.

[darkpetal16]

Hi!! What about some head cannons for underfell gastor?

(Love you and your games!! <3)

Ok!

He’s a narcissistic ass. There is no getting around this. He’s got the ego of a man who’s never been wrong (although he has), and the stubbornness of a bull. He believes he is superior to every other monster and human.

He’s obsessive. When he finds something interesting to him, he will devote himself body, mind, and SOUL to it. Even if it costs him his life and/or sanity to obtain it, that is a price he’s willing to pay.

These attributes are painfully exasperated with the higher his LVL reaches. After reaching double digits, he’ll occasionally dissociate for multiple days in a row. When dissociated, he goes into “autopilot” mode where he focuses entirely on his research without eating or sleeping. It’s difficult to break out of this state. Usually Sans or Papyrus have to help him.

He can be charismatic and suave when the moment suits him. A lot of monsters in the underground have had a crush on him. He can be flirtatious in a way that people think he’s flirting with them. . . But also maybe not? They can’t outright tell but they do know he makes them feel special. When it benefits him.

The ONLY way he will accept a romantic partner is if they are his SOULMATE. He thinks too highly of himself, and loves his research too much to indulge in anything less.

That being said, his father raised him to conduct himself as a gentleman in public. He will be polite and act respectful, even if he’s inwardly complaining and rolling his eyelights.

He does love his family. Family > Science > Himself > Everything else.

As a romantic partner he’s physically affectionate. He won’t be satisfied with simple hand holding but would crave full on lap sitting while working, or prolonged hugs that turn into nuzzles.

He is either your blanket when sleeping, or you are his. There is no in between.

His narcissism prevents him from feeling jealous, but if he sees someone overtly disrespecting the relationship he will turn hostile.

This hostility can also be triggered by you being hurt, emotionally or physically (Goodness gracious if someone actually laid their hands on you . . . Death would be a mercy).

Enjoys spontaneity over planned events. He may gripe about sudden interruptions from his work, but if it’s to spend time with you or his brothers he’ll secretly enjoy it (the exception being during a dissociative episode).

Is absolutely the type to randomly show up at your work / class and whisk you away from a surprise vacation just the two of you.

Will enable you so, so often. Anything short of life-threatening or harming his brothers, you get his stamp of approval. He will actively help you cause chaos if you want. You want to rob a bank? He’ll be your get away driver. You want to go camping? He’ll learn how to forage. You want to put a whoopee cushion under Asgore? He’ll distract for you. You want to build a solar powered motor bike? He’ll drag Sans in and it is getting done this very weekend.

Loves, loves, loves to tease you. Nothing pleases him more than getting a flustered reaction. Even if you wittily respond back, he won’t stop until he can feel the heat from your cheeks when he nuzzles you.

PLAY THE GAME HERE FOR HIS ROMANCE

MASTERLIST

[olderthannetfic]

People on fandomsecrets are really mad this week about other people reviewing fanfiction on goodreads and I don't want to litigate whether people should or shouldn't use that website in that manner right now, because the thing I'm actually wound up about is:

when someone asks why, they say "BECAUSE FANFIC ISN'T BOOKS!!!1!1!" as though this is supposed to explain everything, and when asked to elaborate they basically just find ways to say "fanfic, by virtue of being fanfic, is not a book, which is a different thing from fanfic, by virtue of books being books which are not fanfic" in more and more words without adding any coherent information.

Fanfic is a type of story. Books is a type of physical object. In the digital age there are now lots of professional ~official~ works of literature which have never once been published in a physical form. The comparison is meaningless to begin with and also doesn't answer the question.

Is this just a way of ignoring the goodreads thing entirely so they can stealth complain about the Wattpad thing where people used to that site call all stories "books"? Is that what's going on here?

--

Sighhh.

I know some people think Goodreads is for Real Books™, but a hell of a lot of what's on there is trashy romance novels. I myself am an author... of indie selfpub m/m mystery novels that are overtly fandom-adjacent in that BL way. Like most people in that space, I'm mainly focused on ebooks. Why are these things not fic? Well, because we sell them for money and we don't call them fic and because we've done a successful find and replace on the character names.

I think people have trouble articulating why fic is not books because they're used to thinking in terms of content, and they know perfectly well that Goodreads is full of content that might as well be from a fic.

But no, I don't think this is an anti-Wattpad thing at all.

What they're trying and failing to articulate is that fic is not a book by virtue of its author not intending it as one.

Fic authors, or at least ones adhering to a certain kind of AO3 culture, mean their work to be a not-for-profit gift for their fandom community. They often have a horror of it escaping containment to reach the eyeballs of outsiders.

Now, frankly, with the multitude of Goodreads users reviewing original omegaverse mpreg romance novels, I'm not sure that the site actually counts as outsiders, but that's how the people going "Fic is not books!" feel. It's a violation to bring fic there just like it's gross when a talk show host digs up some horny fan art to show to actors so they can have a good laugh at fandom's expense.

[venusvity]

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🍒✧˚.⋆ UR MY BABY! HELLO, I'M BAEBI!

cw: sexualization + controlling company

  JUNG YOONAH took on the stage name BAEBI in 2018 upon her debut with VENUS and the world was never the same.

Baebi would take the world by storm with her solo debut the same year Venus would debut, sparking much discussion among fans over favoritism, a debate that still rages today. But who cares about favoritism when the music is good? Bubble Pop! Would take the Kpop world by storm, becoming the song of the summer.

It peaked at number two on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and charted atop the US Billboard World Albums. As of 2023, it has sold 560,000 copies in South Korea. 

Bubble Pop! 's commercial success was the main contributor to Angelico Entertainment's leading music sales. The song peaked at number one in South Korea, where it has sold over 2.5 million digital units. To accompany her solo release, Baebi held a series of small concerts called Baebi's Summer Splash. She was awarded Best Female Artist at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards and at the 2019 Golden Disk Awards.

Chart data is boring. Let's talk about something else.

Returning just a few months later with the mini album "Tell Me More" and a title track of the same name, fans grew slightly more concerned over Yoonah's concept as a soloist. According to her most dedicated fans, her sound and look were very mature, very sensual, and bordering on sexual, which didn't really match Yoonah's character.

No one would be shocked at the music and content Baebi would be releasing when looking at her creative team:

The Son Brothers, Jinhwa and Roan, would be the proud creative directors behind all of Baebi's solo work. Bubble Pop! would be Son Roan's, later turned CEO of Angelico after his brother departed from the label to become CEO of Mydol, Angelico's now parent company, first project in the Kpop realm.

"I like working with Baebi because she's something different than what you're used to seeing from the other idols out there. You can do things with Baebi you can't normally do with other idols and I find that very exciting." – Son Roan when asked about the Baebi brand in 2020.

2020 Baebi hit a career-high with her mini album "Glassdoor" and the lead single, Gashina. This song was everywhere, but even more to an extent, no Angelico artist had ever seen. Baebi was an international sensation. She'd go on a mini world tour as a soloist, the first and only Venus member to do so, promoting internationally, being the first soloist under Angelico to do so internationally.

A point of contention in Baebi's career is the botched release of her first full album, "Hello Baebi!" with the poorly promoted single, Hello. When Baebi was coming back, you knew about it, your friends knew about it, your mama knew about it, hell, even your grandma knew about it. For Hello Baebi? Not a peep. Even Baebi fans were confused when Ktown4u posted a pre-order poster for the album before Angelico even posted teasers. Which, mind you, she only got four photo teasers and a single video trailer for a full album.

When the comeback happened, promotions only lasted for two weeks, something unheard of for Baebi and the outfits? Fresh off the Forever21 rack. The stages? Bare. Nothing. The MV? Budget cut in half. Something wasn't right...Then when you looked at the album credits, neither of the Son brothers were anywhere to be seen. The entire album was made by Baebi herself, something she shared often on her Instagram or during the few interviews she did during this era.

Either way, Hello Baebi, her one cute era completely controlled by her, was deemed a flop and the Son brothers used that to their advantage, taking full creative control over Baebi's image again.

Which is where Touch came in.

Touch was noted for its overtly sexual music video, on-the-nose sexual lyrics, and latex outfits Baebi would promote in. The single, which was, of course, promoted ions better than Hello Baebi!, was phenomenally on the charts and in sales, "proving" that the mature concept is what people wanted from Baebi. At least, that's Jinhwa's belief.

Baebi's release after Touch would be a mini album titled "Stupid B—" with the promoted track TWIT. Fans that worried for Baebi would be soothed by this less sexual yet mature concept and the actual look of enjoyment on Yoonah's face when performing the song, something that seemed to be lacking when she was performing Touch.

After a year break from solo activities, Baebi would come back swinging in 2024 with her second full album, "Choke On It," and the title track LIPLOCKER, which was a hit, of course. Though the concept was leaning more toward sexual than mature, Baebi seemed more comfortable performing and actually had fun during this promotional period. She'd go on to say that LIPLOCKER was her favorite comeback since Hello Baebi!, which fans are hesitant to believe, but whatever makes her happy!

[dynasoar5]

you're such a unique artist and i love all your work so much, it means everything to me as a furry. like these technically impressive digital paintings that are often spot-on pastiche of venerated art movements, focused entirely on overtly fetishistic (as in niche/erotic) subjects. its a combination that absolutely demolishes any shame i feel for my own interests. i think it's also the perfect demonstration of the collapse between high art/"low art" that is so vital to the furry fandom. sorry if this is a little weird to hear as the person who makes all this art, but i think about your portfolio this way all the time so i thought i might as well let you know, lol

thank you so much for the kind words. I love knowing what people think about my work and the context around it! 🦕💖💖

[milk5]

Barbuta and Mooncat are really stand-out entries on UFO 50; both are fun games in their own right, but I feel that they shine more as digital gallery pieces.

Barbuta, for instance, superficially appears to be a joke game. The controls are sluggish, the visuals are unstimulating, the audio is nearly nonexistent, and the difficulty feels downright hostile at first. It's offensive to modern game design sensibilities at almost every stop.

It's easy to see these qualities, "get the joke", and move on. However, if you instead decide to stick it out and give Barbuta an honest try, something unexpected will happen; you get immersed in the puzzles and exploration. You stop thinking about the "bad" qualities as you become more occupied with earnestly trying to solve the game.

This happens because Barbuta is, under the hood, not actually a bad game. The Mossmouth team is highly adept in game design, knowing which qualities differentiate an unorthodox game from a truly bad game. Unlike the early platforming-adventure games that it takes inspiration from, Barbuta's controls are far more solid than the player's initial assessment. They're slow and quite short, sure, but jumps are actually stunningly consistent; there was never a jump that was both intended to be possible and too difficult to (reasonably) achieve on the first try. The puzzles were difficult enough to evoke plenty of thought, while completely rational and able to be solved intuitively. The only trap that earnestly felt unreasonable to catch on the first go-around is on the first screen. If you're capable of seeing past its intentionally rough edges, you're in for hours of fun.

It does a fine job of allowing the player to relive the childhood experience of sticking to a game, perhaps in complete disregard of its jankiness, and still finding joy. I even resorted to making a map out of graph paper.

Mooncat is similarly evocative, possibly more directly and specifically than Barbuta is. It doesn't attempt to be conservative in its aesthetics, nor is its movement slow and unsatisfying. Instead, you're met with an extremely strange control scheme, visuals of your character in an embryonic state, and four harsh notes.

In a wonderfully thematic way, you spend the first several levels stumbling around and clumsily misinputting the controls. Just as a newborn creature lacking mastery of basic mechanical skills, the player must discard their gaming intuition and learn how to move in a strange, unfamiliar setting. For a moment or two, you're humbled and brought to the same level of competency as somebody who hasn't touched a video game in a decade.

As you get a hang of the controls, Mooncat's atmosphere begins to take your attention. It's dark and wistful, but still quite soothing in soundtrack and visuals. At times, its moodiness transitions to being overtly eerie, clashing with the Kirby-esque enemy design. Regardless, it makes you curious and sensitive to the environment.

I do not think that these aesthetic choices are intended to appeal to the extremely basic juxtaposition of "cute thing that's actually creepy and dark." Instead, I believe that it's an allusion to the unintentionally complex feelings that many games of earlier eras evoked, particularly to children. The harsh, creepy bits remind me of the seemingly mundane elements of games that would trigger fear responses in my brother and I when we were kids. Games that were not meant to be scary in any capacity would occasionally spook us so badly that we would never progress past the point of whatever it was that scared us. It's my theory that Mooncat's particularly eerie parts are meant to represent these moments.

While some details are surely intended to be unnerving, Mooncat evokes the feeling of a game that's ostensibly innocent, but still strange feeling to those who have not yet been desensitized to the normal motions of game design. Thankfully, it also does a great job at reversing this desensitization with the odd control scheme.

Both of these games do a fantastic job of evoking emotions that are quite complex and usually long gone by adulthood. I really do applaud Yu and the rest of the team for being able to both identify and recreate such feelings when it would have been so ridiculously easy for UFO 50 to instead shoot for very basic "remember THIS GAME?" style nostalgia-baiting. Great job Derek!!

[tamquamalteradam]

help me with my uni project — questions for queer teens living in queerphobic environments: what are some challenges you face in accessing queer books and how do you overcome them? 🌈📚

Hey guys it's been a while! Truly sorry for long time no TRC content, I have been struggling with life ajfdhskadfj. Pls help with my bookish project for uni, I know there are a lot of y'all queer bookish people on here. I'm doing my senior capstone project on increasing access to queer books in the U.S., especially given the rising book bans and hostility towards queer people and themes. Queer books are so important to me, they helped me find my community (and my girlfriend! lol) and were a source of safety when my family was not. However, I grew up in California and always had easy access to queer books in my public/school libraries. Since I don't have personal experience not having access, I really want to hear from people who are experiencing this to better inform my project! If you have time to comment some thoughts in response to these questions, I'll be so grateful! You don't have to answer them all, any comment would be helpful!

What are some challenges you face in accessing physical queer books?

Are these books just not in schools/libraries/stores at all, or are they there but needing transportation/cost poses a challenge?

Is being seen holding or browsing overtly queer books a concern?

What are some challenges you face in accessing digital queer books (e-books, audiobooks, etc.)?

If you find it hard to buy/borrow digital queer books, what is the barrier (cost, needing a parent's credit card info, needing to sign up for a library card, etc.)?

What are some ways you still manage to get your hands on the queer books that you want to read?

Are there any websites that you have found useful?

Are there any frustrations with these sites and ways you think they could be improved?

If there was a "free online bookstore" of queer books where you could apply to receive a free copy, would you prefer to get it as an e-book, or as a physical book (if discreet shipping was an option)?

Where do you usually hear about queer books that you would like to read (Instagram, TikTok, friends, etc.?)

Anything else about your experience with accessing/not being able to access queer books would be appreciated!

(If you wanna private message your answers, pls do so! I'm also on Instagram with the same username)

Thank you sooo much in advance! 💗