#Some we’re tik toks and others from an online friend who comes online once every blue moon

[pnuk-r0ck]

Why is it when I’m trying to nap is when people decide to talk to me

[theoriesontheory]

Pause: Basquiat and 100 gecs, name a more iconic duo I’ll wait.

In the process of researching a topic, sometimes a random thought will come into my head. Often, they are flights of fancy, a random rabbit hole that will distract from my work. Alongside this though, they occasionally add some extra context or a new way of understanding that I keep in the back of my mind while I work. This is one such flight of fancy. 

Jean Michael Basquiat is an African American artist who rose to popularity at the forefront of the neo-expressionism movement. 100 gecs are a music duo who rose to popularity at the forefront of the hyperpop movement. 

Image 1: Basquiat painting In Switzerland, 1983

Image 2: 100 gecs on stage in Wisconsin, 2020

Neo-expressionism was an art movement that arose at the start of the 20th century, depicting real and recognisable subjects (like heads and bodies) ways that rejected traditional standards of composition and design, were brittle in emotional tone – reflecting the world in which they were created, and an inherent tension between fun playful presentation of objects with a sense of inner disturbance, tension, ambiguity and alienation. (Britannica, 2019) 

Hyperpop is a genre that arose in the early parts of the 21st century, using real and recognisable forms (pop hooks, 808 drums, love songs) in ways that reject the traditional standards of composition and production, are extreme in emotional tone – reflecting the world in which they were created, and an inherent tension between fun playful presentation of lyrics with a sense of disturbance, tension, ambiguity and alienation. Or at least I think it is. Listening to the music I hear so many things I recognise and am familiar with like samples from well-known and niche TV shows and video games. I also hear songs that I understand and resonate with, more so than in other genres. I hear songs about love, loss, victory, rock bottom, drugs, sobriety, partying, crying, friends and isolation. I hear something that I can resonate with. Obviously while the genre is rooted in pop the production and construction of the songs is far from any ‘normal’ pop I have come across. A reviewer for pitchfork described the music as genre blending, a stacking of genres and sounds at their peak and extreme in it relatability, nostalgia and hookiness. (Patel, 2020). The nature of this taking elements from elsewhere at their peak results in a sound that in some way is always peaking, even in the quiet moments the auto tune or 808s are usually there or there is an unnaturally fast rhythm in some percussion which is reflective of the world we live in now. Content is getting shorter, tik tok and Facebook memes are the primary way we not only get entertainment but learn about more longform entertainment and so every second of a hyperpop track can in theory be in that small clip because it’s all so full of energy. The inherent tension is the most interesting part for me, while the production and musicality and performance and general feeling of the songs is often a party at the end of the world, the lyrics and stories being told are often at the extremes of emotion, a place I think all can acknowledge is not a healthy place to be all the time. While the songs feel light and fun and funny some of the lyrics are so infused with passion or anger or sadness that the two can almost exist in a harmony, one extreme balancing and highlighting the other. 

Looking specifically at Basquiat I learned that he took much inspiration from the things he was fascinated with as a child, comic books, textbooks, walking around museums, all of which he carried with him mentally and physically to use as reference for his work. In one video of the artist his work was describes as a cutting up and remixing of materials, informed by his current circumstance. (Saggese, 2019)

100 gecs described themselves in an interview as archivist fans, (Patel, 2020) fans who take all the pop culture and references that they like and cut them up and put them in their music. From the genre shift to hardcore at the end of ‘Money Machine’ to the use of a guitar riff from another popular tik tok song (Scotty Doesn’t Know – Lustara) the sounds and inspirations heard in a single 100 gecs track tells a story about the artists and their experiences. 

In closing this thought experiment, seeing hyperpop as the neo-expressionism of the 2020s, I can’t help but look at what happened to neo-expressionism after its rise in popularity. I found a newspaper article from 1986 declaring the death of neo-expressionism. Essentially what it came down to was an oversaturation of the market and many practitioners were seen to be trying to cash in on the popular media of the day. (Brenson, 1986) I think that the same worries could be held about hyperpop today. Now more than ever we see major labels and corporations trying to cash in on the hot sound of the moment and as a result many young producers are trying to make music to get on the right playlist and get signed. At the same time there are producers who are just making the music they like and trying to find communities of people who like what they do. Basquiat once said “I don’t think about art when I’m working I try to think about life.” (Saggese, 2019) and Laura from 100 gecs said “What we try to do is be honest, give ourselves to the thing that we're doing and not feel like we have a persona as much as just being ourselves.” (Moen, 2020) 

While the same dangers of commercialisation and oversaturation exist, I choose to remain hopeful. That while in the current, late-stage capitalist, internet age, commercialisation is unavoidable, but that doesn’t discredit the art that is being made because it is a honest reflection of the artist’s lives. 

References:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2019, November 7). Neo-Expressionism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Neo-Expressionism

Moen, M. (2020, June 24). Skrillex Interviews 100 gecs About the Future of Music. Paper. https://www.papermag.com/100-gecs-skrillex-pride-2646244919.html?rebelltitem=140#rebelltitem140

Patel, P. (Interviewer). (2020, November). Pitchfork Review: 100 Gecs and the Mystery of Hyperpop. [Audio Podcast]. Get Wired. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UnB4gNxTsInfjur0iVXEP?si=NXGfknGtTqSId4z-XhKNeg&dl_branch=1

Saggese, J., M. [TED-Ed]. (2019, March 1). The Chaotic Brilliance of artist Jean-Michael Basquiat – Jordana Moore Saggese. [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX02QQXfb_o

Images:

Image 1: Basquiat in Switzerland, 1983  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-jean-michel-basquiat-masterpieces-close-online-exhibit-180975416/

Image 2: 100 gecs on stage in Wisconsin, 2020 https://www.emmiemusic.com/concerts-2/100-gecs-the-sett

[vsquadgoals]

4am Cuddles

Y/n is from Chicago and had recently moved to LA which took months of convincing from her best friends, Natalie, David and Ilya. She decided it was finally time to make the move and David was letting her move in with him and Natalie since they have an extra room, it was all perfect. Y/n is a dance teacher and has recently been blowing up online for her dancing videos which is what made her finally make the move. She has been in LA for 2 or so weeks now and she was finally meeting the rest of David and Natalie’s friends who they’ve told her so much about, she’s been busy filming and looking for a studio to teach at which is why she hasn’t met them already. The whole group was going to be coming over today, so she was in her room getting ready, she put on a white spaghetti strap crop top and green high waisted cargo pants. She was brushing her hair when Natalie knocked on her door. “Come in.” She called putting some products into her hair.  

“Hey, everyone’s pretty much here.” Natalie said leaning against the door frame. “Okay I’m almost ready, how do I look?” She asks smiling. “As beautiful as ever, now come on.” She grabs her hand dragging her out to the living room where a couple people were already sitting around talking. “Guys this is our hometown friend Y/n, Y/n this is everyone.” Natalie says beaming with excitement, she introduces her to everyone, and they sit on the lovesac together.  

“So, y/n, how long have you known David and Natalie for?” Heath asks putting his arm around Mariah. “I met them when we were in... I think 7th grade.” She answers looking at David for clarification and he nodded in agreement. They all sit and chat for a while before someone else thinks of a question to ask her. “Y/n do you have a boyfriend back in Chicago?” Zane asks causing David to smack his arm. Y/n giggles and shakes her head at David. “It’s fine Dave. No, I actually only date girls.” She says nonchalantly and everyone’s caught off guard. She smirks and shrugs her shoulders “Alright guys don’t act like you’ve never seen a lesbian before.” Natalie teases from her spot cuddled up next to y/n. They all joked around for hours filming different bits for David and everyone’s vlogs, Mariah talked about dancing and filmed a few tik toks together and of course Zane got into a few. A few people stayed inside chatting and some people were sitting outside by the fire pit David has in the back yard.  

Y/n is sitting outside next to the fire watching the sunset in the backyard. “I’ll never get tired of this.” She says filming it to post on her story. Carly and Erin nod smiling. “It’s amazing! We’ve seen it a million times and we’re still obsessed with this view! David did good with this house that’s for sure!” Carly replies, y/n turns toward the girls and smiles. “So, you guys have a channel together?” She asks pulling her knees to her chest getting more comfortable. “Yeah we moved out here and got an apartment together and we actually started vlogging before David, but his vlogs just took off way faster.” Erin explains, “We do vlogs, sit down videos and sometimes we’ll do a Starbucks tasting video with David.” Carly says giggling. “I saw one of those! So funny.” Y/n says excited giggling a little. “Really? Well thanks. I thought you would only watch David’s videos.” Erin says smiling happily, “I usually do but I’ve seen your videos and some of Jason’s, but I also had met him a bunch before I moved out here.” She explains, she was so happy that she was clicking with the group, it was making her feel more content with her choice to move out here.  

It’s about 1:30 when everyone finally leaves and it’s just David, Nat and Y/n again.  They clean up anything that was left around from their friends and they all head into their own rooms to get some sleep. Y/n was editing a couple videos she filmed today so she was up for another hour before finally changing into just a long t shirt and falling asleep in her warm comforter. It felt like Y/n only had her eyes closed for two second when she felt someone nudging her awake. “Y/n/n....” Natalie whispered. Y/n’s eyes opened slowly, and she stretched looking up at her friend. “Nat? Is everything okay? What time is it?” she asks sleepily, Natalie bit her lip. “Everything is fine, its 4AM. I wanted to know if I could come cuddle with you?” She asks nervously, Y/n blinks her eyes a few more times before she realizes what Natalie said. “You come into my room and wake me up at 4AM to cuddle?” She asks shaking her head and giggling. Natalie frowns and shakes her head embarrassed. “You’re right this was stupid, sorry.” Y/n grabs her hand before she can leave, she moves over and lifts her blankets making room for Natalie. “Come on, you don’t have to ask.” Natalie happily climbs into the bed pressing her ass against y/n who wraps her arm around Natalie’s waist pulling her closer and burying her face into her hair. “Go to sleep Nat.” She whispers into her hair before they both fall back asleep.  

Natalie wakes up before Y/n, she has her face buried in her chest when she first wakes up, Natalie smiles looking up at her. Natalie has always had a crush on y/n since she was younger, but she never said anything, Natalie always thought of herself as straight, Y/n is the only girl she’s ever had any feelings for. Once Y/n agreed to move out here finally and David and Natalie talked about Y/n living with them she’s been reminded of that old crush she had that never faded and now since they live together it was getting stronger and she was having a hard time hiding it. Natalie snuggles closer to Y/n and her arms tighten around her waist kissing her head in her sleep. Y/n’s hands run up and down Natalie’s back slowly while she sleeps, Natalie bites her lip enjoying her friend’s hands on her way more then she probably should be.  

Y/n sighs softly her eyes slowly fluttering open, she looks down at Natalie who looked up at her when she felt her start to wake up. “Good morning sleeping beauty.” Natalie whispers, it took all of herself control not to lean up and kiss y/n right on her lips. Y/n smiles at her friend, she pulls her hands away from Natalie’s waist to rub the sleep from her eyes, a whine leaves Natalie’s lips before she can stop it when she lets her go. She looks at Natalie confused. “You okay Nat?” she asks propping herself up on her elbows. Natalie’s cheeks turn bright red from embarrassment, she clears her throat and shakes her head. “Uh... yeah sorry I was just comfy.” She mumbles trying to cover it up, Y/n smiles and nods. “I know me too but I have to edit some videos.” Natalie nods and takes the hint climbing out of her bed and heading to her room to get ready for the day.

This happens almost every night, Natalie sneaks into Y/n’s room between 2 and 4 am and crawls into her bed cuddling against her. At first y/n didn’t think anything of it but she had done it almost every night this week. Tonight, the group was at David’s again and everyone was dancing and drinking, Y/n was nursing her 3rd mixed drink that Zane had made for her. David was filming everyone as always and Y/n and Corinna were dancing together, Corinna was grinding against Y/n and one of her hands was gripping Corinna’s hip and the other was holding her drink. David was filming them and Y/n winked at the camera before sipping her drink, David laughs and shakes his head. “Yes! That was perfect, Y/n!” Her and Corinna giggle “She’s a natural David.” Corinna teases looking over her shoulder at Y/n who rolls her eyes at her smirking. David had sent Natalie to go grab more alcohol from the store since they were running low. When Natalie gets back Y/n is sitting in the kitchen on one of the bar stools talking to Mariah about some video ideas she has, and Corinna is standing in between Y/n’s legs leaning back against her lap. Y/n wraps her arms around Corinna’s waist “I think we should do one teaching David and Heath tik tok dances! Those are really blowing up lately.” She says to Mariah who nods excitedly “YES! That’s perfect!”  

Natalie walks into the kitchen with the bags and notices Corinna and y/n she sets the bags on the counter ignoring the girls her heart is breaking the longer Y/n holds Corinna against her like she holds Natalie at night. “Hey Nattie.” Y/n says smiling at her, her smile drops immediately when Natalie barely waves at them before setting the bottles of liquor on the bar in the hallway. “Bubbah! You gotta come see this!” Heath calls Mariah away from the two girls. “Sorry guys, Y/n we’ll talk more about this later.” Y/n smiles and nods at her as she walks toward her boyfriend.  

Corinna turns around and wraps her arms around Y/n’s neck, she smiles putting her hands on Corinna’s lower back smirking up at her. “So, what in the world has gotten into you?” Y/n asks her raising her brow. Y/n has known Corinna since she was a junior in high school and she has never shown any type of interest in her, not that she was complaining, Corinna’s drop-dead gorgeous. Corinna shrugs biting her lip. “I don’t know, you just look so fucking good, also a little liquid courage too I’m sure.” Corinna admits. Y/n shakes her head and cups Corinna’s cheek, “How about when you’re nice and sober we’ll revisit this.” She kisses her forehead and stands walking away.  

Y/n sits next to Natalie on the lovesac and puts her hand on her leg. “What’s up Nat? Why are you over here all alone?” She asks concerned, Natalie sighs and looks at Y/n. “What happened to Corinna?” She asks ignoring her question, Y/n wrinkles her nose, “Corinna’s had a little too much to drink, I’m not getting into that. Why don’t we go to my room and talk?” Y/n stood and helped Natalie stand from the giant beanbag following her into the bedroom. Y/n sits on her bed and pulls Natalie in between her legs her hands on her waist. “Please tell me what’s wrong...” She begs frowning up at her, Natalie sighs and runs her fingers through her own hair. “I’m jealous.” She admits throwing her hands in the air. Y/n eyes go wide but Natalie continues before she can respond. “And I don’t know why because we’re friends and you don’t even know that I have these feelings for you so why would you not go after another girl or flirt with someone in front of me.” Natalie continues to rant, and Y/n is in shock, Natalie has feelings for her? And is jealous that she’s flirting with someone? Y/n grabs Natalie’s face and kisses her roughly, Natalie wraps her arms around Y/n’s neck and whines when she pulls away from the kiss. “Why did you do that?” She whispers breathless, Y/n smirks and looks into her eyes biting her lip. “I needed to shut you up so I could tell you that I have feelings for you too.” Y/n replies, Natalie’s eyes go ride and she squeals throwing herself on top of Y/n kissing her.  

A/n: please let me know what you think! xoxo

[lablass-2882]

How the Akuma Class handles Social Distancing. Part 1

So. I’m a little board and tried of either cleaning, editing pictures or more cleaning. So, I decided to try my hand at a little bit iof fanfic just to keep my creative mind active but focused on a different skill set.  Editing pictures will really take it out of you after a while.  Any who, here is my take on who the akuma class from ML handles social distancing during these strange times.  Enjoy.

Marinette: She is handling it pretty well.  If she’s not out doing her ladybug thing, she is helping her parents with the bakery or working on commissions and projects.  Speaking of the bakery.  It’s doing okay.  Tom and Sabine re on top of everything, even before the virus hit Paris.  Sabine has family in Wuhan and was actively sending care packages to them when this whole mess started.  From the moment that the virus hits Paris, they were on the move; face mask, hand sanitizer, gloves, the whole nine yards. They knew it was to coming and they know what they’re doing. With the mandate, the shop part of the bakery has closed.  Instead, they’ve switched to an online store that does home-delivery and curve side pickups.  When they can, all three of them drop of box-lunches at the hospitals for the nurse. Doctors and nurses alike adore them. Marinette as hosted a few furnishes for a variety of causes through her website (common head-canon idea).  She posts specialty outfits, items, and even some helpful DIY videos.  About once a week she hosts a live chat where she talks about sew tips, baking recipes, and even some meditation cycles to help with anxiety. She doing her part on both sides of the mask.  As Ladybug, she’s doubling down on her public messages.  Follow the guidelines, obey the rules set up by the stores, respect people's wish but most of all be kind to one another. We’re all in this together.  Thankfully Hawkmoth isn’t trying to capitalize on this mess.  Even he knows not to F@%# with this virus. On the first day of the mandate, his butterflies delivered a message to Ladybug and Chat Noir. No Akuma Activity until this virus is beaten.  Stay Safe and Stay healthy. She still patrols but she trusts Hawkmoth enough to know that he’s being honest with them.

Adrien: He’s doing okay, not terrible but not great either.  If it wasn’t for plagg and his bodyguard Gorilla, Adrien would have gone crazy from all the silence.  Thankfully he can still sneak out as Chat Noir but that only helps so much.  Nino decided to host weekly therapy sessions online, to keep his bro’s hopes up.  He gets it. There’s only some much isolation a boy can take.  To lessen the isolation, he helps out with both Marinette and Chloe's furnishes. He even does one of his own for the local hospital. When his father allows it, Adrien makes a few appearances at the hardest hit hospitals. In the correct project gear of course. Gabriel may be a super-villain that preys of negative emotions, but he’s a man who lost his wife to an illness.  He won’t dare touch a hospital. Period. They at least tried to help his wife and for that he is grateful. If there is a silver lining during this whole mess it’s that Gabriel can’t ignore Adrien if they are both stuck in the house together. By the end of the first week Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie, and Gorilla are all playing board games with each other of an evening. Adrien even starts to feel like he has a family again.  As Chat Noir, Adrien does what he can to help Ladybug, and has even taken to dropping off lunches to police officers, doctors, and nurses on the night shift.

Lila: She is having a terrible time.  If she’s not the center of attention then what is she DOING! She tries every which way to spin this disaster in her favor.  From claiming that she doing charity work to that she helping find a cure for the virus.  She even tries to claim that she has the virus itself. The class offers to help various way but they all come up bust. The class’s parents aren’t buying her lies and they certainly are up for letting their children send this random girl money. Her ideas become more and more desperate as time goes on. The last idea ends up with her entire building being placed under quarantine.  People are relieved when the test comes back negative, but slightly less relieved when they find that she lied about the illness and causes an issue for attention. (Especially after Rose gets sick from trying to help Lila by getting her supplies and other items she wanted.)  Lila and her mother have a very long talk and she later makes sure that Lila publicly apologies for lying.  All of her electronic get taken away except for weekly online therapy sessions with a specialist.  Her mother is in attendance for most of these.  She can’t even get Hawkmoth to send an Akuma her way.  When she tries, she gets a message/scolding to take this virus seriously.

Alya: She’s not doing so hot, better than Lila but she is struggling.  She’s hunkered down with her sister and thing escalate quickly from there.  All normal methods of stress relief are thrown out the window on the first day.  Nora can’t train, Alya can’t hang out with her friends and the twin are mini tornados in their own right.  By the end of the first week, Mr. Cesaire is just about ready duct-taped their bedroom doors shut for a moment of peace.  It’s bad enough that this virus is out of control but top that off with all four of his daughters being confined to their apartment and his wife struggling to keep her job afloat.  The breaking point has be reached.  When one of Mrs. Cesaire's staff workers gets sick, things get real for the family. Mrs. Cesaire is quarantined and isolated for her family for a solid two weeks.   This ends up bringing the girls closer together. They put aside their bickering and work together for ounce.  Nora does a lot of the cooking, Alya helps with the cleaning and the twin do what they can.   Together they find why to make both of their parent's smile and brighten both of their days. As for Alya’s blog, she switches gears and temporally becomes a virus watch blog.  She doubles down and finally; fact checks things to bring her followers information on the virus and not just here say.  By the time the whole Lila mess goes down, Alya is starting to come to her senses.

Nino: He doing pretty alright. He ends up working on his music and even does some Tik-Tok videos with his brother.  He misses being able to see everyone but understands why he can’t. Nino talks to Alya daily and tries his best to help lessen her arguments with her sisters. (He’s just thankful he and Chris get along so well.) He also talks a lot with Adrien and tries to help his bro out with some music therapy sessions. Both of his parents end up working from home during the mandate, which puts pressure on Nino to help out more around the house.  Surprisingly he finds it quite relaxing to do housework.   He ends up rearranging his room to accommodate his music better, sets the kitchen up for quick lunches when his parents need a break and even stages a mini theater in their living room for plays.  Turns out Chris likes musicals and Nino is all for help his little bro find his talent.

Rose: She gets sick. Nothing life-threatening but she still mangers to catch the son-of-a-bitch virus.   Rose ends up getting the virus when running earns for Lila. At the beginning of the mandate; Rose tries her best to spread joy and to helps where she can.  She posts daily self-help videos, sing-a-longs to lighten everyone’s mood and art projects with positive messages.  When she hears that Lila has gotten “sick” Rose springs into action.  She becomes a whirlwind of positive energy and dedicates herself to helping her “friend”.  This results in her getting sick instead.  When Juleka finds out she heartbroken (and super angry at Lila who isn’t even sick.).  But true to Rose’s nature, she still finds ways to lift everyone's spirit.  During her entire quarantine, Rose post daily vlogs about her progress and health.  Prince Ali, immediately sends over the best doctors he could spear to help poor Rose. She ends up turning them away but she does suggest that they visit the local hospitals for support.  She ends getting pretty sick for a short while, thankfully it passes quickly and she back to normal by the end of the spread.

This ends part 1.  Part will be up shortly..... just as soon as I grammar check it..... Like I said, I was board and I’m getting tried of the “whoa is me” attitude on the news and social media.  I prefer the more up lifting attitudes of people spreading joy and love during this dark times. (P.S. I’m basing this off of what currently occurring in the U.S. I think Pairs followed Italy example but feel free to correct me) Feel free to add in your own ideas.  And remember; we’re all in this together. 

Enjoy!

[goindanswingin]

Les Amis Webshows - Reviews!

So! There’s been a whole two new Amis webshows premiering this January! However, I’ve noticed not that many people are actually talking about them! New content, and we’re not yelling??

So, I’ve decided to give short reviews on their debut pilot episodes, as well as the first episodes of some other Les Amis webshows (I probably missed so many, feel free to add more if you know of them!) in order to maybe spread the word about some cool creators online as well as give y’all a lil more content to consume that isn’t just grim BBC Les Mis discourse atm

(I’ve reviewed them in the order they premiered)

1. Stories From Les Amies

This is a vlog story of the les amis with all the genders purposefully changed! Now this one has an awful lot of content to make up its plot, having premiered in 2013 and wrapped up with an HOUR LENGTH FILM at the end of 2014, so there’s a hell of a lot to digest here! The Enjolras behind this is actually also the author of TextingEnjolras/EnjolrasRising so the plot does bear some resemblance to that also! (Another piece of content I’d highly recommend if you’ve not read yet).

But, to keep it fair, I’m going to stick with just the pilot episode! It’s set up like a big group skype call with our amis introducing themselves, where we are first introduced to their personalities, mostly led by Enjolras although Combeferre acts a beautifully sarcastic arbiter. The video quality isn’t excellent, but surprisingly, the audio quality is pretty great (for every character except Marius), with almost no background noise or fuzz.

Enjolras: All of us make up a society that we call the Friends of the ABC

Enjolras: *awkwardly nods and grins*

Enjolras: Which is actually a pun, because... ABC pronounced together sounds like the word abaissés, which means “lowly” or “abased...

Enjolras: So... it’s... it’s a pun.

I know I’m only reviewing pilot episodes to keep it fair, but I will say yes, the quality of the series absolutely does improve over time, and I would highly recommend giving it a go if you’ve never seen it before! You can find the whole series here.

2. Official Les Amis Vlog

Premiering at almost exactly the same time as number 2 on this list, the Les Amis Vlog is similar in terms of quality but different in style. This is as it says - a vlog channel, with divided playlists for each character in the Amis. Every character uploaded vlogs between 2013 and 2015 introducing themselves, answering questions, and making content on certain themes. 

This one took me by surprise - I was very much underwhelmed by the camera quality and lack of plot, but once I started watching, I realised why the Les Amis vlog doesn’t have plot - it’s because instead of making up political issues and action, they actually discuss real politics - in the pilot episode, Enjolras actually talks about a real news article from Reuters and then goes on into an impassioned rant on public surveillance  - it’s kind of amazing.

Enjolras: I mean, you wanna hide your face for whatever reason? Well, congratulations! You’re now a potential t*rror*st for having stood in the way of the observational machine!

Obviously this one is much more about the characters than it is any sort of plot like we’ll see in some of our later series, but... these characters are by far some of the most convincing Les Amis I’ve seen! Particularly Enjolars - wow. So if that sounds like your kinda thing, check it out here!

3. Vines de l'ABC

A multimedia webseries that ran from 2016-2018, but mostly confined to Vines, this one in essence is similar to the Les Amis Vlog in that it is more character driven than plot driven - the different characters were all cast and then separately uploaded Vines (and occasionally YouTube videos) as well as answering questions to the main blog.

The first “episode” is, as common for these webseries, a video of our Enjolras introducing Les Amis and his character, then being interrupted by a phone call. The quality is webcam quality, the sound pretty fuzzy, but I do think Dorian here makes a great Enjolras... more on that shortly! Overall, the quality of this first episode isn’t super relevant to the rest of the series though, because as is obvious by the name, it’s mostly comprised of amusing little vines.

*Tik Tok by Ke$ha plays*

Enjolras: Hello? Did you change my ring tone again? ...Again? Well, I mean, I'm trying to do the video... No, I mean, I'm actually in the middle of doing the video right now, you're on camera... No, no I don't know how to edit it out... I mean, does he have a concussion, or..? *sighs* ...How did I know he had a concussion.

Obviously vine is dead, but everything is available here - if this sounds like your kind of thing, definitely go check it out! There is TONS of content for your consumption here.

4. Barricade Boys

Next up is a comedy/parody show from NyxRising, an already established group of YouTube cosplayers who’ve made lots of similar shows previously. This means, for a start, that the production quality here is some of the best you’ll see - great audio and video quality, basic but good set design, great costumes.

Now, let’s make it clear: if you’re looking for a brick accurate show, this is not the one for you. It’s a pretty ludicrous parody, with an unbelievably arsehole Enjolras with no notion of personal space, a Grantaire with weird sideburns and a crush so obvious it’s hilarious, a Marius so dumb he thinks he’s joining a “lonely hearts club” and a Courfeyrac so OOC that I don’t even know where to begin. 

But god damn, did this make me laugh out loud a good few times.

Enjolras: You do you, Grantaire. Nobody else will.

This one has a couple episodes out already, and I’d highly recommend if you want some laughs! You can find it here.

5. The Downtrodden

Aaaand... onto our January debuts! I’m super excited to give a review of the pilot episode of Shadow of the Tor’s “The Downtrodden”! 

One thing that stuck out to me immediately is that this might be the most diverse cast yet - we have multiple POC, and also a trans Enjolras - in both cases, there’s no self-congratulatory back-patting, but it’s made very clear and very casual, and it’s wonderful. Another point worth mentioning is that our Enjolras is the same Enjolras seen in Vines de l’ABC - and as I mentioned, I think Dorian is great at the role.

The Downtrodden seems to be going for an enjoyable line between plotty and humorous, and so far I’m super excited to see where they take it. The audio and video quality is outstanding, though the cafe background noises could do with being toned down just a tiny bit (as there are occasionally character lines in the background that are a little drowned out), but overall it’s by far the most professional looking alongside Barricade Boys (which had to contend with far less characters!). One comment I will make, though nitpicky, is that unlike Barricade Boys, which moves extremely swiftly through its jokes, The Downtrodden is edited just a pace too slow in one or two scenes, meaning the comic timing falls a little off and the jokes don’t quite get the reaction they really deserve.

Grantaire: You get free coffee refills here if you’re part of a student group. I gotta make that loan last.

Cosette: Do you consider yourself a politically motivated person?

R: I barely even consider myself a person.

C: Oh. Are you alright?

R: Is anyone?

Surprisingly, one of my favourite characters in the pilot episode was Marius! I often find he’s overplayed to death, but in this he appears a little dim but genuinely charming, and he got some of the best laughs out of me. I’d be interested to know how well all the jokes landed with someone who isn’t a Brit, however, since I’m super sold on all these characters being British uni students (student poverty aesthetic and Oxfam shopping bags, goddamn!), and also love Courfeyrac for the same reason - he seems like your typical friendly but laddish uni type, which works perfectly for his character. Also, I own that mug he has.

One of the strongest points, and a very common issue I have with Les Amis webshows (and the 2012 movie NOT GONNA LIE), is losing track of who is supposed to be who - I had no such problem with The Downtrodden - everyone is introduced naturally, gets at LEAST a line or two, and is beautifully acted - go check out the pilot here!

6. The Les Amis Webshow

The last one on our list - the Les Amis Webshow premiered on the last day of January!

First impressions of this webshow are: the most enticing hook yet straight from the beginning, and some of the worst sound quality.

After the introduction - structured as Marius speaking to us from the future - the pilot episode actually centers around a random film student coming up to Marius and asking if they can film him. Is this Cosette? Will we ever find out? Who knows, but for some reason Marius just takes it in his stride and lets this person follow him around, in what I can’t decide is a very weird move, or a very Marius move.

Jehan: Are you wearing your lanyard?

Marius: Yeah. Why? That’s what it’s for.

Jehan: (laughing) You simple little freshman!

Marius: *long pause*

Also Marius: We’re gonna get along great!

The editing is actually fun and a few shots seem to be going for something quite adventurous - I just wish the audio quality were better.

I like Enjolras so far - he seems very confident in himself and a little bit of a rich boy, and I’m really interested to see what they do with Marius, since this is the only webshow so far where Marius has been front and center instead of Enjolras - in that snippet at the start, he seems very anxious and weary - it’s very Empty Chairs at Empty Tables! Overall, this has the most “plot-y” vibe to its initial episode so far, and reminds me a lot of Stories from Les Amies, honestly. I’m very excited to see what they do with it, and am also euphoric at a REGULAR UPLOAD SCHEDULE unlike the other two which are currently running - Barricade Boys and The Downtrodden. Keep up with it every Thursday here!

Thank you so much to @starberry-cupcake for helping me compile this list!

highlight reel: @/SFLA who the fuck makes a feature length movie oh my god, the sheer levels of gay in BB, Marius’ super poshboy accent in TD (sorry if thats just how u speak Ethan), and best of all the German flag taking centre stage in tLAW - the european cynic in me is desperate to know why its there and hopes that you didn’t just mix up French and German flags lmao

[clarencenicholsonata]

Salon Social Media Marketing Tips: A Platform-by-Platform Guide

As the owner of a salon, you have a jump ahead of most other businesses.

The majority of people are exhausted, frazzled and looking for a reason to indulge in some long-overdue self-care. Your job with your salon’s social media marketing is to give them that final nudge towards some me-time.

There are numerous elements to communicating effectively on social media, especially when it comes to personal services like salons and spas.

Customers and potential customers want a vibrant brand voice they can relate to personally, a track record they can trust, photos of your work that inspires them, content that makes them feel rejuvenated and understood, and offers that make your services within reach.

We’re written a set of guidelines by platform for salon business owners and marketers to help guide their social media marketing efforts. In this post, you’ll find helpful guidelines to:

Instagram for Salons

Facebook for Salons

Twitter for Salons

Enough pre-amble! Ready, set, SALON!

Salon Social Media Marketing Tips: Instagram

We put Instagram first on our list deliberately.

Although Facebook is the name you see in the news most often and Tik Tok is creating a lot of buzz, Instagram still has huge business opportunities, especially for salons that cater to a demographic that is highly into visual self-expression and sharing it online.

In fact, London hair salon Not Another Salon was featured on Business Insider for its ability to capitalize on its famous Instagram

Your Account Type

First things first: your Instagram should be a business profile, not a personal one.

This will give you more options on the backend, and add legitimacy to your profile to browsers on the front end. If you’re using a personal account, here’s how to switch it over.

Once you have a business account, you’ll have a better understanding of analytics, what’s working for your customers and what could be improved, and you’ll be able to add information to help them find and contact you more easily (an absolute must.)

Your Instagram Bio

Your Instagram bio is as short as it is crucial.

It’s your introduction before the big speech, your elevator pitch, your online business card, your first chance to make a good impression.

“Your #Instagram bio is as short as it is crucial.”

Click to Tweet

With the option to now pin IG stories to your profile and set your cover photo, you can use those as an extension of your bio, putting less pressure on your word count.

Check out these three very different Instagram bios for ideas of how to tackle it:

This bio is minimalist, clean, and offers powerful social proof in the second sentence by showcasing its accolade. By using its Insastories as an extension of its bio, offering a standard menu of its services, locations and stylists, it makes maximum use of the real estate on offer.

Blueberry Moon Salon takes a different approach, attracting followers who share the same values. Take a look: of the three things that you learn from this bio: the business type, their commitment to cruelty-free products and how to get in touch with them.

Trianon Salon has a more lighthearted take on its profile, using emojis as stand-in bullet points. Their pinned Instastories might be mistaken for personal selfies, but they show clients (and before and afters, which can be especially compelling for customers).

Engaging Followers

Engaging Instagram followers has become one of the holy grails for social media marketers: highly desirable and very elusive.

Instagram engagement through followers and posts is no alchemy. Salons can boost their engagement through different kinds of posts:

How-to posts and style tips

Style ideas

Self-care and health tips

Behind the scenes from your salon

Instagram contests

Did you know?

Running an Instagram contest is one of the best ways to generate engagement and drive sales through Instagram. Wishpond's Instagram contest builder features dozens of templates that that make creating an Instagram contest simple.

Try Wishpond free!

Salon Social Media Marketing Tips: Facebook

Your Profile(s)

The Facebook ecosystem is slightly more complex than it used to be. Given that you can use your page as an avenue to book appointments, it might be a good idea to have separate pages for each of your locations, if you have multiple.

Check out what multinational salon chain Toni&Guy did. With brands, stores and academies, it was imperative that the company have a comprehensive social media presence.

The Academy pages are identified clearly by name and location, with the brand’s logo as a profile picture.

In contrast, each salon has a picture of a person as a profile picture.

And only one has a picture of one of the founders themselves: the head office in London.

Your info

Facebook now acts as an unofficial business directory, with many consumers looking at pages for opening hours and locations. (It'll help if you include details like parking and how to get there by public transportation if your location is in a big city.)

Facebook now acts as an unofficial business directory. Keep your information up to date for happy customers.

Click to Tweet

It can be frustrating if they go to a page and see an empty ‘About’ page. Post accurate opening hours and location information, and post on your page if you're going to be closed for holidays or taking inventory.

Your Posts

Use Photos, and lots of them: People might read long text updates from their friends and family, but they’re not so eager to sit through blocks of text from a business.

Check out this post from Salon Next for an idea of how to combine quick captions and an inside look at your salon.

Your Ads

Prolifik Hair Salon has run some eye-catching campaigns in the past, capturing both their personality and their dedication to their craft.

This example shows some ingenuity in combining showing a human side to their brand, as well as their messaging and their distinct personality.

Another tactic is focusing on reviews or photos of your work in ads, as clients will be unlikely to book a complete unknown without some idea of what they’re getting into.

Peruvian company Montalvo Salon and Spa did this brilliantly, showing a before and after picture with a dramatic difference.

Salon Social Media Marketing Tips: Twitter

Twitter doesn’t traditionally have the highest ROI of the social media platforms, but it is nonetheless a powerhouse for getting the word out about your brand.

Your Twitter Header and Profile Pic

Twitter is one of the fastest moving social media platforms, and one of the most playful. It’s a great place to get creative with your brand.

For example, around seasonal holidays, brands are known to get decorative on Twitter, changing their Twitter handles or profile pictures. Because it's more fast-moving, it's more forgiving of a slightly more flexible brand identity, and you can take advantage of this to have a little fun with your brand!

Your Twitter Feed

Since twitter’s expanded the number of characters per tweet, it can be tempting to use them up. But more important than quantity is showing personality.

The tweets that have gotten the most mileage are often as short as they are memorable. For example, although it's not a salon, there's a lot to be learned from Burger King's social media savvy:

Explains a lot https://t.co/CalmlcD3eu

— Burger King (@BurgerKingUK) November 5, 2018

Twitter runs on hashtags and mentions.

Tag influencers and users you want to see your posts to avoid them getting lost in Twitter’s incredibly fast-paced streams, and use hashtags to help connect to communities interested in your services and content.

Tools to help you find relevant hashtags include RiteTag or Hashtagify.

Also, reply to your comments on Twitter! The good AND the bad! Even a simple 'thank you' to a compliment or 'We're sorry you had this experience. DM us so we can help further.' will look a lot better than stone silence.

Twitter Lists

An underused feature, this is a way to monitor competitor twitter feeds and social chatter without directly following anyone.

Twitter lists automatically curate members’ tweets for you to review in one place, without you having to view each and every profile separately. You can make a list for competitors, trends, ideas, even your own biggest fans to see what they’re saying.

Need some help?

Each platform -- Facebook, Instagram and Twitter -- has its own strengths and immense potential for your business. If you need help leveraging social media for your business and your marketing, Wishpond's expert marketing team.

Try Wishpond free!

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