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alchemist-of-altoids · 1 year ago

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this au desperately needs a name bc i fuck with it so hard. i’m fully imagining that this is the trio at around 20-22ish. They all share an apartment in Gotham and are going to college. The trio make friends with Tim, Steph, and Cass at Gotham University. No secret plots on either side, no over the top angst. I’m also imagining that this takes place in an equivalent of the AGIT timeline. Spoilers for AGIT below the cut.

Dan, who is now physically a few years younger than Danny bc of the clone body, is a high school junior while Danny is a sophomore in college. Vlad has had a quasi-redemption arc. He’s still a little fucked up and evil, but is at least genuinely on Danny’s side and trying to reconnect with the Fentons. Afterall, he needs some parenting tips for raising Dan and Ellie. Speaking of the Fentons, they now know about Danny and have fully accepted him. They’re currently working on their biases and are even working with some ghosts to update their research. There are now 2 Valerie’s (I know that was probably a mistake but idc it’s canon to me). One is in Metropolis, working a journalism degree. She’s even working under THE Lois Lane. The other is currently going around the world, training, upgrading, preparing for the moment she will finally take down Phantom. She’s probably with the LoA or something. But anyways, back to the trio. Sam, overachiever that she is, doubled majored is pursuing both a PoliSci and a Law Degree. She wants to be able to use her privilege to help. Sam has also been deepening her connection to the Green and even the Red. She finds the Green comes more naturally, but wants to be connected to both in order to be able to help all parts of the environment. Tucker is undecided, and is just taking as many classes that interest him as possible. At this point, he could easily go into any tech field he wanted and absolutely kill it. His main issue is wanting to do too many things. Meanwhile, on the side he’s been working with the Duulman Egyptians in the Zone. Apparently, with enough work he could access the memories of every past life, dating all the way back to Duulman himself. Tucker thought that the whole magic thing they wanted him to learn would be tough, but it’s pretty much the same as technology. He picked it up pretty easily and has made some SICK arcanotech. Danny is going for an engineering degree, hoping that he can actually manage to hold to his dream of being an astronaut and so far it’s looking promising. Every since taking the crown, things have been so much more peaceful. He even took some business classes to help his parents learn how to actually run a company so they could make some real money. He also lost a bet and joined ballet, but found out that he actually really enjoyed it. He always thought he had two left feet, but these last couple years he’s seriously fallen in love with all types of dancing. Ballet and business are actually where he met some of his friends. Tim and Cass. They introduced him to Steph and their groups merged together. And on the Phantom side of things, it’s been going pretty well too. He’s really come to love Lady Gotham. She’s like an older sister or an aunt to him. And apparently him just being there was filtering out some of the stale, dirty, gross ectoplasm. He’d even take care of, frankly, a concerning number of curses on the city. There were still a few there, but removing them too quickly could cause problems. He’s had a few meeting in the Zone, but his kingly duties are mostly handled by the Council now. Well, the Council and the Senate. He loosely (VERY loosely) based a new form of government on the American government. He just didn’t feel right having all this power. Now, every major section of the Zone gets to elect a few ghosts to represent them in the Senate. And this whole thing has taken about a hundred tons of pressure off Danny’s shoulders. Plus, barring a few months before he realized this, the Observants were actually in charge of the governmental paperwork in the Zone. All in all, things were pretty good.

(This is all just background stuff for how I imagine this au. I might do more later, I might not. Who knows. Not me.)

not enough investigations done into the comedy potential of dcxdp. fixing that :D

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hellothere-generalangsty · 3 years ago

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Hello doll, it's Minty! 💚 I saw your requests are open and I simply had to dance into your inbox! I would adore a Bad Batch Western AU fix with Crosshair and the sentence prompt "If that wound doesn't kill you, then I will". I love you friend! 💚💛💚💛💚

Crosshair – Dust and Blood (TBB Western AU)

Summary: Every story need a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is the beginning, and it starts with a man who calls himself Crosshair.

From the sentence prompts:

22. “If that wound doesn’t kill you, then I will.”

Word Count: ≈1535 words

CW/ TW: Angst? Idk if you could say it’s angsty - it’s not happy that’s for sure but angsty? Idk anyway; western stuff, wounds/ injuries, (death) threats, pain, scars, blood

Tags: @mintywriteswritings @chaoticvampirejedi @loth-wolffe @m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s (thank you again for the help!) @dusk-dawn-and-stars @tacticalsparkles @imalovernotahater @canwestayinthisdream @wakeupjackthisisntfair @namesmox @badbatch-simp24 @lightning-wolffe @maddieskywalker @for-the-love-of-clones @m-e-w-117 @99squad @equalityforcats

@ladykatakuri @firelordillyria @andiebell2023

Notes: This is so exciting for me you can’t even imagine; thank you Minty for the request! I’m really happy to dive a bit more into the stories of the boys, and Crosshair’s arc is one I’m really happy to explore ^^

Also feel free to check Little One – Highly Suspect (you’ll find out a lot of their songs help me dive into that AU)

Dust.

This is how everything started, and how everything would end. He knew it the moment he jumped down his horse, a grimace of pain twisting his face as the dry coat of blood on his ribs ripped open once again. He tried to take a deep breath but stopped halfway, the pumping in his head becoming too strong to focus on anything else. He almost tripped on his feet, grabbing the beige mane of his companion to keep himself up; which made the horse neigh.

“Sorry, pal.” He barely muttered, unable to do more than loosen up his grip a bit.

Above him, an old sign falling into pieces, and a barely readable inscription on it; bleached by the constant exposure to the sun and the occasional rains.

Marauder Valley.

He walked through the entrance of the abandoned village – if one could call it a village – and wandered next to his horse, looking for shelter and a new shirt. His was tainted with red; dark and dried, smelling like iron and sweat. His wound wasn't bleeding too much anymore, but he could still feel a thin dash dripping against his skin when he was turning around or raising his arm.

It took him a few minutes to find the abandoned saloon, and the sight made him hum in a mixture of disgust and relief. A thick coat of dust was laying on the floor, and most of the bottles and tables were left to be; frozen in the middle of their usual occupations. A deck of cards was spread on one of them, and he came closer to take a better look.

Poker. And it was a good hand. Whoever played it knew what they were doing.

The wooden floor was lightly creaking under his feet as he walked around; and hadn’t it be for the few footsteps he was leaving behind, no one could have guessed he came here. He took a small hallway, leading to a few unsanitary rooms – barely big enough for a bed and a chair for most of them – and looked under the beds for a medical wallet or something he could use to patch himself up. His head was spinning a bit, but the clicking of a gun’s chamber and the cold metal tickling the back of his neck felt more important in the moment.

“If that wound doesn’t kill you, then I will.”

He slowly turned around, hands barely raised to show he intended no harm, and came face to face with a lady; probably in her mid-forties, small and chubby, and visibly determined to fulfil her promise.

“I need a doctor.”

“You won’t find any ‘round here.”

“Then a drink will do.” he shrugged, unimpressed.

“We’re going out and get you a drink then.”

She moved the cannon of her gun toward the main room, letting him open the way. He went in with the hope of getting some rest and medicine, and got back outside empty-handed and under the threat of an armed lady; bathed by the burning sunrays of a hot afternoon, in the middle of nowhere.

Nothing had changed during his little visit in the saloon but his state. He tripped on his feet, unable to focus on the stairs and the figure next to him, and fell on his knees next to his horse. The pain was getting worse; stinging and burning, the sensation of warm blood dripping from his open wound and straining his shirt even more; and the headache, the heat, the shivers-

“Alright, sit down.”

He dropped his weight on his behind, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Stay here. And don’t faint!” the woman warned as she walked away from him, disappearing behind the horse. His head felt too heavy, his veins pumping too hard to let him think straight. He let himself lay back against the dusty wooden floor, closing his eyes under the bright light burning above him.

He woke up when cold water splashed his face, making him jolt and grimace in pain.

“ Told you not to faint.”

“I didn’t.” he groaned, trying to sit again, the coat of blood ripping itself a bit as he did.

“Feel like y’can walk?” she looked down at him with a sort of irritated worry. He nodded, grabbing the guardrail to get up, slowly. “Good. Follow me.”

He stumbled a bit, trying to catch up with the woman. He thought he could handle it; he had gone through a lot to get here, and it couldn’t be worse than what he had left behind.

Or maybe it could be.

The loud thud of a body falling on the ground caught the woman’s attention, and as she turned around, a sigh escaped from between her lips.

“Great… Now I have to get the big guy.”

Waking up was painful, sudden. His ribs were on fire, his eye stinging – though the light was filtering through old curtains – and the remaining of his headache was still blurring his vision. He didn’t noticed the comfort of the mattress right away, neither the voices filling the room he was in.

“Ha, coming back to us. Told ya ‘t would work.” A deep voice commented in a smile.

“And that?” the woman’s voice asked, and he guessed she was pointing at his wounded ribs. He brushed the tips of his fingers against his own torso, realizing he was bare skin and wrapped in a bandage.

“Can’t do miracles. ‘Have to rest for a few days, go easy with manual tasks for a while.”

He let out a groan when he heard the recommendation, and tried to move his arms to push himself up and sit in the bed.

“I wouldn’t do that,” the voice advised in a laugh, “Unless ya want to open that wound ‘gain.”

He blinked a few times, and managed to see who was talking to him; a man, tall and visibly strong, dressed with dirty clothes and a squared shirt – probably a farmer. A scar was covering the side of his bald head and reached his left eye. The man was neither scary nor impressive, and seemed friendly enough.

He abandoned the idea of sitting, letting go of the light pressure he had put on his elbows and falling down against the mattress. His head gently buried itself in the pillow, and he let out a long, tired sigh.

“Who’re you?” he muttered in his breath, turning his head their way to look at them.

“’Name’s Cid,” the woman told him, “and he’s the big guy.”

“You know that’s not my name.” the man chuckled, and his voice filled the room with warmth and amusement as he looked at Cid.

“Don’t know your name, and couldn’t care less about it.” she shrugged.

“And you are?” the big guy asked, shifting his attention back to him.

He had expected the question, and he knew the simple answer would be to give his name. But he couldn’t stand the sound of it anymore, and his spite told him to go for that one instead. After all, it was “made for him”.

“Crosshair.”

“Well then, welcome to Marauder Valley Crosshair.” The man smiled at him.

He didn’t feel like returning the gesture, but nodded nonetheless, out of respect and gratitude for their help. He scanned the room, bringing a hand to his face; a light grimace twisting his mouth as he felt the skin stretching on the side of his body.

His fingers ran against his scar around his eye, trying to sooth the stinging pain. It was still recent, bright red, not quite blending in with his warm skintone.

“Well, ‘gotta leave now,” the big guy smiled, grabbing his hat in hand as he walked toward the door, “but if you need anything, I won’t be far.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cid pushed him out of the room, following his steps, “we know. You,” she pointed to Crosshair, “don’t play stupid, stay in bed.”

And on these words, she dragged the door behind her, slamming it before her heeled steps hit the apparent stairs outside the room. Crosshair stared at the door for a moment, contemplating once again getting up, but he was tired, and the bed was comfortable; and these people didn’t seem to want him any harm.

He didn’t seem to want any harm either, right, “Crosshair”?

He groaned faintly at the thought, and his hand dropped from his face to his chest, barely grabbing the thin blanket above him. He was far from him; from them, and now he just needed to sleep the pain away.

Sleep the pain away. Sleep.

Don’t let them get to you. Because they will get to you.

He will find you, you know he will.

They did this to you. They will do worse.

You know that, don’t you, Crosshair?

He let out a frustrated sigh at the thoughts, and slowly turned his head to look at the window. The sun was shining bright behind the curtains, and he could see the dust floating in the rays of light filtering through. It was peaceful.

For now he was safe, far away in a lost, abandoned town, in the middle of nowhere.

For now.

#star wars #the bad batch #tbb #tbb western au #mesa writes #yousa request mesa #crosshair #western crosshair #i forgot the tags when I posted it lmao #minty 🤠#hope you'll enjoy it!#sw tbb #star wars the bad batch #sw #tbb crosshair

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freckled-words · 5 years ago

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Repost: Lightiplier

It’s rainy, and bleh here at work, so I felt like reposting a fluffy piece I wrote back before the Dumb-Ass-Pocalypse.

Edited by @the-wild-ego

It’s common knowledge that the moon doesn’t produce its own light, that it merely reflects the light cast upon it from the sun. The same could be said for the beings called the Lights. Lights are guardians. Born from the souls of those that wanted nothing more than comfort and peace in their lives. A Light could appear as anyone or thing. Someone might see their favorite movie character, a child might see a purple monkey. Their appearance was a reflection of what would create the strongest connection between them. A Light will always shine brightest when they’re with their chosen. When their chosen’s soul becomes dim, so, too, does the Light. Which is why a Light is born, to bring the warmth and love their chosen’s soul requires.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You can’t keep using your anxiety as an excuse!”

“You think you have things hard, what about me?! Do you see me shying away from everyone because I can’t deal with them?”

“You’re making me look bad in front of our family, why can’t you just drop the attitude?!”

You sat in your room, curled up on your bed with your notebook and pencil. Your bedroom door was closed, but it didn’t help nearly enough.

You tried focusing on sketching the angel character on your page, erasing and redrawing the wings with no success.

Each footstep, creak of a cupboard, and a murmured bit of voice made you tense.

On a base level, you loved your mother. Things had been good when you were a kid, but when you got older, she became someone else. Someone that judged your every mistake and flaw. Someone that tried to make you behave a different way than you wanted to be. Someone that tried to put on a show in front of others, but didn’t give a damn that she was methodically ruining your mental health.

You’d had independence away from her for a short time, and had wished for that to have never ended. Yet, you had to leave your job, which had provided you with an apartment. This lead to having to move back in with her.

If you’d had any other option, aside from living on the streets, you would have taken that instead.

Your pencil tip stalled as her footsteps passed by your bedroom door. Your body locked and tensed, waiting to see if she would ruin your small fraction of peace, once again.

When her footsteps continued to her own bedroom, you released a sigh. Putting your pencil down you rolled over to stare at your open laptop. On the screen was a screenshot of Markiplier wearing the angel wings. His videos had eased you through some tough times, including recent ones fueled by your mother.

His goofy personality, generous actions, and cheery smile called to the part of yourself that could still find happiness.

Thinking about him, you wished you could escape this place and just hang out with him. Even if it wasn’t him, if you could just get some space and time to yourself, you’d be better off each day.

This on your mind you drifted off to sleep with the moonlight’s soft glow filtering through your curtains.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He opened his eyes, and was utterly confused. Confuzzled. Bewildered.

Sitting up, he found himself on a hardwood floor. Looking around he took in all the fixtures of the room. The desk with switching computer images, the bookcase nearly overflowing, and then the bed. He saw the rise and fall of a body breathing beneath a blanket.

Shuffling closer on his hands and knees he got a look at your face. It was you, your face, that stoked the flames of his being into proper function. His mind lit up with all the information about himself, about you, and his existence.

Smiling wide, he could barely contain himself.

You needed your sleep, since sleep helped a mind to mend and process, but he was so eager to meet you properly. Maybe just wake you up for a little bit.

Ever so lightly he reached forward and gave your nose a small poke, whispering, “Boop.”

Your face scrunched, you mumbled something he didn’t catch, then rolled over to keep sleeping.

He decided you were adorable.

He shuffled forward again and poked your shoulder, “Boop.”

This distinct pressure was enough to stir you awake.

Groaning, you opened bleary eyes to focus on the white blob next to you. As your vision got clearer, and you processed what you were seeing, you began to be utterly confused and somewhat terrified.

“What the hell?!” You shoved yourself back in a scramble, tangling yourself up in your blankets.

Flinching from your raised voice, he backed away from the bed, “Sorry! Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you awake! You’re okay, I’m not scary, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“What, who…,” Your brain was attempting to identify everything it was seeing.He was dressed in a white t-shirt, light blue jeans, he wasn’t wearing any socks, and….”wings?” The word came out a squeak as your sight narrowed on the soft, glowing, golden appendages sprouting from his back. They were curled around, barely brushing against the edge of your computer chair and the side of the bed.

He tilted his head, and looked to where you were staring, “Would ya look at that. I have wings. I just noticed…..Well, I’m not the most observant being ever.”

You rubbed furiously at your eyes, kept them closed tight for a moment, and reopened them. He was still there, now trying to reach back and play with a feather.

There was a lot your brain was trying to process. The wings, and him being in your room aside, his face was a whole other matter. He was absolutely, 100%, a clone of Mark Fischbach. Only, in the dim lighting you could make out that his eyes were gold, and his hair was streaked through with gold, as well.

The way he spoke, and was acting, was pure Mark, too. When he was being his absolute goofiest.

None of this made any sense.

“Dude, who are you?” You kept your voice quiet, not wanting to wake up your mom. The last thing you needed was for her to come check in on you and call the cops. Technically, you should be doing the same, but this guy wasn’t being threatening in any way, shape, or form.

His expression sombered, settling on a soft smile as he turned away from the feather. His tone just as level, he answered, “I’m Lightiplier. Your Light. I was born in answer to your wish.”

The air caught in your lungs.

Was this really happening, or were you dreaming?

Inching forward you slid off the edge of the bed. This close to him, you got hints of some kind of flower, and fresh air on a summer night. Reaching forward you tentatively poked his shoulder.

His smile regained a bit more of its silliness, “Boop.”

You withdrew your hand, covering your mouth to refrain from letting out the panicked little stutters that were coming out on your exhales.

Sensing your immediate distress, his silly smile dropped.

His wings stretched forward, cocooning the both of you. The golden glow, that had barely enhanced the dim lighting in the room, became a golden light that shimmered inside the small space. The smell you couldn’t identify before was perfectly clear now. Jasmine. A flower that could represent love, or purity.

Warm, gentle fingers took hold of your free hand, his thumb making small soothing circles. Lightiplier’s golden eyes were locked with yours. His voice low, murmuring and slowed, “You’re okay. I’m sorry I’ve upset you. I will never do anything you do not want me to. If you want me to leave, I will. My only purpose is to bring you comfort and peace. I only want to be your friend.”

His voice, the same as Mark’s, was honey that oozed over your jittery mind, helped ease your thoughts to slow.

Your breathing slowed, your heart stopped its frantic tap dance, and forming thoughts became simpler.

Lowering your hand, you stuttered out, “N-no, I’m sorry. It was… just a shock, that something like this could happen for me…. Thank you….you don’t need to leave, but what about my mom? She’ll freak when she sees you.”

Light shook his head, letting go of your hand as his wings opened, “I’m here for you, Y/N. You’re the only one that can see or hear me.”

Given that the man had golden wings sprouting out of his back, you were going to take his word for it.

You had so many questions you wanted to ask, and they were all just sitting on the tip of your tongue. They were suppressed by the large yawn that took over.

“Oh right, I woke you up, my bad,” Light got to his feet, and gestured for you to do the same, “Scooch that butt back into bed. I can’t help you if you’re not getting all your needed sleep.”

“Promise you’ll be here when I wake up?” You barely got the words out when another yawn nearly made your jaw dislocate.

If this turned out to be a dream when you woke up in the morning, you weren’t sure you’d be able to get out of bed at all.

Light nodded, and placed a hand over his heart, “I promise. You’re stuck with me until you don’t need me anymore.”

You flicked a glance at your bedroom door while crawling back under the covers, “That’ll be a long time to come.”

“Good! Er… not good? Now I’m confused.”

You giggled tiredly at his perplexed expression. Your eyes beginning to close, you sighed, “Please don’t leave.”

In the brief moment before sleep took you, you heard him whisper, “Just said you’re stuck with me, and I mean it.”

~~~~~~~

The next morning you woke with a start.

You scoured every corner of your room, your heart plummeting at seeing no trace of the feathered being.

“It wasn’t a dream… I swear it wasn’t a dream.” You felt tears prickle at the corners of your eyes, this was too much. Too cruel.

A light tap came from the window by your computer desk.

You threw off your blanket, nearly falling on your face as you leapt off the bed. With a quick yank on the cord you drew the blinds up.

You laughed in relief to see Light. He was perched precariously on the small ledge on the other side of the window, two carry away cups in his hands, “I got you some hot cocoa!”

It wasn’t a dream. You weren’t alone anymore. You had your Light with you now.

#Lightiplier #Light Series #reader insert #fanfiction #repost

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princehec-tor-kur · 5 years ago

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Entrapdak - Seahorse

"Y-You're pregnant!?" Entrapta shouted directly into her lab-partner's face, no filter what so ever. Her crimson red eyes were filled with an ocean of stars, glittering at him, her smile streched from ear to ear. The scientist's hair was puffed up in that way when she was excited.

Hordak found everything, every detail about the woman to be adorable, kind and warm, the old warlord loved the woman for those factors. She was just so soft, he felt so safe imbraced in her.

She made things fun. She made him smile, laugh. She made him see the worth in life, in living. But he hoped that his beloved would take that situation more seriously and a bit quieter. The short woman lifted herself on her hair and cupped his face with her two gloved hands.

Before Hordak could plead her to be quieter about the sensitive news, her soft pillowy lips met his thin, black lipsticked, smooth ones. And that heavenly, warm, safe feeling washed over him once again thanks to her. His cold, broken and failing body lit ablaze with the feeling of worth, of lust and of joy.

Pure. Untainted. Untaimed. Real joy.

He felt his ears tilt down, burning a cyan blush and his lips curled upwards. Entrapta broke off and drapped one arm around his shoulder, up his head and ruffled his dark blue turf of hair. The other hand went down to his belly, she rubbed across the blueberry surface. She knew she wouldn't feel anything yet, it was still to early. She presumed.

She never studied that side of Hordak's biology. Her darling's sides were still narrow, so thin she could see the bones. Then it suddenly hit her, Hordak was too thin, beyond the boarderline of unhealthy. This could hurt the baby. She'd have to make him so many cupcakes for her partner, soon in more ways than one. She squicked in giddy excitement. She could take care of him, of them. Just like Hordak did for her when he rescued her from Beast Island.

"I'm gonna make you soooo many cupcakes, oh and some soup too!!!"

"Sorry?"

"Well, now you'll have to eat for two now. And I won't take no for an answer."

Hordak rolled his eyes, well as much as he could. Giving a small sigh escaped him as he leaned from one leg to another. Entrapta playfully wrapped her hair around his waist, which made him shiver a little. The tenticles dropped to the back of his thighs. Hordak gave off a disapproving blush and pout, which he no dought learned from Entrapta.

Suddenly, he felt a ticklish feeling and realised he was dropping altitude, he quickly and mindlessly paniced and wrapped his thin hands around Entrapta's shoulders. He without a problem was cought by locks of purple hair and realised he was being carried away bridal style. By the looks of things Entrapta was carring him casually towards their quarters.

"You weight less than a feather."

"Thank you."

"That's not a good thing."

Hordak dreaded the possiblity of someone walking in threw the Sanctum doors and seeing him like this. The things this woman did to him. The things he allowed this woman to do to him.

"So, blueberry-pie, honey-muffin, toffee-pudding, love-of-my-life... how did this happen. I thought we, you know, couldn't."

Hordak nuzzled closer to her breasts, "...Remember that night in Plumeria," she did, she loved that night, "it was after the CeaseFire Negotiation Pact conference. That night. After the dance. At the hotel. Our night."

"How could I forget. You wore that plantium dress with neon sea glass highlights that I love. The one with the shoulder straps and open waist. You were beautiful. Everybody stared at you and you stopped me from gauging their eyes out with a spork."

"Hahaha. You were so drunk I had to drag you off the dance floor, you almost strangled Queen Hunga."

"SHE WAS FLIRTING WITH YOU!!!"

"No she wasn't. Queen Sparkle was flirting with me. Remember? Her husband went on a business trip and took the kids. Hunga was the one butting heads with Weaver about who got to flirting with Angella."

"Oooooooh yeah... you think we should sent an apology card?"

"I dought she'd care about thing other than sliding into Angella's underwear.... also the pie was good. Blueberry."

"Your favourite."

They reached their shared chamber, the room was a mess, a strange sight to behold. An organised landfill. The floor was littered with Entrapta's countless gizmos and gadgets, used as paper weights for the disorganised stacks of Hordak's reports, files and poems. Dozens of Emily's hardrives lined up at their soldering station. And Imp's drawings were pinned and framed all around the violet walls, made thanks to Entrapta buying the young clone some crayons for his makithday.

Entrapta laid down Hordak on their bed. Seeing the sight of her beloved, in his undergarments without his armour half naked, laying on his side awoke some deep desires in the experiment mad scientist. But she chooses to overcome the needs and places a soft kiss on his forehead.

"What now?"

"Now you rest. I'll get something prepared for you in the kitchen that will blow your taste buds away."

"I can think so something." Hordak gives her a smirk, his long snake-like tongue pocked out and flicked a around. Entrapta smiled, her cheeks going red, she rolled her eyes and pulled her mask over her face.

"Later," she wanted it now, "stay here and don't get your panties in a twist. I'll have Emily keep you company, if her sensors tip me off you've walked out. No snuggle time for a week."

"A week? That's a bit harsh, hairbear." His smirk grew more suductive, he was kicking his legs innocently. Entrapta knew all about traps, how one predatory cages another, how one baits the other. This was a personalised trap. She managed to drag her eyes away from the scene using all of her willpower.

"Twenty minutes and I'm back, seahorse." She turned away to walk off.

"Seahorse? That's a new one. Why- oh because of the pregnancy..."

"Twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes too long."

_________________________________________

Headcanon: Both Entrapta and Hordak are trans.

#writing #fanfic #entrapdak #she ra #she ra and the princesses of power #hordak #entrapta

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dictionarywrites · 6 years ago

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impulse control.

My Ao3 | Send requests | Tip jar! | This is part of the Intersections ‘verse, but you don’t need to read TGOI for this - this is pre-TGOI.

feat. knife play, violence, terrible decisions, and 0 BDSM etiquette. Orian Franklin/Zach Nichols.

Orian is relaxing when someone new sidles into the bar like he owns the place - like he knows him.

Maybe he does.

On the twelfth of July, 2011, Orian sits in a plush, comfortable backroom of the Weston Casino, leaning back in his chair. It’s an easy Saturday night – in two hour or so, the doors to the night club here in the back will open up, and people will start filtering in, start dancing to the music… But for now, it’s quiet.

The room is dim, primarily lit by the neon glow of the blue lights that run down the length of the twin bars, and the light shines off the panels of the dancefloor. Later on tonight, Orian thinks, he’ll celebrate a good week, line up a few pretty twinks plucked from out of the crowd and, uh, see who’d like the Wolf King to take ‘em home.

Distantly, Orian smiles, and he brings the vape machine Miranda had bought him his last birthday to his lips, dragging in a lungful of mildly sweet vapour. He’d smoked on and off, when he was a young man – never more than one or two cigarettes a day when he was at his worst, and usually a little less than one a week, but as he’d gotten older, he’d tried to put cigarettes away entirely. Sure, he’ll have a cigar now and then, share it with a particularly impressive bodyguard or supplier, or – more usually – a business partner, but cigarettes, no…

He’d only mentioned it, vaguely, at breakfast, but Miranda, she’s— A real chop off the old block, she really is. She looks a little like Orian, too, with the dark eyes, the set of her mouth, even the hair – as pretty as he’d been, too, at her age. ‘Course, Miranda, she’s, uh, a real… Well.

Suffice it to say, he’s fairly sure that Miranda will probably kill him one day. It’s a nice thought, comforting. Good to know the family’ll be in good hands, with her at the prow – but she’s only 17. Maybe things’ll change, when Rachel comes out of this new goth phase, or as Crosby grows into himself…

Hm. Maybe not Crosby. Rachel and Miranda, they’re born wolves. Crosby— Crosby, damn it all, is Orian’s favourite, but maybe he’s too soft on him.

Exhaling, Orian enjoys the cloud of vapour that surrounds him, takes in the sweet smell, the, uh— It’s nice. He likes the aesthetic of it, too – likes the way people shock and startle to see a mob boss with a vape pen, likes the way you can easily take control of a situation just by blowing out a little cloud of steam and sweetness.

The door across the room opens with a click, and Orian turns his head, arching an eyebrow.

The Wolf King, in his repose, is not to be disturbed.

The staff at the Weston Casino are well-informed of this policy, and Orian, he— Golly. He just hates to have to enforce these things, but needs must… The vapour slowly rises, disappearing like smoke, and Orian frowns slightly. Around the room, Orian can see some of his people look up, analysing the guy as he comes in. The barman has a chalky look of panic on his face, at seeing somebody interrupt; a runner, who is sitting on the bar, scowls. Jensen and Jonah, the two guards Orian has for the skeleton grew, both stiffen.

This guy, this, uh, little interloper? Not one of the casino staff.

He saunters forward, hands in his pockets; cop. Orian knows that immediately, just from the set of his hips and his shoulders, knows exactly what the academy turns out.

“Can I, uh— Can I help you, sweetheart?” Orian asks mildly. Mmm, he should have been informed, if someone was even on their way into the backroom, should have had somebody call from the reception. Tut tut. He doesn’t move to stand, and instead remains lounging back, his feet propped neatly up on a bar stool: without a word, two of his guards move forward, and Orian watches them move toward the cop. Orian can’t quite see his face, not yet – the lights are a little too dim, and God knows Orian’s vision isn’t what it used to be, but he’d barely slept last night, and he hadn’t even bothered trying to put in his contacts this morning.

About six feet away from the cop, both guards – Jonah and Jensen – stop short.

“Well?” Orian prompts. “Pat him down.”

“Um, Mr Franklin,” Jonah says, and the cop steps forward, passing between the bodyguards, his brown leather boots making a quiet sound as he moves across the polished floor. He’s a little taller than Jensen, but not quite as tall as Jonah – the same height as Orian, then, gosh. Dark brown hair, combed neatly down toward his face, and a nice body, too – unfortunately hidden under a leather jacket, but the shirt is nice and tight, shows a firm chest, a slightly rounded belly, and, uh, some deliciously long legs. Mmm, yeah, Orian likes that.

And—

Orian’s gaze stops on the cop’s face, and his lips part.

“You can help me,” the cop murmurs, his voice a low purr, and Orian leans forward, slowly putting his feet on the ground. The cop reaches into his jacket, sliding a handgun from its holster, and Orian watches as he sets it neatly on the table. It takes Orian a few seconds to get exactly what’s weird about his face, what’s catching in Orian’s cogs and making the whole mechanism stutter and stop.

This guy, he— He looks just like Orian.

Not just similar, either. No, no, this is— This is uncanny. The brown hair is different, sure, much lighter than Orian’s hair, and he’s a little younger, maybe ten years difference, but everything is the same. The cupid’s bow at the upper lip, the plumpness of the lower one; the shape of his jaw and cheekbones; the prominence of the nose; the depth of his brow; the colour of his pretty brown eyes…

“Uh huh?” Orian asks, slowly. “And, mmm, how’s that, honey?”

“It’d— God,” the cop murmurs, taking a step closer, and he puts his hands on his hips, leaning slightly closer. “It’d be a real favour, darling, if you’d— If you’d let me put this gun in your mouth.” Orian blinks, slowly. Is this a joke? It’s got to be. It has to be a mask, somehow, but if it’s a mask, Hell, it’s realistic, and this guy— The voice, too! The voice is pretty right!

“Really?” Orian asks. “You’re… You’re here to kill me?”

“Oh, no,” the cop says, feigning surprise, but the dark eyes remain full of intent. It’s— It’s not murderous, no, not exactly. There’s something sexy in them, that resolve there. “I just think you’d really like it, Orian.” Silence reigns. There’s something about this guy, the way he holds himself, the way he talks, the way he threatens, that makes a little interest stir low in Orian’s belly, but it’s— There’s something more than that. This guy looks at Orian like he knows him, and that, Orian wouldn’t like, except that… Same face, what, are they cousins? There some connection here he’s missing?

(All of his father’s siblings are long-since dead. Orian made sure of that.)

“Seems you got me at a disadvantage,” Orian murmurs. “I don’t like being called my first name by those who, ha, who haven’t earned it.”

“I’m ready to earn it,” the cop replies sweetly. “Let me start by putting the gun in your mouth. I bet you’re just aching for a guy that knows how to fuck you right, aren’t you, Orian?” Orian narrows his eyes, and Jensen moves quickly, but the cop is quicker: Jensen chokes at the chop to his neck, and he flinches hard as the cop’s gun, swiftly plucked back off the table, goes off loud next to his ear. Orian winces at the sound, wrinkling his nose up, and Jensen cries out in pain, clutching at the side of his head. “Aw, no. Seems like I— Was that your ear drum, handsome? Sorry.” He doesn’t sound sorry. He sounds hot.

He turns the gun on Jonah, and Jonah goes for his own piece, but Orian holds up his hand.

“Uh uh,” Orian murmurs. “You, uh— You let me take the cop, Jonah. Give Jonah your weapon, would you, honey?”

“Sure can,” the cop says immediately, speaking lowly and affably, and he holds the handgun out to Jonah. Jonah pauses for a long few moments, staring down at it, but then he takes the gun, and he glances over the cop’s shoulder to Jensen, who is letting out the most pathetic little noises—

Hm.

“Oh, take him out of here,” Orian mutters, waving his hand. “Send in Betty and Monique. And you, Jonah, you, uh… After you drop Jensen off at the hospital, you go home.” Jonah stares at him, his mouth falling open, as if he’s surprised Orian doesn’t exactly require his services after freezing like that. Honestly, apparent clone or not, this is security, isn’t it?

“Yessir,” Jonah mutters, and he leans to grab Jensen up off the floor.

Orian turns his gaze back to the cop. “You got anything else on you?”

“Just my wallet and my peachy tuchus,” the cop replies. Orian watches him for a long moment, through lidded eyes, and he raises his right hand, delicately twirling his index finger. With a big grin, the cop turns, and Orian looks at his ass – it is peachy. Rounded, shown well in the tight slacks, and, uh— Mmm.

“You don’t seem like a very good cop,” Orian says.

“I’m not a cop,” the cop says: Orian lets out a derisive snort.

“You’re a cop.”

“No,” the cop murmurs, and he turns to look over his shoulder, meeting Orian’s gaze. It’s… It really is weird, how similar his face is to Orian’s, how… How similar. “I retired last week.”

“Is that so? And, uh, tell me. Why’d a stud like you have to retire so early?” Monique and Betty enter the room – Monique’s a tall girl, broad-shouldered and strapping; Betty’s average height for a girl, but she’s lethal. Monique gives Orian a look over the cop’s shoulder, and Orian gives a delicate nod: Yeah, he’s okay to be this close. To the side of the room, he can see the barman and runner trying to keep on holding their murmured conversation, but both of them keep stealing glances at Orian and the cop. Interesting.

“Didn’t have to,” the cop murmurs. He takes a sliding step forward, looking down at Orian, and Orian inhales, his lips quirking up at their edges. “See, I, uh, I came across a picture of you in the paper, and I thought to myself, God,” the cop murmurs, and he reaches out. Orian doesn’t flinch, and he lets the cop draw his fingers over the lapel of Orian’s linen blazer, ostensibly to straighten a line that Orian knows damn well was already straight: his fingers are warm, and calloused. Not like Orian’s hands, which are kept carefully soft, well-moisturised. Nice hands – bet he plays a few instruments. “I just have to have him.”

“Seems a little incestuous,” Orian murmurs, even as he reaches out, putting his hand on the cop’s hip. He drags his palm down the bone, then leans a little further forward, cupping the cop’s ass with his hand. Mmm, generous, but tight, too – he must jog. Nice.

“We’re not related,” the cop murmurs.

“You sound sure of yourself.”

“I’m sure,” the cop says, and then his hand is on Orian’s throat. Betty’s hand goes for her gun, but the cop doesn’t squeeze: his hard hand drags over the soft skin of Orian’s neck, then over the slight stubble on his jaw – he’s been thinking of growing out a beard, now that his hair is starting to go grey all over, but—

Mmm. Warm hands, skilled. Definitely a piano player, at least.

“So you’re telling me,” Orian asks, his own hand sliding over the cop’s, gripping at it and keeping it in place. The cop’s pulse is steady, completely steady, as if he’s entirely calm. He sure seems calm, but… Golly, how? Coming into a mob boss’ private time, putting his gun on the table, perforating the eardrum of one of his guards, and now with the play at choking him? He’s lucky Orian’s such a laidback guy. “That you— You saw me in the paper, you turned in your cute little badge, and you marched yourself right here?”

“That’s right,” the cop murmurs. “Ex-detective Zachary Nichols, NYPD.”

“You’re crazy,” Orian says. Zach smiles, shows his teeth. They’re nice teeth, like Orian’s, straight and white. “We know each other?”

“No, honey,” Zach murmurs. “Why would you think that?” Zach leans in, and Orian lets him, dragging him closer with the hand he puts back on Zach’s ass. His tongue is hot and quick and dexterous, and he kisses Orian hard, much harder than anyone’s dared to kiss him in over a decade. Orian groans into his mouth, lets Zach take hold of him, and when he draws back, Orian’s heart is beating a little bit faster, and he can feel the burn in his cheeks. There’s more than a smidgen of interest coiling in his belly now – he’s excited, and he squeezes Zach’s ass a little tighter. “What do you say,” Zach murmurs softly, “that you, uh, dispense with the club tonight, huh? I’ll let you conduct a full cavity search.”

“Really,” Orian says, amusedly.

“So long as I can return the—” Zach stops. His gaze is averted down, not at Orian’s crotch, where Orian would like it to be, because he’s only human, but at Orian’s left hand. “Is that— Honey, is that a vape pen?” There’s an incredulity in Zach’s voice, but it’s laden with familiarity – once again, Orian is sure that they must have met before, and yet, he doesn’t remember it.

Doesn’t remember it at all.

“Uh huh,” Orian says.

Zach puts his hand over his mouth, and for a second, he stifles a laugh, his eyes squeezing tightly shut. Orian hums, amused, and he reaches up, dragging the hand away so he can hear that laugh properly. It’s a cute laugh, coming from low in Zach’s throat, and it’s different to Orian’s low chuckles – it’s more open, more—

“You’re pretty,” Orian murmurs.

“Well, you know what they say,” Zach replies. “Everybody has a natural double.”

“Why are you here?” Orian asks cleanly.

“Why does anybody go anywhere?” Zach says. “For sex.”

“You’re here for sex.”

“Sure am.”

“With me.”

“Well, I didn’t come all this way to have sex with myself,” Zach says, and then his lips quirk. “Well—” There’s no instinct. Orian keeps waiting for it, for the gut punch that tells him he should push this guy away, that he means danger – it doesn’t come. No, Orian’s instincts tell him that Zach is fun, that he’s harmless, and it’s plain to Orian that he isn’t harmless. Interesting, that. Orian trusts his instincts, has always trusted his instincts, but here… They have to be wrong. This has to be… Something.

“You know me,” Orian says.

“Sure,” Zach says. “As well as I know myself.” Orian grabs for Zach’s throat, and he pushes him up from where he’d been sliding subtly to sit beside Orian: he squeezes tightly, but Zach doesn’t struggle, doesn’t choke or try to throw Orian off. He takes it, breathing evenly through his nose, the movements a little laboured. His heart is beating a little bit faster, now, he’s showing a bit of reaction; pupils are slightly dilated; skin is— Warmer.

“This getting you hot?” Orian asks in a whisper as he sets the vape pen on the table, grabbing at Zach’s hip with his other hand.

“What can I, uh, what can I say, honey? You and me,” Zach replies sotto voce, his dark eyes focused on Orian’s face, his expression… There’s something in that, something Orian’s never had directed at him before. Focused, concentrated, just a few degrees shy of devoted. “We’re made for each other. Same cast and everything.”

“What’d you leave behind in New York?” Orian asks, his tone slick and careful.

“Best bagels in the country.”

“Shut your damn mouth,” Orian says immediately. “Best bagels in the country are right here in L.A.”

“Bullshit,” Zach says. It’s a challenge, and it tastes like one: Orian wants to taste his mouth again, wants to catch Zach’s mouth under his own and bite open his lips, wants to see if he can draw a real reaction out of him. Not trust him – Orian isn’t stupid, no, he isn’t gonna trust him. But… take him apart? Yeah.

Yeah.

Orian kisses Zach savagely, kisses him like the wolf he is, and Zach lets him in, kisses him right back. Zach is all but in his lap now, all light muscle and just the tiniest bit of paunch, and yeah, Orian—

Gee. When’s the last time he was so interested in a guy so close his age?

Huh.

“Is that a knife in your pocket,” Orian murmurs, “or are you just happy to see me?”

“It can’t be both?” Orian laughs, and he slides the knife out of Zach’s pocket, flicking it open. It’s a simple flick knife – not standard issue for a cop, not even in New York, and it makes him grin. He glances at Zach’s turtleneck, which is soft to the touch, but visibly cheap. “Go on. Cut it off me.” Orian’s gaze flickers up, and he meets Zach’s eyes, glances at his lips, which are parted, and hungry.

“Who says I’ll stop at the sweater?”

“Who says I want you to?” Zach’s voice is deliciously low, dark and coming from right down in his chest— Oh, yeah. Who needs a line-up of twinks when the universe will drop an obvious set-up like this, right in his lap?

The knife clatters to the ground, and Orian kisses Zach again: this time, Zach bites him, and as Orian feels his lip split, he moans.

Shit.

“Cut if off me,” Zach says, and Orian feels his cock give a twitch at the sight of his own blood smeared on the cop’s chin before he surveys the room quickly – the barman looks horrified, the runner pointedly looking the other way, and Betty and Monique are both politely averting their eyes. Mmm, that’s how it should be. Orian leans down, taking the knife up again: Zach’s breath hitches in his throat, and it makes Orian’s skin hot.

Bringing the knife to the hem of Zach’s sweater, Orian drags it upward, hearing the fabric tear. Zach drops his jacket off his shoulders as he arches his back, and Orian exhales as inch after inch of pale skin is bared to the dim light.

“God, baby, we have to put you in the sun,” Orian says disapprovingly. “You can’t move out to California and stay like that.” Zach laughs, and Orian shivers at the feel of his breath against his neck, at the feeling of the cop’s hand in his hair.

“You can put me wherever you want,” Zach murmurs. Orian can’t see his face, but there’s something slightly odd in his tone – relief, relief and excitement and arousal, but— Relief? What, because Orian let him in? Because Orian’s gonna fuck him? Because—?

Too many questions.

He’ll answer them later.

Orian pushes Zach down onto the plush bench, and he begins to unbuckle his belt.

This is—

Mmm, this is impulsive, even for him, and he hasn’t even snorted a line today. But… Hey. What’s life without a little impulse, huh?

And with Zach looking at him like that, greedy and hungry and with Orian’s face, golly. Impulse control is the last thing Orian wants.

#as defined by dictionary #hotel artemis #law & order: criminal intent #the game of intersections #jgcu #fanfic #dictionary writes

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happytroopers · 7 years ago

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I literally went through your entire blog and it's so amazing! ❤️ You did a wonderful job with it! I have a request if you still do them. How would Rex and Fives react if they found out they've both fallen for the reader?

It wasn’t often that Fives was able to convince Rex to go out to 79’s with him, but Rex had decided to let loose a little bit.

The fact that Tup had invited you to come along definitely didn’t have anything to do with it either. Of course not.

But there he sat beside Fives on the bar stools watching (Y/N) sway, bounce, dance, and laugh to the rhythm of the techno song’s bass thumping through the room. He felt a small smile itch at his lips. (Y/N) suddenly turned their way, gave them a beaming smile, and then got sucked back into the crowd as the song changed.

Rex glanced at Fives beside him, realizing his gaze was also fixated on you. Watching you with the same intensity that he had just moments ago. Fives seemed to feel his thoughts as he turned to the Captain.

“(Y/N)’s something else isn’t she?” Fives chided taking a sip of the glowing blue drink he had been served. Rex’s eyes flickered back to you as you remained blissfully unaware of the growing tension between your boys.

“There aren’t enough words in basic or Mand'oa to quite describe her.” Rex acknowledged, watching Fives carefully. They both seemed to have the same recognition. They sat in awkward silence, not quite tense but not comfortable either.

“How long have you…” Rex finally asked.

“For about a month or two. You?” Fives retaliated. Not wanting to make it a competition or argument, the older clone shrugged.

“It’s been a hot minute.” He chuckled, sipping his own non-glowing beverage. Fives nodded.

“I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. You’re the closest brother I’ve got since Echo…” Fives conceded. Rex nodded, patting his slightly younger brother’s back.

“I glad we’re on the same page for more than one thing, brother.” Rex finished that thought with another clap on Fives’ back.

“Great minds think alike and all that kriff.” Fives laughed, tipping his neon drink to Rex. Rex returned the laugh. It felt good to rid themselves of the awkward tension from before.

“Then we can agree, whoever she picks, she picks. No foul play, no hard feelings. And we don’t let it interfere with our work.” Rex phrased it almost as a question, even though Fives knew it was more of advice to be taken as an order. Fives nodded again. Glancing back over to find you, only to find you were gone.

“Hi, boys!” An all to familiar, happy voiced chirped from their other side. They both slightly jumped when they realized how close you were. Though you still looked immaculate, they could easily see the light sheen of sweat sparkling in 79’s’ neon lights. You smiled at them through heavy breaths. They both gulped and nodded a greeting, but you didn’t seem to catch the nervousness.

“What kind of serious conversations are going on over here? Did I walk in on a drug deal?” You joked, white teeth reflecting the alternating pink, green, and blue lights as you smiled again. The nervously laughed glancing at each other.

“You need to stay hydrated if you’re gonna dance like that all night.” Rex stated, obviously changing the subject while flagging down the bartender droid. You rolled your eyes but thanked him regardless when he passed you the water. You opened your mouth to say something else, but before you could, someone called you from the dance floor. You waved back and held a finger up to signal a minute.

“Where was all this energy on the ride back when we needed the escape pods to be checked for damage and fixed?” Fives chided, referencing how they found you napping in one of them instead of replacing the oxygen filter.

“I’ll find out what y'all were talking about, one way or the other.” You smirked before slinking back to the dance floor. Once you were out of war shot, the brothers glanced to each other.

“May the best brother win?” Rex asked, offering a hand to shake. Fives eagerly took it, meeting Rex’s stare with a challenging grin.

“You’re on.”

#rex x reader #captain rex x reader #Rex #captain rex #arc trooper fives x reader #arc trooper fives #fives x reader #fives

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magzoso-tech · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/how-dubsmash-revived-itself-as-2-to-tiktok/

How Dubsmash revived itself as #2 to TikTok

Lip-syncing app Dubsmash was on the brink of death. After a brief moment of virality in 2015 alongside Vine (R.I.P), Dubsmash was bleeding users faster than it could recruit them. The app let you choose an audio track like a rap song or movie quote and shoot a video of you pretending to say the words. But there was nowhere in the app to post the videos. It was a creation tool like Hipstamatic, not a network like Instagram. There’s a reason we’re only using one of those today.

So in 2017 Dubsmash‘s three executives burned down the 30-person company and rebuilt something social from the ashes with the rest of the $15.4 million it’d raised from Lowercase Capital and Index Ventures. They ditched its Berlin headquarters and resettled in Brooklyn, closer to the one demographic still pushing Dubsmashes to the Instagram Explore page: African-American teenagers posting dances and lip-syncs to indie hip-hop songs on the rise.

Dubsmash stretched its funding to rehire a whole new team of 15. They spent a year coding a new version of Dubsmash centered around Following and Trending feeds, desperately trying to match the core features of Musically, which by then had been bought by China’s ByteDance. It’s got chat but still lacks the augmented reality filters, cut transitions, and photo slideshows of TikTok. But Dubsmash has the critical remix option for soundtracking your clip with the audio of any other video that sets it apart from Instagram and Snapchat.

“We realized to build a great product, we needed a depth of expertise that we just didn’t have access to in Berlin” Dubsmash co-founder and CEO Jonas Druppel tells me. “It was a risky move and we felt the weight of it acutely. But we also knew there was no other way forward, given the scale and pace of the other players in the market.”

Few social apps have ever pulled off a real comeback. Even Snapchat had only lost 5 million of its 191 million users before it started growing again. But in the case of Dubsmash, its biggest competitor was also its savior.

The pre-relaunch version of Dubsmash

In August 2018, ByteDance merged Musically into TikTok to form a micro-entertainment phenomenon. Instead of haphazardly sharing auto-biographical Stories shot with little forethought, people began storyboarding skits and practicing dances. The resulting videos were denser and more compelling than content on Snapchat and Instagram. The new Dubsmash, launched two months later, rode along with the surge of interest in short-form video like a Lilliputian in a giant’s shirt pocket. The momentum helped Dubsmash raise a secret round of funding last year to keep up the chase.

Now Dubsmash has 1 billion video views per month.

Dubsmash rebuilt its app and revived its usage

“The turnaround that we executed hasn’t been done in recent memory by a consumer app in such a competitive marketplace. Most of them fade to oblivion or shut down” Dubsmash co-founder and President Suchit Dash tells me. “By moving the company to the United States, hiring a brand new all-star team & relaunching the product, we gave this company & product a second life. Through that journey, we obsessed only on one metric: retention.”

Now the app has pulled 27% of the US short-form video market share by installs, second only to TikTok’s 59%, according to AppAnnie. Sensor Tower tells TechCrunch that TikTok has about 3X as many US lifetime installs as Dubsmash, and 11X more between when Musically became TikTok in August 2018 and now.

In terms of active users outside of TikTok, Dubsmash has 73% of the US market, compared to just 23% on Triller, 3.6% on Firework, and an embarrassing 0% on Facebook’s Lasso. And while Triller began surpassing Dubsmash in downloads per month in October, Dubsmash has 3X as many active users and saw 38% more first-time downloads in 2018 than 2019. Dubsmash now sees 30% retention after a month, and 30% of its daily users are creating content.

It’s that stellar rate of participation that’s brought Dubsmash back to life. It also attracted a previously unannounced round of $6.75 million in the Spring of 2019, largely from existing investors. While TikTok’s superstars and huge visibility could be scaring some users away from shooting videos while a long-tail of recent downloaders watch passively, Dubsmash has managed to make people feel comfortable on camera.

“Dubsmash is ground zero for culture creation in America—it’s where the newest, most popular hip-hop and dance challenges on the Internet originate” Dash declares. “Members of the community are developing content that will make them the superstars of tomorrow.”

Being #2 might not be so bad, given how mobile video viewing is growing massively thanks to better cameras, bigger screens, faster networks, and cheaper data. Right now, Dubsmash doesn’t make any money. It hopes to one day generate revenue while helping its creators earn a living too, perhaps through ad revenue shares, tipping, subscriptions, merchandise, or offline meetups.

One advantage of not being TikTok is that the app feels less crowded by semi-pro creators and influencers. That gives users the vibe that they’re more likely to hit the Trending or Explore page on Dubsmash. The Trending page is dominated by hot new songs and flashy dances, even if they’re shot with a lower production quality that feels accessible.

Dubsmash tries to stoke that sense of opportunity by making Explore about discovering accounts and all the content they’ve made rather than specific videos. While popular clips might have tens of thousands of views rather than the hundred-thousand or multi-million counts on TikTok’s top content, there’s enough visibility to make shooting Dubsmashes worth it.

TikTok has already taken notice. Shown in a leak of its moderation guidelines from Netzpolitik, the company’s policy is to downrank the visibility of any video referencing or including a watermark from direct competitors including Dubsmash, Triller, Lasso, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. That keeps Dubsmash videos, which you can save to your camera roll, from going viral on TikTok and luring users away.

TikTok’s content moderation guidelines show it downranks content featuring the watermarks of competitors like Dubsmash

TikTok also continues to aggressively buy users via ads on competing apps like Facebook thanks to the billions in funding raked in by its parent ByteDance. In contast, Dash says Dubsmash has never spent a dollar on user acquisition, influencer marketing, or any other source of growth. That makes it achieving even half to a third of as many installs as TikTok in the US an impressive fete.

Why would creators choose Dubsmash over TikTok? Dash clinically explains that its a “decoupled audio and video platform that enables producers and tastemakers to upload fresh, original tracks that are utilized by creators and influencers alike” but that it’s also about “Its role as a welcoming home for a community that’s underrepresented on social platforms.”

If Dubsmash keeps growing, though, it will encounter the inevitable content moderation problems that come with scale. It’s already doing a solid job of requiring users to sign up with their birthdate to watch or post videos, and it blocks those under 13. Only users who follow each other can chat.

Any piece of content that’s flagged by users is hidden from the network until it passes a review by its human moderation team that works around the clock, and it does proactive takedowns too. However, brigading and malicious takedown reports could be used by trolls to silence their enemies. Dubsmash is working off of a common sense model of what’s allowed rather than firm guidelines, which will be tough to keep consistent at scale.

“Being a social media app in 2020 means you need to take greater responsibility for the well being of the community” says Dash. “We decided upon relaunch to take a strict perspective. Our goal is to be intentional and proactive early, and invest in safety and healthy growth rather than growth at all costs. This may not be the most popular approach amongst the market, but we believe this is the most effective way to build a social platform.”

Dubsmash proves that short-form video is so compelling to teens that the market can sustain multiple apps. That will have to be the case given Instagram is preparing to release its TikTok clone Reels, and Vine’s co-founder Dom Hofmann just launched his successor Byte. The breakdown could look like:

TikTok: A slightly longer-form combo of comedy, dance, and absurdity

Dubsmash: Mid-length dance and music videos with a diverse community

Byte: Super short-form comedy featuring slightly older ex-Vine stars

Triller: Mid-length life blogging clips from Hollywood celebrities

Instagram Reels: International influencers making videos for a mainstream audience

Perhaps we’ll eventually see consolidation in the market, with giants like TikTok and Instagram acquiring smaller players to grow their content network effect with more fodder for remixes. But fragmentation could breed creativity. Different tools and audiences beg for different types of videos. Make something special, and there’s an app out there to enter your into pop culture cannon.

For more on the short-form video wars and the future of micro-entertainment, read:

#Miscellaneous

0 notes

savetopnow · 7 years ago

Text

2018-03-17 07 MUSIC now

MUSIC

Brooklyn Vegan

Charli XCX played guest-filled 'Pop 2′ show in L.A. (review, videos)

Gov't Mule announce 'Dark Side of the Mule' dates with The Avett Brothers

Bill's Indie Basement (3/16): the week in classic indie, college rock, and more

Yo La Tengo celebrating new LP with Rough Trade in-store with Yuka Honda

Wye Oak, Ted Leo, Bully, & Bodega played BrooklynVegan's SXSW showcase (pics)

Consquence of Sound

The Decemberists thank Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the liner notes of their new album

Motion Picture Academy president John Bailey accused of sexual harassment

SXSW Film Review: Paradox Works Better as a Concert Film Than As a Sci-Fi Western

Film Review: Love, Simon Puts New Faces At the Center of the Romantic Comedy

Neil Young calls farewell tours “bullshit”

Fact Magazine

Inga Copeland releases new Lolina album The Smoke

Visit MJ Cole’s gin factory-turned-studio in east London

Influential South African artist DJ Spoko has died, aged 35

Behringer shares prototype of Sequential Circuits Pro-One synth clone

Google has designed a DIY controller for its AI synthesizer

Fluxblog

The Sun In Your Cold World

Took Me For A Ride

At My Leisure

What Is This Force

Hopes Or Holidays

Idolator

PRETTYMUCH Have A Massive Pop Moment With “Healthy”

Demi Lovato Helps Q-Tip Put A Unique Spin On Elton John’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”

The Driver Era Talk “Preacher Man,” New Direction & Innovation: Interview

Troye Sivan Delivers A Chic “My My My!” Performance For ‘Jimmy Fallon’

Seinabo Sey Makes A Bold Return On “I Owe You Nothing” & “Remember”

Listen to This

Leo Nite -- Crystallized [Psychedelic / Soul] (2017)

Lowtide -- Elizabeth Tower [shoegaze / dream pop] (2018)

A Himitsu - In Love [Electronic/Dance] (2017)

Rail Yard Ghosts - My Country//Black Flags - Official Live Music Video [Indie/Folk Punk] (2017)

GO!GO! 7188 - 眠りの浅瀬/Shallows of Sleep [Surf Rock] (2007)

Popjustice

Saluting the artwork for PRETTYMUCH’s Healthy

Louisa Johnson interview: “We went, ‘oh, fuck it, let’s just get drunk’”

Popjustice’s Spring Statement: Key Points

New Music Friday: Vera Blue’s Lady Powers are still strong

New Music Friday: When it’s time to put Andrew WK at the top of the playlist it’s time to put Andrew WK at the top of the playlist hard

Reddit Music

What metal album is best experienced listened to front to back?

Yo! It’s Matt from Dirty Heads. Ask me anything!

Run the Jewels has a new animated video out

What groups are the hardest to genre due to their variety of styles?

[Survey] What causes chills in music?

Rolling Stone

Mike Gordon: Five Songs That Transported Me

Hear Toni Braxton's Heartbroken New Song 'Sex & Cigarettes'

10 New Albums to Stream Now: The Decemberists, Meshell Ndegeocello and More Editors' Picks

Rich Homie Quan Reveals New LP Made With 'Hennessy, Weed, Fruit Snacks'

Watch 'Rick and Morty' Slay Aliens in Run the Jewels' 'Oh Mama' Video

Slipped Disc

What James Levine wants

Australian tenor pleads guilty to child sex offences

The next Mahler cycle will come from … Minnesota

Alberto Vilar is out of jail

How the other tenth live

Spotify Blog

Spotify Launches Self-Serve Advertising Platform in the UK and Canada

Spotify Announces Launch of Line-In

John Hancock and Spotify Give Runners Everywhere Access to Custom Playlists and Tips from Some of the World’s Fastest Marathoners

Spotify Kicks off Women’s History Month with the Launch of ‘Amplify,’ a New Hub Spotlighting Causes & Community Voices

Spotify’s Electrifying Concert Series “RapCaviar Live” Returns with a New Tour Lineup featuring Migos, 2 Chainz, Tory Lanez, DJ Mustard, Lil Pump, and more

We Are the Music Makers

Whats the deal with audio over 0DB?

How do i make the buffer size higher than 1024? I'm working on a really heavy mix and I need the extra latency.

Check out my ghetto pop filter

What sample rate do you mix/master in?

Sound-engine of Logic X vs Ableton 10

#music

0 notes

sheminecrafts · 5 years ago

Text

How Dubsmash revived itself as #2 to TikTok

The pre-relaunch version of Dubsmash

Now Dubsmash has 1 billion video views per month.

Dubsmash rebuilt its app and revived its usage

TikTok’s content moderation guidelines show it downranks content featuring the watermarks of competitors like Dubsmash

TikTok: A slightly longer-form combo of comedy, dance, and absurdity

Dubsmash: Mid-length dance and music videos with a diverse community

Byte: Super short-form comedy featuring slightly older ex-Vine stars

Triller: Mid-length life blogging clips from Hollywood celebrities

Instagram Reels: International influencers making videos for a mainstream audience

For more on the short-form video wars and the future of micro-entertainment, read:

Zuckerberg misunderstands the huge threat of TikTok

Instagram Stories launches TikTok clone Reels in Brazil

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/2RL0j44 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

0 notes

technicalsolutions88 · 5 years ago

Link

The pre-relaunch version of Dubsmash

Now Dubsmash has 1 billion video views per month.

Dubsmash rebuilt its app and revived its usage

TikTok’s content moderation guidelines show it downranks content featuring the watermarks of competitors like Dubsmash

TikTok: A slightly longer-form combo of comedy, dance, and absurdity

Dubsmash: Mid-length dance and music videos with a diverse community

Byte: Super short-form comedy featuring slightly older ex-Vine stars

Triller: Mid-length life blogging clips from Hollywood celebrities

Instagram Reels: International influencers making videos for a mainstream audience

For more on the short-form video wars and the future of micro-entertainment, read:

Zuckerberg misunderstands the huge threat of TikTok

Instagram Stories launches TikTok clone Reels in Brazil

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2RL0j44 Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

#Technical Solutions #SEO #Online Earning #Youtube Marketing #Android Developer

0 notes

nahoo883 · 6 years ago

Text

It’s time to pay serious attention to TikTok

If you haven’t been paying attention to TikTok, you haven’t been paying attention. The short-form video app hailing from Beijing’s ByteDance just had its biggest month ever with the addition of 75 million new users in December — a 275 percent increase from the 20 million it added in December 2017, according a recent report from Sensor Tower.

Despite its rapid rise, there are still plenty of people — often, older people — who aren’t quite sure what TikTok is.

TikTok is often referred to as a “lip-syncing” app, which makes it sound like it’s some online karaoke experience. But a closer comparison would be Vine, Twitter’s still sorely missed short-form video app whose content lives on as YouTube compilations.

While it’s true that TikTok is home to some standard lip-syncing, it’s actually better known for its act-out memes backed by music and other sound clips, which get endlessly reproduced and remixed among its young users.

youtube

Its tunes are varied — pop, rap, R&B, electro and DJ tracks serve as backing for its 15-second video clips. But the sounds may also be snagged from YouTube music videos (see: I Baked You A Pie above), SoundCloud or from pop culture — like weird soundbites from Peppa Pig or Riverdale — or just original creations.

These memes-as-videos reference things familiar to Gen Z, like gaming culture (see below). They come in the form of standalone videos, reactions, duets, mirrors/clones and more.

youtube

The app has been growing steadily since it acquired its U.S.-based rival Musical.ly in November 2017 for north of $800 million, then merged the two apps’ user bases last August.

This gave TikTok the means to grow in Western markets, where it has attracted the interest of U.S. celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and Tony Hawk, for example, along with YouTubers on the hunt for the next new thing.

But unlike Vine (RIP), YouTube or Instagram, TikTok doesn’t yet feel dominated by micro-celebs, though they certainly exist.

Instead, its main feed often surfaces everyday users — aka, amateurs — doing something cute, funny or clever, with a tacit acknowledgement that “yes, this is an internet joke” underlying much of the content.

youtube

Okay, okay.

Sometimes these videos are described as “cringey.”

But that’s because those of us trying to talk about TikTok are old(er) people who grew up on the big ol’ mean internet.

Cringey, frankly, is an unfair label, as it dismisses TikTok’s success in setting a tone for its community. Here, users will often post and share unapologetically wholesome content, and receive less mocking than elsewhere on the web — largely because everyone else on TikTok posts similar “cringey” content, too.

You might not know this, however, if your only exposure to TikTok comes from YouTube’s TikTok Cringe Compilations. But spend a day in the (oddly addictive) TikTok feed, and you’ll find a whole world of video that doesn’t exist anywhere else on the web — including on YouTube. Videos that are weird, sure — but also fun to watch.

youtube

It’s a stark comparison to the existing social media platforms.

Users today are engaged in the culture wars on Twitter (ban the Nazis! protect free speech!), while YouTubers are gaming the algorithm with hateful, exploitive, dangerous and otherwise questionable content that freaks out advertisers. And Facebook is, well, contributing to war crimes and the toppling of democracy.

Meanwhile, TikTok presents an alternative version of online sharing. Simple, goofy, irreverent — and frankly, it’s a much needed reset.

For example, some of the popular TikTok memes have included videos of kids proclaiming what a great mom they have, as they drag her into frame, or they remind people to pick up litter and conserve water. They might give themselves silly, but self-affirming makeovers where, afterwards, they cite themselves not as “cute” but rather “drop. dead. gorgeous.”

youtube

They might spend hours setting up gummy bears as Adele concert-goers, learning how to do a shuffle dance up a set of stairs or in a dance battle their dad. Or they may showcase some special talent — drawing, painting, gymnastics, dance or skateboarding, perhaps. They do science experiments, make jokes or use special effects for a little video magic.

They shout out “hit or miss!” in public places and wait to see who answers. (Look it up.)

Sometimes it’s dumb, Sometimes it’s clever. But it’s addictive.

youtube

Of course, it is still the internet. And TikTok isn’t perfect.

The app has also been the subject of troubling reports about its “dark” side, which is reportedly filled with child predators and teens bullying and harassing one another. It’s not clear, however, that TikTok’s affliction with these matters is any worse than any other large, social, public-by-default app of its size.

And unlike some apps, concerned parents — or the users themselves — can set a TikTok account to private, turn off commenting, hide the account from search, disable downloads, disallow reactions and duets and restrict an account from receiving messages.

It is concerning, however, that under-13 kids are setting up social media accounts without parental consent. (But, uh, have you seen Fortnite and Roblox? This is what kids do. At least the TikTok main feed isn’t worrisome, we’ve found.)

The bigger issue, though — and one that could ultimately prove damaging to TikTok — is whether it will be able to keep up with content filtering and takedown requests, or handle its security and privacy protection issues as it scales up.

Content and community aren’t the only things contributing to TikTok’s growth.

While Vine may have introduced the concept of short-form video, TikTok made video editing incredibly simple. You don’t need to be a video expert to put together clips with a range of effects. It’s the Instagram for the mobile video age — in a way that Instagram itself won’t be able to reproduce, having already aligned its community with influencers and advertisers.

TikTok’s sizable user base, meanwhile, is due not only to its growth in Western markets, but because of its traction in emerging markets like China and India.

This allowed TikTok to rank No. 4 worldwide across iOS and Android, combined, according to App Annie’s data on the most-downloaded apps of 2018. On iOS, TikTok was the No. 1 most-downloaded app of the year, mainly thanks to China.

At times last year, TikTok even ranked higher than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Both App Annie and Sensor Tower agree that TikTok scored the No. 3 position for most installs among all apps worldwide in 2018.

Now, TikTok is growing in India, says Sensor Tower.

The country accounted for 27 percent of new installs between December 2017 and December 2018, and last month was the source for 32.3 million of TikTok’s 75 million total new downloads — a 25x increase from last year.

Some of this growth comes from ad spend, according to a report from Apptopia, which examined the app’s widened use of ad networks. (It’s also driving people bonkers with its YouTube ads).

The revenue is starting to arrive, as well.

Worldwide, users spent $6 million tipping their favorite live streamers, a 253 percent year-over-year jump from December 2017’s total of $1.7 million, Sensor Tower estimates. But live streaming is not the default activity on TikTok — it added the feature after shutting down Musical.ly’s live streaming app, Live.ly.

Above: full-screen ad in TikTok when app is first launched; spotted today

Think this is the first real ad campaign I’ve seen on @tiktok_us. @kerrymflynn pic.twitter.com/zt3JcSYCz0

— chris harihar (@chrisharihar) January 26, 2019

Above: an ad appearing earlier this month

TikTok is also starting to test in-app advertising, and is being eyed by agencies as a result. When you launch TikTok, you may see a full-page splash screen ad of some kind — though the company has not officially launched ad products.

But the brands are starting to take notice. This week, for example, TikTok collaborated with SportsManias, an officially licensed NFL Players Association partner, for the introduction of NFL-themed AR animated stickers in time for the Super Bowl. The move feels like a test for how well branded content will perform within the TikTok universe, but the company says it’s “not an ad deal.”

The company also declined to say how many are today using TikTok.

However, parent company ByteDance had publicly stated last year that it had 500 million monthly active users when it announced the app’s rebranding post-merger. It has yet to release new numbers for its global user base.

That said, ByteDance just shared updated stats for China only, on all versions of the TikTok app (including the non-Google Play Android version). It says that TikTok now has 500 million monthly active users in China alone.

Sensor Tower today estimates TikTok has grown to nearly 800 million lifetime installs, not counting Android in China.

Factoring in those Android in China installs, it’s fair to say this app has topped 1 billion downloads.

Here comes the new new internet, folks. It’s big, dominated by emerging markets, mobile, video, meme-ified, and goes viral both online and off.

So if you haven’t been paying attention to TikTok, you may want to get started.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2CTfM9f via IFTTT from Blogger http://bit.ly/2DJNNKZ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

readersforum · 6 years ago

Text

It’s time to pay serious attention to TikTok

New Post has been published on http://www.readersforum.tk/its-time-to-pay-serious-attention-to-tiktok-2/

It’s time to pay serious attention to TikTok

Despite its rapid rise, there are still plenty of people — often, older people — who aren’t quite sure what TikTok is.

youtube

These memes-as-videos reference things familiar to Gen Z, like gaming culture (see below). They come in the form of standalone videos, reactions, duets, mirrors/clones and more.

youtube

The app has been growing steadily since it acquired its U.S.-based rival Musical.ly in November 2017 for north of $800 million, then merged the two apps’ user bases last August.

But unlike Vine (RIP), YouTube or Instagram, TikTok doesn’t yet feel dominated by micro-celebs, though they certainly exist.

youtube

Okay, okay.

Sometimes these videos are described as “cringey.”

But that’s because those of us trying to talk about TikTok are old(er) people who grew up on the big ol’ mean internet.

youtube

It’s a stark comparison to the existing social media platforms.

Meanwhile, TikTok presents an alternative version of online sharing. Simple, goofy, irreverent — and frankly, it’s a much needed reset.

youtube

They shout out “hit or miss!” in public places and wait to see who answers. (Look it up.)

Sometimes it’s dumb, Sometimes it’s clever. But it’s addictive.

youtube

Of course, it is still the internet. And TikTok isn’t perfect.

Content and community aren’t the only things contributing to TikTok’s growth.

TikTok’s sizable user base, meanwhile, is due not only to its growth in Western markets, but because of its traction in emerging markets like China and India.

At times last year, TikTok even ranked higher than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Both App Annie and Sensor Tower agree that TikTok scored the No. 3 position for most installs among all apps worldwide in 2018.

Now, TikTok is growing in India, says Sensor Tower.

Some of this growth comes from ad spend, according to a report from Apptopia, which examined the app’s widened use of ad networks. (It’s also driving people bonkers with its YouTube ads).

The revenue is starting to arrive, as well.

Above: full-screen ad in TikTok when app is first launched; spotted today

Think this is the first real ad campaign I’ve seen on @tiktok_us. @kerrymflynn pic.twitter.com/zt3JcSYCz0

— chris harihar (@chrisharihar) January 26, 2019

Above: an ad appearing earlier this month

The company also declined to say how many are today using TikTok.

Sensor Tower today estimates TikTok has grown to nearly 800 million lifetime installs, not counting Android in China.

Factoring in those Android in China installs, it’s fair to say this app has topped 1 billion downloads.

Here comes the new new internet, folks. It’s big, dominated by emerging markets, mobile, video, meme-ified, and goes viral both online and off.

So if you haven’t been paying attention to TikTok, you may want to get started.

0 notes

toomanysinks · 6 years ago

Text

It’s time to pay serious attention to TikTok

Despite its rapid rise, there are still plenty of people — often, older people — who aren’t quite sure what TikTok is.

youtube

These memes-as-videos reference things familiar to Gen Z, like gaming culture (see below). They come in the form of standalone videos, reactions, duets, mirrors/clones and more.

youtube

The app has been growing steadily since it acquired its U.S.-based rival Musical.ly in November 2017 for north of $800 million, then merged the two apps’ user bases last August.

But unlike Vine (RIP), YouTube or Instagram, TikTok doesn’t yet feel dominated by micro-celebs, though they certainly exist.

youtube

Okay, okay.

Sometimes these videos are described as “cringey.”

But that’s because those of us trying to talk about TikTok are old(er) people who grew up on the big ol’ mean internet.

Cringey, frankly, is an unfair label, as it dismisses TikTok’s success in setting a tone for its community. Here, users are able to post and share unapologetically wholesome content, and receive far less mocking than elsewhere on the web — largely because everyone else on TikTok posts similar “cringey” content, too.

youtube

It’s a stark comparison to the existing social media platforms.

Meanwhile, TikTok presents an alternative version of online sharing. Simple, goofy, irreverent — and frankly, it’s a much needed reset.

youtube

They shout out “hit or miss!” in public places and wait to see who answers. (Look it up.)

youtube

Of course, it is still the internet. And TikTok isn’t perfect.

Content and community aren’t the only things contributing to TikTok’s growth.

TikTok’s sizable user base, meanwhile, is due not only to its growth in Western markets, but because of its traction in emerging markets like China and India.

At times last year, TikTok even ranked higher than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Both App Annie and Sensor Tower agree that TikTok scored the No. 3 position for most installs among all apps worldwide in 2018.

Now, TikTok is growing in India, says Sensor Tower.

Some of this growth comes from ad spend, according to a report from Apptopia, which examined the app’s widened use of ad networks. (It’s also driving people bonkers with its YouTube ads).

The revenue is starting to arrive, as well.

Above: full-screen ad in TikTok when app is first launched

The company also declined to say how many are today using TikTok.

Sensor Tower today estimates TikTok has grown to nearly 800 million lifetime installs, not counting Android in China.

Factoring in those Android in China installs, it’s fair to say this app has topped 1 billion downloads.

Here comes the new new internet, folks. It’s big, dominated by emerging markets, mobile, video, meme-ified, and goes viral both online and off.

So if you haven’t been paying attention to TikTok, you may want to get started.

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/29/its-time-to-pay-serious-attention-to-tiktok/

0 notes

fmservers · 6 years ago

Text

It’s time to pay serious attention to TikTok

Despite its rapid rise, there are still plenty of people — often, older people — who aren’t quite sure what TikTok is.

youtube

These memes-as-videos reference things familiar to Gen Z, like gaming culture (see below). They come in the form of standalone videos, reactions, duets, mirrors/clones and more.

youtube

The app has been growing steadily since it acquired its U.S.-based rival Musical.ly in November 2017 for north of $800 million, then merged the two apps’ user bases last August.

But unlike Vine (RIP), YouTube or Instagram, TikTok doesn’t yet feel dominated by micro-celebs, though they certainly exist.

youtube

Okay, okay.

Sometimes these videos are described as “cringey.”

But that’s because those of us trying to talk about TikTok are old(er) people who grew up on the big ol’ mean internet.

youtube

It’s a stark comparison to the existing social media platforms.

Meanwhile, TikTok presents an alternative version of online sharing. Simple, goofy, irreverent — and frankly, it’s a much needed reset.

youtube

They shout out “hit or miss!” in public places and wait to see who answers. (Look it up.)

youtube

Of course, it is still the internet. And TikTok isn’t perfect.

Content and community aren’t the only things contributing to TikTok’s growth.

TikTok’s sizable user base, meanwhile, is due not only to its growth in Western markets, but because of its traction in emerging markets like China and India.

At times last year, TikTok even ranked higher than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Both App Annie and Sensor Tower agree that TikTok scored the No. 3 position for most installs among all apps worldwide in 2018.

Now, TikTok is growing in India, says Sensor Tower.

The revenue is starting to arrive, as well.

Above: full-screen ad in TikTok when app is first launched

The company also declined to say how many are today using TikTok.

Sensor Tower today estimates TikTok has grown to nearly 800 million lifetime installs, not counting Android in China.

Factoring in those Android in China installs, it’s fair to say this app has topped 1 billion downloads.

Here comes the new new internet, folks. It’s big, dominated by emerging markets, mobile, video, meme-ified, and goes viral both online and off.

So if you haven’t been paying attention to TikTok, you may want to get started.

Via Sarah Perez https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

0 notes

theinvinciblenoob · 6 years ago

Link

Take a subway ride in China and expect to see a lot of commuters’ eyes glued to TikTok videos on their phones.

Video clips like TikTok’s are now consuming nearly nine percent of Chinese people’s time online, a 5.2 percent jump from 2017, according to app analytics firm QuestMobile.

Apps such as TikTok — which is operated by ByteDance, the world’s highest valued startup at $75 billion — have become popular among previously camera-shy users. Those who lack editing experience can now easily add beautifying filters and music to spice up their work.

Elderly couple having a moment on Douyin / Credit: Douyin ID @淘气陈奶奶

It also helps that smartphone data became cheaper and internet penetration kept growing in recent years — China now has 800 million smartphone users, according to government data. In 2013, just under 40 percent of China’s online population streamed videos on their phones, according to database CBNData. In 2017, that ratio surged to 80 percent.

Initially geared towards Chinese youth, short-video apps have increased in popularity across all age groups – including the elderly. Over a third of the country’s 1.4 billion people are active on these apps every month. People above the age of 50 now spend as much as 50 minutes on them every day, compared to only 17 minutes a year ago.

And TikTok, called Douyin in China, is spearheading the short-video game.

Tencent’s nerves

In recent years, few mobile apps in China have captured as many stares as WeChat, Tencent’s messaging app that’s evolved into a one-stop platform allowing people to shop, order cabs, book hotels, and complete other daily tasks.

Then short video apps came along, eating people’s eyeball time away. Apps like TikTok do not compete directly with WeChat as they serve different purposes, but data suggests that use of instant messaging services has waned amid the fledgling video scene.

This year WeChat and its peers occupied 30.5 percent of people’s online time, a 3.6 percent drop year-over-year per the QuestMobile report.

It comes as no surprise that Tencent is fretting over the clip craze and in particular, ByteDance’s rise. In May, Tencent’s usually low-profile boss Pony Ma got in a rare online spat with ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming over plagiarism and WeChat blocking TikTok content.

Typical miming and finger dancing performed by teens / Credit: Douyin ID @李雨霏2007

Elsewhere, Tencent took action. Since April, the tech giant has rolled out a number of TikTok rivals but so far none has gotten close to the latter’s lion’s share: 500 million monthly active users worldwide. That’s excluding the 100 million total users on Musical.ly, which ByteDance acquired in late 2017 and merged into TikTok this August.

Tencent’s got other backup plans, though. It owns shares in TikTok’s China archrival Kuaishou, which had a 22.7 percent penetration rate in September according to data service provider Jiguang. That’s however, dwarfed by TikTok’s 33.8 percent, which means the app was installed on over a third of all mobile devices monitored by Jiguang. Plus, ByteDance’s other short-video apps for different niches, Huoshan and Xigua, are also faring well, commanding 13.1 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively.

Alibaba: not quite an ally

Until recently, ByteDance appeared to be making nice with China’s other internet giant — Alibaba. The companies kicked off a partnership in March that saw TikTok using Alibaba’s online marketplace Taobao to process ecommerce transactions on its app. Authorized TikTok users, usually those with a big following, can link videos to their Taobao shops. This money-making setup allows TikTok to lure more quality content creators. Alibaba, on the other hand, gets traffic from the fledgling social media app that could absorb some of the loss from WeChat blocking its ecommerce apps.

Things can go south anytime, however, as ByteDance makes forays into Alibaba’s territories. The startup recently introduced an ecommerce platform and entered the business of long-form video streaming, an area where Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu’s iQIYI dominate.

Life hacks are popular, too: guy sharing his gardening tips / Credit: Douyin ID @速效三元化合肥

ByteDance seems set to grow independently. Unlike many of China’s promising startups, six-year-old ByteDance hasn’t accepted financing from any of the tech trio of Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent — known as the BAT such is their dominance in China’s consumer technology.

ByteDance’s moves into new space may also signal the firm’s urge to explore additional monetization channels besides advertising on feeds. It lifted its revenue target to $7.2 billion for 2018, well above the $2.5 billion it earned last year, according to Bloomberg.

At home and afar

Despite the boom, China’s short-video market faces increasing regulatory headwinds. In recent months, authorities have been clamping down on Kuaishou, ByteDance’s video apps, and smaller players on account of eradicating content that’s deemed illegal or inappropriate.

Violation could result in app store bans and those that underwent such severe punishment like Miaopai, which is backed by China’s Twitter equivalent Weibo, suffered from a tumble in app installs.

Sometimes Douyin does get serious – a Beijing TV channel has its own account and it covers news here / Credit: Douyin ID @BTV新闻

ByteDance didn’t get a ban – yet, but it came under fire for its AI-driven recommendation algorithms. It’s something the startup prides itself on but has irritated media watchdogs who reprimanded TikTok for showing users “unacceptable” content, such as videos depicting adolescent pregnancies. ByteDance’s popular news aggregator Jinri Toutiao, or “today’s headlines,” received similar criticisms for giving its 120 million daily users “fluff”.

In response, ByteDance added thousands of censors to screen content on top of AI-driven recommendation across its apps.

ByteDance’s expanding territory through TikTok goes well beyond China. This year, the short-video platform has been climbing app store rankings around the world, an ascend accelerated by its incorporation of Musical.ly. Now it’s not just Tencent that’s taking note; Facebook is also building a TikTok clone, TechCrunch reported recently.

via TechCrunch

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