#it also helped the only other platform I think I followed him on was instagram

[sanderssideswriting]

I unsubbed several months ago. I already had notifs off because I was only subbed for sanders sides. Best decision ever.

he's fr doing everything BUT working on the finale by the looks of it I am so so tired of this guys. I'm. one minor inconvenience away from just unsubscribing/unfollowing him and leaving this all behind 😭

[onyourowndaisymae]

would i follow these obey me characters on social media? + social media headcanons

explanations + hcs below the cut:

content warnings: playful mentions of cyberbullying/death threats (reader's discretion advised)

post notifications on, loyal mutuals for life: thirteen, barbatos, mammon, satan

you cannot convince me thirteen does not have the funniest fucking twitter imaginable. she posts a lot of funny shit herself but also retweets a lot of good content too. she seems like the type to get in fights on social media and win by humiliating her opponent in the funniest way possible. probably makes a lot of jokes about fucking one or both of your parents

the barbatos one might be controversial but hear me out. i think that any account he'd run in association to his work would be dry as hell. but a personal, deeply private account? funny as FUCK. i think this man wouldn't post very often but when he does, it is quite literally some of the funniest shit you've ever seen. he's ancient, too, so i think he'd be persistent. just years of logging on to tell elon musk to k*ll himself (whiCH I AM NOT ENDORSING @ THE GOV IM JUST MAKING A JOKE OKAY WE'RE ALL LAUGHING HERE) in new and creative ways

mammon would probably post a lot about his shenanigans and that to me is worth tuning in to. i think his social media would consist of him posting about a new scheme/plan part of the way through (when things are most exciting) and then updating hours/days later with an "update: lucifer caught me and made me wear a dunce hat for a week straight" or something like that

satan would post the most normally in this category but i think he'd have some genuinely interesting stuff. he'd probably use a photo-based platform like instagram (technically devilgram but y'know what i mean) and his content would fall into two categories: cat pics and the most amazing, exclusive events you've ever seen. he'll post a photo dump of cats he feeds one week and then next is him at some gorgeous exclusive hot springs on a free trip one of his connections invited him on.

mutuals by choice <3: asmo, simeon, luke, levi

asmo posts a lot about himself, but like. c'mon. he's so pretty. and he also just posts a lot of pretty aesthetic influencer photos so it's nice to see him on your feed. he posts a lot, too, so your feed never quite runs dry when he's your mutual. he's also the type to hype your photos up in the comments like you're the only other person on the platform. lots of heart emojis and flirtatious comments on very mundane posts

simeon would be fun to follow in the way that old people are fun to follow on social media. long, sweet captions on his weekly post (that someone helped him post), cute but off-center selfies with the things he cares about, funny grandpa comments on your photos-- ex. "nice photo mc... 👍" without realizing how funny that comes off

luke is just cute and posts cute things. lots of stray animals, pretty sunsets, and cute baked goods. he's even got a few rare photos of barbatos on there looking slightly relaxed. levi made luke's accounts private when he first set them up bc he's been on too many weird corners of the internet to let that innocent angel be corrupted.

speaking of levi, he'd post a LOT about his dorky (affectionate) interests. he's one of the few that would post every day on multiple platforms. there's a pretty small chance you care about each and every thing he posts but regardless, it's nice to see him so enthused and happy.

mutuals bc i'd feel bad unfollowing: belphie, lucifer, diavolo, mephisto

belphie's accounts have all been inactive for YEARS, but if you unfollow him he does get offended. he found out asmo unfollowed him at some point and started an argument about it.

lucifer's social media is also rarely active, but anything he posts is usually at least a little important, so if you unfollow he'll know and get on you about missing it.

diavolo's account is quite literally all royal bullshit and official devildom information, but seeing as he doesn't have personal social media, he still values his friends following him. if you unfollow, his feelings will be hurt, but he'll stay quiet about it.

mephisto's account literally just posts the same lame shit that the RAD newspaper account does, word-for-word and post-for-post. unfollowing either of these accounts comes off as a slight from the feeble human that doesn't care about the devildom. his complaining is always so loud.

not following + no plans to follow: beel, raphael

beel posts exclusively about food. he doesn't run a food-themed account, that's literally all he finds interesting enough to post. he rates all of his meals after he finishes, too. fun, but not my type of content.

something in my heart of hearts tells me raphael's photos are all blurry. like he just thinks his D.D.D. camera is bad when really he won't focus the damn camera before taking a pic.

blocked, reported, cyberbullied for good measure: solomon

i KNOW this man is a menace on social media. he probably eggs on conspiracy theorists and purposely spreads misinformation. it's funny at first until following him starts filling your feed with the crazy bullshit he likes/retweets. he is playing devil's advocate on social media for the dumbest, most argumentative people online bc he thinks it's funny and it's quite literally going to drive you insane if you don't block him. when he's causing problems, he's posting stupid shit. he'd be the type to unironically post the "saw a snail today. effervescent" shit

[justenjoythegossip]

CHRIS’ BRAND IS IN CRISIS 

A steady and constant decline…

Since he came back to social media to sell dog food for the back Friday (a very tactless error in my opinion), Chris has been hemorrhaging followers on Instagram. At this point, he has lost more 500,000 followers. And it keeps going down. I have already written a post about my thoughts regarding those numbers. Here is a link if anyone is interested in checking it out. 

Here is the latest chart showing his numbers of followers…

We can still observe the same trends, his drop is constant and steady but more interestingly his loss of followers was even steeper on January 25th and today. And this is rather concerning for him and his team because the 25th was the day his next movie project was announced. And we know yesterday and today were all about the ASP stunts in DC. And he even got press coverage for it and a nice little article from one of his sponsors: People’s Magazine. 

I have speculated that his team probably didn't buy any bots or not as many as usual when the Coen movie was announced, because they likely wanted to monitor if that news would bring him any natural follows. I suspect the movie announcement didn't bring him any or very few. Or it might have even cost him some real follows. Who knows?

We see the exact same trend today after yesterday’s stunt in DC. It’s actually even a little worse. So we can deduce that his acting career is not helping him at the moment, his brand as a political activist isn’t helping him either. And let’s not even mention his shenanigans with his kinda “wife”. To sum things up, his brand is in crisis. 

His “political activism” is starting to become offensive…

I already wrote an article that mentioned his performative activism. If people want to check it out.

Real or not, Chris has attached himself to a trolling fat-shaming, racist, antisemitic, Nazi sympathizing clout-chaser. And the optics are absolutely horrifying. Here are some of the receipts provided by Anni's Little Shop of Horrors

So his political activism looks not only hypocritical and performative now, it also appears as a rather infuriating provocation. This ASP stunt was very ill-conceived. I am not sure it was his decision to do so. Maybe the investors demanded he did more with the company. But the end result is disastrous all the same.

He and his team should have read the room after the horrible comments he got after that infamous ASP chat about racism and antisemitism. That was his clue to stay away from any kind of political involvement for the time being. But he and his team have doubled down. Like they have done so with the shitshow with Abba since the very beginning. They have managed to alienate so many fans and they continue to do so. It’s not stubbornness at this point, it’s the exact definition of insanity: doing the same things and expecting different results. 

Time for a new brand and a reinvention…

I wrote and I still think Chris is going to be just fine. But his past brand has been really damaged and his rebrand isn't working out so resorting to old tactics and tricks is unlikely to help him regain the fans he lost or to make him gain any new ones.

Interesting enough, he or his team have just cleaned his Instagram once more. And now apart from an ASP promo and one R1 still, it's all about Dodger. The focus on his Dog dad persona might not prove more efficient in regaining his fans though. They have used that poor dog way too much in those shenanigans with Abba, and they have let her use him as well.

I don’t think Christopher’s haven would provide much help at the moment because he already burnt that bridge. And Marvel being a sinking ship at the moment, I am not sure that even his alter ego Captain America could help him. So it’s probably time for a change. The real kind!

Gandhi famously said:

"We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

[nekoannie-chan]

Exhibition

Character: Steve Rogers.

Word count: 220 words.

Rating: Teen.

Summary: Steve is thinking about the Smithsonian’s exhibition.

Major Tags: Doubts, little sadness.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @catws-anniversary CA:TWS 10th Anniversary Event with the prompt:

"The Smithsonian."

You can read it on Wattpad and Ao3 too.

@saiyanprincessswannie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @harrysthiccthighss @marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes @sapphire-rogers @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard @rogersbarber

Steve left the proposal documents on the table. He didn't know what to think, but he had to say that at that moment, he could feel the gaze of Tony, Fury, and other government agents on him, waiting, not so patiently anymore, for him to make a decision.

He wasn't entirely sure that the exhibition about him at the Smithsonian was an idea, but he also didn't like people following him wherever he went. Maybe he could divert attention to the exhibition.

“The profits..."

“We thought it would be a good idea to give some of it to a veterans' association," Nick interjected.

“Sounds good," Steve said. “About Bucky..."

“We have permission from his sisters' descendants."

“I'd like to have a space dedicated to him in the exhibition," Steve asked.

The others looked at each other and nodded.

“You don't have to be there every day, Cap; if you want to, just on the opening day, you could give a speech; you can choose what you want to be displayed and what you don't," Tony said.

Steve smiled a little. He had only wanted to help his country, and now that he was facing the possibility of having an exhibition at the Smithsonian, maybe he could use it to honor the memory of his friends and colleagues from that time.

[phenomenalgirl9]

Soulbound: Xu Minghao x Reader

Summary: In a world where lucky people found soulmates. Xu Minghao rushed into your life breaking your walls and showing you the strength of the red string of fate.

A/n: This was inspired by this reel by @/joshuu.woah on Instagram. Also, Happiest Birthday to this baby love he has brought me joy, comfort and helped me be unapologetically myself. Thank you for lighting up my work!

W/c: 1.5k(-ish)

Genre: Soulmate au, fluff, a pinch of angst if you squint.

Warning: none (i think)

Rating: U

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

The red string of fate… soulmates, bonding, was never much of Your interest. 

Well, ever since your father walked out on your mother and you for a different woman, his actual soulmate. He left you both to fend for yourself, never even turning back. 

You and your friends Seungkwan and Chan were struggling just as much as you were to not be thrown down by the crowd. "Next station Gangnam" the mechanical voice said and you three sighed, just a few more minutes and you'll be free. The three of you maneuvered through the crowd to get to the gate just in time as you left the train. "Boochan all okay?" You asked but the two were nowhere to be found. You fished into your pockets only to remember that you had let Chan put your phone into his pocket when the crowd was getting dense as yours were filled with random stuff. "Oh shit" you cursed and started to look around in hope to be able to see traces of either of the two. "Ouch" you rubbed your shoulder some tall blonde dude collided with you. 

"Y/n!" You heard Seungkwan's voice and followed it. "Kwanna! Channie!" You said and the two rushed towards you as soon as they saw you. "Thank God you're not dead or lost" Seungkwan said and you smacked him. 

You walked through the streets of Gangnam looking through Naver maps in order to reach the shop ypu were searching. 

"Y/n? Why do you keep itching your wrist?" Chan suddenly asked when you realized you were exactly doing that for a long time. You pulled down your sleeve to examine the area and exclaimed "OH GOD! OH GOD!" 

"What? Did you get a rash or some-" Seungkwan stopped mid-sentence. "OH MY GOD" Chan exclaimed, as he looked at this new Yellow heart on your wrist. 

"When did this happen?" They both asked in sync. "I don't know, it surely wasn't there before we got on the train, I don't rem-" and your eyes went wide "that guy bumped into me on the platform" you said. "You met your soulmate! Y/n" Seungkwan said "Look! It changes color!" He added and you noticed the heart turn red.

"Oh my god, what's going on?! And this keeps itching" you said. "Y/n, what did the guy look like?" Chan asked, scanning the passersby. "Look like? Oh I didn't see his face. Just that he was tall, quite tall and blonde" you said.

"Look around Y/n you described a huge crowd! Tall and blonde?!" Seungkwan whined. "I didn't know he was going to-" you stopped, it still feels difficult to say "Whatever, lets go" you said, brushing it off, well it's not like you knew you this random person could turn out to be your… uh soulmate. So you only remember the very basic features and his saddle bag, colorful and stylish.

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

2 Days Later

“Why are you even still looking?” Y/n said with a frustrating sigh. “Y/n, It’s your soulmate. Aren’t you a tad bit anxious” Seungkwan asked. “We literally seem more excited than you are” Chan retorted. You shook your head and stood up, “I have class” you said, the mark suddenly started itching again “Uhhg! Stupid universe” you cursed as you walked away. 

You failed to see this passing tall blonde guy that passed right beside you, also itching his wrist. However, Chan noticed him and elbowed Seungkwan, just like he did whenever he saw ANY ‘Tall Blonde Guy’. “Not every tall blonde guy is-” Seungkwan stopped, “He is itching his wrist” the two looked at each other. 

You sat in the class as your eyes drifted towards the mark. It has been bluish since the morning, but it's turning yellow slowly. You wondered what he must be doing to change these colors. BooChan thinks this depends on his mood, that's a probable explanation. Before you knew it the color turned yellow and something within you yearned, to know what moods signified these colors, you wondered what his face would be like, how it would shine under the sunlight. Before you knew the classes were over and you headed towards the cafe to get some studying done cause you had to wait for Boochan. 

You made your way towards the cafe, busy itching the pulsing mark on your wrist that suddenly decided to irritate you, you didn't see where you were going and you collided with someone. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see which way I was going" you said, still not looking up, but you stopped when your eyes landed on the bag that the person infront of you was carrying, it looked so familiar. You felt the itching and pulsing as you slowly looked up at this tall guy who was blonde. His eyes equally shocked, his expression mirroring yours.

"It's… you" he whispered. Your eyes went wide in realisation and you did the first thing that came to your mind, you bolted. 

"Wait" The guy screamed, too stunned to speak or react. A very shocked Chan was seen running in the same direction as you as an out of breath Seungkwan stopped infront of the (very) shocked guy. "What-happened?" He asked. "She bolted" he finally piped out, a "who are you?" Followed it. "I'm her best friend, the other running guy too. Boo Seungkwan" he introduced himself. "Xu Minghao" he replied tring his best to smile "I can't help but ask, does she hate me or something?". 

Seungkwan felt sorry for the clueless boy and replied "she's just overwhelmed, don't worry, she'll come along" he said. Minghao glanced at his soul-bonding mark on his wrist, its blue. "She's sad" he whispered with a frown. "You know the meaning of the colors?" Seungkwan asked in shock and Minghao nodded, telling Seungkwan how much he researched ever since he got his mark. "It itches when ever were close by, I think the itching stopped when we touched for the second time" he added surprised at the level of research the guy has done.

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

Next Day

"Remember what I said?" Seungkwan asked and you nodded. Yes, the two managed to calm you and convince you to come him. Well, he did deserve a chance you had questioned yourself.

You entered the cafe that Seungkwan had told the guy who you now knew to be Minghao to meet you at. You peeked and found the tuft of blonde hair sitting. You entered and walked to him after taking a (big) breath. 

"Hey" you said in a soft voice. Minghao looked up with his (pretty) eyes and gave a smile, one that warmed you too and you couldn't help but mirror it.

"I'm so sorry for yesterday, I shouldn't have run like that" you said as you took the seat. He assured you that he's seen worse reactions than that and you decided to belive him. You got to know Minghao was actually from China and he was majoring in performing arts here, he was also part of a popular dance crew. You told him about yourself and you talked about your friends. Turned out you both knew Seokmin, the campus sunshine. You looked at your mark to find it yellow, it must be the color of joy cause the mark on his wrist was the same color. 

"You get angry quite often?" You ask in the middle of his story as an inference. "You're asking based on the story of the soul-bonding mark mood color? It shows red often?" He asked and you laughed. "I seen it flash red for various lengths of times, but also the story" you confirmed. To this Minghao told you how he meditates often to manage his anger and his friends always tease him too much. You didn't know how but spending time with him, talking, laughing felt different, like it felt relieving. You didn't know if it's you or the soulmate bond but you felt like you could trust him.

So, before parting, when he offered a hug, you accepted it. His smell intoxicating your senses and his arms felt like your anchor. You felt like nothing could harm you. It felt like, home. 

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

"Hey" Minghao said as he smiled warmly at you. "Hey Hao" you said and he handed you your preffered coffee order. "You knew?" You asked abd he nodded. Of course your soulmate knew you weren't having he best day since it's been blue since morning. So he rushed to get you some coffee. He intertwined his hand with yours and said "how about we go out after classes?"

"I'd like that" you said. 

Falling for Xu Minghao wasn't a decision it was a process, a smooth one. You don't know if it was the red string that pulled you to him or its just because its him. But you fell more and for that smile, his judgy glares, his sassy comments. The way he kisses you as if you're the only one he's ever wanted and then proves it with his actions. Made you know, the universe isn't that dumb, cause it brought your Hao, to you. 

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

Other Works

My networks:  @sandsofire   @k-vanity @caratlibrary  

[oswaldsleftbicep]

Hi!

I just saw that you have 0 requests, so imma give you one:)

How do you think would the boys insta profiles look like? Like their posts oder their stories..

You can show it with pictures like you did at that other request.. if it is easier for you;) Greetings

the boys and their insta profiles!

the way i ran to pinterest as soon as i read this ask-

i decided to go with instagram since that's the social platform i use most, also i have officially decided that the brothers' last name is morningstar lol

all images found on pinterest!

genre: other

cw: mature themes in ricardo's, language

❧ he's basically a social media influencer

❧ he posts about the places he travels to and the shenanigans he gets up to with his friends

❧ on his stories he'll post his friends' content, little updates, and any memes he finds funny

❧ he'll also boost any social movements/local efforts, uses his platform for good

❧ wanted to make a dark academia aesthetic page but that was too much effort

❧ also thought about doing a book review page, but that was also too much work

❧ ended up getting a lot of attention from lucia's fans who comment on his posts thinking it'll get lucia's attention?? so levy has the word "lucia" banned from his comments lmao

❧ his stories are full of historical content, and he absolutely follows a "this day in history" type page

❧ most people think his page is some sort of arg, cryptic mystery

❧ his followers have tried to reverse image search his post, thinking it's ai or from a video game, but it's completely original and taken by mefy

❧ where is this place? why did he take it? why does the caption only say "time is running out"? why is he verified??

❧ added to the mystery is the fact that the year on the post is years before instagram was launched mefy hacked the app to do that, he just likes fucking with people

❧ had kurt help him set up his account lol

❧ all of his captions are complete sentences, it's very old man of him

❧ posts mainly about nature and his garden, and he'll show off anything that kurt makes him

❧ on his story he'll post inspirational quotes

❧ only has this account to keep an eye on lucia and kurt

❧ he also follows levy, mefy, and oswald

❧ mefy doesn't follow him back

❧ doesn't intend to post anything ever, he just doesn't see the point

❧ goes live a lot to do readings and horoscopes once a week

❧ keeps his regular posts to a minimum, but posts a lot on his story about space, nature, and astrology

❧ lowkey the only reason why he's got so many followers is because lucia beefs about him a lot on his page

❧ now there's a whole team lucia vs team mikael feud going on in their mini fandom

❧ lemme hear you say thirst traps!!

❧ the only reason he's so famous is because he's hot and an asshole

❧ every now and then he'll post his gun and if it gets taken down within a week, he'll let a random follower choose his next tattoo

❧ he's technically also a social media influencer, but for all the wrong reasons

❧ the link in his bio leads to his other socials, paypal/venmo, and an only fans

❧ ricardo lowkey talked him into getting an account so he can cyberbully him

❧ doesn't know what he's doing; looked up "profile pictures" and picked the first one he found amusing

❧ same thing with his singular post, and the caption is simply "this is funny"

❧ his followers are mikael, ricardo, oswald, and lucas, whom he follows all back as well as a cat meme page

❧ another influencer who got famous for his pretty boy aesthetic and howl pendragon vibes

❧ none of his followers know his location, and they cannot for the life of them figure it out; it's similar to mefy's page where all his posts are completely original, but nobody knows where they were taken

❧ also uses his platform for good, and the link in his bio leads to a bunch of activism resources and articles

❧ this is his main page, just a bunch of middle school shenanigans

❧ has a spam account that's really popular at his school; it's basically a school meme page with regular memes sprinkled in

❧ he also secretly runs his school's shoot your shot page

❧ complaints about his job on his story but always forgets that kaim follows him lmao

[not-goldy]

Dear Goldy - Not - Goldy, I didn't want to disturb you, but you are probably the only person whose opinion I would like to know about JK's TIK TOK account. When Jung Kook deleted his IG account, I was shocked, I admit. I thought: this man is wonderfully unpredictable, uncompromising.

I enthusiastically told my friend about it, leaving out all the context, just the fact that a BTS guy deleted an account that had over 40 million followers. A friend who works in marketing immediately said "they must have told him". Literally: agency. I was outraged. After some time, information appeared in SM that the head of tik tok invites JK to tik tok. I was hoping it was just a joke. and yet not. Shouldn't we consider it likely that the JK's rebel image is a marketing ploy? And that someone taught from a teenager to follow the expectations of others will do it, because the rebellion gene would be nipped in the bud?

"They must have told him- to delete his IG you mean?

Jeon Jungkook was told to delete his Instagram and he did??? Scratching my head on that really. By that i disagree with that assertion. Why would they ask him to delete his IG and not ask the members to delete theirs too?

So he can promote tiktok instead is that it??? Or that's not what you implying with the whole he went to see tiktok big brains part??? If that's the argument, then I recall Instagram messaging him too asking him if he needed assistance restoring his account🤷🏾

He's a huge brand and these platforms want him that's for facts. I wager they'd want to pay hefty commissions to him to keep him on there- but the fact that this was his burner account and not his official account kinda means he sneaked under company and tiktok noses.

He probably doesn't want the attention. His eye 👁 pfp reminds me of my header- it also reminds me of his eye tattoo. Weird.

It's not at all surprising he has a secret tiktok account. We've always said they are among us on secret accounts, engaging with us, seeing, reading and hearing everything. They did it with Twitter, IG, YT, Tiktok, Tumblr- wherever there's army there's BTS. They are watching.

So I wouldn't want to read too much into this or treat it as some conspiracy theory out there- but that's me. I could be wrong so to each their own.

But really what does the company stand to gain from him deleting his IG and losing all that followers. Some people have 1m followers and do you know how much money that translates into for them????

Platforms like IG is often negotiated as part of their brand deals. Brands are not only paying you to use your face and image to promote their Brands, they pay these celebs EXTRA cash to post branded content on their personal platforms.

Jungkook is the only member who hasn't monetized his platform. He is on tiktok yes, but it isn't monetized. I think he enjoys his freedom too much. He deleted ig because he said there was no point in having it if he couldn't do whatever he wanted with it- if I recall correctly. And he said he has no intentions of going back there. He keeps saying that in spite of the financial opportunities that exist on there for him- and remember this is the same dude who risked lawsuits to promote his brother's brand. You'd think a platform such as IG would come in handy if he wants to help himself and others as well.

His rebellious image as a marketing ploy- at this point I squint in confusion. A ploy means its fake and not at all real. Well, it's a marketing ploy if the year is 2009 and Jungkook can't see past Namjoon's thick thighs to stay in the group lol.

Personally I think his "rebellious image" if we should call it that, is not at act. He is in fact strong willed and assertive. The rebelliousness it stems from a lot of things- Namjoon mentioned he went through a teenage rebellious phase which i think is very much normal. Sometimes he becomes rebellious if his values conflict with others. Eg if hybe and the brands' policies conflicts with his personal values. It's not all an act, or persona or marketing- it's him unable to conform his values unto theirs and reconcile those. He has said this over and over. Remember how he said he went with Calvin Klein because their values matched his? They probably aren't breathing down his neck and threatening to cut ties with him if he breaks his family friendly image or gets involved in a scandal. These companies can be so brutal.

He is not a sell out. He stays true to himself always and he's being driven by a strong inner sense of self and a strong moral compass.

He would go with the company's plans and strategies if he thinks it suits him or if he wants to do it. If he don't then he won't- no one can mke him do what he don't like. It's that simple.

the only way he would do something he doesn't want to do is if it's for love i'd assume or if he were contractually obligated to do so.

There's also a recurring theme with him which is that HE IS A FREE BIRD can't cage him, won't tame him, he does and will do whatever he damn pleases. That makes him come off as rebellious. It's what we mean when we say he's Jeon Jungkook. Kinda admire him on that score

Could this persona have been carved for him in the early days? Sure. BUT THEY ALL SAID THEY STOPPED GOING WITH THE COMPANY SCRIPT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T SUIT THEM. Jin even talked about this too.

Recently he asked someone on his live whether they were child- safe to say he's grown up himself no? While in the group he always wanted to be respected and treated as an adult. I'm sorry but I don't think he would avail his strings to be pulled on like a puppet by anyone.

Plus this is his Solo phase. Those personas were fashioned to keep the group interesting. He's not in a group anymore and dont need these tactics. He's outgrown them. and the only persona that sells for him is if he is himself. HE IS THE BRAND. HIM. NOBODY ELSE.

I for one I'm more interested in Jeon Jungkook than any facade anyone wants him to put on.

Also their solo phase certainly impacts the power dynamics between the company and the boys. He can decide be don't want to do solo or music any more and the company won't have anything to say about that. Of course there's still contracts with brands, and record labels and food delivery and he has to fulfill his obligations under those but it's pretty much his way or the high way these days 🥴

I like to think he has more control over his career and life in general now compared to when he was part of a group and just a child pursuing a career in an industry such as kpop. As a member of a team his identity was tied to the groups. Whatever he said and did affected everyone's career and reputation in the group, and in turn affected their brand deals so there was so much pressure to conform and so much censorship of his actions and words whereas now whatever he does dont affects them. just him and his brand.

You can see his marketing strategies though. Participating in challenges, going on live shows to promote his music, sharing links on weverse, filming with members- I don't even think he's leaning so much into his ships as a means of pushing his song. Trust me, he's not compromising himself and his values just to sell a song. He's doing everything by the books. Nothing shady going on here🥴

As usual it's just my opinion. Time will tell if he's doing all this as some marketing ploy.

Now about his Tiktok-

I know I said I won't make fun of him but...

Ian, sir????? KWEN-KWENCHENA SIR??🤣🤣🤣🤣

Why, was Shawn McGregor taken??🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ian Elordi Jackson I'm dead🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Please if I hear someone call him Mathew I'm finished

And here I thought him popping out of a coffin was the most white boy thing he's ever done🤣🤣🤣🤣

He's finished. Haters are going to drag the shit out of him for this. They always after him claiming he's trynna be white lmho.

It's gonna get bloody this week prepare for battle guys. We have a captain to protect- Captain Ian Kook

[davidmariottecomics]

Burning a Resource (Or How I'm Leaving Twitter)

Hey again! 

Yesterday, I drew and posted a little comic on my various socials (reposted here) about how I'm gearing up to officially shut down my Twitter. And I want to talk a little bit about why it isn't an immediate thing that I'm doing, and some thoughts I've had on losing what has ultimately been a really valuable resource in my personal and professional life, particularly in light of how it has gotten people jobs. 

Why am I Leaving?

The long and short is I can't ethically stay. I find Elon Musk to be detestable as a human being and wish him nothing but ill-will, in the same way that he uses his money and resources to push ill-will upon the world. And under his reign--because he certainly treats it as a kingdom--the site had gotten a lot worse in a bunch of ways. For months, people have been describing the overall site's decline into far right views and activism. You can see all the problems of greed and bad business sense at work as so many functions have gone offline or been shunted to only being accessible behind a pay wall. There're increasing problems of the user experience--I know someone who has basically given up on Twitter because the site makes them "verify their identity/that they're human" multiple times a day, and then directs them to the Twitter Rules, without any sort of guidance on how any rule that Twitter has may've been violated. And, yes, there are a lot of services that I've elected to use despite having compunctions about them, but that's uhh... living in a capitalistic society and having to make decisions on how far you're willing to flex and while that's not a morally great feeling, it's part of how we have to exist at the moment and being cognizant of the decisions we make around these things is an important part of navigating further use. And this point, I am not going to keep using Twitter. 

Why am I Staying? 

That all said, I'm not leaving this exact moment. I'm not sure of my exact exit date. By the end of 2023, certainly. But I have a few things I'd like to wrap up before I go, and I want to briefly walk you through them. 

First off, let me just say, this is also very highly influenced by my age. I am of the age when I have never worked at a company that didn't have a social media presence while I was there. I watched in real time as platforms like Twitter and Facebook became a regular part of business--through promotion and connections--and how that was added to workflows as I was coming up. I think a lot of the people who've had an easier time detransitioning from socials are folks who were not trained onto it from a young age. But that's not my case and I want to make sure that the business and personal aspects of my life that have been entangled in Twitter are compensated for in other ways. 

To me, the most important loss that will come from this is of community. And that's why I've continued to stay above all else. There are a lot of folks I'm connected to on Twitter that I don't have connections to other places. Functionally, I like Bluesky a lot. I'm about to hit 1000 followers, which all told, is pretty good. I have over 4 times that on Twitter, but I would guess a significant portion of that difference is not on Bluesky because it's invite only. And while I may have connections here and there on other platforms, they're pretty diffused and I am not using most of those platforms regularly enough to actually know who all is where. Like, despite everything I just about Bluesky, it's my second largest platform above Facebook (not counting the IDW Sonic Squad page), Instagram, and on anything else, less than 100 people are set-up to regularly see my posts, and that makes the way I use social media harder to do. 

And the primary way I do use social is to find and connect with creators and help promote their projects. So, this week, I'm setting my Twitter up with scheduled posts and through whenever I deactivate, I'll still have my posts going out about new projects that are important to me and to the people who worked hard on them. I think their work deserves whatever boost of recognition it might get from my social presence there.

In the coming weeks, my other big project will be to get as much contact info as I can. I have found so many artists that I really like on Twitter and I want to be able to reach out to them when I want/need to. I want to make sure my friends and I exchange ways to communicate outside of this. I'm taking this upon myself because that's, I dunno, my role? Editors tend to be the ones to reach out when we have a project. So I want to make sure I'm doing my part of be proactive about keeping that up. 

Finally, I want to make sure that I'm not completely out of touch with the other personal and practical parts of Twitter. I follow Genshin Impact because I think the game's fun. I frequently get updates on it through Twitter and should probably make sure if I want to continue those updates, I'm aware of how to get them otherwise. I follow journalists and sex workers and activists and unions and smart people whose thoughts I don't want to lose and dumb people who post real funny and just like... my friends and I'd like to make sure they aren't lost in the ether either. 

How We Collectively Move Forward Earlier this week, Becca and I got to do something pretty cool and talk to a class of sequential art students. If you were one of those students and are now reading this, hi! But we were asked to attend to give sort of a really cumulative look at working in comics from the point of view of an editor who has been at this for a long time and from a working freelance artist who does a lot of tabling at shows and indie work and is also still looking to get in and start doing work at bigger companies. As part of that, we talked to the kids about the advantages of tabling at and attending cons and how to go about meeting editors at shows and generally, how best to get the attention of an editor.

One of the things we talked about was with Twitter becoming less of an option, one of the more accessible ways to get on an editor's radar is going away. Not that editors like to be cold DM'ed necessarily, but as someone who has found a lot of talent through specifically Twitter and who recognizes that interstate, much less international, travel for cons is expensive and taxing, it sucks to lose that resource. And that's compounded by a lot of other resources going sideways--like, DeviantArt and ArtStation and some of the other art sharing sites have become hotbeds of AI theft bullshit and were full of NFTs before that. Some of the other potential social sites that could be used to promote your art like Cohost or Mastodon or TikTok are not always the best at discoverability or a good match to how you interact online (I don't really use any of those platforms). It's tough.

As has been said time and time again, it's neither fair nor particularly productive to have a significant portion of your work day be crossposting a million times and places and slightly different formats hoping to have your work hit where and when it needs to. Making comics is often a 2nd shift job, or a 4th & 5th shift job as you're trying to do more consistent work--be it a day job or non-comics freelance, plus caring for a family of some sort, plus the act of making art being a different job from the act of promoting it being a different job from the act of actually running an independent business to do all these things. 

My only real solution is, y'know, collective support. On my own website, I have a Friends page with links to the sites of people I like and have worked with or like the work of. I know that the Cartoonist Cooperative has a talent database of their members. There's a fairly new Adult Artist Webring. One of the best things I think creators can do with their peers is equivalent exchange projects--be that getting blurbs from or having your friends/peers post about your new project on their platforms, exchanging promos of projects on Kickstarter updates or just reposting each other's stuff, making ad swaps so if you have an indie project, you can put an ad for your friend's thing in it. I think other people should of course have Friend-type pages on their websites, and I am always appreciative when an artist reaches out or declines a project and recommends some other folks they know. It's a major part of how things build in this industry and how we do maintain connection outside of social media spheres. 

And, from an editorial perspective, one of the things that's really tough to navigate sometimes is how welcome you are in some of these spaces. I've mentioned Discords before, and while they can be a really great communal resource to the artists in them, there are a lot of very regular, valid reasons why artists might not want an editor in that space. So it does have to be considered and measured where and how folks are presenting themselves to get that visibility and traction. 

My last thought is y'know do try your hardest while also, again, accepting that this is a ton of work all the time and is often done on top of other work, to figure out what makes sense for you to reach out to people. If you aren't able to go to cons and meet editors, or you're only able to go to cons where you don't think many editors are attending, how do you move forward? Well, maybe your solution is to do a lot of anthologies that have a mix of talent involved and might get some extra eyes on your work because it also includes people who are known names that editors follow. Maybe your solution is to get an agent who can send your work out to editors on a regular basis and let them know when you're looking for work. Maybe your solution is to get a hold of cool comic and zine shops and see if they'll do consignment on your books, even if you aren't local, because they're local to where publishing is. Maybe your solution is to look up if a company has a talent director/scout type role and to reach out to them, rather than editorial directly. There are alternate ways to both social media and cons to get your work in front of hiring folks eyes, thought they also require a bit of leg-work and luck. 

Because I've talked about it a lot, here are the other places you can find me online. 

Bluesky Instagram My Website Patreon Tumblr Buttondown Linktree I am on Cohost, Mastodon, Facebook, and LinkedIn, but don't really use them actively, so not linking here.  You can email me, though I ask you please follow my rules on the contact page.  If we know each other, you can ask for my Discord handle or my phone #. 

Until next time!  What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Solve This Murder (Podcast), One Piece (Manga), The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (Book), Reverse 1999 (Video Game), Joe Pera Talks with You (TV show), Witch Watch (Manga), Freakazoid (TV show), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Troy Little's graphic novel adaptation), drawing a little comic and generally trying to do a little more art to go with my writing, when the cats do understand their new litterbox. 

New Releases this week (11/8/2023): Godzilla Rivals: Round Two (Editor on most of it) Sonic the Hedgehog #66 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles' Greatest Hits (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: The IDW Art Collection (Editor)

New Releases next week (11/15/2023): Godzilla Rivals: vs. Mechagodzilla (Editor)

Announcements: If you'd like to have me on your podcast, Twitch stream, at your convention, signing at your store, talking to your students, whatever, feel free to hit me up via my contact page. To those first couple things, sorry a few podcasty/Twitch-streamy things have been delayed. We've been having some headphone/mic technical issues, but that should be fixed soon. 

Wanna support me? Visit my webstore, my Patreon, my Kofi, or my eBay. And you can always visit Becca's portfolio/shop/Patreon/Twitch streams too.

It may feel futile as all polling already shows we aren't being listened to, but email, call, or fax your representatives to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and the stopping of a genocide. There are also plenty of places to donate your time and money. 

Pic of the Week: Enjoy a little comic about leaving Twitter. 

[astrognossienne]

on andrew tate

Sagittarius men are...interesting to say the least. They are also excellent candidates for the cautionary tales that fascinate me so much; more often than not they are disasters of human beings. It is in this spirit that I dive into the chart of Andrew Tate, the "self-help" personality who revels in almost medieval misogyny. Starting out as a kickboxer, Tate had his first dalliance with a public spotlight through the 2016 season of the UK's Big Brother reality show. It lasted six days. Tate was kicked off the show after a video appearing to show Tate beating a woman with a belt, threatening her with violence if she "texts him again." Tate has more recently become famous as an online personality promising to show boys and men how to "escape the matrix" -- shorthand for becoming more wealthy and successful with women. Before being banned from social media platforms for his rather extreme views, he had over 4.5 million Instagram followers, as well as 600,000 subscribers on his "Tate Speech" YouTube account. Videos carrying his hashtag on TikTok have been viewed over 14 billion times. On November 19, Twitter CEO Elon Musk reinstated deleted accounts for the likes of Donald Trump as well as Tate, where he has continued espousing his views...until his views caught up with him in a real way. Let's look at his chart:

Sometimes or a lot of times Sagittarius men are, strangely enough, like earth sign men in the sense that they feel like if they make a lot of money and/or help a woman financially they can treat women any way they want. Not surprised at his sun sign or placements, especially the Pisces placements, yeah sounds about right. Pisces are so emotional and petty when it comes to everything women. Not shocked by this chart at all. No Cancer in his chart, which is why he's such an uncivilized and unconscionable demon; he suffers from traditional devolved Jupiter energy, which can manifest itself in cult leader-like behaviour or “self righteous” prophets.

That Mars in Pisces is why he’s bitchmade and uses basic red pill points to mask his own deficiency; he’s overcompensating for his lack of real masculinity. If you search pictures of him before he shaved his head (because he was prematurely balding) you can see how he was never really a masculine or “alpha” type of man. Sun conjunct Moon is why he’s so stubborn when it comes to other people’s opinions; his ego and emotions are in lockstep so he is simple single minded about his views. He's the type that does not understand why it's so hard for others to get their mind and emotions on the same page, even if a wrong one.

Venus conjunct Pluto in Scorpio with his Venus in the 5° (the erotic degree), which means in time, he will be freed from his physical preoccupation with sex, and he will be more able to enjoy all kinds of human contacts. It also means that he attracts people despite him being dumb as fuck. They may be interested in his dramatic sense or his artistic leanings, or they may be fascinated by his fearless involvement in deep and sometimes dangerous alliances. He arouses deep responses in people, even those he contacts casually. His nature stimulates both positive and negative reactions. Although he's a Sag, he’s extremely Scorpio just based off of that conjunction and placement.

Sun conjunct moon in Sag in the 9th—he really thinks highly of himself. Too highly of himself. Like all fire signs do. Under the influence of certain religious, moral and doctrinal teachings, the assumption of certitude can be made, especially as there can be an underlying pattern of desiring to be authoritative, and to assert or impose personal views as being the only correct ones. Ultimately, taking such a stance proves to be restrictive and self-limiting, closing perceptions and options down to only those which are 'allowable', and thus distorting individual understanding and perspective. Taking moralistic attitudes often corresponds with assuming critical and judgemental positions, which only fuels the separation of people within society rather than connecting them more strongly. His BIG ego and BIG emotions are in sync (Sag is Jupiter ruled, remember)—so that explains his larger than life ego. In spite of his seeming self-assurance, he's not too successful in relating to people except at the social level.

As a Sagittarius with a Mercury in Scorpio—he feels like what he says is deep and profound (when it really isn't). Nonetheless, having Mercury in Scorpio forces him into a more singular determined direction. He has the talent of hypnotizing others into something he wants them to do against their total acceptance. He shows how he feels or what he thinks by facial expressions, mannerisms and an enthusiastic sparkle to his eyes, which is shown through his videos.

His chart is mostly Sag, Scorpio & Pisces—that’s one Jupiter ruled sign, one Jupiter/Neptune ruled sign, and one Mars/Pluto ruled. I can definitely see all three because Pluto makes its mark through his thought process and Jupiter is known for expansion (of his fanbase of misogynists). Also Pisces is the sign of delusions; in case it's delusions of grandeur. With that last part being said, he looks really soft and probably was a sensitive man before he was scorned seeing actual real men get the respect from women he wishes he had without force/disrespect.

His need for control/domination over women stems from not only his Scorpio/Pluto dominance, but also his Lilith in Gemini opposite his Sag sun means that women are dangerous; they scare him and threaten his ego, so he needs to get them under his thumb with his tongue/the weapon of mass communication. As a Pisces dominant, he's a beta male, so the fact that he knows he isn’t the type of man to naturally evoke respect/admiration from women so he went so far to the extreme end of manosphere in order to fake it till he makes it. He thinks being red pill means being an alpha, but he’s so wrong, he looks even more bitchmade then before he started to spout this bullshit. Like men with Cancer Mars, some men with Mars in Pisces don’t have a healthy relationship with aggression/sex/relations with the other sex because they’re naturally prone to be sensitive or “weak” but they hate that because they refuse to be under control from women, or are ashamed of the fact they’re so soft/sensitive so they veer to the extreme end to overcompensate or throw other people off the scent of their sensitivity (a typical Scorpio and Pisces trait).

He has a Scorpio Venus, Pluto and Mercury as well as a Pisces Mars which conjunct his Jupiter (from a wider orb but its to be considered nonetheless); so with all that outward-turning water energy, he’s definitely loud and wrong and he’s quite proud about it. Scorpio likes to investigate and get to the bottom of things, and they also hold grudges harder than everyone likes to say Cancers do, so that's also why he’s not letting his grudge towards women go. Saturn especially adds a restricting influence to what it touches. He might be repressed and instead of taking that and internalizing (if Saturn would be retrograde), he externalizes by asking others to also repress someone (namely women).

His chart is mostly a Minor Triangle, which is one trine and two sextiles. Trine planets are energies that are integrated in his personality and easily expressed, and a sextile is dynamic which requires some sort of effort. Him being a professional fighter both physically (Mars dominance) and verbally as well as always seeking opportunities to spread his message represents that. Until his arrest, it was working well for him because these energies were working together easily and positively, although what he is actually saying is upsetting to people.

If he had more lowkey planets he’d be an obscure guru with a big following but his Sag sun and fire dominance, specifically his Sagittarius stellium (3 or more planets in the same sign) adds this focus of speaking out bluntly to anyone that challenges him, even privately, which is entertaining and lights a fire of rebellion in others.

The motherfucker was on a roll until he played himself late last year by coming for Capricorn environmentalist Greta Thunberg.

She may not have Cancer in her chart either, but despite this, she’s still a human being anyway. At least the only water sign represented, Scorpio, gives her the courage of her convictions and a fierce yet evident humaneness about her as does her earth and air dominance. Uranus dominance means that she is a conduit for change. Saturn dominance, she is very serious about her mission. She cares deeply and is willing to fight fiercely for what she loves (as is evidenced in her Venus and Mars in Scorpio)--her ideals (Aquarius dominance) and she is fixed and focused in her goal (Capriocrn, earth and fixed dominance).

On December 27, 2022, Tate addressed Thunberg in a tweet extolling his carbon-emitting automobiles and asked for her email address to give her more information. The following day, Thunberg (who's also a Capricorn moon and Mercury) replied with the fake email address "smalldickenergy@getalife.com".

The exchange received substantial attention on Twitter and became one of the most-liked tweets ever. Almost immediately after this exchange, he filmed a video in which pizza boxes were visible that eagle-eyed viewers noted gave away his place of residence. On December 29, 2022, Tate and his brother, Tristan, were arrested in Romania along with two women; all four are charged with human trafficking and forming an organized crime group.

These are the transits for his arrest. His sun squared Uranus in Taurus and Neptune in Pisces on December 29, 2022, which is a somewhat disruptive transit, during which people were subject to sudden upsets or to behaviour that is upsetting to others (Tate's extreme viewpoints and unnecessary trolling of Thunberg). The main point is that he could expect the unexpected that day becasue of his actions. Which he did. He was obviously not clear-headed enough to pull off a convincing deception of his greatness (hence the pizza boxes detailing his location in the video). His moon squared Moon and Neptune in Pisces that day, which meant that there were moments of difficulty and irritation. Old points of view, habits picked up in childhood, prejudices — all misled him under this influence. His relations with women were not very smooth at this time. His emotions were discordant, and he was more inclined to get into disagreements with others (Thunberg), which had the greatest effect in his most personal life and domestic situation (his arrest).

Thunberg, ever the succinct earth and air dominated Capricorn, tweeted:

this is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes

More of an accurate analysis would be had provided there was a birth time for this individual, of course, but yeah. That's all I got.

[xplrvibes]

Okay, this is probably going to be veeerrrryyyy long, sorry but I have to get something off my chest. There are a few things I've been discussing with others recently and everyone agreed that I could share it with you here. No one has to agree with me/us.

Okay, let's go.

Katelyn and Malia- We personally don't like them BUT we don't spread hate or comment on their pictures, we don't follow them or anything else. If Sam and Colby are happy, they are happy and that is the only thing that matters to us! I can't take all this drama anymore, really. One of the things we say is that you don't have to like the girls and you can still support SnC. JUST DON'T SPREAD HATE!! There's too much of it in the fandom.

Stas and Kat- Yes, many, probably 90% of the fandom miss them BUT Sam and Colby have moved on in life and the fandom has to do the same. We will never see Stas and Kat in a SnC video again. Nevertheless, you can still support Stas and Kat. We will never see Sam and Kat again, that's the reality, just like we will never see Stas and Colby together again.

The Collabs- Yes, of course, some people like the collabs, some don't. We personally like the collabs but we still wish that SnC would do something alone in a video again without the collabs. It is also sometimes questionable who they are filming a video with. SnC should find out more about that, but that doesn't really matter now. The fact is, if SnC only did something on their own, the fans would (maybe) get bored after a while and then the questions about this or that person who should be in the video come more and more frequently.

Social Media- I have read a lot that fans think (not all of them, of course) that Sam and Colby are too rarely active on platforms like Twitter, Instagram and many more. But have most people perhaps already thought about the fact that the two are 27 and their lives do not just consist of sitting on their cell phones? There is still a private life that the two of them lead, which clearly means that you don't have to share your life completely just because you are a public figure. Sam and Colby are not obligated to share their whole lives with us and i mean everything with that.

Merch- I can't say much about it, except that it's too expensive and unfortunately some fans just can't afford it. Some people want the old merch back, maybe Sam and Colby will consider bringing the old merch back in for a while.

Sam and Colby ignore their fans- NO, DAMN IT. These two are totally busy bringing us content this year!! They travel here and there, stay up all night shooting their videos, editing, cutting and everything. They even got help to make things move faster, what more could fans want? Yes, it may be that Sam and Colby don't like many merch pics at the moment, but there is probably an explanation for that. After all, they don't have to sit on their phones all day and like every merch picture they see. The two of them commented on a few topics, obviously not all of them but those that were in focus. That's enough. Sam and Colby have done enough for us since they started YouTube. Let them enjoy their space and their lives.

Colby's relationship- *sighs* I actually didn't want to say anything about it, but okay. He is happy, he is satisfied and that is good. He's in a relationship again after a long time, and the fact that he's liking more edits or pictures of her at the moment is completely normal in my eyes. He's just in love, for goodness sake. If someone doesn't like Malia, then they should just keep it to themselves and not constantly spread hate, which is exactly why Colby never wanted to make a relationship public. These "expose" pages are getting on my nerves. Get a life and let Colby be happy, thanks:) Whether it will end or not, as long as Colby is happy, there is no telling. AND even if it does end with Malia at some point, don't jump on him and say "we knew it." Don't. Fucking. Do. It.

Sam's relationship- *sigh again* I can't say much about it because I personally don't know what to think about Katelyn and Sam or us. Yes, Sam moved on from Kat after a very long relationship but that's just the way it is with some people. If he's happy with Katelyn now, then so be it, let him be happy too. Sure, we miss Sam and Kat, but the reality is that they are separated and Kat will have a new boyfriend at some point. To make a long story short: LET SAM AND COLBY BE HAPPY OR MAKE MISTAKES, THEY ARE NORMAL PEOPLE LIKE ALL OF US!!

Shea- I'll keep it brief. We don't know what happened between her and Colby. We don't know if she's telling the truth or not. But we will never see Shea in a Colby video again and some people just have to deal with it.

The Fandom- Oh, if I told everyone, I'd probably be followed.😂 It's toxic, most people have two faces and would do anything to get attention from Sam and Colby. I know so many people who edit Malia just to get likes from Colby and I could make it public but I don't, because i'm not that type of person. Right now, everyone is just jumping at each other's throats because half of them like Malia and Katelyn and the other half doesn't. The fandom is falling apart more and more (in my/our eyes) I have never experienced so much toxic stuff as in this fandom and it is terrifying! Especially on Twitter, for God's sake. OF COURSE not everyone in the fandom is toxic, I have met a lot of lovely people and I am grateful for that.

There is so much more but my fingers hurt and I think that's enough to start with.😂 Like i said, no one has to agree with me/us, it's just our opinion how we see the things. Have a good day.🩷

I have nothing to add - thank you for summing it all up, anon(s).

[buddieisgoingcanon25]

About the anon that said that Maybe Ryan doesn't care about the strike. I remember when the strike began oliver made pictures about it and posted on his insta story if memory doesn't trick me there was a picture of ryan being there but 30 minutes after because I went back to double check that picture was deleted and there was only the picture with Aisha and company at the picket line. I don't know if ryan cares or not especially since he promoted that Austrian hotel with C with I think it was a paid promotion by how the videos were made. And also Ryan started to follow the Sag-aftra official account almost at the end of the strike and this account is out for months I know that because they opened a TikTok account too not only Instagram for this strike. Honestly we don't know how Ryan is if he supports them well for him and if it's not I just hope that video promotion that he did with c it wasn't a paid one and they went there for a real vacation and didn't pull a scab move or didn't go against the sag Altra guide lines

From my understanding and some info that one TikTok got shared if some members do a project that goes against the guide lines or scab it can bite them in the ass on the long run of their career, I just hope it is not Ryan's case. Like I said I could be wrong maybe he supports them behind closed doors or maybe not . But deleted pictures of the strike with his presence and him following the page nearly the end After months of silence could be or because someone called him out or idk at this point. It's only an opinion especially since almost everyone of the 911 cast was there and very vocal about it on helping struggling actors and spread awareness one that matter while ryan was radio silent on social media all these months about, if he donated in Silence good for him sometime we don't need to be public about money donation. But I didn't see him use his platform to spread awareness or explain things like a lot of actors like Aisha, Mariska H. , gina Torres, rob Lowe , the sons of anarchy cast ect... like I said it's his choice maybe another motive could be his mental health too. Idk I just wanted to stop and say this. I just hope all the actors get what they ask and they start to work again on current shows or new ones because apparently some ABC shows and from others network canceled some tv shows.

Thanks for your opinion.

[tactivrns]

So I’ve been thinking of some fun things to do while I’m bored in life. You know the funny moments when the fans of anything or a group of people really make all the characters into a big wonderful funny family?

Well I want to that scenario

with KISS & Tumblr

I’ll be making funny descriptions for the funny photos I have for them all! And they’ll be one big family which means it’ll be even more funnier.

I might make an Instagram for them!This means they’ll be one account for each member of KISS I’ll be running that make the big family intersect with each of their unique instagrams! It’s a fan thing and I like the idea! Plus you all can interact with them also! See how they act & have your own fun scenarios as everyone talks to them! But before this starts, let’s talk about the family first:

The Parents:

Gene Simmons 🪦🩸🦇⛓️

the oldest parent

This man is a dilf from what Vinnie says

Honestly the kids think he’s weird-

He’s the strict parent

His favorite child is Eric Singer

Tries his best to be “funny”

Is called Dad even though it does get confusing sometimes

Has has 2 kids-vinnie & singer

Ace Frehley 🛸🪐🚀

The mom of the group

Bottom. That’s all I’m saying.

This man is always either seen with a cigar in his fingers, mouth or even smells like cigar smoke

The alcoholic

Coco is his favorite song & uh…

Has been addicted to Cocaine since he was 15 years old

Because of his addiction, he was take from his parents by CPS

Is an adoptive child

Does what a mom does but he’s drinking a least a shot of vodka before he talks to one of the kids

Don’t get him wrong! He loves his kids, but they get on his nerves…

Had given life to 2 kids which is Eric Carr & Peter Criss

Paul Stanley 💜💫⭐️✨

The second dad

Everyone’s favorite dad

He makes sure his kids are well kept before going to bed

Loves his kids a little too much..

Supports his son with his identity

Spoils Eric Carr whenever he goes

“Awe! You look so cute Eric baby!”

Only has one child which is an original character

The Children:

Peter Criss 🐈‍⬛🧶🐟

The oldest child, 19

If you asked one of the parents, they say he’s the “perfect child”

He’s a good child even though he’s a teenager. Still does teenage stuff but knows what’s bad to do

Athletic

Played in basketball

Good god help him with his math..

tries to follow in the footsteps of his all his parents of being famous

Has his own band, plays in garage: Black Panthers In The Night

Had gigs left to right as he preformed for teen parties

Left the fame get to him & led him to leave home at the age of 18 with his drums, suitcase, & a backpack of other things with money while his siblings sadly were very young and had to watch him go

Had a girlfriend, but they broke up

Is now in a relationship with a boy named Troy who’s a simp for him-

Moved back in the house after an incident with Carr

Vinnie Vincent 💅💋⚱️

The second oldest

16

Makes fun of every single member of the family, everyday.

Styles Carr & Singer’s outfits & let’s the designer make them

He’s make, but likes to dress up as a female because he feels prettier

Has been bullied because of this, but he acted like he didn’t care about it until Gene came to get him from a school party and found him under the bleachers crying as his mascara runs down his face

Got the issue resolved and from the comfort his family members, he has no care about the whispers anymore

Sometimes gives tips to girls as he walks past them

Stands up for any of the other kids that gets whispered: quiet, anime, gacha, artist, streamer, etc.

He’ll fight anyone for them kids & will help them with their content to get better

Whenever you are, you’ll know he’s coming with those platform shoes on

Makeup is his first priority

All drawers in his bathroom has makeup items on it

Is practicing the bass guitar from the helps of his dad

Slowly starting to make himself a famous fashion designer

Relationships aren’t really his thing until his adoptive brother, Tommy Thayer, was revealed by Singer

Tsundere all the way

Can’t take a day without hitting Tommy

It’s a secret relationship until he’s 18 & Tommy 19

Is also in a relationship with Mark Slaughter, his best friend

Eric Carr 🦊🪵🌿

Middle child(?)

14 years old right now

The funnest out of everyone

Really cares for his family

Wants a bit of cleavage on his outfits but Ace is NOT having it

Orange is everything, same with fox

His morning routine consists of him brushing his teeth, watching his face & neck then doing his hair since he got that trait from his Dad (gene-)

If you don’t know where he is, he’s most likely eating chocolate with Singer

He’s learning the drums along with Singer & god its loud…

Gene is Eric’s idol

At the age of 15, Carr was r@ped by Mark St. John resulting Gene to put a restraining order of him and Gene to pull his plug “accidentally”

When he was 16, he officially got in a relationship with Bruce Kulick who also had to learn how to love & wants to help Carr love again

His favorite food is breadsticks & will order that everything they go to Olive Garden

Somehow has a pet Fox…

And a raven…

Sometimes shows his Fox ears & tails when he’s around the family & only when he feels like it

That tail of his knocks everything onto the floor…

Ye somehow made some kind of den in his room where his bed is

It’s like a giant dog bed inside…

Eric Singer 🐾☺️🐈‍⬛

The baby ☺️

Cute pie is 10

Likes cute aesthetic things

Is almost like a replica of Peter

Chubby king of them all!

Loves food

Favorite is Hamburgers

Knows he’s short even though his dad keeps repeatingly says he’s gonna be tall just like him

Mario Kart is his favorite game

At 16, he’s in a relationship one hot smoking black girl that’s a singer

Relationships plus other family people

Bruce Kulick

17

Enjoys when he has time to play his guitar when he gets the chance

The cutest little guy ever

Treats Carr right

Sometimes leaves for a while not being able to text Carr since he’s in college and wants to make good money for him & Carr’s future

Loves to bake with Paul

Somehow deals with Gene and his talking about history & education

Tommy Thayer

The KISS Family’s adoptive son

19

Adopted by the mom of the fam, Ace Frehley

Was adopted by Ace after his mom, Ace’s nanny, died from cancer while pregnant with him

Officially was named the second Spaceman in KISS

Loves his boyfriends, Slaughter & Vinnie so desperately deeply

He’s really a chill kind of guy

Vinnie complains about the walking, running & the quietness when he goes with Tommy to golf

Ms. Rachel

(Aka-Ace’s adoptive mom)

47

African American

Makes sure to always keep Gene Simmons in check with the kids

Was the CPS worker that took Ace away from his parents

Has been watching him since he’s been 15 wherever he goes in life

Wanted to adopt Ace when he is going through his rough life, but couldn’t since Ace’s parents didn’t want her to adopt her because of the money they’ll get for him

Definitely wants grandkids

✨ Small note:

There’s going to be other people that will be making appearances, & when they do, I’ll give a small description on the person & you’ll know them better.

[lrenvs3000f24]

Unit 5: Social Media and Nature Interpretation

Hi readers!

In today’s day in age, we are surrounded by social media. When exploring nature, we often feel inclined to take a picture and share it with others. Our photographs capture the beauty of nature. Photography can be a form of artistry. This week, I wanted to investigate how social media has impacted nature interpretation. Has it made the industry too saturated? Or is it allowing interpreters to expand their audience? 

https://thenounproject.com/photo/group-of-young-people-hiking-in-nature-and-looking-at-cell-phone-47Xxab/

I figured there is no better way to approach this than a good old pros and cons list. With the help of Facets’, Evaluating the Benefits and Risks of Social Media for Wildlife Conservation, I will make a list that is applicable to nature interpretation. 

First, the cons. 

As we know, social media dictates a lot of what we do. Platforms like Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.. all have the potential to reach a wide audience. It has been seen time and time again where places gain traction due to viral posts online. However, this can potentially be harmful to the conservation of the landscape. Greater traction is amazing in the eyes of education. But larger groups can potentially lead to; damaged habitats from foot and vehicle traffic, wildlife interruption and larger amounts of littering and pollution, which impact the native plant and animal species.

Also, social media has potential to distract from the interpretation’s true intention. Many have become obsessed with the idea of getting the perfect picture or going viral. Environmental interpretation tells a story. Whether it be about conservation, appreciating the beauty in nature, creating personal connections and improving well-being, science in nature, or acknowledging indigenous culture, interpretation is done with planned intention. However, this meaning can be lost as people are too distracted in getting the perfect picture that matches their aesthetically pleasing feed.

As there are negatives, there are also so many benefits to the use of social media in interpretation. 

Likewise, the world is at our fingertips. If you want to reach a large audience, there is no better place than the internet to do it. This is beneficial in environmental interpretation as there is greater awareness. People from all over can be not only further educated on an array of topics, but they can learn about places out of their geographic reach. For example, I am from Canada, but I love keeping up with Chris Burkard’s Instagram as he travels the globe. Social media has allowed him to use his voice and share his photography with almost 4 million followers. 

https://www.instagram.com/chrisburkard/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ffb8a718-a1d2-4cda-8ab5-b87970e37708

Additionally, with the rise of bandwagons, social media can be utilised in nature and wildlife preservation. An interpreter can spread awareness through various social media platforms. Social media allows people to come together and take action. An example of this is the #OceanCleanup project. People from all over are joining this trend to remove plastic and debris from the ocean. To protect the ecosystem, and allow us to interpret and appreciate the ocean for years to come. 

Overall, social media in interpretation is a tool that should be used for the greater good. I think it is good to be used in moderation. If visiting a popular place, maybe try researching the impacts of tourism on the environment and indigenous people first. There could be even better options out there that won’t destroy natural landscapes. Moreover, taking photos is an awesome way to express the beauty of nature through art, but should be done within the right context. 

Nonetheless, I am not against the use of social media and nature interpretation. This blog is a form of social media!

I would love to hear others’ opinions on this matter.

Do you think social media is good for nature interpreting? 

References

Haines, R. J., & Williams, L. J. (2021). The role of social media in wildlife conservation: A systematic review. Facets, 6(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0112

[the-flaneur]

lights, camera...cook? (mv1) | pt1

pairing: max verstappen x east asian twitch chef!reader [smau]

summary: max does not know how to cook. luckily, his next-door neighbour and resident internet chef might be able to help him out of his pickle. quite literally.

warnings: none (i think)

a/n: im sure his skills have improved since 2017, but max saying that the most impressive thing he can cook is eggs is depressingly funny

[masterlist] [requests]

-> twitter

-> instagram

chef_yourusername

liked by max verstappen, bestfriend, friend1 and others

chef_yourusername tonight's dish: japanese curry udon 🍜 unfortunately no apollo and artemis for the next few days, they're hanging out at the vet 😿😿😿 (ik they miss their mommy). ALSO TWITCH SAW IT FIRST SO FOLLOW AND SUBSCRIBE 🤑🤑🤑

view all comments

bestfriend pls let me come over twmr, i've run out of food 🙏🙏🙏

chef_yourusername did i not just meal prep you for the next week 🙄 bestfriend yesssss but i need that udon now 🙏 pls just for me 😁

user1 bestfriend is so real for that, like if i had a chef best friend, i would ask her to always cook for me

user2 fr, but like honestly how does yourname have the time to do everything??? user3 ikr, like she's THE exec chef at the only three michelin star restaurant in Monaco, Le Louis XV 😭😭😭

user4 IS THIS THE CHEF MAX VERSTAPPEN IS LOOKING FOR???

user5 yeah i think so right? like someone tagged her in his replies user6 HE LIKED THE POST TOO

user7 yo why is she kinda... 😳😳

user8 like girl is pretty and talented, god really has his favourites 😔

user9 yo come get ur chef maxverstappen1

LIKED BY chef_yourusername

user10 cant wait to see why max needs a chef lol

-> instagram dms

-> twitter

-> instagram

chef_yourusername

liked by max verstappen, bestfriend, friend1 and others

chef_yourusername guess who was cooking like a five star michelin 😉 ... and guess who wanted to pose with the wrinkly pear 😐

view all comments

maxverstappen1 they both must be so talented 😉

chef_yourusername sure, sure. i wonder who burnt 🍝 (pasta) on their first try 😐 maxverstappen1 i literally followed all your instructions, not my fault 🤷‍♂️ user1 how tf did max burn it - don't you just boil it??? user2 ik yourusername was on his ass after it happened

user3 IS THAT MAX IN CHEF'S WHITES IN THE FIRST PHOTO

user4 why does bro actually look good in it user5 when he pulls up in non-redbull gear... 🤤🤤🤤

user6 was this why the restaurant was closed today? i saw ppl on twitter talking about it~

user7 only max verstappen could make a michelin star restaurant close down just for him

charlesleclerc is this how you're managing to host the dinner?

maxverstappen1 it's supposed to be a surprise 😐 user8 there's a dinner? user9 is this the lestappen date night we were praying for LIKED BY chef_yourusername maxverstappen1 no.

-> twitch, teamredline

[next]

© the-flanuer || do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platform.

[nekoannie-chan]

Things are looking up

Pairing: Brock Rumlow X Mutant!Avenger!Reader.

Word count: 777 words.

Summary: You have a plan to save Brock.

Warnings: Canon divergent

A/N: This my entry to @incorrectmarvelquotesss​‘ 1000 Followers Celebration with other prompts #9:

"Half of this city wants you dead."

"Wow. A month ago, the whole city wanted me dead. Things are looking up."

@saiyanprincessswanie​

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission that my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other's people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou​  @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad​ @navybrat817​  @angrythingstarlight​ @shield-agent78​ @charmed-asylum​ @hallecarey1​ @endlesstwanted​ @writingshae​  @daemonslittlebitch​ @chaoticcollectivenightmare​ @chemtrails-club​ @caplanbuckybarnes​ @here4thefanfics​ @theestorm​

You turned off the TV; the news continued to talk about the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Brock being wanted; they had already caught Jack.

"Are you all right?" Steve asked as he took control of the TV to turn it off.

"Sure, I was just thinking about everything that's happened; it's... shocking," you said. That was never supposed to happen.

"I know it's all very confusing, and you must be disappointed." Steve took your hand.

You nodded.  The only good thing was that no one suspected you; they still believed you were one of the "good guys." You needed to find Brock, and then...

You still had to think about what you would do; you were going to twist the information as much as necessary to save the love of his life, and you would protect Brock as necessary.

Even if it meant using your powers—powers that neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor Hydra knew about. The only one who knew your secret was Brock.

You also knew how Steve felt, though you didn't care; you just planned to use all that to your advantage. No one knew what was between you and Brock either, except Jack, of course.

Escaping from the compound was very simple; no one would notice your absence, and in case they did, you had an alibi; you had communicated with Clarice before; she covered for you, and no one was going to oppose you helping other mutants.

Of course, you used your powers to get Clarice and John to help you find the love of your life.

You finally managed to get into his apartment; of course, it was a place where no one would be suspicious, although it probably wouldn't be easy for him to sneak out, or maybe it would; you didn't know.

There was no one there when you entered. You sighed; he wasn't supposed to be living in those conditions.

Somehow you were going to make it all better; you cleaned up the place a bit; it was a mess.

You took one of the candles you found in a drawer—you had given it to him on an anniversary—and you lit it.

Everything seemed to indicate that somehow Brock had recovered his things before S.H.I.E.L.D. or someone else did it, which reassured you a little. Maybe they could never get evidence of your relationship with him, so no one suspected.

Brock noticed the recently extinguished candle; the aroma was unmistakable. He had to take precautions because there was a possibility that Rogers and the others were there.

"You have nothing to worry about; I'm alone," you said, coming out of hiding.

"Y/N? " Brock was perplexed; he didn't think he would see you again. Even when he saw the news, he was happy that you had not been discovered. Several times, while he was in the hospital, he kept wondering and worrying about not having been able to protect you. What are you doing here?" Brock was not upset, but worried. If no one was looking for him or had evidence against him, he was not going to let you put yourself in danger, especially not because of him.

"No, what are you doing living in such a terrible place?" you questioned, looking around the horrible place.

"I think it's obvious; they can't find me," Brock replied grumpily.

"They took Jack to the Raft."

"I know."

"Half of this city wants you dead."

"Wow. A month ago, the whole city wanted me dead. Things are looking up."

"I can make that change," you said.

"Y/N, don’t..."

"HYDRA abandoned us, I know that, but I also know how to get everyone on our side, so no one would try to assassinate you, nor would you be wanted," you continued speaking.

"Even if you did, how are you going to explain what they did to me?"

"I know who can fix it; remember, I have my contacts; it could be one of the Morlocks or the Underground." "You have nothing to worry about," you assured me.

You would probably be exhausted after trying what you thought, but it would be worth it.

You waited until it was dark so you could go to the old X-Mansion, which was abandoned, but there was everything you needed to make your plan a success.

After a few hours, you decided it was a good time to return to the compound; it was time to test if your plan had worked or not.

As soon as you crossed the gates, you smiled; you had changed history, and now no one would know that you had been part of the enemy.

[sa7abnews]

Pennsylvania father helps FBI track down scamming suspects who led his son to suicide

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/pennsylvania-father-helps-fbi-track-down-scamming-suspects-who-led-his-son-to-suicide/

Pennsylvania father helps FBI track down scamming suspects who led his son to suicide

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).”[A]ll u have to do is cooperate with me and i will not expose u, if you block me i will ruin your life.”That was one of the many threatening messages a suspected Nigerian scammer sent to a young Pennsylvania man identified only as J.S. in court documents.The alleged scammer — who posed as a woman on Instagram, Google and Snapchat — contacted the young man and established a relationship with him online. They exchanged nude photos online and then the suspect turned on J.S., demanding a blackmail payment of $1,000 from the victim to keep the photos private. The scammer, still posing as a woman, threatened to expose J.S.’s intimate photos if he did not front the money, and J.S. took his own life shortly after the blackmailing began.SOUTH CAROLINA LAWMAKER EXPOSES DANGERS OF ‘SEXTORTION’ AFTER TEENAGE SON’S SUICIDEThe scam that led to J.S.’s suicide is called “sextortion,” and it is becoming more prevalent in the United States, leading to more teen suicides every year since about 2020, when the crime took off on social media sites like Instagram, Snapchat, Discord and other platforms.”When predators pose as someone else online to coerce victims into taking and sending sexually explicit photos and videos—and then immediately demand payment or threaten to release the photo to the victim’s family and friends—it’s known as financially motivated sextortion,” an FBI bulletin about the crime states.AFTER MICHIGAN TEEN’S SUICIDE, NIGERIAN BROTHERS PLEAD GUILTY TO PLANNING DEADLY SEXTORTION SCHEMESextortion can also be financially motivated, according to the FBI, as it was in this case.J.S.’s father helped the FBI track down the scammers who extorted his son, according to federal officials.Imoleayo Samuel Aina, Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun and Afez Olatunji Adewale, of Nigeria, have all been charged in connection with the sextortion scheme. Aina and Abiodun have been extradited from Nigera to the United States. The trio is accused of coordinating to target the victim and get him to wire money to their fraudulent bank accounts.Aina allegedly threatened to “ruin” the victim’s “career” if he did not hand over a blackmail payment to the suspect, according to court documents.”I don’t even think I have enough for it,” J.S. said in one message to the suspect, according to court documents. Three minutes after sending that message in January 2023, he died by suicide, federal officials said.In the days following the man’s death, his father discovered “suspicious banking transactions” to an unknown phone number from J.S.’s Zelle account. He sent the information to the FBI, which found an email address with a female name — Antonia Diaz — that was linked to the phone number. That phone number was tied to other email addresses using variations of the name “Antonia Diaz.”SOUTH CAROLINA FAMILY OF BOY, 13, WHO DIED BY SUICIDE SUES SNAPCHAT OVER SEXTORTION SCHEMEAfter issuing subpoenas to Google twice, FBI agents were able to connect the various email addresses to a phone number in Nigeria, court documents show.Adwale would later tell authorities that any emails with the name “Antonia Diaz” or “Antonia Andy” was his online romance scam “persona.” They had been in communication with a real person named Antonia Diaz from 2022 until May 2023, according to authorities.”ADEWALE stated that Diaz gave him access to bank accounts. According to ADEWALE, he reset the password for Diaz’s Bank of America account and also helped Diaz set up a new account at an unknown bank,” court documents state.South Carolina Sen. Brandon Guffey, who lost his own 17-year-old son, Gavin Guffey, to suicide due to sextortion, told Fox News Digital that these scammers will target young women in similar schemes in exchange for their account information and intimate photos that they can then use in financially motivated sextortion schemes involving male victims. In other words, just because a Nigerian man may be posing as a young American woman online does not mean he is using fake photos.AI ‘DEEPFAKES’ OF INNOCENT IMAGES FUEL SPIKE IN SEXTORTION SCAMS, FBI WARNSAdwale, Aina and Abiodun are part of a group of sextortion scammers known as the “Yahoo Boys” in Nigeria. In March 2023, two months after his son’s death, J.S.’s father logged into his Snapchat account and saw that his son had been receiving messages from a user under the name “Alice.” J.S.’s father messaged the user, who responded by demanding money.A Pennsylvania district court judge subpoenaed Snapchat for records related to the “Alice” Snapchat account, which was linked to another Nigerian phone number.”J.S.’s father later reviewed J.S.’s Apple iPhone, and observed that notifications of emails from ALICEDAVE660@GMAIL.COM appeared repeatedly,” court documents state. “J.S.’s father emailed that address using his own email account, identifying himself as J.S.’s father and requesting a phone call. ALICEDAVE660@GMAIL.COM refused to speak with J.S.’s father by phone, and instead directed via iMessage that J.S. ‘reply me if he doesn’t want trouble.’”WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PREVENTION, RED FLAGS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUEJ.S.’s father then sent screenshots of the communication from the “Alice” email to the authorities. On March 30 of that year, an undercover FBI employee (“UCE”) sent a friend request to “Alice” on Snapchat and ultimately got the account to share various bank account usernames, thinking the undercover employee was a friend of J.S.’s who would send more money.Guffey said the “most important thing” for a sextortion victim to do when they realize they have been victimized by such a scheme is “not send money.””The most important thing for [victims[ to realize is to remember that they are a victim of a crime,” the South Carolina state senator said. “They are not the cause of this happening. They are not in trouble because they sent an image. And then I always recommend to not delete the messages. Instead, screenshot them and go offline. Disconnect your account because they will continue to harass you.”FBI WARNS TEEN BOYS INCREASINGLY TARGETED IN ONLINE ‘SEXTORTION’ SCHEMESVictims of sextortion schemes should not be afraid to ask for help from their guardians or from law enforcement. As the crime becomes more common, there is more help available to help victims of sextortion.Last month, Meta released new information about its efforts to combat sextortion scams coming out of Nigeria and that “Yahoo Boys,” specifically, on the tech giant’s various social media apps, including Instagram.The company said it removed about 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria attempting to target people with financial sextortion scams on Meta apps, including a coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts.GROWING SNAPCHAT ‘SEXTORTION’ SCHEMES TARGET YOUNG BOYS, EXPERT WARNSIt also removed about 7,200 assets, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 Facebook Pages and 5,700 Facebook Groups based in Nigeria that were publishing scamming tips on Meta’s platforms.Meta also recently unveiled new safety protections on Instagram aimed at preventing sextortion schemes.The FBI received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion involving at least 12,600 victims between October 2021 and March 2023.The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has created a free service called Take it Down, which is meant to help victims of sextortion erase explicit images of victims or get bad actors to stop sharing them online. The tool can be accessed at https://takeitdown.ncmec.org.The FBI encourages anyone who believes they may be the victim of sextortion or know someone who may be a victim to immediately contact local law enforcement or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.