#like. it’s a GREAT show. and i know it was like tiktok audios recently maybe?? i don’t use that app

[coffinflop]

omg i forgot to tell u guys about the college freshman in choir with me for whomst the only musical he really knows that well (and it’s his favorite) is ride the cyclone

[hampink]

so kaku twitter space Q&A highlights (5/14/2023)

was casually listening to so kaku’s (kaguragi) twitter space while i was drawing, so here's some fun kingohger related + personal questions he answered that i noted down and translated!

(unfortunately i didn't record the stream though so you’ll just have to believe me)

 (source: bro just trust me)

Q: who’s your favorite king in kingohger?

probably yanma. he’s very cool and manly, and i like how high energy he gets

Q: do you guys come up with the kingohger tiktoks yourselves?

we have a social media manager who suggests which audio to do, and we (the actors) decide how we'll act it out together

Q: anyone from the cast you talk to/hang out with the most?

all of them, but maybe because we’re shooting a lot of scenes with jeremy right now recently i talk to masashi ikeda a lot

Q: does kaguragi know what kuroda looks like?

oh but of course he does~!

Q: what's your favorite sentai?

dairanger! it's such a cool show

Q: a question from my 5 yr old son: does kaguragi like flowers? he says he wants to go flower picking with kaguragi

ahh, flower picking, how nice! yes, kaguragi likes flowers!

Q: does kaguragi have a favorite place?

he does, but i can't say what it is yet. there’s a really good scene (about it) so look forward to that

Q: how much of kaguragi’s hair is a wig? also how long does the hair and makeup take?

the entire thing is a wig. it used to take a lot longer to get into hair and makeup, but the makeup artists have gotten used to it/have gotten better at it so the process is a lot faster now, which i’m really grateful for

Q: i heard shiokara's actor does a lot of adlibs. do you do that a lot as kaguragi too?

“sukonbu piiman” (”sour konbu peppers”, kaguragi mishearing “sukopi”) was an adlib

Q: are kaguragi's geta (wooden sandals) hard to walk in?

it was at first, but i've gotten used to it now

Q: what’s your favorite anime?

code geass, gurren lagann, higurashi no naku koro ni. i like intense anime

Q: favorite musician?

BUMP OF CHICKEN

Q: favorite flower?

pansies

Q: favorite food?

curry, sushi, and yakiniku

Q: i love how hachi ohger incorporates kabuki movements in his fighting style. what's your relationship with kabuki?

i really like kabuki. it wasn’t a traditional kabuki production but when i was younger i saw a performance of “super kabuki” and thought it was really cool. as for kaguragi/hachi ohger, the suit actors and i would watch videos of kabuki actors and try to mimic their movements.

Q: we want to see the fruits of your (muscle) training!! please let kaguragi wear a tank top!!

hopefully we get to do a scene like that hahaha

Q: do you look up your name online?

i do... so please don’t say mean things about me ;w;

Q: what's kaguragi's favorite vegetable? my nephew who’s growing vegetables at home would like to know!

wow! kaguragi would love anything homegrown. but maybe in particular he likes tomatoes, or eggplants

Q: what’s your favorite thing about kaguragi’s outfit?

the haori (coat), definitely. it’s when i put it on that i really feel like i’ve transformed into kaguragi. but the outfit weighs 5 kilos... so heavy...

Q: tell us about the "H" incident

the what....? *suddenly remembers* OHHHH HAHAHA

so during the roll call scene in episode 10 where aoto (yanma) said "eichi no ou, yanma gasuto! (king of wisdom, yanma gast!)" i thought he said "eichi" as in the latin letter “H” (in japanese, H = hentai/ecchi, in other words he thought yanma said he was “the king of perverts/sex” LOL)

Q: what's kaguragi's color? (asking for light stick reasons since there’s no black color setting on a light stick)

it's orange, i'm pretty sure!

END

i joined in kinda late so there’s probably some questions i missed (and sorry if i remembered some details wrong, i was multitasking and not fully focused, but i did take simple notes) he also talked abt things like how he plays valorant and how great his muscle training is going etc (he lamented that kaguragi wears so much clothing and he doesn’t get to show off his muscles lol). i think i remember he also teased something about kaguragi and rita as a duo and something ~maybe~ happening with them in the plot

it was his first time hosting a twitter space and he gave off very boomer energy because he had No idea what he was doing. people kept trying to help him understand how to let in other speakers but he gave up lol xD he was kind of nervous but it was still a lot of fun! himeno and shiokara’s actors were there too, and he might do a twt space with the both of them next time ^^

[bi-bard]

my predictions for who i'll write about in stories inspired by the songs that might be on the deluxe edition of Noah Kahan's "Stick Season"

So.

Noah Kahan has been busy working on the deluxe version of Stick Season... and teasing it on his TikTok.

Just for a bit of fun, I wanna give some prediction on what I think each song we've heard (so far) will inspire me to write because we all know that I'm going to write stories for them.

Again, this is just for fun. This is not set in stone because I don't know the whole songs... or even which of these are going to make the album, so... yeah.

It's just using clips from his videos.

Also, this starts from the most recent audio shared and then goes down the list of videos.

SPECIAL NOTE: I have absolutely no idea how many of these are actually going to end up on the deluxe album. I simply don't. I just kept going until I got tired. Sorry.

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

"Medicate / meditate / swear your soul to Jesus / throw a punch / fall in love / give yourself a reason..."

I think this will end up being a Dean Winchester imagine. I think somewhere around season 10 to season 11 because I think that's where we see the most distinct moments of Dean truly seeing himself as something bad and undeserving of love and forgiveness.

"I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown / In the name of someone I no longer know / For the shame of being young, drunk, and alone..."

Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto from The Bear. That boy is damaged and messy and I think this song is going to be a great way to look at the pitfalls of the behavior that we see from Carmy in the show.

"So pack up your car / put a hand on your heart / say whatever you feel / be whoever you are..."

I don't have a specific fandom, but I'm looking at a found-family story where the reader says goodbye, either to what they knew before or to their found-family. Mostly because this song reminds me of the scene in Supergirl where everyone is saying goodbye to Winn. I'm juggling between something like Titans or something like Doctor Who.

"I saw the end / it looked just like the middle / got a paper and pen / and a page with no space...."

this story is going to be so personal to me. i can already tell. I'm leaning toward a superhero story or a Supernatural story. A life after being with these people. Maybe that life was scary and seemed pointless, but now that their free, they have to deal with missing what was familiar and the guilt of not feeling grateful enough to something better.

"There's a tiny tourist trap a few miles off the interstate / and I watch as it empties out..."

I don't have a character in mind, but I have an idea that it'll be a very tearful goodbye and kiss and shit. Maybe a reunion too? Maybe?

"Quietly you're coming home from work / Forty hour week minus commute / for a dream of planting flowers on the porch / For now, my love, store-bought will have to do..."

I want to write a childhood friends-to-lover kind of thing, but I'm not sure what it'll be yet. I just know that much.

"I'm the tall glass of water you lost in your kitchen / I'm casually cruel like a senior prediction..."

This could also play as a childhood friends-to-lovers story, but I am not nearly as sold on that one. This one is such a strange one to me. It's very nostalgic but also angry?? I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. I'm kinda thinking that Hannibal might work, but there may be another Hugh Dancy character that would fit better, so I make no promises...

"County line, I'm counting down / mailboxes until my house / This place had a heartbeat / in its day..."

I'm leaning toward Doctor Who on this one. I don't know which Doctor it'll be, but I think it would work out well.

"I hear you call / me somewhere only we know / I'll hold out hope / when my eyes open, you'll show..."

This will be a very sad story. I can promise that. It's about grief and it's very complicated process. I have every intention of writing for that.

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Hi, sorry if I missed this in your FAQ, but do you have any advice on how to incorporate humor into a story? Also, how do you know when something is funny?

How to Write Humor

Humor is very hard to pull off for writers. Many aspects of humor depend on a person’s expression and delivery, on the way they say the joke and how they hold themselves while they speak. It relies on the inflection of the voice and certain hand gestures and expressions.

With writing, all you have are words on a page and the reader’s imagination, and it can be especially hard to write humor if you don’t find yourself funny and aren’t quite a comedian.

Here are some tips on how to write funny jokes and humor into a story and make sure that it stays funny. 

1. Don’t Use Memes or Modern “Slang” as the Punchline

The thing about memes and slang is that they come and go. There’s a new viral meme every week, and trends are born and die faster than you can blink. 

Once these things go out of date--whether they be turns of phrase or certain words-- society often brushes them off as “cringey” and will often react negatively to seeing it in a story. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read an older fic and they’d refer to dogs as “doggos” or say something like “it do be like that sometimes” and even though it might’ve been funny during the height of these trends, now they make me make a face and squirm a little in my seat. 

The best way to keep hip is to not keep hip, so to speak. Come up with your own original content and your own original jokes and your writing will remain nice and ageless, withstanding the test of time and the test of cringe culture. 

2. Randomness and Spontaneity Jokes are Best Left for Visual and Auditory Media

This kind of humor revolves around people blurting out random things and is kind of reminiscent of slapstick comedy. 

Think of this TikTok audio that has been going around recently which involves audio from the Cartoon Network TV show Johnny Test: 

“Why did you resist a police officer?” 

“Why are you police officers?” 

“I blew up Malaysia.”

See how it doesn’t  make much sense in words? The only reason why this audio was funny was because of the way the actors spoke it and the way the punchline was delivered, which readers cannot imagine in their minds if they’ve never heard it before. 

 This kind of humor comes off as childish and low brow, and will make more mature audiences uncomfortable rather than entertained. Having characters blurt out things that make no sense in the middle of a dialogue just interrupts the story and brings it to a grinding halt, and I see this mistake primarily made with fic writers struggling to make their stories more humorous. 

It’s like the dialogue equivalent of dropping an anvil on your character; although it’s funny when it happens to Wile E. Coyote, it’s not funny when it comes to written word. 

3. Dry Humor is the Easiest Humor!

Dry humor, also known as deadpan, is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality that’s meant to be blunt, ironic, laconic or apparently unintentional. 

It’s not a “joke” or a “pun” that’s told specifically to make people laugh (i.e. “Where do cows go on dates?” etc.), it’s just something that people say the just so happens to be funny. 

In my personal opinion, dry humor is the easiest way to bring humor into your story. It doesn’t require any characters to be “jokesters” and it doesn’t require a lighthearted situation. It’s just a remark--perhaps about a certain situation--that readers can interpret as humorous.

Some Examples of dry humor:

“You smell of death and destiny, of heroics and heartbreak!”

“It’s onion.”

--Jaksier and Geralt, The Witcher

*****

(Drilling sword stances...rather poorly)

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Practicing.”

“What, ways to die?”

--The Hound and Arya, Game of Thrones

*****

“My first girlfriend turned into the moon.”

“That’s rough, buddy.”

--Sokka and Zuko, Avatar: The Last Airbender

*****

“And what could be better than serving up smiles?”

“Being dead.”

--Spongebob and Squidward, Spongebob

4. Situations Can Be Funny, too, Not Just Dialogue!

Sometimes characters can get themselves into trouble in ways that may not be funny to them but can definitely be funny to a reader.

Tripping, hitting their head, stubbing their toe--especially during times of high tension--can be an excellent way to incorporate humor into your story. “This can’t get any worse” situations that get worse, a character being put completely out of their element, and other such things are all great examples of this

Just make sure to do it within reason, though, as to make sure you’re not falling into the random/spontaneous joke category!

5. Write What You Think Is Funny, But Make Sure Others Check It!

I know some people may be insecure in their ability to write jokes, but the easiest way to make sure your story is funny is to write what YOU think is funny. There’s a pretty good chance that you’re just your own worst critic!

I know for me personally, I found that when my friends were reading the earlier drafts of my books, they would find things that they thought were funny without me even intending for them to be a joke! Everyone’s sense of humor is different, and everyone will interpret your writing, in various ways. 

So write your story how you want to write it, and have someone read it over to make sure the jokes are funny! They don’t have to be laughing out loud--it’s possible for jokes to be hilarious without warranting an outward reaction--but as long as it makes them smirk at their book or perhaps let out a puff of air through their nose, it’s all worth it!

6. Read, Watch, and Listen!

The best way to learn how to write humor is to read, watch, and listen to humor. Look at comedians, at jokes in your favorite novels and TV shows:

What do they all have in common? What is it about them that really makes you laugh? How can you embody that in your story?

A little research never hurt anyone, and hey, maybe you might be able to improve your own sense of humor while you’re at it!

Hope this helped, and good luck!

[butchba1t]

Ok so. I'm a ~complete stranger~. I've never seen your blog before, never interacted before, we probably run in completely different circles here on Tungle dot heck. I just happened to see your most recent post about the pronouns when I decided to check out the hurt/comfort tag before bed (idk why it showed up there? It just did). So honestly, feel free to completely disregard this message, especially if you just wanted to vent and don't want any advice.

But! But. The thing is, I saw your post, and like. I've Been There.

I've been in a super similar situation. I questioned my gender and my pronouns for a super heckin long time, all thru high school and beyond, and I didn't come out as non-binary to my Very Not Cis group of friends for the longest time because of all the doubts. I kept thinking, well, I can't REALLY be non-binary, because *insert many many many many MANY different doubts and justifications here*.

I just wanna share a few things that I wish I knew years ago, and I hope they help.

(Forgive me if I repeat myself or am slightly incoherent, it's late and I'm very sleepy.)

1. You are not faking. There are no "qualifications" to being non-binary. You don't need to check off a certain number of things off a checklist in order to be considered "really" non-binary. Your gender is up to you, and you alone, and if anyone tries to tell you that you don't "count" because you don't experience *insert thing*, then screw them (and not in a fun way). They don't dictate your identity or your life.

2. You Do Not Need To Have All The Answers. You don't need to have every little aspect of your identity nailed down and sequestered into a neat little box that will stay the same forever! You don't have to have a Final Answer, life isn't an essay question that has to be submitted by a certain date! You don't have to pick something and commit to it forever. You don't need to make any sort of Final Decision on what your gender is. You don't even need a definite answer to the question "what is your gender identity", you can just shrug and go "wouldn't you like to know, weather boy >:3" and leave it at that!

Half the time I describe my gender as "girl in the same way a square is a rectangle, non-binary in the way that pink is light red" (yes I stole that from a tiktok audio, why do you ask?)! And that's fine!

3. I'll let you in on a secret: you can change your gender and pronouns as many times as you want!!! You can use they/them today, she/her tomorrow. You can use they/them for 20 Heckin Years, then decide one day that you wanna use neo-pronouns! Or you wanna use she/her! Doing so does not invalidate the time you spent using they/them, and doesn't mean you were "faking".

Gender is fluid and weird and wibbly-wobbly. Sometimes it's vaguely incomprehensible. Sometimes everything clicks and makes perfect sense. Sometimes it stays the same over a life time, and sometimes it changes slowly over a lifetime, and sometimes, for some people, it changes day to day.

It's okay to be scared and uncertain. You have a whole lifetime to figure yourself out, and a whole lifetime of things to learn and experience. You don't have to nail down everything right now, and you're allowed to change pronouns as many times as you want.

You said your friend used gender neutral language for you, and it made you happy! That's great!!! Go ahead and keep using gender neutral terms! Maybe you'll change your mind later, maybe you won't, and it doesn't matter which one it ends up being!

What matters is what makes you happy, and what helps you feel most comfortable and content in day to day life.

Again, I'm sorry to pop out of nowhere like this into your inbox and leave a huge essay, but I just. Your post really hit me somewhere personal and close, and I wanted to share all the things I wish I knew 3 years ago.

I hope you find what makes you happy, and I wish you a wonderful, wonderful life. Goodnight, sweet dreams in whatever time one you're in, and best of luck on your journey through life.

Thank you so much. This was a really important message for me that you sent at the perfect time. Every now and then I come and read it again and I think it’s time for me to share this with other people who might need to read this as well and I hope it helps them too.

[steves-on-a-plane]

Trending Cap

Words: 843 Pairing: Sam Wilson X Reader Also Staring: Bucky Barnes Summary: When Reader finds out Sam, as the new Captain America, isn't planning on doing anything special to celebrate 4th of July she suggests he recreates a viral TikTok trend. With the help of Reader and Bucky, Sam adds his own twist to the trend to great success.

“So, what are you doing for the fourth, Sam Eagle?” You asked the newly minted Captain America. You tossed yourself onto his couch and made yourself comfortable in his Washington, DC apartment.

“Who the hell is Sam Eagle?” Sam laughed.

“He’s a Muppet.” Bucky supplied as he walked into the kitchen carrying a six pack of beers. “He’s an eagle Muppet who’s whole personality is freedom and loving America. You have wings and you’re Captain America now. Also, your name is Sam. It’s a very funny joke.” He assured.

“Now you expect me to believe you know who the Muppets are?” Sam shook his head as Bucky began packing his beers into the fridge.

“I have a television in my apartment.” Bucky reminded him.

“To answer your question, [Y/N], this is what I’m doing. Sarah’s taking the boys off on a long weekend trip so I invited my two friends over and I’m going to cook some food, we’re going to hang out.” Sam shrugged. “What more could I want?”

“Ok, but I meant more like what are you doing as Captain America?” You clarified. “Like I know Steve used to go way over the top because it was his birthday and all, but are you not even going to post like a Cap meme or TikTok dance or anything?”

“A TikTok dance?” Sam chuckled.

“Why not?” You shrugged. “Maybe not a dance, but there’s this audio that’s been getting pretty popular.”

You reached for your phone which was dangling precariously off the edge of Sam’s coffee table. You opened the TikTok app and searched for the audio you wanted. Once you found it you played it for Bucky and Sam. The Audio started with the Star-Spangled Singer’s singing the verse of The Star Spangled Man with a Plan, the song from Steve’s old USO shows. Once the audio reached the line “We can’t ignore there’s a front and a war we must win” the background music changed to a more modern beat mixed with Sam’s very recent speech “I know there are millions of people who are going to hate me for it. Even now, here, I feel it. The stares, the judgement, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. And I’m still here. No super serum. No. Blonde hair or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better.”

“The trend is sort of a way to celebrate you as the new Cap.” You explained. “What most people do is they’ll do something like wear 1940’s fashion until the part where the music changes and then they switch to modern clothes. There are also some pretty impressive cosplays on here with homemade suits. For those typically its someone who starts out in a replica Steve suit and ends in a replica of yours. Usually they’ll act all hokey and exaggerated during the first bit and switch to a very serious lip-sync when it gets to the Captain Sam part.”

“[Y/N]’s right.” Bucky commented as he scrolled through TikTok on his own phone. “Walker might not be the only one you have to fight for the shield. These are some pretty impressive…what did you call them?”

“Cosplayers.” You supplied.

“Dress up people.” Bucky nodded.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” Sam nodded. “But the two or you have to help me.”

“Perfect! I’ve always wanted to raid your closet!” C’mon Buck, you can be my onset 1940s fashion consultant.” You dragged him towards Sam’s bedroom.

“[Y/N]! Don’t even think about taking one of my flannel shirts!” Sam called after you.

“Two shirts it is then!” You shouted back.

With Bucky’s help you were able to piece together a presentable 1940s stye outfit from Sam’s closet. The outfit consisted of Khaki slacks, a brown belt, brown leather shoes and a brown and beige stripped shirt. The collar wasn’t exactly wide enough for the time, Bucky wanted to point out, but it would do in a pinch. Luckily the wallpaper in the living room of Sam’s apartment looked ancient. It probable hadn’t been updated since the 1920’s let alone the 40s.

So, you positioned Sam in a corner of the room where most of his modern amenities were out of sight and filmed him dancing and mouthed along to the Star Spangled Man song. When the music stopped you stopped filming. Sam changed most of the way into his cap suit. He gave you the signal and you began filming. Sam added on pieces to his outfit, like his wings, and his goggles while repeating his speech. When he reached his final line “I believe we can do better.” He looked directly into the camera. You held his gaze for a second before cutting off the recording.

“People are going to love it, Sam.” You told him confidently.

“We’ll see I guess.” He took his phone from you and added his own caption to the video. “Wanted to get in on the trend. Have a safe and happy 4th of July.” He added in a few hashtags before posting the video.

“Now will the two of you let me enjoy the rest of my day in peace?” Sam asked setting his phone down.

“I don’t know, I kind of want to see you make a Sam Eagle TikTok now that [Y/N] has put that idea in my head.” Bucky announced.

“This is my place.” Sam reminded you both. “I can kick you out any time.”

“I was promised cold beer and free food. I’m not leaving until I get both.” Bucky insisted. “And don’t bother asking if I’d throw hands with Captain America because we both know you wouldn’t be the first or even the second to find out that answer is yes.” Bucky sat down on the couch you’d once occupied. Sam had a witty retort prepped and ready to fire, but his phone began to buzz in his hand.

“Our TikTok’s got a like.” He shared proudly. His phone buzzed again. “Oh another one!”

“There’s a few comments too.” Bucky said. “’Welcome to the App Cap’ and ‘It’s the 40’s fit for me.’ [Y/N], what does fit mean?”

Within minutes Sam’s phone was booming with notifications. They were happening so frequently he had to set the sound to completely silent just so he could hear himself think. There were a few negative comments. Someone had dredged out the classic “Not My Cap” hashtag, but overall the response was positive. After twenty-four hours the video had over 500 thousand likes and ten thousand comments.

“[Y/N], you want a job as my social media/PR?” Sam jokingly texted you the next morning. “But seriously, it was a good idea. Thanks for the assist.”

“Anything for you, Cap.” You replied back. “You can pay me back with dinner next Saturday night. I’m still dreaming of last night’s dinner. Oh also, I stole a flannel from your closet.” You added a winking emoji before sending Sam a photo of you wearing his flannel shirt.

“It’s yours.” He replied. “That shirt’s never looked so good.”

“I can think of one place it might look better. You’re floor.” You sent, trying to sound flirty.

“That’s probably where you found it in the first place.” He messaged back with a series of laugh emojis. “You can return it if you want.”

“You’re so oblivious!” You told him with an eyeroll emoji. “The shirt is mine, and…” But before you could send another reply a new message from Sam came through.

“I’m just joking. Are you free tomorrow for dinner?” He wanted to know.

“We just had dinner together yesterday.” You reminded him.

“Now who’s oblivious? You have to eat every day don’t you? And Bucky wont be at this dinner.” He texted back all in one message.

“Ohhhhhh.” You typed several extra ‘H’s to emphasize your realization. “I’ll see you at 6, your place.”

[thegirlwhohasnochill]

The Disease of Addiction

Euphoria Special Episode Part 1: Rue (Recap & Review)

Before I begin my official review of this episode, I would like to preface my thoughts with a bit of a primer about spoilers and trigger warnings. The show covers a range of topics from addiction to mental health. Still, I specifically want to warn anyone reading that I explicitly talk about and mention the topic of suicide in my review. If this is triggering for you in any way, please, don’t read ahead and take care of yourself! Okay, that’s it; I hope you enjoy my thoughts, and please let me know if you have any feedback or comments for my review and things I can change or fix in the future.

Where to begin with such a loaded episode...we knew the format and style of the episode would be simplistic based on the current realities of filming amidst a pandemic and what we saw to be a scene from Season 2 that the creator Sam Levinson expanded upon. Zendaya herself let us know that the episode's storytelling method would be vastly different from what we’ve already seen on the show. The format and simplicity of the episode, in contrast to the loaded dialogue and content of the scenes, are perfect. The camera takes you right into the middle of these conversations with Rue and Ali. But before we can even dive into what they talk about, we have to address the elephant in the room that is Rules. The episode begins with what is probably one of the most gut-wrenching sequences I have seen on the show. Because we know the reality and truth of their current predicament, Rue’s peppered kisses across Jules’ body and her tight squeezes and hugs from behind Jules evoke a strong sense of loss and pain for the viewer. The sheer intensity of the physicality of Rue’s affection for Jules is so overpowering and overwhelmingly present, we can almost feel the imbalance in their relationship through the screen. There is something to be said for the harsh reality of Rue’s dependence on Jules being reflected even in such a non-objective dream-like sequence. And yet, even in Rue’s wildest dreams and happiest stupor, she does not imagine the sobriety of her future. To me, that is indeed the crux of her character and the essence of this episode. Ali himself says, “The point is your sobriety.” And while it may feel like a focal point of discussion, the conversation flows in a way that seems to bounce back and forth between the two like a simple tennis match. It is easy to follow between Ali’s most potent clearest convictions about how the world works and Rue’s drug-addled hazy perception. The inherent contrast between their mental states and the different points of life in which they are both standing hit the viewer at alternate moments.

But we know Rue is not sober even as she lies to Ali and stumbles out of the bathroom, the shaky camerawork conveying her recent use. She is wearing the same shirt from the dream but has her signature hoodie on, her messy curly locks running down her back and glassy eyes staring straight ahead. The scene moves from her imagination of life with Jules to her lies about use. Her eventual admittance to being a high-functioning user happens as quickly as the conversation moves from sobriety to faith.

So I might be biased and hence don’t think I am incorrect in admitting that Zendaya has never given us a bad performance in her life. Even as she lies to Ali’s face and he is quick to call out her apparent contradictions, the faint slurring of her voice and her glazed eyes tell all. As striking as the conversation is, it feels even stranger for me to admit I felt comforted by Rue’s confession to thoughts of ending her life. And even as she admits to the darkest moments in her mind, Ali’s face and reaction are an even better neutralizer for what would generally be such an alarming thing to say to someone you barely know. As they continue to discuss her eventual relapse and all the reasons behind it (including racing thoughts encompassing “all the things I remember and all the things I wish I didn’t”), the viewer can envision the sequence of events that was shown to us in the finale - her fights with her mother and sister, her first time using when her father was fast asleep, her father’s death, her sister finding her after her overdose.

As much as I would like to quote the entire episode, I have to say Ali’s monologue about the idea that none of us are born evil and that society views mental illness and addiction as a personal moral failure rather than an overarching system many of us are incapable of overcoming, to be one of, if not the most decisive moments of the entire show. The line about coming out of the womb with “a few wires crossed” but still a beautiful baby girl eventually messing her way up through life struck a chord in me. I didn’t ask to be born this way. I don’t feel in control of my mind or the way it ever seems to work. And I’m always going to be a bad person. The disease of addiction and mental illness lets you - no, it makes you - view everything you have ever done in your life as not a consequence of the way your mind works, but as an active choice, you have consistently made, as you screwed up everything you’ve ever loved, and let down everyone you have ever cared about. The disease is not you as a person or even the way you think, and yet it is powerful enough to feel that way. Almost like the rapid cycling between mania and depression, the disease flips between, making you feel like the most powerful, invincible person alive and the absolute scum of the earth. There is nothing in between.

Ali’s backstory and his monologues about his change in faith from Christianity (when he was previously known as Martin) to Islam and the world's revolutions were fascinating. Side note: I did think the line about women converting to Islam was unnecessary, but I digress.

Rue’s understanding of the Narcotics Anonymous program's steps was the perfect way to bring in the conversation of faith. As she mentions her difficulty in coming to terms with the idea that there is greater power in charge of her behaviour and the way she surrenders herself to drugs, Ali chimes in with, “You don’t believe there is a power on Earth greater than Rue.” She disagrees and continues quoting and citing different sources she believes to be omniscient and great. And I absolutely agree with her. To me, there is no greater power than the source of art, the music that keeps me going, that feels like it’s the only thing keeping me from stopping the blood pumping through my veins. I understand Rue. But I also understand Ali. And yet, when Rue goes on to talk about the inexplicable workings of the world, my heart stops. There is no reason. There is no reason for the absolute pain and loss and suffering I’ve experienced, for the trauma I’ve witnessed and endured. For the absolutely horrifying things, the people closest to me have lived through. It is merely chaos. There is no reason I wake up every single day, regretting the fact that I did indeed wake up and that I am alive and breathing. So I Understand Rue. But Ali’s monologue about the moral arc of the universe and the unfathomable ways in which life and history line themselves up, to open our very eyes to the realizations we come to daily, is overwhelming. And yet, while he is waxing poetic about the intricacies of the world, we can see Rue’s exhausted eyes glaze over further, still unimpressed. “Maybe I’ll start a revolution like Malcolm X or something”, she quips back. But Ali is quick to counter; revolutions are no longer revolutionary.

Life as we know it is hypocrisy and foolish symbolism, only emphasizing his point about the universe's ridiculousness. Does any of it have meaning? Or is the meaningless void just another puzzle piece in a picture we will never get to see? There is also something to be said about Rue’s facial expressions as Ali continues his train of thought about her “generation”. As we often do when we hear our elders dismissively brush off our many concerns, she almost rolls her eyes. But he is listening, and he knows. “You think you’re out here fighting a revolution, and Bank of America is on your side? Give me a fucking break.” He’s not wrong. His speech reminds me of the masses of teens on TikTok creating video content specifically catered to an audience with an aesthetic that glamorizes the image of a revolutionary teen hero. But instead of a blazing bow and arrow, it is the common cell phone and a punchy soundtrack filtered through digitized audio. What would typically come across as preachy in any show catered to teens is, in fact, poignant. It also reminds me of how self-aware Euphoria is, knowing it’s guilty of falling into the same trap it accuses the viewer of doing.  

You have to commit to bettering yourself, Ali essentially tells Rue. And to me, that is the most inherently human struggle we will ever face in our lifetimes. As long as we exist, we have to face the idea that each day is, in fact, not going to be easier than the last. And when he tells her that he believes in her and that the hope of her success (that may one day come) should be greater than the failure of her current demise holding her back, I want to cry. I keep thinking about that edit of Rue to this is me trying by Taylor Swift.

The music of the song that Jules has texted to Rue swells, and it is easy to get caught up in the angst of the moment. It accompanies the words, “I miss you.” And if it wasn’t for Ali’s conversation with his daughter as background noise, one would simply soak in the gut-wrenching pain of their separation. The juxtaposition of Ali trying his absolute best to cling to his family as Rue continues to isolate herself from her loved ones and push herself further into the abyss makes my heart physically hurt.

Ms. Marsha’s spell-binding words of wisdom about sobriety and relationships compared to Rue’s tired exhaustion imminently displayed on her face make the viewer a little wary of what comes next. Her misunderstanding of a juvenile relationship with Jules is made clear when Ali confronts her about the fact that the two of them never had a real conversation about their feelings for one another. Rue’s distrust in the idea that things will eventually work themselves out stems from the fact that she feels disappointed by how her loved ones have left her so far. She eventually spirals into this negatively destructive way of thinking. She cognitively recognizes and justifies getting left behind because she thinks and believes she deserves terrible things in life. She lists examples of past deeds to further cement her argument. But Ali counters back with the simple statement that “Drugs change who you are as a person.” Regardless of her actions, he believes she is still a genuinely good individual while she argues that she is absolutely not. My favourite part of this whole conversation and the entire episode is the manner in which Ali questions Rue’s negative cognitive patterns. Her brain and mind essentially excuse bad behaviour by convincing her that she will never be a good person. Hence she can never forgive herself, and thus, she will continue to remain in this cyclical pattern. Our actions may be inexcusable, but they do not line up with our intentions. The inevitable human struggle is not whether we are fundamentally good or bad, evil, flawed or perfect, but if we are (and again, not to quote my other favourite show, The Good Place) trying to be a better person than we previously were. If we recognize that our actions are wrong and we are capable of experiencing remorse and regret for said actions, who's to say we are entirely incapable of change. This reductive polarizing, and dismissive way of thinking is characteristic of the brains of most people living with a mental illness. Our outside influences, such as drugs, can all be contributing external factors to how we conduct ourselves through life. Ali’s short bit about redemption and human beings deeming actions unforgivable forever can easily be paralleled to direct conversations we have online about “cancel culture”. The phenomenon of dismissing and reducing someone to their mistakes instead of allowing them to grow from them is a nice sentiment. Still, if we do not truly take accountability into action and witness no real changes or remorse, we can quickly get stuck in that cycle. Even if our beliefs do not line up with our actions, drugs can eventually change that. The belief system we hold so dearly, the convictions we strongly feel, can all be washed away by the simple use of drugs, Ali explains as he tells Rue about his family background. His experiences with abuse and his eventual hypocrisy as he plays the role he always feared in his family leave the viewer speechless. As we watch him tell his tale of regret, there is no woe or sorrow in admitting he is or isn’t a fundamentally good or bad person, just the thought of his attempt to change his ways that impacts the viewer.

As the viewer waits with bated breath to see what comes out of Rue’s mouth next, it is not a surprise (to me personally). Rue has no intention of staying sober because she has no intention of staying alive much longer. Ali asks her why she feels that way. She responds with her sentiments about the cruelty of the world. Ali understands. We truly are living in dark times, witnessing truly horrific events, and the fact that we even have the capacity to care any longer is indicative of our will to stay alive. It doesn’t make much sense when you think about it, but when you are so sad, so grief-stricken by the news, by the world’s turn of events, by the mere thought of witnessing more tragedy that you cannot bear to be alive any longer, it means that you are deeply invested. Invested in the way things will turn out even if you do not personally believe you want to participate or even be privy to being complicit in a system that does nothing but churn out pain, anger, and hatred. When I was at the lowest point in my life and attempted to end my own life, I was overwhelmed by the goings-on of the world. As emotionally drained as Rue is, a part of her still cares. She wants her sister and mother to know that she really tried. Just as I wanted and still want my parents and friends to be okay without me when I do eventually leave this earth. Of course, I care about what happens to them. The idea that suicide or suicidal ideation is inherently selfish is so contradictory to the reality of how suicidal individuals genuinely feel. It is the opposite. We care more than most, and we care to the point that it hurts to extend another moment of kindness to ourselves amid all the chaos and madness of the world. But still, we try. We do our best. Ali believes in Rue. He has faith in her.

The entire episode ends on a melancholy note as Rue and Ali depart the diner with Rue wistfully staring out the window as he drives her home. Ali loves his conversations with Rue and vice-versa. The fact that two people can be sitting at a diner alone on Christmas Eve talking about the beauty and cruelty of the world and everything ranging from politics to addiction to suicide to love to family and anything in between goes to show us that humans will always find a way. The fact that two people struggling and suffering from addiction can find their own way about and amidst the chaos of the world and still have these meaningful conversations about life and existence tells us that ultimately, Trouble Don’t Last Always.

[joesclassblog]

Podcasts have become a huge part of our media and the way we consume media. Podcast or just one of many media ways that we receive our entertainment. They have been a thing since 2004 and many people even listen in daily to get information or entertainment. My favorite podcast is Pardon My Take by Barstool sports. Podcasts are digital audio files that are able to be listened to, but many podcasts I've seen recently include some sort of video files to accompany it. For Pardon My Take they often post youtube videos so you can choose to watch or just listen which I think is a great idea. Many people want to see the people behind the voices on a podcast because it gives you a bigger sense of connection. Podcasts like pardon my take help me through my day. My girlfriend even has a podcast that she listens to called the morning toast. Again it gives her her entertainment and fills a gap in her day. Primarily I listen to podcasts on spotify. Listening on spotify allows me an easy way to get my entertainment in all aspects of music and podcasts. Anyone can start a podcast. I would know I attempted to start one. I had a great time creating and even got 600 listens on one of them. Primarily people will think podcasts are too much work because they require a lot of audio and sound equipment to produce the best ones. But many people use apps. Using apps saves money because most people today have phones and keeps you from buying all that big equipment.An app like Anchor allows you to produce high-quality podcasts for no price. You can even receive an ad for Anchor to do on your podcast and you’ll make a small chunk of money for every lesson.

One of my friends on my baseball team and I started a podcast once and I want to run through the process we used and some mistakes that may have been made. In the beginning we had no idea where to start. We looked at many different avenues to create it but we ended up finalizing on Anchor. Using Anchor made the process of recording, editing, and having guests very easy. Just like that the podcast One Chief and a Guy was launched. We just made it to talk about random things and provide entertainment for our teammates and our friends. Doing so brought us into the media world and made me very invested in podcasts and seeing how they are made. It was very interesting to see the strategy and skill that goes into making a podcast. It is showing me it’s not so easy but at the same time it’s not as hard as everyone thinks. Anyone can make a podcast and anyone can go viral. If we were to revive the podcast I would have a regular upload schedule and think of more entertaining topics to discuss. Having topics people care about and providing an escape from daily life would be very beneficial to us and the revival. Having a podcast showed me it's not super easy as many would think. You need a strong presence in the media world to get clicks right away. Getting clicks is difficult but not impossible. Having a strategy would help one a lot. Going in I would suggest building a presence on other platforms as well such as twitter, TikTok, or even Instagram. You can take many strategies to getting more clicks on your podcast though. You could advertise, build a following on another social media platform, or even just tell random people about it and maybe they’ll listen and tell their friends about it and tell their friends about it until it really blows up. sometimes it takes a lot of that dirty work to really get it off the ground. Building a podcast takes a lot of work, but anyone can do it as long as they put their minds to it. Working on a podcast can be rewarding and fun! Doing a podcast also help me with my speaking abilities. For interviews you talk for a long period of time without long pauses. On the podcast we need to talk for a long period of time without pauses or else we would’ve had to edit a large amount of media. Doing so has helped me become a better interviewee and get more opportunities.

[gracythomas]

Best Holiday TikToks of 2019

Best Holiday TikToks of 2019

It’s the end of 2019. Time for the “Best Ads of the Year” “Best Ads of the Holiday Season” “Best Ads of the Decade” sorts of posts. Hell, maybe you’re not working, but you’re on your phone cuz you’ve run out of stuff to say to your in-laws.

But instead of the best commercials or videos, Division of Labor wants to focus on the best TikToks of the season. This holiday has produced a batch of some pretty funny videos on the hottest platform of the year. (Forget the fact that it all might be a Chinese plot to spy on America.) People are making a lot of TikToks and spending hours and hours watching them. If you haven’t heard of them or don’t quite get what they are, let us introduce you to a massive platform that Millennials and Gen Y are spending reams of time on. And, well, this means you should be there too.

A LOT FOR CHRISTMAS

This Tiktok is set to the same Mariah Carey song as above, but it works with the lyric: “I don’t want a lot for Christmas.”  The woman in the video expresses her annoyance after being gifted a parking lot for Christmas even though she specifically said she did not want a “lot for Christmas.” 

This is a fairly common TikTok construct, but here it’s just so dopey you can’t help but laugh. This TikTok has close to 600k likes as of this posting.

                                               POST MALONE

Rapper Post Malone has frequently been regarded as a pop-cultural symbol and the subject of many internet memes. In this Tiktok, someone shows off their new car interior and then reveals the custom Post Malone door light with the rapper’s face on it.

Taking pieces of internet meme culture and playing off of them in new ways is the point of Tiktok for a lot of people. So your very own Post Malone custom door light is spot on. This TikTok has close to 400k likes as of this posting.

I LOVE YOU

This TikTok started gaining momentum during the holiday season. It uses a popular TikTok format of lip-syncing to the Google translate voice reading something the creator wrote. The neutrality and lack of expression of the computer voice set against some deeply personal shit have made for great Tiktoks. And this one is no different, with 450k likes as of posting.

SLEEPOVER / GOOD MORNING

The original audio for this Tiktok comes from a 2013 video taken outside Kanye West’s house early in the morning. In the original clip, the person filming says “good morning Kanye,” to which, in typical Kanye fashion, he politely replies with “shut the fuck up.” This audio was recently recovered and dubbed over many TikToks such as this one, which depicts the struggle of sleeping over at a friend's house when they don’t give you a blanket or pillows. The TikTok has close to 2.6 million likes as of posting.

OK BOOMER - HOLES IN JEANS

We all know of or have at least heard of the “Ok Boomer.” meme. If you haven’t, this trend, at its core, is meant to make fun of or belittle the attitudes of the baby boomer generation. Naturally, this trend has taken off on Tiktok as well, and these commonly backed by the song written by Peter Kuli and Jed will. This TikTok, and others, take common phrases, complaints, or traits of the baby boomer generation and mock them with dry, sarcastic undertones.

BRANDY MELVILLE

Another important format in the TikTok platform is the point of view or POV video. The idea here is that videos can be filmed from a certain person or even objects' point of view. If this sounds broad and confusing, that’s because it is, but it also leaves a lot of room for creativity. 

This particular video plays off a recent trend-making fun of the popular retailer Brandy Melville, a store characterized by rude employees and clothes that only fit pre-pubescent teenage girls. If you’ve never shopped there, watch this video, and it will feel like you have.

IN THE GHETTO

This TikTok was made popular, like many other videos on the app, by its sound. The original audio was uploaded by one user and has since been dubbed over many times, making jokes about things that upper-middle-class people may classify it as “ghetto.”

Political correctness is also kinda tossed out the window on TikTok as inside jokes on top of inside jokes blur the line of what’s appropriate and not. 277k likes at posting.

[youtechagency]

Marketing For Beginners 101

R.E.A.R – (Read, Engage, Act, Review)

What’s going on guys? Happy Wednesday! This is Mike. I’m here with Richard, one of our esteemed Project Managers here at Youtech. And today we’re going to talk to you about how you can learn more about marketing – which one of the ways is just by watching this video FYI. But Richard and I will throw around ideas all the time throughout the office, we’re constantly reading things, we’re engaging with things. Of course, we’re putting things into action here, we are an agency, and then, of course, we’re always reviewing as well.

And those fall into an acronym that we’ve created which would be REAR r-e-a-r: read, engage, act, review. Once you do those things you will have a pretty good understanding of the topic, you can then take that toss it in the rearview mirror and move on to the next subject. So today we’re going to talk to you a little bit about that acronym, we’re going to break down each of those things individually as to our tips and tricks, what we do, what we feel is successful and some best practices. We’ll show you some good resources that you can check out, some newsletters you can subscribe to, or channels for engaging with people, maybe how to put some stuff into action. Of course, we can talk about how to review too.

Read

To begin with the first of the acronyms, read. Read, it could be reading, it could be watching, it could be listening. I know podcasts are kind of a big thing. Some of my favorite sources are going to be HubSpot, I love HubSpot, I think HubSpot is great. Social media, Social Media Examiner is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to social media knowledge, they also have a little bit of PPC stuff mixed in there. Their blog posts especially, they do video, they do audio, and they do blogs. They send a ton of emails too, but their blog posts especially have excellent visuals, they break everything down. Just the other day because TikTok is fairly new I came across an email from them where it talked about TikTok and how to set your business up on TikTok and everything. I clicked into it, I was looking through it and it was just absolutely phenomenal. I mean it was step-by-step as if you’ve never used TikTok and you check out this blog, you know exactly what to do, so I highly recommend Social Media Examiner. But Richard, what would you say? What are some of your sources here? I think we’ve heard enough for me already.

Well thanks, Mike, you know a longtime listener first-time caller so I appreciate the invite. So you know I’m on the other spectrum of “read” for me. I like to engage with content or read content, for the most part, I try to absorb everything visually. I’m really guilty about just getting home and propping up my feet and just watching Netflix all the time. It’s really great for me to be able to absorb content visually. So, in making sure that whenever I’m using my computer for personal purposes or whenever I’m even just watching Hulu, I’ll make sure that I’m watching ads and that I’m engaging with other people’s ideas and examining them on a more macro level of “why is this work”. That from an overall strategy standpoint really helps me and gives me creative ideas that then turn into practical thought applications. So, what I actually do want to read, which comes and goes, I like to read resources like Ad Week. I think they have a really great site, I hate that some of it is behind a paywall but you do get several three articles a month. And usually, they have great conglomerates or lists of really awesome ads that have come out recently. They’ll break them down into the technical aspects, but also share upcoming news. And for agencies that really want to thrive creatively, it’s a really good resource.

Yeah, I’m a fan of that one as well. I do tend to – it’s funny because like I said at the beginning, everyone kind of has their own different ways of consuming media right? And personally, I like to read but I feel like I’m in the minority on that these days. I feel like everyone likes to watch or listen but, I don’t know, sometimes it’s a little slow for me, I like to skip ahead when I can.

Yeah, also when I read something I want to get to the end as fast as I can so I’ll become guilty of skimming because I’ll get to the point you know? And so when I really want to absorb something I definitely settle myself down. But for the most part, I just take in things better visually and try to – it also makes me think a little bit more critically I think, you know to think for myself a little bit more. And then to be able to evaluate on my own terms before I see someone else’s opinion on it. It’s kind of like when you watch an ad and create your own thoughts for it it’s kind of like watching a movie without reading any reviews you know? You can gauge for yourself.

I like that. One more resource that I really want to touch on before we move on here into the next portion. But when it comes to SEO knowledge, I feel like that is one area where – well the communities are great for SEO and we’ll touch on that in a second – but Search Engine Journal is a really good resource there too. So if you’re looking for anything as far as Google updates or changes to Google My Business, or different case studies on “we took 1,000 websites and we analyzed other organic traffic and here’s what we found” those kinds of articles are all on there and they’re really good. They also have a lot of input from the community too, which I think is a good transition because when it comes to

communities you’re going to want to engage with people and that’s one of the best ways to continue learning marketing knowledge is through that engagement.