#staying on brand by doing trends late i see

[bitternace]

this is very silly and i still have those song/character requests going on (working on 'em!) but i'd love to do the evil art style thing....

[deliciousangelfestival]

Nothing Has Changed - 7

Summary: Returning home for peace, you're faced with your tormentor, Bucky Barnes, who is now involved in your family's business.

Character: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Words Count: 2,143

Warning: Angst, Tragedy.

Nothing Has Changed - Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more

“Well, if he can afford it,” you said, knowing your dad probably didn't realize how much you charged per hour for consulting.

Bucky felt challenged. “I think I can afford it.”

You raised an eyebrow, silently asking, ‘Are you sure?’ Then, you grabbed a pen and started writing numbers on paper.

When you showed it to Bucky and Tom, both of their eyes widened. Tom exclaimed, “That's per hour?”

You nodded, folding your arms.

Bucky glanced at the paper, then back at you. “If it's in New York, this price is understandable. But here… with this price, I could afford two brand-new cars.”

“Take it or leave it,” you said, your expression unyielding. If Bucky truly needed an auditor, he would accept your terms.

“I didn’t say no,” Bucky replied. “Alright. I hope you can start tomorrow. I'm looking forward to working with you, partner.” He extended his hand for a handshake.

You simply said, “Hmm,” and walked past him, leaving his hand hanging in the air.

Bucky maintained his calm demeanor and smiled, that smug smile you always wanted to slap off his face.

It's risky to work with your former tormentor, but after thinking it through, you realize you had just left your previous job and decided to stay with your dad.

But you don’t want your skills to get rusty. Bronze Lodge Hotel seems reasonable enough as a place to work in this small town.

Back then, he drained your mental strength; now you will drain his money.

Bucky tidied up the documents, placing them back into his bag. “I’m so glad I came here. Thank you for your help, Tom,” he said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Tom slowly nodded his head, though he wasn't entirely sure about it. You had offered to help, but at such a high price. He had never seen that many zeros in his life. He felt a bit sorry for Bucky, but also proud of you. It was amazing to him that you had the skills and experience to command such fees and be hired by people in the big city.

Bucky slung his bag over his shoulder and headed toward the door. Before leaving, he looked at you and said, “See you tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

You stood there, arms crossed, watching him leave. “I won’t be,” you replied, a determined look in your eyes.

Bucky gave a small nod, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he exited. Tom watched him go, then turned back to you with a mixture of pride and concern.

“You’ve come a long way,” he said softly, touching your shoulder.

🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮

The next morning, you arrived at the resort in your sports car. All eyes were on you from the moment you left home until you pulled up at the hotel.

You found it amusing. Back then, nobody even bothered to notice you. But now, thanks to this car, you were suddenly worth looking at. It saddened you that money, expensive stuff, and status seemed necessary for respect.

As you walked into the hotel, Natasha was shocked to see you. She left her reception desk and rushed toward you.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, looking you up and down. Natasha followed fashion trends closely and recognized the luxury of your outfit, even though it didn’t flaunt brand logos. The cost of what you were wearing was more than her salary. She clenched her fists in frustration.

With your high heels, you towered over her. Even before, you were taller than her, but she always had a superior attitude and was surrounded by her group, while you were always alone.

Now, even though you were still alone, you no longer felt small in her presence. You put on a confident smile. This feeling of superiority, of having a life so much better than hers, was intoxicating.

You scratched the saddened part about living in this world. Money, expensive stuff, status—if these three things were enough to make a person like Natasha jealous of you, you would do anything to obtain them.

“Whoops… I could see the tension from far away,” Bucky suddenly appeared and stood between you and Natasha.

“She’s…” Natasha began, but Bucky cut her off.

“Na-ah. Here at the Bronze Lodge, we always give a warm welcome to new employees. Well, she’s temporary, actually. We have a new auditor,” Bucky announced.

Natasha flinched at his words. She grabbed Bucky’s hand and whispered, “Does your mother know?”

Bucky gently pried her hand away. “I’ve texted her. She hasn’t replied yet.” His mother was traveling with her friends, probably with her new boyfriend.

It was his mother’s mistake to hire a lousy accountant, forcing him to manage things himself. His skills in accounting were pretty limited. With your help, he hoped to uncover the true condition of the resort’s finances, even though paying you would cost him an arm and a leg.

“Let’s get ready. We have 20 minutes left before this place opens,” Bucky clapped his hands and then looked at you, tilting his head. “Follow me.”

You followed him, leaving Natasha glaring daggers at your back. Bucky led you to an empty office room filled with disorganized papers and documents. You cringed at the mess.

Rolling up your sleeves, you prepared to start cleaning and organizing. “Leave,” you commanded Bucky, your expression turning serious.

Bucky looked at you, surprised by your sudden change in demeanor. “Alright. I’ll check in on you later,” he said, leaving the room.

You start working, your eyes scanning over rows of numbers, your mind quickly calculating and cross-referencing data from various documents. The first step is organizing the mess left by the previous auditor. You methodically sort through the stacks of papers, categorizing them by month, type, and relevance. Your fingers fly over the keyboard as you input data into a detailed spreadsheet, ensuring every transaction is accounted for.

As the hours pass, you become more absorbed in the patterns emerging from the chaos. You notice repeated anomalies in the records—suspicious transfers, inflated expenses, and missing receipts. You pause occasionally to make notes, your handwriting precise and clear. The further you dig, the more discrepancies you uncover.

You compare the financial statements to bank records, invoices, and internal reports. It's clear that large sums of money are unaccounted for, and there's a distinct pattern of funds being siphoned off over time. Your brow furrows as you pinpoint the telltale signs of money being funneled into untraceable accounts.

Your focus is unbroken, and you don’t realize you’ve been working for nearly 12 hours straight. Your hand doesn’t stop writing, just like at your previous job. You were used to long hours at the company, and so was Ransom. But here, it’s different, especially for Bucky. He’s worried about you.

Just as you finish drafting a report of your findings, you hear a knock on the door. You don’t notice it initially, but Bucky’s voice breaks your concentration. “It’s time to go home.”

Your pen stops moving. Slowly, you lift your head and fix your gaze on him with a cold stare that cuts through the air.

Bucky, sensing something amiss, asks tentatively, "Bad numbers?"

"Worse. Someone's been stealing from you," you reply sharply.

Meanwhile, Natasha glances around nervously on the emergency stairs to ensure no one is watching. She pulls out her phone and makes a call, her voice low and urgent. “We have an uninvited guest,” she whispers, her tone laced with fear and frustration.

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Author Note: Hey friends,

If you've been enjoying the content, I've set up a Ko-fi account.

Your support through tips would mean the world and help me keep creating.

Only if you feel like it!

Here's the link: Ko-fi

Thanks a bunch for being fabulous followers!

[tarathoughts13]

smosh - the current situation

as i was pulling together my notes for my next bit city analysis (part 2 coming soon btw guys), i came across another topic which i think deserves it's own post instead of being combined with the bit city post, this post is about, the current situation with smosh.

so, as i said previously, smosh is not exaclty in the best place right now, 2024 overall has been an odd year for youtube, but especially smosh. while on one hand there were some great parts, smosh the sitcom, more games content, new cast member, and the introduction of bit city (as flawed as it is) being the main ones, there have also been some down sides. as smosh decided to take a break in early summer of this year all the way until august, their viewership has naturally gone down, especially on the main channel.

now this itself isn't as much an issue, naturally when you sya that you're not gonna post for 2 months, you will lose some views and maybe even some subsribers, it's not a large issue. the issue that i think smosh has run into, is that they're not able to get their views back. see, last year, if you look at the views across the main, pit and games channels, they were all at a relatively good place, main channel had had the benefit of food battle gaining 2.7 million views and going no.1 on trending and prepping for anthony's funeral, every video towards the end of 2023 has somewhere around 800k - 1m views on average. pit channel was booming with views around this time, in fact i think that for a while, from october to late november, nealry every smosh pit video had 1 million to 2 million views (everything from eat it or yeet it, who memed it, reddit stories, etc.) and for games, it's a bit more difficult (for me) to sense the average but it was somewhere around the 600k/800k to 1 million/2 million range, so overall pretty good.

however, nowadays, the views have definitely fallen, for pit and games i can't tell exactly how much (i am theatre kid, not made for math) but from what i can tell, most of the videos with 1 million or + views (on pit) are reddit stories, everything else generally stays within 800k/900k view count. and for the main channel.... it's not looking so good.

now, to be fair, even this time last year, in november of 2023, the smosh main channel was not doing perfect, and a lot of the flashbacks + sketches that weren't nostalgia based got less than a million views, as ian and anthony have said, sketch comedy has and will always be difficult to make on a platform like youtube, not many average viewers are willing to watch it (unless you're a big brand like snl), and unless you have somehting really brand/nostalgia based like food battle or pokemon battle, etc. it's gonna be hard for you to get views, but, at least back then, their sketches were still getting decent views, and there were a good couple that had from around 900k to 1 million views. nowawadays, with the introduction of and smosh putting all of their attention on bit city, most of the views are from 600k to 900k views (which is pretty decent tbf, that's how the channel was doing back in 2023 as well with the exception of food battle), and only ONE bit city sketch has over a million views, that sketch being 2024 sucks, bit city 2.

anthony's channel hasn't been doing that well either, many fans have been complaining on pressalike's consistent decision to basically turn his channel into like an interview/assumption channel for la influencers, and from shifting the original focus of his channel, which was to give a voice to those who don't have one in society (minorities, marginalised communities,). it also seems that at smosh, they have really been trying to merge the two channels (smosh + pressalike) together into 1 company, and so a lot of crew from one company have changed the other, and so this has also lead to a lot of changes behind the scenes (which i think reflects a bit in the content).

to add on to this view situation, a lot of fans have also noticed that anthony has started appearing less and less in content, besides the content on his main channel and on lunchtime with smosh, he is barely on smosh anymore. ian at least makes appearances in stuff like bit city and occasionally pit and games content, but anthony has basically like checked out, he's mostly bts nowadays, besiddes 2024 sucks, he's always in the background of bit city sketches or in the audience, and the beopardy he was in recently, was one of his first pit appearances in MONTHS. now this by itself wouldn't be as big an issue if they had just addressed it, but unfortunately, they have not, smosh has not addressed any of the fan speculations or concerns about anthony at all, not a community post, or a pinned comment, or even an instagram story or reddit post or any type of damage control, nothing. what this does is that it leaves a lot of the fans (especially ianthony shippers and supporters who supported and loved anthony all throughout his return to smosh in 2023) feeling very blindsided and confused about the whole ordeal.

and to add a cherry on top, a lot of the smosh cast have been getting into drama lately, with noah being allegedely a zionist/liking pro-israel tweets? (i think), keith making some really insensitive jokes about the whole diddy case, and chanse going out with a trump supporter (he said it's not official or anything but still...), it's not been the best for the channel pr wise either (and as far i know - none of the cast members listed above has issued apologies or retracted their statements).

also (this isn't related but i thought i might m

so overall, smosh is in kinda a messy place right now, and i think that's for multiple reasons, it definitley seems like there is a shift in the leadership team for smosh and there have been many crew departures in the past year (from heidi to zoe, to most recently, josh), and overall, things have changed, a lot. honestly the smosh right now looks slightly unrecognizable from the smosh 1 year ago to me, and that's coming from someone who became a stan of the channel around 2023.

now, that's not to say that things are horrible or that they can't get better, i think they cna, it will just take a lot of reworking. i think the 2 biggest changes they can make so far is 1. change up bit city and find a way to make it reach more people and get more views, while also staying true to the smosh core audience, 2. to make anthony's channel's focus back on giving marignalised communities a voice for themselves, and 3. to maybe make some sort of statement or acknowledgement on anthony's departure/absence from the channel of late. i think smosh can find it's stride again, this year hasn't been horrible that way by any means, it's just been messy and complicated. but as always, i will be hoping for the best for smosh and i am genuinely excited to see what comes next.

thanks for reading all this, this post was kinda just to get my thoughts out there on the current situation at smosh, tagging @lilac-hecox bc i think you'll agree with me a lot here and i'd like to see someone agree with me, that's nice for non-excistent ego.

[ohmytomorrowisthursday]

AOT Characters As Actors

OKAY I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN DONE A MILLION TIMES BEFORE but I cant help but want to join in because its so fun.

Imagining the characters of AOT as their actor selves after the show is wrapped up. Pls enjoy! <3 LMK if u want a part two

Ymir (Scouts): One of the sweetest people on set, just really good at playing such an asshole, lol. The one during the press tours to make sure that Gabby, Falco and young Ymir are all okay. Making sure that paparazzi aren't bothering everyone and generally getting along with the whole cast. Goes on social media after and does a whole soft-girl rebrand so that people know shes that good at acting.

Jean: THIS MAN WOULD BE OUR PEDRO PASCAL. Absolutely loves the love he gets from his stans and loves watching fan account compilations of him. Wears wild looks on the red carpet because he knows the fans are going to go crazy. Posts photos of himself in costume backstage becuase he knows we'd EAT IT UP. Silly and goofy and generally just loves to say he was a part of the show. Would love to do costumed appearances for late night shows and fan meetings; he just absolutely loves the fans and his role.

Erwin: I feel like as an actor he'd be so funny. He's the star who anchors the show and gives it the original buzz. He's always playing jokes on his co-stars and loves messing with everyone. I feel like him and actor Zeke would get along so well and just mess with people. Not a huge social media guy but I feel like he'd post group pictures of the cast at the premier with the caption "We did it, guys". Does a whole GQ cover and interview to promote the show.

Hange: This is their debut role and I feel like the public just IMMEDIATELY falls in love with them. I feel like actor Hange would be so shy and intimidated by the love for the character they play. But the public would love them even more for that and encourage them soooo much. Levi is like their biggest supporter and always hyping them up during interviews. Would post a long love-letter-goodbye speech to their character on Instagram after the show ends. Would sooo steal looks at award shows. Gets into some really big A24 movies and shows after and is in general, just killing it.

Mikasa: She would be the IT girl after the show was over. Her haircut would be trending on tiktok and people would be photographing her everywhere. I see her being someone who adopts parts of Mikasa into her everyday persona. Becomes really passionate about supporting young women and girls in her spare time. THE RUMOURS ABOUT HER AND EREN ARE FLYING. Like everyone is constantly wondering if they're dating in real life or not. In the end, I feel like they'd both stay friends but people would always wonder. Post a lot on social media and has a ton of followers. Zendaya vibes; gets into everything and does so well and ALWAYS EATS IT UP AT AWARD SHOWS

Armin: By the end of the series, Armin is like the new heartthrob of the whole series. I feel like irl he's actually pretty confident and outgoing. Like, he would try his best to change his brand from sweet inquisitive nerd to bad boy by doing like 'rugged' GQ shoots and generally going for more 'action hero' characters outside of the show. HARD LAUNCHES A PARTNER AT THE FINAL PREMIERE and everyone is like omg ARMIN THEY'RE FINE AS HELL. Really enjoys the action and thriller genres and does a lot of movies of those kinds.

Eren: The character really shapes him as an actor (obvs) and I feel like he gets cast in a lot of similar protagonist roles. Everyone loses their minds for shirtless rebel Eren with long hair, and I feel like he's actually kind of shy about it when he talks about it during press interviews. Super jokey and really into fashion (like cool vintage fashion) and people like to emulate his style. Really gets along with everyone and, like, has absolute eyes for Mikasa during interviews (like their chemistry is flying) and there's all these fan theories that he loves her but they just remain friends. I feel like he goes off the map from acting for awhile after a demanding film schedule to travel the world, and his feed is just cool film pictures of his adventures for a bit. Kind of a private dude, but absolutely adored.

Levi: Okay this show is Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man for Levi. He was like a teen hearthrob and then some kind of drama happened in his early 20's and he fell off the map for a few years. He comes back for this role and everyone is like OH MY GOD HOW DID WE EVER STOP SEEING HIM IN MOVIES HES THE BEST. I feel like his life would be similar to his existence in the fandom now lol; people would absolutely love him. I feel like he's a really down to earth guy (KEANU REEVES TYPE) and during his break from blockbuster hits he was in a bunch of amazing indie movies that get popular after the show, and theres just a million pictures of him back in the 90's/2000's where people are just fawning over Levi in his 20's. Does a lot of magazine and video interviews but isn't particularly active on social media (not his thing) and that makes him even hotter to people. He'd write a book after to tell his life story. And like, you know actor Levi has an absolutely ridiculously hot partner and they've been married for years and he's just THAT GUY.

OKAY THATS IT! I hope you enjoyed this post, lmk if you want another part with more characters! <3

[keepthedelta]

I do not know how I stumbled into your account but, it is very refreshing to be able to read a perspective that is different from the echo-chamber that the Lewis fandom can sometime become.

You see, as a Black person, i really love what Lewis is doing as the first Black driver in F1. No one can deny his talent. However, i have always had difficulties "connecting" or genuinely being a fan because of so many things that are weirding me out. Such as the people he is surrounding himself with, some of the brands that he endorses, or this recent trend of him going for women in their early twenties when he is in his late thirties . I think dichotomic is the right word, English is not my first language. Seing you talk about it validated that sentiment.

Also, that thing that you said about people making Nico the obsessed one when he is actually the one who moved on (I mean, he left the sport) is part of that echo-chamber.

I do not know maybe it's the effect of me who has just finished diving into your brocedes and some of your Lewis posts.

Anyway, I do not trust celebrities for the simple fact that their public image is manufactured and that we do not know them.

Hope that this asks doesn't bring you hate.

i hope you don't mind me doing both asks in one. firstly, you are very sweet, and i'm glad that you connected to some of the things in my blog.

i totally understand what it's like to finally feel represented in this sport, i've been watching since before lewis so i do remember a time before black drivers, and in terms of talent lewis is excellent representation. i also completely understand being wary of next year's ferrari line-up, especially if you feel obligated to participate in the fandom wars. fandom is supposed to be fun, and if you're not having fun i totally support you leaving. touching grass a bit more would probably be good for all of us here.

if you don't mind me saying though, it seems like maybe the reason you're not enjoying your experience here, or dreading it next year, is because of the particular environment you're in. the great thing about tumblr is that you get to curate your experience, so you don't have to stay in the cultLH echo chamber if you don't want to. you found me, and i promise there are other (relatively) normal people on here who like lewis but don't feel the need to worship him or hate people who challenge him. if you definitely do want to leave then i wish you all the best, but if you still love f1 you can curate a different environment with people that you enjoy. do you like any of the other drivers? you said you admire lewis for his achievements but don't really connect with him as a person, is there another driver that you do connect with? i'm all for racial solidarity but i don't think you should be obligated to support a driver that you don't like just because he's black, or not support a driver that you do like because they aren't black.

whatever you decide, i hope you enjoy yourself. fandom is supposed to be fun and if you're not having a good time don't force yourself to continue. it was really lovely to hear from you, and if you ever want to chat feel free to drop into my dms

[missyporkbarreling]

Leonid Konstantinovich Kovar

- A character living in tragedy

While I was out on my daily walk I realized just how like fucked up Leonid's life is and how it isn't really shined apon. Mostly because the last time Leonid had a line of dialogue was 12 fucking years ago

In his adolesence (because this is comics he's not given a difinitive age) Leonid went out on an expadition with his dad where they came across an alien space ship. Fiddling around with the craft it gave off a great amount of energy. Giving him super powers but seemingly killing his father, Konstantin.

He was then taken in by Konstantin's colleague and good friend Pyotr Raskov. Who while treated him like his own son was also the one to get him into the KGB while he was still a child. So

his first appearance doesn't give much (it's a very mediocre story, Leonid was yet to be developed and beyond Wally being a right fuck there isn't anything bad inflicted apon him)

but when he reappears in the new teen titans is when this gets interesting. in the interum Leonid had found a girl and they were hoping to get married soon. With Draut and Perez drawing him with similiar builds to Dick and Wally it's safe to say that Leonid and Maladi in this story are 18 or 17 going on 18.

Maladi had conracted a horrible illness that was not only killing her but would cause rabid cellular deteriation in anyone she touched. Leonid neither wanting his darling to suffer or for her to hurt or kill anyone else he volunteered to kill her. Because Maladi and Leonid only have 1 page where they talk it's unclear wether or not Maladi wanted to die but her final words shared through the doctor suggests that even if she didn't want to she understood the pain she caused by her existance.

jumping ahead several issues Leonid reappears as part of an exchange program between the US and the soviet union. Slightly confusingly when Hammer and Sickle kick down the door of star labs because they can't alow Leonid's secrets to fall into the hands of the US, he joins them in fighting the titans despite his moral objections. However once the cat is out of the bag that the gang of eight are trying to have him assassinated he joins back up with the titans despite it branding him a traitor to his state.

This leads to Leonid trying to ice Hammer because as Leonid says "you stole my life away from me, boris". But in what'll become an upsetting trend he's not alowed to get beyond that initial punch and kick as the titans save him from becoming a murderer.

Leonid's beautiful speech at the end of issue 49 is only slightly undercut with when he shows up once again this has seemingly been brushed over and he's back to living in the late Soviet union.

Inbetween this and his reapperance in the new titans it's assumed that he stayed in touch with the titans as the last thing Leonid and Vic tried to do here was beat the shit out of each other but Leonid later mourns cyborg as his best friend.

I will start to speed up as post titans hunt he becomes a fixture on the titans and there are only 2 examples of Leonid getting traumatized I wanna talk about.

Leonid is reintroduced after Victor Stone is shot out of a rocket and blown up above the icy tundra of Siberia. Where he found Vic's body and brought it to his adoptive father and his science boys to hopefully save Vic's life. They are semi sucessful but due to the state they found him in he's made a vegetable.

Which going off on a tangent it really fucking sucks that Wolfmann essentionally killed off a long time Titan jus so that Garfield and Leonid could be angsty about it.

Back on point. Unbeknownst to Leonid Raskov, ever the nationalist turned the corpse of his stepson's best friend into a weapon's platform for the soviet government. Can you see why I pin Leonid becoming an agent on Raskov?

Leonid is extremely ashamed for what his father has done and to try and get Vic back with his family agrees to "keep an eye on" their new weapon.

when Leonid, Vic and Sarah head back to Russia to try and fix cyborg up they're greeted by Pyotr and a bunch of bootleg cyborgs dubbed the metamen. Once they're captured (because again Vic is nothing but a vegetable in a weapons platform controlled by the ruskis) Leonid finally comes face to face with the man he hasn't seen in atleast 9 years (19 real world years) Konsantin Kovar is alive.

but Konstantin isn't here for a mere family reunion. He hates what the russian federation has become and with cyborg and Raskov's metamen he hopes to bring back the glory days.

And when Leonid is uncooporative because ofcoure why would he alow his best friend to become even more of a weapon Konstantin is resigned to jus turn his own son into a metaman. With the only thing stopping him being Pyotr finally growing a damned spine and refusing to hurt Leonid.

This rebellion however is short lived as Konstantin quickly catches up and with Raskov's continuing attempts to fight back Konstantin has cyborg kill him. And to ensure everyone else dies he blows up the complex for good measure.

After a failed attempt at president Yeltsin's life the woman Leonid had been working along side for all of this I never mentioned shoots Konstantin dead.

Konstantin gets turned into another metaman but this plot never goes anywhere and Leonid never learns of this

so within the span of a weekend Leonid finds out his biological father is alive, nearly becomes a mindless machine, has his adoptive father killed and then he witnesses his biological dad be killed again.

however Leonid persists. With him getting perticularely close to his teammate Pantha and her son Baby Wildebeest. And when he leaves the team they go with him.

While there's sadly very little buildup that I was able to pick up on Leonid becoming patriach of this quite queer little family unit is adorable and I wish we got to see more of it.

after Leonid's departure from the titans he made a few scamp appearances. mainly in the anniversary specials that brought every living titan together.

And then we get to he big one. Infinite Crisis.

Leonid, Pantha and Wildebeest head Connor's distress signal and meet in Smallville to fight against Super Boy Prime. and in the span of 2 pages (really 2 half pages because these deaths aren't given too much space) Leonid loses everything. enraged by the bullshit Prime is spewing Pantha jumps to try and claw at him only to have her head punched off. That head lands in front of their feat. Baby rushes at him but likewise he has a hole punched through him. Before Leonid can properly react Prime freezes him into a block of ice.

and if you're still following this I think you can sense a theme. Leonid's suffering almost always comes from throwing other characters by the way side and treating hem as disposable.

this to me is the most agrivating and aggregious one. With Victor's coma he was able to escape from that in an amazing sory. Baby and Pantha never go that. Pantha showed up one last time as an alternate timeline version of herself aided Booster Gold and Ted Kord in a world overrun by OMACs (which I have my own issues wih but this is about Leonid so I won't dwell), and baby? has never been seen again.

After this Leonid becomes a shell of the man he was. An angry recluse who only stops moping over what's been lost when his country is in danger. And to add insult to injury like Wolfmann before him Geoff Johns reverted him back to basics and made him an agent of the russian government. Despite that making no god damned sense with his history of russia's conservatives.

I will admit I have not read Geoff Johns' teen titans run and with how he butchered my favorite character and turned the other one into a jackbooted asshole I don't ever want to.

But what's important here is the call back to new teen titans 49 where despite how much pain and anguish Prime has subjected Leonid to. Slaughtering his family. Leonid is never alowed to give that cathartic beatdown that would not make all of this worth it but would soffen he blow.

ever since Wolfmann alone started writing him Leonid's life has been a whirlwind of tragedy. But through out all of it. Leonid continued to be nice, kind, and above all a god damned hero. Willing to risk life and limb if it meant saving people.

Geoff Johns did not continue this. the red star that Johns' wrote is not the character I fell in love with. He's a depressed asshole working for the people who made his life a living hell.

I just prey that one day we'll see the real Leonid Kovar again. His last appearance was in doomsday clock where he said nothing and was once again just a russian agent.

Him and Pantha hasn't shared panel space since she died. And that doesn't seem to be changing soon.

But I will not stop hoping.

If you've reached this far I just wanna thank you. This rant is way too fucking long but I needed to get it all out of my sysem. If like me you're a red star fan I would love to have a chat sometime (lord knows there ain't alot of us left). And if you're not a red star fan I especially thank you for reading these autistic ravings about something you care not for.

[ferdieinceladoncity]

I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO WATCHING THE GIGGLE NOW THAT MY MOTHER IS WELL, I'M ONLY ONE ENTIRE WEEK LATE BUT HERE'S MY GIGGLE THOUGHTS

-okay, for one I am not as averse to the bi-regeneration as some people have been. I saw that leak detailing it waaaay earlier, and I was honestly excited more than disappointed. As long as they don't do this every single time future doctors regenerate- which would suck-it was fine as a one-off thing, and made sense for the iteration of 14. Of course he would be brought back so that he could go home and stay there. And 15 gets to go gallivanting off and start off the new season, so alls well. I dont think it takes away from Ncuti's arrival as the doctor at all because he had most of the focus of the episode from when he split off and became real.

-I could not help but draw parallels between all the people of earth thinking they are right and denying wearing the... whatever they were called, the rings- and covid and masking stuff and whatever which I guess was the point. The toymaker referencing 'cancelling' was so cringe though lmaoo

-Kate Lethbridge Stewart you are my wife forever <3

-what the fuck was that robot there for. the vlinx. This is like, for suuuuure we are getting a UNIT spinoff soon and the inclusion of that weird robot is gonna be part of it. Literally everything is pointing to a UNIT spinoff and that was so obvious in this episode. I don't have opinions for or against the existence of a UNIT spinoff, btw.

-the callback to the Moffat companions was great. Shame he mentions Amy but not Rory?? hello? he was very much touched by a weeping angel too.

-Overall, I didnt hate the toymaker as a villain, but it was like... i don't know. a discount master. I guess he was fun, but I wouldn't be too keen on seeing him return anytime soon.

-that being said, spice up your life was very fun :3 Oh I'm going to have that in my head forever, aren't I..

-Please don't reference the year as a big speech in the episode of television you're making. Yes I understand it's because it's the anniversary but does nobody else find it super cringe when they're all like.. oMG.. 2023... maybe that's just because im super tired of that trend back in 2020 where verbalising the fact it was 2020 was used as like the marketing campaign of every single brand

-mel bush was certainly there! for, I guess, reasons! maybe I'd care more if I'd seen her back in the like... 80s, but I didn't, and so it was like. okay. were there any classic fans watching jumping out of their seats when she was on screen? I just feel like when the doctor reunites with an old companion, it always feels shallow. Like when 13 reunited with Tegan and ace in power of the doctor. It just felt like she didn't really know them anymore and we only really saw 14 exchange pleasantries with Mel as if they were friends meeting back after a couple years in a grocery store aisle. I think they more or less got it right in school reunion, seeing ten with Sarah Jane was so wonderful. But that was a whole episode centred around their reunion and when you're introducing a past companion as part of a special or big anniversary episode you kind of have to push it aside in favour of the other stuff you have to show, making it feel like, what was really the point? a companion is such an important person in the doctors life and it feels narratively unsatisfying to bring them back to satiate or entertain older fans but not really centre any part of the episode on the doctor and this companion they formed a real bond with.

-if I was donna I would have stepped right on that doll the first time I saw it and smooshed it into the floorboards like a spider

-I feel like they played catch too fairly. For one, why even bother throwing the ball back and forth between yourselves? dont tempt fate like that. take all your shots at the toymaker. surely it wouldn't have been hard to just lob it a little bit to the left and off the edge a lot sooner. He'd say you were a bad throw but I doubt he could prove it

-I liked the imagery of the rose petals shooting out of the guns I dont know I just thought that was neat

-oh, speaking of! Rose mention! the doctor said he loved rose in 2023. Well, in a stilted way (next point) but man I guess this can be considered a timepetals win???

-the dialogue just didnt crackle and to a point and with a few expeditions this has been the case for all the specials. I don't know if im looking at it all the wrong way, but there's something a little bit devoid of life when compared to earlier seasons. It's not deal-breaking for me. But I think it was especially potent this episode.

-The TARDIS having a ramp is pretty great but why not let her in it?? why show her ( cant remember her name but the UNIT officer in the wheelchair) you show her it has a ramp now and she's happy about that, but nah fuck it you can't come in and have a look.

-The TARDIS also looks so much better with the warm yellow lights and I'd have warmed to it a lot more if it ALWAYS had that warm yellow lighting instead of the sterile whiteness 14 was kicking around in.

-Seen many people mention it already but the fact that was 14 was going commando after the regeneration because 15 got the underwear is hilarious. and he had the dogs out and all. my man. only in doctor who can the climax of an episode be the protagonists and the villain saving the world by playing a game of catch and one is barefoot and the other is literally in his undies. huh

-tentoo did not win ffs. just one mention. just somebody asking how he's going where he's at. just someone considering him at all. a fucking throwaway line. DONNA KNEW HIM. im going to bite my hand off and rtd better have something planned, some good reason for acting like he doesn't exist in these specials. Like even if when they were talking about the doctor settling down and having a domestic life, even if donna had said like "like that other you did" and then we all moved on. but literally act like he doesn't exist I guess

-I'd probably sooner kill myself than live with Sylvia noble but good for 14 for his ending. it was cheesy as all hell but whatever. it deserved to be. It was sweet. It was nothing I'm going to go crazy over but whatever. sure.

-I'm excited for 15 because I do love what we saw of him here. he's fun and he seems to be a bit more free of all the baggage his prior incarnations held which is good. I'm interested to see what he's like but this ep sets him up as quite promising.

-alright, wrapping up, this episode was by far the worst of the three specials, and left me feeling unsatisfied with some things and happy with others. overall, im not taking it too seriously because the episode itself wasn't doing that, it was just a bit of fun and flashy and a bit stupid but it had to be because it's tennats proper sendoff and an anniversary special. It was fine. And I'm glad, im so glad overall that we got these three episodes. I do think that doctor who is so back and im so happy to be a fan.

[screamingay]

started ranting about doctor who to my gf and realized i actually have a lot of opinions (which start off summarizing hbomberguy's takes from the sherlock video but it was kind of a revelation for me) so if u want to hear them ive copypasted and edited them a bit for u guys under the cut <3

so like to set up how bad steven moffat is he explains why doctor who was so bad when moffat was the showrunner in a way ive been trying to articulate for years

basically he's a decent writer who was good at individual episodes that make reference to the doctors history but when it came to actually writing that history and the big events that would become the doctor's history he sucks so so so badly

like in the empty child he was amazing, he prioritized the story of the episode while giving the doctor an air of mystery and references a long and complicated backstory without compromising any charm or humor

but in the very first episode where he had reins on the entire show and its storylines he resorted to just a monologue from the doctor about how cool and special he is and that trend continued the whole time he was in charge. the entire universe suddenly revolved around the doctor

like. chibnall was clearly trying to subvert that by only using brand new aliens during his first season and having extra companions (three of them jesus christ) but he didn't address the heart of the problem and somehow made it even worse. the charm of the doctor was always that they were just a traveler bouncing around the universe and helping people or having fun or whatever

and of course there was always the tragic backstory and the genocide and being the last of his kind and all that but that always came second to the humans he loved!! the first time the master came back in tennant's run it was martha and her family and jack that saved him!! and chibnall tried to do that with yaz but it just didnt feel as impactful bc of how overpowering the master & timeless child plots were (dont even get me started on the timeless child shit retconning the entire history of the show to make the doctor quite literally the most important being in the universe)

moffat on the other hand went all over the place with it and wrote in intergalactic cults deadset on killing the doctor and when he did try to make companions special and important he completely took away their agency in the process

to me clara was a decent companion and had some great moments for me until she turned out to be not real or a metaphor or forgotten or dead or somehow retconned into existing since the show started in 1963 it was all so WEIRD and misses the point of making a companion important. it made her so important she lost her humanity imo

and then there was bill who also died and was mutilated beyond recognition and it just makes me think about how rtd never did that to companions. they were special not because of time magic or destiny or fucked up deaths but because they were just humans. with families. martha got to go back to her family. donna had to forget but she was happy in the end. rose was supposed to live out her life in the parallel universe with her own mortal doctor, and she did, but moffat STILL found a way to bring her back as a metaphor because his desire to deconstruct female companions into concepts and tragedies was just too strong

that's not even getting into what he did to river. or amy...

none of this is to say rtd is perfect of course, i'm really nervous to see how he deals with everything that's been thrown at the show in the past couple decades but considering he plans on staying for a while i really hope he manages to put a better twist on all of it. honestly the thing im most curious about is the special effects.. the show has been leaving very heavily on cg lately but chibnall did introduce a few decent practical effects and puppets so i hope rtd pushes for more of that. im getting off topic tho

that's all i have for now i hope u enjoyed and if u wanna discuss anything pls feel free although that's all the brainpower i have for today come back tomorrow <3

[ymijeansblog]

Date Night or Girls’ Brunch? Check Out 3 Swoon-Worthy Valentine’s Day Outfit Ideas

February is the shortest month of the year, but this sweet season is all about celebrating love! Whether you can’t wait to indulge in a little extra self-care, celebrate with your friends, or spoil your significant other, a stunning outfit can help you feel like your most captivating self this Valentine’s Day.

From popping champagne with your girlfriends to hitting up that hot new restaurant with your partner, here are three Valentine’s Day outfit ideas that will make you the apple of everyone’s eye.

Self-Love Stunner

You know your worth, are fiercely independent, and radiate confidence. When you want to do something, whether it’s seeing that new rom-com or taking dance classes, you always invite your friends to join—but you’re not afraid to go alone! If you’re a free-spirited femme fatale, chances are you’re excited to spend Valentine’s Day spoiling your most reliable partner: you!

For an outfit that helps you look and feel your best on your self-care date, choose clothes that celebrate your style and figure. Style a pair of booty jeans with a vintage baby tee and a cropped faux fur jacket. Complete this look with sporty sneakers and simple sunnies for an effortlessly cool, confident look. Whether you’re pampering yourself with a fresh manicure or grabbing a sweet treat at your neighborhood coffee shop, the right outfit will help you feel like the knockout that you are.

Girls’ Night Glamour

You can always count on your friends to motivate you to wake up for that Saturday morning Pilates class—even if they’re the reason you stayed up late the night before. When you need a good laugh or outfit advice, you text the group chat. Few things in life are as precious as a friend group filled with laughter, adventure, and support. This February, celebrate your besties with a Galentine’s Day gathering.

Whether you and your besties are going to your favorite brunch spot or you’re hosting a mood-board-worthy dinner party, the right outfit can help you celebrate your gorgeous friends in style. Style black curvy jeans with square-toed booties, a lace-trimmed camisole, and a faux leather jacket for an outfit perfect for day or evening events. Accessorize with a pink or red pop of color, subtle jewelry, and—of course—a friendship bracelet.

Hot Date Darling

While you and your partner are the apple of each other's eyes every day, Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to show them a little extra love. Whether you and your loved one have reservations at that exclusive French bistro or are planning on grabbing drinks at your favorite dive bar, the right outfit can help you turn heads—even when you only have eyes for that special someone.

A great date night outfit is all about exuding confidence and celebrating your inherent beauty, so stick with brands that focus on innovative fit solutions and high-quality fabrics. An off-the-shoulder long-sleeved top paired with high waisted flare jeans, sling-back heels, and an eye-catching necklace are sure to sweep your lover off their feet.

With these sweet outfit ideas, you can celebrate love in style this February.

About YMI Jeans

Your captivating style is an outward expression of your inner beauty, which is why YMI Jeans offers accessible, inclusive fashion that helps women look and feel their best. This Los Angeles-based denim brand was founded in 2000 during a sensational period of fashion and pop culture. While they stay true to their Y2K roots, YMI Jeans is constantly evolving. With innovative fit solutions, high-quality fabrics, and meticulous attention to detail, this iconic brand designs clothing that celebrates timeless looks and emerging trends. The Denim Style Quiz and the Denim Fit Guide on the YMI Jeans website make it easy to find your dream styles, whether you’re looking for petite or plus size jeans. To cultivate a sense of style that is effortlessly on-trend yet one-of-a-kind, turn to YMI Jeans. 

Ready to fall in love? Take the Jean Quiz to find your perfect match at https://ymijeans.com/

Original Source: https://bit.ly/40Ezvpu 

[cleverhottubmiracle]

From cottagecore at the height of the pandemic to 2022’s coastal grandmother to 2023’s “Succession”-inspired quiet luxury all the way to the fur-covered “mob wife” at the start of last year, consumers have been inundated with microtrend after microtrend on TikTok. But lately, the churn seems to have slowed.“I can only think of a handful that started in 2024,” said Mia Jacobs, fashion forecaster at trend forecasting company WGSN. “We were on a hamster wheel and we couldn’t get off it, and that has changed.” There are a number of factors fuelling that shift. When the pandemic disrupted the trend cycle, consumers, with extra savings in their wallets and a desire to experiment, flocked to trying on, labelling and sharing aesthetics. The fashion press covered each surge and brands and retailers, eager to boost sales, merchandised accordingly. It was a novelty, as TikTok allowed trends to rise faster than ever before.But cut to today, and reality has crept in. You’re more likely to see a video on TikTok lamenting overconsumption than one gassing up the next of-the-moment aesthetic; in the US, credit card debt has reached record highs. Plus, there’s the fact that all signs point to the end of TikTok in the US in less than two weeks’ time. It remains to be seen if this represents a sea change for how Gen-Z shoppers think and talk about fashion online. After all, while the pace of the microtrend cycle may be slowing, the phenomenon hasn’t disappeared entirely: already this year, there’s been growing chatter around the “fisherman” aesthetic. No matter microtrends’ fate, what will remain is the lessons retailers gleaned from the peak of the microtrends moment, including the importance of being able to plug into fast-moving cultural conversations.“Microtrends were a way to convey a vibe or a feeling and organise community, and it was something Gen-Z was craving at the time,” said Jacobs. “But they’ve woken up to the reality of ‘here today and gone tomorrow,’ and there’s a lot of fatigue.” What’s Happening? For evidence the frenetic naming and consumption of viral trends has tempered, look at what’s dominated online fashion discourse lately. From “grandpacore” to “chaotic customisation,” which entails adding adornments like patches and jewels to accessories, people have been focused on themes aimed at conveying a sense of personal style — even if it ultimately manifests in buying a pre-made bag charm. Elsewhere, ideas like “underconsumptioncore” and de-influencing have filtered into discussion. There’s been a boom in sales of basics over the past year, said Jacobs, as calling out a “core” or announcing adherence to a trend seems to be falling out of favour. “I don’t see people declaring ‘cores’ as much anymore,” said Mandy Lee, a fashion writer and influencer. “It’s not cool.”It’s also likely because people are increasingly aware that these microtrends don’t usually last. Microtrends have become “meme-like abstractions,” said Michael Appler, communications director at analytics firm Trendalytics. Conversation about trends online has been led mostly by “trendcasters,” or people looking to go viral rather than do the actual cultural analysis work traditional forecasters do, fashion futurist Geraldine Wharry shared in a report, “Hypercycle” for creative agency Gung Ho. “More influencers or other people were trying to get a hold of that cultural real estate, and the conversation around trends,” said Wharry. “We’ve co-opted what trends mean.” At their peak, microtrends tended to thrive for a month or two — longer, perhaps, if they were tied to a pop-cultural moment (think “Barbiecore,” tied to the 2023 film or more recently, “Brat Summer,” inspired by Charli XCX’s hit album). Now, there are fewer viral trends, but themes tend to stay in the zeitgeist for a while. “[Last year], I would’ve said Gen-Z moves at the speed of light,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle. “Now there are things that are sticking around longer.” Brommers said the retailer is still seeing high demand for trends that they presumed would be fleeting, like leopard print and barrel jeans, both of which popped up a year ago. Shoppers keep buying Westernwear-inspired garments like cowboy boots and bootcut jeans or coastal grandmother-inspired items like linen pants and striped sweaters years after they first hit the discourse. Today, retailers’ main challenge isn’t the race to keep up, but rather figure out what’s worth investing in, and to what extent. What sticks tends to follow a pattern: themes that show up in multiple places (online, on the big screen and on the runway), can be sold across seasons (unlike Mobwives’ fur coat-centric aesthetic, which fell out of favour come spring) or are easy to buy into (like clean girl’s slicked back buns, which only require some styling gel) tend to have more staying power. Brands should also look for items that can feed demand for multiple trends — balletcore and coquettecore, for instance, bubbled up at different times, but encapsulated a similar look. “Trends that aren’t as fleeting or micro are more about establishing an identity,” said Megan Herren, strategy director at social media firm Movers+Shakers. What’s Trending NowViral microtrends have mostly become a useful tool to help brands and retailers market to younger shoppers. But with the apparent slowdown underway and TikTok’s fate in question, Herren has been encouraging brands to test more on Instagram and focus on longer-term strategies, rather than going viral. “We’re pushing for more evergreen storytelling,” said Herren. “These trends are still on YouTube and Instagram, but they start on TikTok … we’ve been helping our clients rethink what virality looks like in the future.” Still, the flurry of microtrends showed brands and retailers that consumers expect them to take risks, use humor and be plugged into the cultural conversation, said Herren. Using the trending lexicon has become more important in creating desirability, said Divya Mathur, Revolve’s chief merchandising officer and fashion director. Many microtrends relate to pop-cultural events and activities: shoppers are increasingly demanding to dress around what they’re doing, rather than just build their wardrobes seasonally — whether going to the US Open, a concert or movie, said Mathur. “Because the customer feeds into what’s happening on TikTok, if you’re talking about something using the terminology that doesn’t feel relevant, it doesn’t matter if you’re pushing the same product, it doesn’t feel relevant,” said Mathur. “Customers get excited about cultural moments, and then it’s ‘what am I wearing to it?’” Source link

[norajworld]

From cottagecore at the height of the pandemic to 2022’s coastal grandmother to 2023’s “Succession”-inspired quiet luxury all the way to the fur-covered “mob wife” at the start of last year, consumers have been inundated with microtrend after microtrend on TikTok. But lately, the churn seems to have slowed.“I can only think of a handful that started in 2024,” said Mia Jacobs, fashion forecaster at trend forecasting company WGSN. “We were on a hamster wheel and we couldn’t get off it, and that has changed.” There are a number of factors fuelling that shift. When the pandemic disrupted the trend cycle, consumers, with extra savings in their wallets and a desire to experiment, flocked to trying on, labelling and sharing aesthetics. The fashion press covered each surge and brands and retailers, eager to boost sales, merchandised accordingly. It was a novelty, as TikTok allowed trends to rise faster than ever before.But cut to today, and reality has crept in. You’re more likely to see a video on TikTok lamenting overconsumption than one gassing up the next of-the-moment aesthetic; in the US, credit card debt has reached record highs. Plus, there’s the fact that all signs point to the end of TikTok in the US in less than two weeks’ time. It remains to be seen if this represents a sea change for how Gen-Z shoppers think and talk about fashion online. After all, while the pace of the microtrend cycle may be slowing, the phenomenon hasn’t disappeared entirely: already this year, there’s been growing chatter around the “fisherman” aesthetic. No matter microtrends’ fate, what will remain is the lessons retailers gleaned from the peak of the microtrends moment, including the importance of being able to plug into fast-moving cultural conversations.“Microtrends were a way to convey a vibe or a feeling and organise community, and it was something Gen-Z was craving at the time,” said Jacobs. “But they’ve woken up to the reality of ‘here today and gone tomorrow,’ and there’s a lot of fatigue.” What’s Happening? For evidence the frenetic naming and consumption of viral trends has tempered, look at what’s dominated online fashion discourse lately. From “grandpacore” to “chaotic customisation,” which entails adding adornments like patches and jewels to accessories, people have been focused on themes aimed at conveying a sense of personal style — even if it ultimately manifests in buying a pre-made bag charm. Elsewhere, ideas like “underconsumptioncore” and de-influencing have filtered into discussion. There’s been a boom in sales of basics over the past year, said Jacobs, as calling out a “core” or announcing adherence to a trend seems to be falling out of favour. “I don’t see people declaring ‘cores’ as much anymore,” said Mandy Lee, a fashion writer and influencer. “It’s not cool.”It’s also likely because people are increasingly aware that these microtrends don’t usually last. Microtrends have become “meme-like abstractions,” said Michael Appler, communications director at analytics firm Trendalytics. Conversation about trends online has been led mostly by “trendcasters,” or people looking to go viral rather than do the actual cultural analysis work traditional forecasters do, fashion futurist Geraldine Wharry shared in a report, “Hypercycle” for creative agency Gung Ho. “More influencers or other people were trying to get a hold of that cultural real estate, and the conversation around trends,” said Wharry. “We’ve co-opted what trends mean.” At their peak, microtrends tended to thrive for a month or two — longer, perhaps, if they were tied to a pop-cultural moment (think “Barbiecore,” tied to the 2023 film or more recently, “Brat Summer,” inspired by Charli XCX’s hit album). Now, there are fewer viral trends, but themes tend to stay in the zeitgeist for a while. “[Last year], I would’ve said Gen-Z moves at the speed of light,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle. “Now there are things that are sticking around longer.” Brommers said the retailer is still seeing high demand for trends that they presumed would be fleeting, like leopard print and barrel jeans, both of which popped up a year ago. Shoppers keep buying Westernwear-inspired garments like cowboy boots and bootcut jeans or coastal grandmother-inspired items like linen pants and striped sweaters years after they first hit the discourse. Today, retailers’ main challenge isn’t the race to keep up, but rather figure out what’s worth investing in, and to what extent. What sticks tends to follow a pattern: themes that show up in multiple places (online, on the big screen and on the runway), can be sold across seasons (unlike Mobwives’ fur coat-centric aesthetic, which fell out of favour come spring) or are easy to buy into (like clean girl’s slicked back buns, which only require some styling gel) tend to have more staying power. Brands should also look for items that can feed demand for multiple trends — balletcore and coquettecore, for instance, bubbled up at different times, but encapsulated a similar look. “Trends that aren’t as fleeting or micro are more about establishing an identity,” said Megan Herren, strategy director at social media firm Movers+Shakers. What’s Trending NowViral microtrends have mostly become a useful tool to help brands and retailers market to younger shoppers. But with the apparent slowdown underway and TikTok’s fate in question, Herren has been encouraging brands to test more on Instagram and focus on longer-term strategies, rather than going viral. “We’re pushing for more evergreen storytelling,” said Herren. “These trends are still on YouTube and Instagram, but they start on TikTok … we’ve been helping our clients rethink what virality looks like in the future.” Still, the flurry of microtrends showed brands and retailers that consumers expect them to take risks, use humor and be plugged into the cultural conversation, said Herren. Using the trending lexicon has become more important in creating desirability, said Divya Mathur, Revolve’s chief merchandising officer and fashion director. Many microtrends relate to pop-cultural events and activities: shoppers are increasingly demanding to dress around what they’re doing, rather than just build their wardrobes seasonally — whether going to the US Open, a concert or movie, said Mathur. “Because the customer feeds into what’s happening on TikTok, if you’re talking about something using the terminology that doesn’t feel relevant, it doesn’t matter if you’re pushing the same product, it doesn’t feel relevant,” said Mathur. “Customers get excited about cultural moments, and then it’s ‘what am I wearing to it?’” Source link

[ellajme0]

From cottagecore at the height of the pandemic to 2022’s coastal grandmother to 2023’s “Succession”-inspired quiet luxury all the way to the fur-covered “mob wife” at the start of last year, consumers have been inundated with microtrend after microtrend on TikTok. But lately, the churn seems to have slowed.“I can only think of a handful that started in 2024,” said Mia Jacobs, fashion forecaster at trend forecasting company WGSN. “We were on a hamster wheel and we couldn’t get off it, and that has changed.” There are a number of factors fuelling that shift. When the pandemic disrupted the trend cycle, consumers, with extra savings in their wallets and a desire to experiment, flocked to trying on, labelling and sharing aesthetics. The fashion press covered each surge and brands and retailers, eager to boost sales, merchandised accordingly. It was a novelty, as TikTok allowed trends to rise faster than ever before.But cut to today, and reality has crept in. You’re more likely to see a video on TikTok lamenting overconsumption than one gassing up the next of-the-moment aesthetic; in the US, credit card debt has reached record highs. Plus, there’s the fact that all signs point to the end of TikTok in the US in less than two weeks’ time. It remains to be seen if this represents a sea change for how Gen-Z shoppers think and talk about fashion online. After all, while the pace of the microtrend cycle may be slowing, the phenomenon hasn’t disappeared entirely: already this year, there’s been growing chatter around the “fisherman” aesthetic. No matter microtrends’ fate, what will remain is the lessons retailers gleaned from the peak of the microtrends moment, including the importance of being able to plug into fast-moving cultural conversations.“Microtrends were a way to convey a vibe or a feeling and organise community, and it was something Gen-Z was craving at the time,” said Jacobs. “But they’ve woken up to the reality of ‘here today and gone tomorrow,’ and there’s a lot of fatigue.” What’s Happening? For evidence the frenetic naming and consumption of viral trends has tempered, look at what’s dominated online fashion discourse lately. From “grandpacore” to “chaotic customisation,” which entails adding adornments like patches and jewels to accessories, people have been focused on themes aimed at conveying a sense of personal style — even if it ultimately manifests in buying a pre-made bag charm. Elsewhere, ideas like “underconsumptioncore” and de-influencing have filtered into discussion. There’s been a boom in sales of basics over the past year, said Jacobs, as calling out a “core” or announcing adherence to a trend seems to be falling out of favour. “I don’t see people declaring ‘cores’ as much anymore,” said Mandy Lee, a fashion writer and influencer. “It’s not cool.”It’s also likely because people are increasingly aware that these microtrends don’t usually last. Microtrends have become “meme-like abstractions,” said Michael Appler, communications director at analytics firm Trendalytics. Conversation about trends online has been led mostly by “trendcasters,” or people looking to go viral rather than do the actual cultural analysis work traditional forecasters do, fashion futurist Geraldine Wharry shared in a report, “Hypercycle” for creative agency Gung Ho. “More influencers or other people were trying to get a hold of that cultural real estate, and the conversation around trends,” said Wharry. “We’ve co-opted what trends mean.” At their peak, microtrends tended to thrive for a month or two — longer, perhaps, if they were tied to a pop-cultural moment (think “Barbiecore,” tied to the 2023 film or more recently, “Brat Summer,” inspired by Charli XCX’s hit album). Now, there are fewer viral trends, but themes tend to stay in the zeitgeist for a while. “[Last year], I would’ve said Gen-Z moves at the speed of light,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle. “Now there are things that are sticking around longer.” Brommers said the retailer is still seeing high demand for trends that they presumed would be fleeting, like leopard print and barrel jeans, both of which popped up a year ago. Shoppers keep buying Westernwear-inspired garments like cowboy boots and bootcut jeans or coastal grandmother-inspired items like linen pants and striped sweaters years after they first hit the discourse. Today, retailers’ main challenge isn’t the race to keep up, but rather figure out what’s worth investing in, and to what extent. What sticks tends to follow a pattern: themes that show up in multiple places (online, on the big screen and on the runway), can be sold across seasons (unlike Mobwives’ fur coat-centric aesthetic, which fell out of favour come spring) or are easy to buy into (like clean girl’s slicked back buns, which only require some styling gel) tend to have more staying power. Brands should also look for items that can feed demand for multiple trends — balletcore and coquettecore, for instance, bubbled up at different times, but encapsulated a similar look. “Trends that aren’t as fleeting or micro are more about establishing an identity,” said Megan Herren, strategy director at social media firm Movers+Shakers. What’s Trending NowViral microtrends have mostly become a useful tool to help brands and retailers market to younger shoppers. But with the apparent slowdown underway and TikTok’s fate in question, Herren has been encouraging brands to test more on Instagram and focus on longer-term strategies, rather than going viral. “We’re pushing for more evergreen storytelling,” said Herren. “These trends are still on YouTube and Instagram, but they start on TikTok … we’ve been helping our clients rethink what virality looks like in the future.” Still, the flurry of microtrends showed brands and retailers that consumers expect them to take risks, use humor and be plugged into the cultural conversation, said Herren. Using the trending lexicon has become more important in creating desirability, said Divya Mathur, Revolve’s chief merchandising officer and fashion director. Many microtrends relate to pop-cultural events and activities: shoppers are increasingly demanding to dress around what they’re doing, rather than just build their wardrobes seasonally — whether going to the US Open, a concert or movie, said Mathur. “Because the customer feeds into what’s happening on TikTok, if you’re talking about something using the terminology that doesn’t feel relevant, it doesn’t matter if you’re pushing the same product, it doesn’t feel relevant,” said Mathur. “Customers get excited about cultural moments, and then it’s ‘what am I wearing to it?’” Source link

[chilimili212]

From cottagecore at the height of the pandemic to 2022’s coastal grandmother to 2023’s “Succession”-inspired quiet luxury all the way to the fur-covered “mob wife” at the start of last year, consumers have been inundated with microtrend after microtrend on TikTok. But lately, the churn seems to have slowed.“I can only think of a handful that started in 2024,” said Mia Jacobs, fashion forecaster at trend forecasting company WGSN. “We were on a hamster wheel and we couldn’t get off it, and that has changed.” There are a number of factors fuelling that shift. When the pandemic disrupted the trend cycle, consumers, with extra savings in their wallets and a desire to experiment, flocked to trying on, labelling and sharing aesthetics. The fashion press covered each surge and brands and retailers, eager to boost sales, merchandised accordingly. It was a novelty, as TikTok allowed trends to rise faster than ever before.But cut to today, and reality has crept in. You’re more likely to see a video on TikTok lamenting overconsumption than one gassing up the next of-the-moment aesthetic; in the US, credit card debt has reached record highs. Plus, there’s the fact that all signs point to the end of TikTok in the US in less than two weeks’ time. It remains to be seen if this represents a sea change for how Gen-Z shoppers think and talk about fashion online. After all, while the pace of the microtrend cycle may be slowing, the phenomenon hasn’t disappeared entirely: already this year, there’s been growing chatter around the “fisherman” aesthetic. No matter microtrends’ fate, what will remain is the lessons retailers gleaned from the peak of the microtrends moment, including the importance of being able to plug into fast-moving cultural conversations.“Microtrends were a way to convey a vibe or a feeling and organise community, and it was something Gen-Z was craving at the time,” said Jacobs. “But they’ve woken up to the reality of ‘here today and gone tomorrow,’ and there’s a lot of fatigue.” What’s Happening? For evidence the frenetic naming and consumption of viral trends has tempered, look at what’s dominated online fashion discourse lately. From “grandpacore” to “chaotic customisation,” which entails adding adornments like patches and jewels to accessories, people have been focused on themes aimed at conveying a sense of personal style — even if it ultimately manifests in buying a pre-made bag charm. Elsewhere, ideas like “underconsumptioncore” and de-influencing have filtered into discussion. There’s been a boom in sales of basics over the past year, said Jacobs, as calling out a “core” or announcing adherence to a trend seems to be falling out of favour. “I don’t see people declaring ‘cores’ as much anymore,” said Mandy Lee, a fashion writer and influencer. “It’s not cool.”It’s also likely because people are increasingly aware that these microtrends don’t usually last. Microtrends have become “meme-like abstractions,” said Michael Appler, communications director at analytics firm Trendalytics. Conversation about trends online has been led mostly by “trendcasters,” or people looking to go viral rather than do the actual cultural analysis work traditional forecasters do, fashion futurist Geraldine Wharry shared in a report, “Hypercycle” for creative agency Gung Ho. “More influencers or other people were trying to get a hold of that cultural real estate, and the conversation around trends,” said Wharry. “We’ve co-opted what trends mean.” At their peak, microtrends tended to thrive for a month or two — longer, perhaps, if they were tied to a pop-cultural moment (think “Barbiecore,” tied to the 2023 film or more recently, “Brat Summer,” inspired by Charli XCX’s hit album). Now, there are fewer viral trends, but themes tend to stay in the zeitgeist for a while. “[Last year], I would’ve said Gen-Z moves at the speed of light,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle. “Now there are things that are sticking around longer.” Brommers said the retailer is still seeing high demand for trends that they presumed would be fleeting, like leopard print and barrel jeans, both of which popped up a year ago. Shoppers keep buying Westernwear-inspired garments like cowboy boots and bootcut jeans or coastal grandmother-inspired items like linen pants and striped sweaters years after they first hit the discourse. Today, retailers’ main challenge isn’t the race to keep up, but rather figure out what’s worth investing in, and to what extent. What sticks tends to follow a pattern: themes that show up in multiple places (online, on the big screen and on the runway), can be sold across seasons (unlike Mobwives’ fur coat-centric aesthetic, which fell out of favour come spring) or are easy to buy into (like clean girl’s slicked back buns, which only require some styling gel) tend to have more staying power. Brands should also look for items that can feed demand for multiple trends — balletcore and coquettecore, for instance, bubbled up at different times, but encapsulated a similar look. “Trends that aren’t as fleeting or micro are more about establishing an identity,” said Megan Herren, strategy director at social media firm Movers+Shakers. What’s Trending NowViral microtrends have mostly become a useful tool to help brands and retailers market to younger shoppers. But with the apparent slowdown underway and TikTok’s fate in question, Herren has been encouraging brands to test more on Instagram and focus on longer-term strategies, rather than going viral. “We’re pushing for more evergreen storytelling,” said Herren. “These trends are still on YouTube and Instagram, but they start on TikTok … we’ve been helping our clients rethink what virality looks like in the future.” Still, the flurry of microtrends showed brands and retailers that consumers expect them to take risks, use humor and be plugged into the cultural conversation, said Herren. Using the trending lexicon has become more important in creating desirability, said Divya Mathur, Revolve’s chief merchandising officer and fashion director. Many microtrends relate to pop-cultural events and activities: shoppers are increasingly demanding to dress around what they’re doing, rather than just build their wardrobes seasonally — whether going to the US Open, a concert or movie, said Mathur. “Because the customer feeds into what’s happening on TikTok, if you’re talking about something using the terminology that doesn’t feel relevant, it doesn’t matter if you’re pushing the same product, it doesn’t feel relevant,” said Mathur. “Customers get excited about cultural moments, and then it’s ‘what am I wearing to it?’” Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

From cottagecore at the height of the pandemic to 2022’s coastal grandmother to 2023’s “Succession”-inspired quiet luxury all the way to the fur-covered “mob wife” at the start of last year, consumers have been inundated with microtrend after microtrend on TikTok. But lately, the churn seems to have slowed.“I can only think of a handful that started in 2024,” said Mia Jacobs, fashion forecaster at trend forecasting company WGSN. “We were on a hamster wheel and we couldn’t get off it, and that has changed.” There are a number of factors fuelling that shift. When the pandemic disrupted the trend cycle, consumers, with extra savings in their wallets and a desire to experiment, flocked to trying on, labelling and sharing aesthetics. The fashion press covered each surge and brands and retailers, eager to boost sales, merchandised accordingly. It was a novelty, as TikTok allowed trends to rise faster than ever before.But cut to today, and reality has crept in. You’re more likely to see a video on TikTok lamenting overconsumption than one gassing up the next of-the-moment aesthetic; in the US, credit card debt has reached record highs. Plus, there’s the fact that all signs point to the end of TikTok in the US in less than two weeks’ time. It remains to be seen if this represents a sea change for how Gen-Z shoppers think and talk about fashion online. After all, while the pace of the microtrend cycle may be slowing, the phenomenon hasn’t disappeared entirely: already this year, there’s been growing chatter around the “fisherman” aesthetic. No matter microtrends’ fate, what will remain is the lessons retailers gleaned from the peak of the microtrends moment, including the importance of being able to plug into fast-moving cultural conversations.“Microtrends were a way to convey a vibe or a feeling and organise community, and it was something Gen-Z was craving at the time,” said Jacobs. “But they’ve woken up to the reality of ‘here today and gone tomorrow,’ and there’s a lot of fatigue.” What’s Happening? For evidence the frenetic naming and consumption of viral trends has tempered, look at what’s dominated online fashion discourse lately. From “grandpacore” to “chaotic customisation,” which entails adding adornments like patches and jewels to accessories, people have been focused on themes aimed at conveying a sense of personal style — even if it ultimately manifests in buying a pre-made bag charm. Elsewhere, ideas like “underconsumptioncore” and de-influencing have filtered into discussion. There’s been a boom in sales of basics over the past year, said Jacobs, as calling out a “core” or announcing adherence to a trend seems to be falling out of favour. “I don’t see people declaring ‘cores’ as much anymore,” said Mandy Lee, a fashion writer and influencer. “It’s not cool.”It’s also likely because people are increasingly aware that these microtrends don’t usually last. Microtrends have become “meme-like abstractions,” said Michael Appler, communications director at analytics firm Trendalytics. Conversation about trends online has been led mostly by “trendcasters,” or people looking to go viral rather than do the actual cultural analysis work traditional forecasters do, fashion futurist Geraldine Wharry shared in a report, “Hypercycle” for creative agency Gung Ho. “More influencers or other people were trying to get a hold of that cultural real estate, and the conversation around trends,” said Wharry. “We’ve co-opted what trends mean.” At their peak, microtrends tended to thrive for a month or two — longer, perhaps, if they were tied to a pop-cultural moment (think “Barbiecore,” tied to the 2023 film or more recently, “Brat Summer,” inspired by Charli XCX’s hit album). Now, there are fewer viral trends, but themes tend to stay in the zeitgeist for a while. “[Last year], I would’ve said Gen-Z moves at the speed of light,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle. “Now there are things that are sticking around longer.” Brommers said the retailer is still seeing high demand for trends that they presumed would be fleeting, like leopard print and barrel jeans, both of which popped up a year ago. Shoppers keep buying Westernwear-inspired garments like cowboy boots and bootcut jeans or coastal grandmother-inspired items like linen pants and striped sweaters years after they first hit the discourse. Today, retailers’ main challenge isn’t the race to keep up, but rather figure out what’s worth investing in, and to what extent. What sticks tends to follow a pattern: themes that show up in multiple places (online, on the big screen and on the runway), can be sold across seasons (unlike Mobwives’ fur coat-centric aesthetic, which fell out of favour come spring) or are easy to buy into (like clean girl’s slicked back buns, which only require some styling gel) tend to have more staying power. Brands should also look for items that can feed demand for multiple trends — balletcore and coquettecore, for instance, bubbled up at different times, but encapsulated a similar look. “Trends that aren’t as fleeting or micro are more about establishing an identity,” said Megan Herren, strategy director at social media firm Movers+Shakers. What’s Trending NowViral microtrends have mostly become a useful tool to help brands and retailers market to younger shoppers. But with the apparent slowdown underway and TikTok’s fate in question, Herren has been encouraging brands to test more on Instagram and focus on longer-term strategies, rather than going viral. “We’re pushing for more evergreen storytelling,” said Herren. “These trends are still on YouTube and Instagram, but they start on TikTok … we’ve been helping our clients rethink what virality looks like in the future.” Still, the flurry of microtrends showed brands and retailers that consumers expect them to take risks, use humor and be plugged into the cultural conversation, said Herren. Using the trending lexicon has become more important in creating desirability, said Divya Mathur, Revolve’s chief merchandising officer and fashion director. Many microtrends relate to pop-cultural events and activities: shoppers are increasingly demanding to dress around what they’re doing, rather than just build their wardrobes seasonally — whether going to the US Open, a concert or movie, said Mathur. “Because the customer feeds into what’s happening on TikTok, if you’re talking about something using the terminology that doesn’t feel relevant, it doesn’t matter if you’re pushing the same product, it doesn’t feel relevant,” said Mathur. “Customers get excited about cultural moments, and then it’s ‘what am I wearing to it?’” Source link

[pashterlengkap]

“Very demure” TikToker Jools Lebron’s viral fame is allowing her to fund her transition

If you’ve been anywhere near social media in recent weeks, you’re probably already well aware of Jools Lebron and her “very demure, very mindful” moment. The Chicago-based trans TikToker sparked a viral trend earlier this month with a video showcasing her on-the-job style. Related He transitioned at 57 & now he’s sharing his story with the world He never heard of trans people when he was growing up, but he decided it’s never too late to live authentically. “You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful,” Lebron explains in the August 5 clip. “I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much, I’m very mindful at work. See how I look very presentable? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job.” Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today @joolieannie #fyp #demure ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron “Very demure, very mindful” caught on like wildfire, with seemingly everyone on social media — including celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Gillian Anderson, Penn Badgley, Olivia Rodrigo, Lindsay Lohan, and Jamie Lee Curtis — picking up on the trend. Lebron’s video has received 36 million views since August 5 and she’s amassed nearly two million followers on TikTok. On Monday night, she made her national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In his opening monologue, guest host RuPaul said that he’d spent the weekend watching Lebron’s video and had to invite her onto the show. “Apparently the trauma that comes from working a retail job gets enough to you that you start saying ‘demure’ on the internet,” Lebron, who until recently worked as a cashier at a “very cutesy, very demure” grocery store in Illinois, said of the inspiration behind the post. “I feel like demure is like a mindset,” she said of her newly minted catchphrase. “I used to be crazy and out of control, and then I found some demurity and along with that came success.” That success has been life-changing, as Lebron described in an August 14 post. “Maybe you should make the videos,” she advised her fans, “Because one day, I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across country to host events, and I’m gonna be able to finance the rest of my transition.” “I finally said it without crying,” she added. @joolieannie #fyp #demure ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron In addition to the viral fame and her appearance on Kimmel, Lebron has already collaborated with brands like Verizon, Synergy Kombucha, and Lyft, according to Tubefilter. And in recent weeks, she’s made appearances in New York, Las Vegas, and L.A. “Everyone keeps asking me, like, how I feel about what’s going on,” Lebron said in a tearful August 17 post. “And I feel so overwhelmed.” But, she added, “I’m living my f***ing dream, b***h!” http://dlvr.it/TCNLVV

[annieintheaair]

Wherever you are, I hope that you'll find me. Whenever it is, I hope we're meant to be. Oh, we've been searching for something so perfect. Just hold on, I know that you'll find me.

This past week at work has been really challenging, but I am so thankful for my amazing coworkers who make even the worst days not so bad.

Thursday morning I had to drop off my car at Volvo after work. Even though they typically don't do loaners for the 10k service, they let me have one so I could go home. I was so tired, as usual, and just wanted to sleep.

At home, I changed into yoga clothes, thinking I'd go to Fort Worth for my class but then decided I was too tired to go anywhere. Instead, I allowed myself to rest for the morning and then ran to Trader Joe's to get some groceries since I hadn't had food in my house in literally weeks. Unfortunately, it wasn't the most productive trip since I mainly bought dog treats and wine. I've been following this sommelier on Instagram and she does some really cool wine and Trader Joe's pairings. I tried to find one wine I liked before but TJ's was out of stock and another she suggested, they had the brand but not the same type. It was a pretty disappointing visit to TJ's.

I had a pretty lazy afternoon and then had to leave early for work to pick up my car before the dealership closed at 7pm. Since I didn't want to drive all the way home, I found a yoga class to go to near the airport. It was a yin class, which was super relaxing and the perfect way to start my evening. I was feeling pretty zen after that.

The yoga place was in a really cool area that I had never ventured out to before. Not only do I want to go to that yoga class again but I went online to look at apartments to see if maybe I'd like to move there instead of going back to my old town. Maybe something new and closer to the airport would be better for me?

That night I worked a trip to OKC, which was delayed until 12:30am on Friday morning. It was yet another long night with little sleep. I had a good crew, which made it a little better, but of course, still meant that Friday I would be exhausted.

Friday morning I napped before heading to yoga at noon. I will really miss Stephanie's class when I move. It is one of the only things that has helped me through this past year here. I had a relatively lazy afternoon and crawled into bed around 6pm to sleep until about 8pm so I'd be well rested.

Friday night was yet another delay. It has been the trend lately. Spring flying in DFW is always a nightmare. I did have a great crew though, which helped.

Saturday I was committed to yoga so I napped for maybe an hour before going to slow flow at 10:30am. I made a detour to Popshelf to get a few things and then picked up a Rebel from Dutch Bro's since I desperately needed it.

On my way home, I ended up grabbing a poké bowl for lunch since they were giving 20% off for Mother's Day.

I napped on my couch in the afternoon and had high hopes of going out and doing something until the weather started to get crappy and I chose to stay home and drink wine on my couch instead.

I ended up staying up late last night since I can never go to sleep early after working nights nearly every day. The storms were crazy all night. The thunder was so loud that my house literally shook. I read on Facebook that a house in the neighborhood behind mine got struck by lightning and I heard a ton of horns honking this morning and then lots of fire trucks and ambulances so it sounded like there was a car accident nearby.

I really wanted to go to church in Fort Worth this morning but the flooding was so bad that I decided to stay home and sleep in. Kirby woke me up early to go outside but I went back to bed right away. I didn't sleep well all night since I was having some seriously bad nightmares about my ex and his family.

I had every intention of calling out sick from work today but instead, my flight was canceled. No one called me all day to tell me until about an hour before sign in when my phone rang. I ignored it and they didn't leave a voicemail. I think they were trying to get me to work something else out of desperation but I was already sipping on an espresso martini so I was in for the night.

I started watching a new show called Expats tonight. I was enjoying it until one of the main characters jumped off of a boat and decided to swim under the boat and got stuck for a hot minute. My anxiety was so bad that I had to get up off my couch and walk away. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Between losing my car in the flood last year and losing Dan when he drowned in 2022, I've never been more afraid of water. That scene is what made me decide to make an espresso martini.

My friend Jackie sent me a video when she drove by the neighborhood I want to move to. It sucks that the move-ins have been delayed but it's looking really cute and I'm praying that works out if it's what's meant to be.

Tomorrow night I jump back into another busy week at work. Working a ton each week hasn't been that bad, aside from the delays. Once I see my paychecks after this, I might become addicted to working a ton. Add in a raise and some retro pay and maybe I'll actually be able to get my life back on track.

xoxo

Annie