#this is especially relevant for like . when u get a cool artist following u or some shit

[orcelito]

important to me that my new followers know i am chronically insane

You Must Know The Truth

[hashtagloveloses]

hii, so i recently joined tumbler from pinterest and i don't really know how is this website supposed to be used... could u help me with that?

sure! it depends on what you like. i'd suggest following tumblr's official @tips blog, they have a lot there! but here's some basic things i've learned along the way:

determine what kind of blogger you want to be. personally i'm just here to see shit i like, i have 1 big blog that is a mix of all my shit and i don't give a fuck if its mixed around. some people aren't like me, and they like to organize by topic. they have a main blog and side blogs for different topics. it's up to you! there's no right way to do it.

either thing you decide to do, tag your posts to help with categorization. i don't do this bc i am lazy and i don't care. but if you're making sideblogs, or just want to find people and get followers, just tag the things you post and reblog with the topic (if it's a moon knight post, tag it with moon knight, etc)

as i've said in my big post - this place is for reblogging things! reblog is and should be the default action you take. you can never post an original post on here and be totally fine. just be a lurker. but your blog should at least have a profile pic, a banner photo, and something in your bio about yourself (online pseudonym/blog name, maybe pronouns if you feel comfortable?). maybe pick some colors for your blog layout. you can get custom layouts if you want, but the default one is fine too.

when you reblog things, make commentary in the tags! tag it with the relevant topics, but in the following tags you can share your little thoughts about it. also for original posts, it helps to have an original post tag so people (or you) know where to find your original posts. for example, i tag all my original posts with kaludiasays. if you go to your blog settings, you can turn on featured tags so those show up when people look things up on your blog.

5. speaking of the blog settings, turn off sharing your likes and who you are following. that's YOUR business. and people use likes for different things - maybe they like personal posts people make bc its not rebloggable content. maybe they like posts that they've already reblogged to mark it for later. maybe they use their likes to save things. you can use your likes for whatever you want. just know that likes don't really help a post that much, so default to reblogging.

6. create a queue schedule for yourself! so yes there's a post limit on here (most people don't reach it, but i used to regularly), but it's basically to keep your blog active while also not having to be on here all the time. while you can manually schedule a post for later, you can set up a queue so that you can add things to the queue and they'll publish at a regular cadence. some people even have an automatic queue tag. it can be whatever you want. instead of reblogging posts, then you can just add them to your queue.

7. There's DMs (messages) and also "Asks" here. you can change your settings to determine who can DM you, and who can send Asks. Anonymous people can send asks, too. You can turn these on and off as you're comfortable. Never click on a link in a DM or ask from someone you don't know (or someone you DO know but that looks sketchy). You can also get blog submissions - I have this off, but people use it for various things.

8. In that same vein - be liberal with the block button. Get a weird DM? An ask, even an anonymous one you don't like? Don't answer. Just block (and report if needed, and yes you can block an anonymous sender, too). Nobody will care. Curate your space. It's always better to just block or delete something then get into a fight (I've learned this the hard way). And if you're in certain fandoms, yes people will send you weird shit to bait you. It is definitely bait. Don't take it.

9. Follow shit. Follow a LOT of shit. Follow any blog you see posting something cool or funny (especially artists or gif makers). Follow the tags for ships and shows and other stuff you like. Follow LOTS of them. This is advice I often give for ANY social media site - the more people you follow, the less bullshit you see on your feed (unless you're following all people who post about one thing, please don't do that). It's a moving river, you're not stuck in an echo chamber, and you can just jump in, have your fun, and jump out. Curate your space, and you'll care less. But in that same vein, like I said about the block button, be liberal with the UNFOLLOW. They post something weird? Or just something you do not give a fuck about and too much of it? Unfollow. Nobody cares. Unless it's like a close personal friend you know IRL or something.

10. Go to your account settings and set up your filtered tags, or blacklist. This can be personal triggers, shit you just don't wanna see, anything NSFW that you're fine with but might want to not autoplay on your screen in case you're not in the most appropriate environment, ships you hate, whatever. It'll basically put a warning cover over the post if it comes across your feed, and you can choose whether you want to view it or not. This is why tagging posts correctly and not censoring words especially for triggers is helpful.

11. Mess with your dashboard however you want! Most people here have "Best Stuff First" turned off, nobody wants that algorithm shit. But on mobile they have the two columns, "Following" and "For You" anyway. Definitely make sure at least "include followed tag posts" is on.

Ok there's a lot more things I'm forgetting but, I think this should get you started! The official tips blog has more detailed explanations you should check out. remember to just reblog things, don't feel pressured by anything, and poke around tags to find stuff!

[lovemesomesurveys]

S c h o o l Did you/do you like school? Looking back after a few years, I think I did overall. I wouldn’t have said that in the moment, though. I got very easily overwhelmed, stressed, and burnt out. Many tears were shed. A lot of anxiety was induced. I hated the presentations and taking exams. There were parts I did like, though. There were assignments, books, courses, teachers, and activities that I liked. The learning aspect of stuff that was of real interest to me was enjoyable.  What was/is the best thing about going to school? The worst? I listed the good and bad in my previous answer. All that being said, I do believe education is good and important.  What was/is your favourite subject? Least favourite? My favorite was always english and then psychology, obviously. That was my major. My least was always math. That was the absolute worst.  Who was/is your favourite teacher? Least favourite? My favorite in elementary and middle school (my school was a K-8th grade) was Mr. McGill. He was my 4th grade teacher, but he ended up being an 8th grade teacher later on and I was able to have him again. He was very funny and cool and made learning fun. He genuinely cared about his students. Everyone loved him. In high school it was my sophomore history teacher, Mr. Coffey. He reminded me so much of Rob Dyrdek from how he looked to how he acted. He was cool. He always jammed out to Red Hot Chili Peppers before class. In college I had a few awesome professors. College professors are usually pretty rad.

What did/do you do for break/recess? Recess I just hung out with my friends. I forget what we did, exactly. I couldn’t go on the playground (I’m in a wheelchair). I probably just watched them for awhile or something. I remember playing 4-square. Probably stuff like tag as well. I honestly don’t really remember what I did for recess in elementary school. In middle school we just hung out. *shrug* Oh, and had snacks cause most of us always brought chips or whatever to munch on before lunch. People were suddenly your best friend if you had Hot Cheetos haha. In school break was lunch and I just ate and hung out with friends mostly. In college if I was campus for a long time I usually ate between classes, studied, did some reading, got coffee, messed around on my phone and watched YouTube or Netflix or something.  Did you/do you do any after school activities? What? In 5th and 6th grade I was a Girl Scout. In middle school we had electives, but that was during school so I guess that doesn’t count. I think it was like toward the end of the school day, though. Oh, also my local community college offered some fun classes for kids during the summer and I did some of those. In high school I was in a couple clubs. I was VP for one of them. When I was at community college I was an active club and then board member of the psychology club. In university I didn’t do anything, ha. I went to my classes and went home.  Did you/do you take part in a club or sport at school? What? No sports, but yeah the club stuff I just listed. ^^^  What age did you start school? Like 3 in preschool. If you've left school do you wish you were still there? Nope! haha. I served my time as I say. I’m doneeee. S l a n d e r Do you take things people say at face value? Not always. Depends what they’re telling me, obviously. If someone was like, “there’s a huge meteor crashing to earth tomorrow” I’m gonna look into that lol. What is the worst rumour that has been spread about you? There weren’t any. Not that I ever knew of, anyway. I wasn’t relevant. Can you honestly say you never act two faced? No. I think we’ve all been fake in some way or another at some time or another. Some people are just fake people, though. Like that’s just who they are as a person, ya know? I’m not one of those people, but I can’t say that I’ve never been before.  Do you get talked about behind your back often [someone tells you]? I’m sure my former friends have talked a lot of shit about me over the past few years and rightfully so. I wouldn’t blame them at all. Now I’m probably not even on their radar anymore and they probably just don’t give a shit, which I also wouldn’t blame them for. Apart from that, I mean I’m sure people have said stuff about me behind my back and I’ve been told things before. For the most part; though, I really feel like I was always pretty insignificant and not even on most people’s radar. Do you believe everyone is somewhat of a gossip? Yeah, pretty much. Some are just make it their life; though, and live for the gossip and drama. Don't you think those who insult others and their lives just seriously need to get a life of their own? I don’t understand the obsession some people have for people they claim to dislike or hate. Like, why are they so invested and give any of their time to someone they don’t like? It makes NO sense. I see that so much on the internet. I watch YouTubers and there will be so many haters who just have to get their fix and watch the video and talk shit about the person. They just have to leave that comment and make it known. I’m just like, WHY. I don’t waste my time watching or following up on someone I don’t like. I don’t feel the need to leave a rude comment. It’s real easy to just X out the video and find something else. Why waste your time??? I’ve just really been seeing that a lot lately especially on YouTube. Same with celebrities. There’s some I’m not a fan of or don’t particularly care for, but I have the need to go tweet and tell them that I don’t like them or talk shit in their comments. Make comments to yourself or to someone privately, but you don’t need to make it known to the person. I just move along with your life. That goes for anyone. We all talk shit sometimes, don’t act like you never do, but you don’t need to insult people to their face. S p o r t s Do you like sports in general? Nope. Do you prefer field sports, team sports or other? I prefer no sports. Do you run/jog regularly? Nope. Do you like/enjoy swimming? What's your usual stroke? Nope. What sport do you like to watch but not to play? None. What sport do you like to play but not to watch? None. Who is your favourite sportsman/woman? What sport do they play? I don't have one. Are you sporty, average or hate sports? Sports are just not my thing, man.  R a p Do you like rap music? Yeah. Whose your favourite rap artist? Why? I have several. I’m probably most into Post Malone these days. I like Drake, too. There’s also the newer genre, emo rap, that I’m into as well. That includes like Juice WRLD and Travis Scott. Thennn there’s like rap rock. Linkin Park, one of my top favorite bands, fall under that category. Whose your least favourite rap artist? Why? Hmm. Name me a few rap songs that you like? I don’t wanna.  Name me a few rap songs you dislike? I don’t wanna. Is rap one of your top 3 genres of music? I don’t know, man. I just like variety. Eminen or Dr. Dre? Eminem.  Dizzy Rascal or Will.i.am? I don’t think I’ve heard of Dizzy Rascal.  D12 or Bone Thugs n Harmony? I liked a couple songs by D12. Haven’t listened to them in a long time, though. R e a d i n g Do you like reading? I love to read. What's your favourite book? Whose your favourite author? I can’t choose a favorite. I just can’t. I’ve been reading a longgggg time and have read a lottttttt of books. I have too many favorites. Fiction or Non Fiction? I like fiction better.  Sci-Fi or Historical Novel? Hm. Probably sci-fi out of the two. Fantasy or Horror? Horror. Romance or War Novel? Romance. Do you prefer films or books? I enjoy both. How many books do you think you own? Quite a lot, but not as much as I used to. I’ve been reading a lot of ebooks for the past several years, so I have a lot of those. I have a lot saved in my Kindle app. What books have you read that made you sad? I’ve read countless number of sad books. What books have you read that frightened you? I read a lot of mystery and psychological thriller, so. What books have you read that were terrible? The only ones I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve read are the Fifty Shades of Gray series. :X What books have you read that left you wanting more? So many. I get really into a book and the characters. I love a series.  R e l i g i o n Do you believe in God? Yes. Do you believe in multiple Gods/Goddesses? No. What is your religion called? Christian. Do you believe in Angels and Demons? Yes. Do you believe in Heaven and Hell? Yes. Do you believe in The Devil? Yes. Not like how he’s portrayed in movies and such, like the red dude with a pitchfork, but yes.  What rule/ideal in your religion do you think is the most important? The 10 Commandments.  What, to you, is the difference between spirituality and religion? Religion consists of practices, beliefs, and a relationship with God. Spirituality is more within yourself.  Q u e s t i o n s O f O d d n e s s Do you like tandoori chicken? Never had it. I don’t even know what that is. Can you hear a man's voice right now? On the TV. What nations tea is the best? I don't know. Can you remember what you were doing at 12.30pm yesterday? Sleeping. Does the colour purple make you feel a particular emotion? No. What age are you going to be in 2020? I’m turning 31 this year. D: What colour are your siblings eyes? Brown. Do you more often get a sore throat, cough or sneeze? Sore throat or cough. Do you get more headaches, earaches, toothaches or sore eyes? Headaches and sore eyes. Do you usually wear plain coloured clothes or dual/multi coloured? I wear a lot of black, but it has stuff on it it’s not just a plain black shirt. How far away is the nearest take away place from your house? Like a 2 minute drive. Do you think sarcasm is a good tool or just annoying? It can be annoying when done excessively. It can just be rude sometimes. I have my sarcastic moments, though.  What photos do you have on your phone? Saved photos of stuff I found online, my doggo, some of me, just various things. What's the model of your phone? iPhone XR. Do you drink hot honey and lemon when ill? Nope. My younger brother swears by that kind of stuff when he’s sick. What word would sum up today? It’s only 6 in the morning. I need to go to bed omg. This week? Uh, itt’s just starting. This month? Meh. This year? Way too soon to say. Favourite type of muffin? Banana without the nut and blueberry. Streusel on top makes them even better.

[eggoreviews]

Persona 5 Palaces RANKED

After recently finishing up Persona 5, I'm sort of aching a bit for more content but not quite enough to splash on Dancing in Starlight. So, to sate my cravings for more of the phantom bois, here's my personal ranking of the main palaces you traverse through in the game. This list is based on how fun and consistently interesting each palace is in terms of gameplay, puzzles, soundtrack, character, aesthetic and overall relevance to the story. Hope u enjoy/agree! Kinda goes without saying, but MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the whole ass game

8. Okumura’s Spaceport of Greed

Who saw this coming? Probably everyone! Because Okumura's palace is pretty much consistently ranked at the bottom of every ranking I've seen. But before I go all negative, let's start with what I actually liked. First off, I ADORED the spaceport motif and the whole theme/aesthetic of this palace was amazing. Alongside that, the music, while probably not the strongest in the game, was still mega catchy and fit the palace perfectly (it's still a banger, even if it isn't Whims of Fate level banger). So yeah, this palace's rock bottom ranking is nothing to do with its look or its soundtrack, because they're both pretty tasty. It was everything else I had a slight problem with. Now this isn't to say I disliked this palace, I just felt that it was the weakest part of an absolutely stellar game. While the majority of the puzzles weren't terrible, the infamous airlock puzzle definitely got in my bad books, as I'm pretty firmly in the 'this puzzle is weird luck-based bollocks' camp on this one, with it being the only puzzle in the game I had to look up the solution for. The constant back-and-forthing to different points of the palace to pick up keycards from the stupid robots became unfortunately very repetitive, especially with Morgana constantly screaming at me that the treasure was real close but (spoiler alert) it totally wasn't. And to top all that off, I felt this palace brought with it the weakest characters arcs in the whole game. I really struggled to become attached to Haru, the last true member of the thieves. While she was an okay character and I sympathised with her plight of being sold off to that one arsehole, I felt she wasn't written to be particularly interesting and her introduction to the thieves felt really shoehorned in compared to the natural-feeling transitions of all the other characters. She didn't quite feel as if she belonged there as much as the others (big sorry to all the Haru stans). And echoing this, the character of Okumura himself also felt incredibly bland and he was without a doubt the least interesting villain of the bunch. Oh, and his boss fight? Objectively the worst in the game. You fight the same robots you've been fighting the whole palace, with a timer, and then you kill him in one hit. Yeah, so the tea is, palace looks and sounds great, but that's really it.

7. Mementos Depths / Prison of Sloth

From this point on, I had very few problems with any of the palaces. As the final dungeon of the game, I felt that this one had definitely had adequate build-up but, as many others seem to say, didn't quite live up to the other palaces. For one, the design and soundtrack was much less interesting (though I guess this can be forgiven, as it's Mementos) and it was over pretty quickly in the end. But I really did enjoy those pressure plate puzzles for some reason and it was pretty cool to go around the velvet room and save all your pals before the final fight, so I just kind of liked this one. Not much to say here other than that it was really good, but the others were better.

6. Kaneshiro’s Bank of Gluttony

While it was fairly difficult to rank Kaneshiro's palace this low, considering it has the awakening of my favourite character, thinking about the palace as a whole compared to the others is what did it. The bank motif? Really cool! Seems inevitable for what is fundamentally a heist game and pulls it off really well. And that soundtrack is easily one of the best tracks in the game. The palace itself is split vaguely into two main sections, the main bank and the vault. The bank section is mostly pretty fun and well-paced, but the palace starts to get just a little bit iffy when the vault section kicks off. The idea is cool, but most of the second half of the palace feels a bit like padding, which becomes a little repetitive overtime. These really are minor gripes though, I gotta stress that, because I genuinely enjoyed this palace for the most part. Something else I enjoyed was Kaneshiro himself and his role in the story. Out of all the palace owners in the game, Kaneshiro felt the most like a true archetypal Bond villain and it does feel awesome to take him on as the phantom thieves are finally starting to get their feet off the ground. On top of that, you've got Makoto joining the team, which makes this one a real treat character-wise. In conclusion, I want Makoto to step on me.

5. Madarame’s Museum of Vanity

This one really did have a tough act to follow. Being the second palace you take on (as well as the awakening of my ,,,, second favourite character), I remember how impressed I was the first time around with how cool the visuals are in this palace. The soundtrack to the palace is generally fairly unremarkable, but very calming and surreal which definitely fit the setting. This palace definitely feels the most trippy out of the bunch, placing you in odd gold-plated mazes and endless corridors plastered with distorted paintings and tripwires to constantly make sure you're paying attention. This palace really does feel like you’ve been placed inside the mind of a deluded artist, even if the game’s attempts to make Madarame seem despicable only really serve to highlight how awful the previous palace owner, Kamoshida, is in comparison. This isn’t to say Madarame isn’t a trashbag, it just becomes obvious that the game is trying hard to make you hate him. That aside, Madarame’s palace provides a welcome challenge and effectively build upon what you learned in the first palace without overwhelming the player, all the while not compromising on the creative, stunning visuals. The ending pay-off with Madarame’s showdown, while a satisfying conclusion to Yusuke’s main character arc, provides a boss fight that is over a little too quickly, though that’s kind of just nitpicking at that point. All in all, a solid dungeon from start to finish.

4. Futaba’s Tomb of Wrath

Without a doubt the most emotionally charged palace in the game, this dungeon is a unique experience unlike anything else you’ll find in the game. Instead of taking down a despicable villain or giving a certain prosecutor a push in the right direction, you’re instead helping to heal the heart of a traumatised girl, who requested herself for her heart to be stolen. You’re reaching the halfway point during this palace, so it’s a brilliant change of pace from the dickholes you’ve been stealing the hearts of up to this point. The game truly makes you feel genuine sympathy for Futaba and seeing her recovery slowly but steadily take place over the game really tugs on the heartstrings. As for the palace itself, the game takes its love of ambiguous metaphors and cranks up the dial, giving the player an interesting but oddly melancholy setting in the form of an Egyptian pyramid. The background music for this palace is perfect to help accentuate this, as the soundtrack works with the visuals to make you just feel a bit sad. The puzzles are well thought out and never overstay their welcome, the layout of the palace is consistently unique and fun to traverse and the ending boss is one of the most creative, high-stakes battles in Persona 5. And while Futaba’s awakening wasn’t my favourite, it’s great to see her finally face her demons and accept that her mother’s death wasn’t her fault. But most of all, this palace reminds you that you should never get too comfortable when playing Persona 5, as the tables could turn at any minute and suddenly make you care about the person you’re changing the heart of.

3. Kamoshida’s Castle of Lust

Kamoshida is arguably the biggest scumbag you take on in Persona 5, so it makes a lot of sense that his palace is one of the most satisfying to undertake. The castle acts as the perfect starting dungeon, teaching you the ropes without too much hand-holding and providing you with simple but visually interesting palace to boot. Before the game drags you into its grandiose main plot, you start with a much smaller scale, but equally despicable villain that you immediately know you have to deal with. And on top of that, each character introduction is seamless and fits perfectly in with the narrative. The puzzles here are simple enough to be basically harmless and each area of the castle you navigate changes things up to keep it unique while teaching you the inner workings of the palaces you’ll be taking down for the rest of the game. As for the first boss, the build-up feels perfect as the tension amps up and reaches boiling point as you send your first calling card. Oh, and Kamoshida’s boss design himself as this horrifying, weird lust demon definitely sets you up for what’s ahead. Great as a beginning act, but also a heckin solid dungeon in its own right. Plus, I’m a sucker for castles, so I might be a little biased here.

2. Niijima’s Casino of Jealousy

I’ll be honest with you, I think a casino is one of the most awesome ideas for a dungeon I’ve ever heard of in a JRPG. And everything about this one is near enough perfect. The reveal that you’ll be targeting the person who’s been interrogating you for the whole game, the link back to the very starting cutscene, the tension mounting as you desperately try to work out who the traitor is, Makoto’s emotional turmoil as she wrestles with the ethics of targeting her own sister. Story-wise, this is totally perfect. And the dungeon itself? Definitely the most consistently unique in the whole game. Each floor you traverse in the casino offers something new and interesting for you to work around, from the rigged dice games to the dark labyrinth and the battle arena trial (not to mention the whole ‘collect enough coins to proceed’ thing reminded me way too much of Sonic Adventure and for some reason, I’m putting that down as a good thing). Whims of Fate is a perfect soundtrack, because it totally fits the atmosphere and also it’s a bop and I love it to pieces. And the palace wraps itself up neatly in a little bow with a boss fight that totally kicks arse. Sae Niijima starts the battle by, of course, rigging the game against you. But once her cheating facade falls away, the true battle begins and she morphs into a weird, distorted mech thing that takes heavy inspiration from Makoto’s persona too. Basically, it’s cool. And I love it.

1. Shido’s Cruiser of Pride

This is likely to be a controversial choice for the best palace in the game, as it’s generally agreed among most fans that Shido’s palace was a bit slightly rubbish. But really, I couldn’t disagree more. Yes, Sae’s palace was the definition of awesome, but something about Shido’s just one-upped it somehow. Of course, your character’s personal connection with this mission that was absent from the other previous palaces gives this one a much more dramatic feel, as you finally get to take on the guy orchestrating everyone’s suffering (if you don’t count good ol’ Optimus Prime from the final palace) and it’s as satisfying as it needs to be. The soundtrack is suitably epic and lends itself well as a precursor to the finale and exploring the cruiser is both intriguing and enjoyable throughout, as you navigate each section of this bloated paradise filled with rich arseholes. But at the same time, the whole Noah’s Ark thing with Shido only saving those willing to submit to him makes this palace as chilling as it is visually stunning. For me, this was a brilliant dungeon beginning to end, as collecting ‘letters of recommendation’ from each of Shido’s cognitive allies allows for a deeper insight into Shido as a character, but also builds you up nicely to the palace’s climax. Plenty of nice character moments and the boss fight, while not the best in the game, was still a strong point. Oh and yeah, I actually really liked the rat puzzles. The puzzles everyone seems to hate? Thought they provided a nice amount of challenge and never really felt like they were dragging on for hugely long. But what really peaked this palace on top of all the others was the encounter with Mr. Pancakes towards the end. Akechi was a brilliantly crafted character throughout his stint in the game and his arc had a fitting conclusion before you finally take on Shido. I was mega happy with this palace and honestly, it was the one cemented this game as one of my big faves.

Got a palace ranking of your own? Or even just one that stood out as your personal favourite? Let me know down below!

[shadowetienne]

Cpop/Kpop Obsessions Post, Ver 4.0

Posted: 9/5/2018 Edited: 11/27/2018

The goal of this post is to go over which groups and solo artists I like a lot and will post about. Some of these artists go long stretches without doing much before cropping back up, so don’t be surprised if there’s not much from them on my blog for a while and then there is a sudden avalanche.

I’m going to try to add a favorite MV (and favorite song if my favorite song doesn’t have an MV) to show what makes me like the group a little more.

The rest is under a cut for length. (I am also always happy to chat about these groups, so feel free to shoot me an ask or a message about them!)

CPOP

I’m going to start with Cpop in this iteration of the post because there has been a lot going on in the Cpop idol world this year! While groups seemed to have been languishing for a while, with Idol Producer and Produce 101 China happening this year, there seems to be a bit of renewal of interest, and also just a renewal of access to what is there for those of us outside of China. I’ve encountered some groups and trainees that I’m really excited about through these shows, and I’m also really looking forward to future seasons of Idol Producer especially. I liked how IP was handled in terms of how it showed off trainees and how it chose songs. With the new music shows like Idol Hits and Yo!Bang, I’m really enjoying the chance to see some live stages and cool performances that help keep groups like these relevant.

I’ve followed Cpop to various levels since 1999 (much much longer than I’ve followed Kpop), so it’s really exciting for me to see it getting a new boost!

Boy Groups:

Because Idol Producer happened before PD101 China, we are already seeing a fair number of the post IP groups getting out there and debuting. There are a lot of trainees and groups off the show that I liked, so there are a lot of groups I’m pretty excited about. I’m going to start this section talking about IP adjacent groups, and leave some of my longer running favorites until the end.

Nine Percent: Nine Percent is the group that was formed on Idol Producer. I was really pleased that several of my favorites and others who I wanted to see make the group made it through. This is a temporary group, so a lot of my focus is definitely on the members that I like best! I’m glad that they’ve finally finally released some music, and I like the whole album! I think that there’s a lot that iQiyi can learn about the handling of a group like this going forward, but I’ve enjoyed the ride so far, even if it did take them a very long time to get to the music. Favorite Members: Zhangjing, Zhengting, Yanjun Favorite MV: “I Need a Doctor” Favorite Song: "Ei Wo Ei Wo”/”AWOL” (this song is hard to link to because it keeps getting taken down from YouTube)

Nex7:  Yuehua’s new boygroup, Nex7, includes one of my favorites from not only Idol Producer, but also PD101 Season 2 in Korea. I loved the Nex7 boys on IP, and I thought that they showed a really great bond. They’re a good size for a group, and they have a lot of talent and ability to do different things. I do like that Yuehua is pushing them as a group and trying to keep them viewed as a strong unit because I do think that they are one of the groups that is going to be key in pushing groups in Cpop again. Favorite Members: Zhengting, Quanzhe Favorite MV: “Wait a Minute” Favorite Song: “For You”

Mr. X:  This group had a lot of members who were lower ranked on IP; however, they really made use of the screentime they got and the improvement they showed through the show. I think that this may be one of the groups where the trainees got the most from the show. I was really happy when they released music pretty quickly, and I’m really looking forward to watching them grow as a group. Favorite Members: Luo Zheng Favorite MV/Song: “U&I”

Tangram: The Banana Culture Trainees/Trainee 18 who were on Idol Producer, currently minus Zhangjing and Yanjun (who I am hoping will be added to the group once Nine Percent wraps up) are in the process of debuting. They had a lot of trainees that I liked on IP, and I’m really looking forward to them as a group. They’ve got great dancers and great vocalists, and I really liked their dynamics as a group on the show. Favorite Member: Ruotian, Zhixie Favorite MV/Song: “Radiant”

Oner:  Oner (formerly known as BC221) is one of my favorite groups that I have found because of Idol Producer. They have at least one of the best vocalists from the show, and I love their group dynamic. The four of them work so well together, and so far, I’ve really liked their sound so far. They knocked their debut album out of the park with an album made up of entirely awesome songs. Favorite Member: Ling Chao Favorite MV: "Dazzle” Favorite Song: “无我“ [”Work”]

Awaken-F:  This is the group formed by the OACA trainees that went onto Idol Producer. I was pretty interested in them going into the show because Qin Fen had been my favorite member of the K-pop group The Legend before they (messily) disbanded, and I had thought I’d never hear about him again. I love this group, and Qin Fen really seems to have found a new group that he meshes well with and that is going to provide him a direction going forward. I love the way their voices work together, and I’ve really liked their sound so far. Favorite Member: Qin Fen, Zuo Ye Favorite MV/Song: "三里清风” [“Three Miles of Gentle Winds”]

There are quite a few other groups that I’m excited about coming out of Idol Producer, but there’s either less to talk about for them, or I know less about them so far (but I’m always happy to have people point me at their stuff!). The most notable among these would probably be: BBT (Ziyi’s group, but I’m not quite sure what is going on with them right now while he’s in Nine Percent), Cosmos (I really liked Siqi on Idol Producer, and their songs have been good), and Zoom (I loved Feitong on Idol Producer and they look promising as a group). 

Now that I’ve covered the groups that I got to know through Idol Producer, there are also some groups that I’ve liked for longer that need to go on here.

M.I.C.: They’ve been around for quite a while, but they’ve consistently put out a lot of things that I like (and some things that kind of just baffle me). I really like the voices of several of the members, and I expect to continue to see them around for a good while to come, but they do seem to be drifting more solo stuff wards over the years. Favorite Member: Jianci Favorite MV/Song: “Lady Bro” (Jianci and Xiaoxin’s special collaboration song), all of Jianci and Xiaoxin’s solo stuff, “Dialogue”

SpeXial:  SpeXial has been one of my favorite Mando pop groups for a while. I’ve followed since them since the very end of the SpeXial as 4 days. They’ve been through a lot of member changes over the years (they’ve added a total of 8 members over the years since their 2012 debut, and lost a total of 4 including now one of their original members), but I still cling to following them because my favorites are still there. They’re honestly a completely different group these days, but they’ve still got a lot of stuff about them that I like. Favorite Members: Mingjie (Brent), Weijin (Wayne) Favorite MV/Song: “安可” [”Encore”] (and lots of others, that is just the favorite with closest to current line up)

TFBoys:  They started out as adorable kids, but as they grew up a little bit, they definitely matured into a boy group that I appreciate. They’re still very cute though. I have really liked some of the solo stuff and OSTs that they’ve been doing. And I loved their collaboration with Wang Leehom. Favorite Member: Yi Yangquanxi (Jackson Yi) Favorite MV/Song: “It’s You”

There are also some groups such as XNine that I have liked what I’ve seen of, but haven’t seen enough to have a really solid opinion on yet.

Girl Groups:

It’s not been that long yet since the end of PD101 China, so a lot of groups that were still as trainees on there haven’t had a chance to get themselves into being a group yet, but there were a lot of promising trainees. However, it did bring my attention to some groups that I wasn’t really familiar with before, so that’s exciting. Hopefully, PD101 China brings the attention that a lot of these girls need to actually have successful idol careers. I’m not sure that the show did as good a job actually showcasing trainees, but hopefully they picked up a good following.

Rocket Girls:  For all that PD101 China was a bit of a roller coaster, and not entirely in the good way, I really do like the group that emerged from it. That being said, I’m being pretty tentative investing a lot of time in following the group so far because they’ve been off to a rocky start. They’ve also done brilliantly with their first release though, so I’m less worried than I could be. Favorite Member: Sunnee (who was my favorite member of A’N’D) Favorite MV/Song: “撞” [”Collide”]

S.I.N.G. I was aware of them before PD101 China, but I’d not really gotten into them properly. I appreciate having been shown this gem of a group. They’ve got a really great distinctive feeling that makes them stand out, and I was really impressed with the girls who went on PD101 China, especially Meiyun. Favorite Member: Meiyun Favorite MV/Song: "寄明月” [”Deliver the Moon”]

Lady Bees:  I really enjoyed watch the show that this group was formed from, and I’ve enjoyed their releases, but I’m a little bit lost as to how they are progressing/lasting as a group. Favorite Member: Yuxin Favorite Song: “Where To Find You”

There are several other groups that have caught my interest, or that I’m waiting to hear more about post PD101 China. One that comes to mind is Chic Chili (the ETM girls).

Soloists:

There are two soloists in Cpop that had a huge effect on me getting into pop music in general, and they will pretty much sit at the top of this list for as long as they keep being active artists. There are other soloists that I quite like, but none that quite end up holding up to these two.

Wang Leehom: Leehom can be credited as the singer who got me into pop music. My foster mom brought me back his first CD from a trip to Taiwan, and it was probably the single thing that I played the most on my walkman at the time... That is a sentence that feels really dated. Before that, I’d not really properly experienced pop music, and honestly I have no idea what made her think that I’d like the music, but she was very very right. On top of being a sentimental favorite, I also just love Leehom’s music and the fact that he keeps on reinventing and creating new amazing things. I can’t choose a favorite song or MV, but if I’m going to pick one song that sort of shows why I love him so much, I think that I’ll have to go with: Representative MV/Song: “火力全開” [“Open Fire”]

Jolin Tsai: I got into Jolin approximately the same way as Leehom, just a few years later. I have literally followed her for her entire career, and I love how she has developed in those years. (My reaction when she guested on Idol Producer was approximately the same as most of the boys.) I love how catchy her music is and how much better a singer and dancer she has become since she first started (despite being good to begin with). She always brings something new to her new releases that makes them memorable and interesting. And then just in case I didn’t adore her for her music enough, she’s a vocal queer rights activist in Taiwan. Just like with Leehom, I can’t really pick a single favorite, so I’m going to go with something that I see as representative of why I love her. Representative MV [1]:  “不一樣又怎樣” [“We’re All Different Yet All the Same”] (This one always makes me cry.) Representative MV [2]: “迷幻” [“Fantasy”] (Look, if you expect me not to choose two of her gayest MVs, I’m confused honestly.)

There are lots of other soloists that I love, but I’ve not quite got it in me to do longer write ups on them. Some notable people on the pure Mando Pop would be: Zhou Rui (he was one of my absolute favorites on Idol Producer, and back in Mr. Bio days), Qiu Feng Ze, Ranie Yang, Pets Ceng, Calvin Chen, and Li Yuchun. There are quite a few of the contestants from both Idol Producer and Produce 101 China who look like they might be kicking off promising solo careers that I will be interested in. A new addition comes in on the Cantopop (with some Mandopop as well) side because of Produce 101 China, which would be: Angela Hui. Finally, there are a few people who are currently sitting on the Kpop/Mandopop fence who I might as well mention here: Zhou Mi and Zhang Liyin.

KPOP

Kpop is a newer love for me than Cpop. I didn’t get into Kpop until 2011-2012 (in contrast to 1999 for Cpop). That being said, you’ll see at least as much if not more of it here just for accessibility reasons. I love how easy it is for me to get stuff from and about my favorite groups, so that’s a niche that Kpop has really cemented itself into. While Cpop does seem to be trying to make some strides towards that over time, there’s definitely going to be a gap for a good long time.

Boy Groups

Who goes on this list front and center has become pretty solidified. I’ve got some definite favorite groups that have emerged over time, and they seem to have stabilized. I would say that I follow a pretty even mix of boy groups and girl groups, but that boy groups are easier to follow within the realm of Kpop.

Seventeen: These days, I’d probably call them my favorite group. I have liked every single song that they’ve ever released, and that is saying something. For me to put a group into the “I like them” category, I have to consistently like at least some of their songs. Even on some of my other favorite groups, there are songs here and there that I’m just kind of “eh?” about, but that’s not been the case for Seventeen. They just fall right into that sound that I like (basically, I’m beginning to suspect that my musical tastes are very very similar to Jihoon’s). I love their performance aspect as well, their dances and choreography are amazing, and they are just a lot of fun to follow. All I can hope is that they just keep on being as awesome as they have been, and that they always keep bringing new things to the table. Favorite Members: Junhui (Jun), Wonwoo, Jihoon (Woozi), Junghan Favorite Song/MV: “Don’t Wanna Cry” (Though honestly all of them basically)

VIXX: They’ve managed to maintain a second position on this list. They showcase a different element of what I love in pop to Seventeen, but they definitely fit my tastes well. I love their vocals, and their dancing, and their dynamic. I love how hard they invest in concepts, but that they don’t do it in a gimmicky way. They just really immerse themselves in it. Favorite Members: Taekwoon, Hongbin Favorite Song/MV: “Shangri-La”

There are a lot of other boy groups that I like out there, but Seventeen and VIXX have really pulled away from the pack in terms of consistency and just not getting lost for long periods of time. Some other notable groups that I’m very fond of and want to see a lot more from: Nu’est (Minhyun, Ren), Imfact (Jeup), Got7 (Jinyoung, Youngjae), B1A4 (Sandeul, Gongchan), and KNK (Inseong, Heejun, Seungjun). There are some other groups in my, I’m trying not to keep hoping honestly, but they’ve not officially disbanded or appear to be in an indeterminate state of existing: F.cuz (Yejun), JJCC, Uniq, and DGNA.

Girl Groups

I’m really happy with some of the new generation of girl group that’s been coming up in Kpop recently. There was a lull where a lot of my favorite groups were disbanding, where I was worried, but that void has definitely been being filled. I always worry a little bit more for girl groups in kpop though because I know that they end up often not having the same sort of group longevity that boy groups often do.

Pristin: They are one of my current big 3 girl groups. I got into them via many of them being on Produce 101, and it was probably one of my favorite things that came out of the show. They are one of those special groups where I like pretty much everything that they release, which always impresses me. Favorite Members: Yebin (Rena), Jieqiong, Minkyung (Roa), Eunwoo Favorite MV/Song [1]: “Get It” (This is Pristin V, which is my four faves plus Nayoung, so if you’re surprised I love it, then I’m confused) Favorite MV/Song [2]: “Wee Woo” (If I’m picking one of the full group MV/performance videos)

Gugudan: They are another group that came to my attention because of Produce 101. I really like their group dynamic and arrangements. Their music is creatively presented and a lot of fun, and there are so many voices that I love in the group. I am interested in how they seem to be rolling out subunits (and I’m kind of dying for them to do an all the best vocalists subunit because maybe Haebin would finally get some spotlight). Favorite Members: Sejong, Sally, Haebin Favorite MV/Song: “The Boots”

Cosmic Girls/WJSN: This is part of my sort of new girl groups that came out close together trio that I seem to like just about everything that they release. Things are a little bit of a mess with Yuehua v. Starship membership issues, but I still love the group, and I’m just hoping that things resolve OK over time. Favorite Members: Cheng Xiao, Dawon Favorite MV/Song: “I Wish”

There are a lot of other girl groups that I like beyond those current top three. Some of the stand outs would be: Lovelyz, Laboum, G-idle, Mamamoo, and F(x). I’m pretty invested in seeing what happens with the remaining After School members too (especially Kaeun now).

Soloists

I’m in general not as invested in soloists in Kpop as I am in groups. Some of my favorite things musically in pop music are harmonies which is a challenge with soloists. I think that it’s telling that a lot of my favorite stuff from soloists is collaboration work. There are a lot of solists who I like from groups that I like (such as Taekwoon and Sejong) or who are former members of groups that I like which disbanded (all the members of Sistar and Spica who have had solo careers so far). There are a few straight up soloists who I follow: Park Hyoshin, Ailee, and more recently Longguo are the ones that come to mind.

[jovandawkins]

Music, Economics, and Beyond

"The whole point of digital music is the risk-free grazing" --Cory Doctorow Cory Doctorow, Canadian journalist together with co-editor and of the off-beat blog Boing Boing, is an activist in favor of liberalizing copyright laws and a proponent in the Creative Commons nonprofit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon lawfully and to share. Doctorow and others continue to write prolifically about the apocalyptic changes facing Intellectual Property in general along with the music industry in specific. In this article, we will explore the cataclysm facing U. S. industry in the portal example of the music industry, a simple industry in comparison to those of automotive or energy. However , within the simplicity of this example we may uncover some lessons that apply to all industries. In his web-article, "The Inevitable March of Recorded Music Towards Free, " Michael Arrington tells us that music DVD sales continue to plummet alarmingly. "Artists like Prince and Nine Inch Nails are flouting their brands and either giving music away or telling their fans to steal it... Radiohead, which is not any longer controlled by their label, Capitol Records, put their new digital album on sale on the Internet for no matter what price people want to pay for it. " As many others have iterated in recent years, Arrington reminds us that with regard to effective legal, technical, or other artificial impediments to production can be created, "simple economic theory dictates that the price of music [must] fall to zero as more 'competitors' (in the following case, listeners who copy) enter the market. " Unless sovereign governments that subscribe to the Universal Copyright laws Convention take drastic measures, such as the proposed mandatory music tax to prop up the industry, there pretty much exist no economic or legal barriers to keep the price of recorded music from falling toward zero. With response, artists and labels will probably return to focusing on other revenue streams that can, and will, be exploited. Especially, these include live music, merchandise, and limited edition physical copies of their music. According to author Stephen M. Dubner, "The smartest thing about the Rolling Stones under Jagger's leadership is the band's workmanlike, corporate method to touring. The economics of pop music include two main revenue streams: record sales and traveling profits. Record sales are a) unpredictable; and b) divided up among many parties. If you figure out how to tour efficiently, meanwhile, the profits--including not only ticket sales but also corporate sponsorship, t-shirt sales, etc ., --can be staggering. You can essentially control how much you earn by adding more dates, whereas it's hard to overpower how many records you sell. " ("Mick Jagger, Profit Maximizer, " Freakonomics Blog, 26 July 2007). In order to get a handle on the problems brought about by digital media in the music industry, we turn to the data the majority relied upon by the industry. This data comes through Neilsen SoundScan which operates a system for gathering information and tracking sales. Most relevant to the topic of this column, SoundScan provides the official method for tracking gross sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. The company collects data on a every week basis and makes it available every Wednesday to subscribers from all facets of the music industry. Like for example , executives of record companies, publishing firms, music retailers, independent promoters, film entertainment producers and their distributors, and artist management companies. Because SoundScan provides the sales data used by Billboard, the leading trade magazine, for any creation of its music charts, this role effectively makes SoundScan the official source of sales records inside the music industry. Quo vadis? According to Neilsen Soundscan, "In a fragmented media world where technology is usually reshaping consumer habits, music continues to be the soundtrack of our daily lives. According to Music 360 2014, Nielsen's third annual in-depth study of the tastes, habits and preferences of U. S. music listeners, 93% of the country's population listens to music, spending more than 25 hours each week tuning into their favorite songs. " For most Americans, music is the top form of entertainment. In a 2014 survey, 75% of respondents claimed that they actively chose to listen to music over other media entertainment. Music is part of our lives across all times of the day. One fourth of music listening takes place while driving or riding in autos. Another 15% of our weekly music time takes place at work or while doing household chores. It has end up no surprise over the past five years that CD sales have diminished while download listening and sales get increased. Bob Runett of Poynter Online comments, "Start waving the cigarette lighters and swaying aspect to side--the love affair between music fans and their cell phones is getting more intense. Phones with audio capabilities will account for 54 percent of handset sales globally in five years, according to a report talking to firm Strategy Analytics Inc. The report suggests that we keep watching the growth of cellular tunes decks (CMDs), devices that deliver excellent sound quality and focus on music more than images. " ("A Few Notes About Music and Convergence, " 25 November 2014) Stephen J. Dubner summed in the mess quite well almost a decade ago. "It strikes me as ironic that a new technology (digital music) can have accidentally forced record labels to abandon the status quo (releasing albums) and return to the past (selling singles). I sometimes think that the biggest mistake the record industry ever made was abandoning the pop sole in the first place. Customers were forced to buy albums to get the one or two songs they loved; how many albums can you claim that you truly love, or love even 50% of the songs--10? 20? But now the people have talked: they want one song at a time, digitally please, maybe even free. " ("What's the Future of the Music Sector? A Freakonomics Quorum, " 20 September 2007). Like many of us, I (Dr. Sase) also have worked for a musician/producer/engineer/indie label owner releasing esoterica since the 1960s. While occasionally made an adequate living off my movies, I also developed my talents as an economist, earning a doctorate in that field. Therefore , I thought from this dual perspective of an economist/musician. The post-future, as many music pundits call it, does not really change that much from the past. How and why folks obtain their music continues to reflect at least three linked decision drivers. We can summarize the three most relevant as 1) Content, 2) Durability, and 3) Time-Cost. Let us explain further. 1) Content When I started to record music in the early 1960s, the market has been filled with "one-hit wonders. " It was the age of AM (amplitude modulation), DJ radio. It was also the age of this 45 RPM record with the hit on the A Side and usually some filler cut on the M Side. It was not uncommon for anyone with a 2-track reel-to-reel to "download" the one hit desired from their favorite broadcast station. There were few groups that offered entire twelve-inch LPs with mostly great songs. The first these LP that I purchased was Meet the Beatles by those four lads from Liverpool. Click here Jovan Dawkins During the late nineteen sixties, the industry turned more to "Greatest Hit" collections by groups that had previously turned out a archipelago of AM hits and to "concept" albums. During this golden age of LP sales, the Beatles, your Stones, the Grateful Dead, Yes, King Crimson, and numerous other groups released albums filled with sound content. Bottom line: consumers don't mind paying for product if they feel that they are receiving value. 2) Durability How come would someone buy a twelve-inch LP when they could borrow a copy and tape record the tunes to a reel-to-reel or, later on, to a compact cassette? The answers at that time were simple. First, it was "cool" to have a great album collection, especially one that a member of the opposite gender could thumb through in your dorm room. Let us simply say that one's album collection could inform another party about people's tastes and possible sub-culture and personality. Therefore , an attractive collection provided a certain degree of social currency. May well this account for the resurgence of vinyl in recent years? The second part of the equation came in the form of actual product flexibility. Like current downloads, self-recorded reel-to-reel and cassette tapes generally suffered from some loss of fidelity in the change. More importantly, the integrity and permanence of the media also left something to be desired. Thirty to $ 40 . 00 years ago, tape would flake, break, and tangle around the capston. Unless one backed up their collection for a second-generation tape, many of one's favorite tunes could be lost. Today, computer hard drives crash. Without the expense of additional hard drive and the time involved to make the transfer, the same durability issues ensue. What about CDs? Since several of us who use CD-Rs for multiple purposes know, the technology that instantly burns an image actually leaves a product that remains more delicate and subject to damage in comparison to a commercially fabricated CD, stamped with a metal master. Will the Internet clouds provide the same level of comfort for music producers and listeners? We might just have to wait and see. 3) Time-Cost This third element basically reflects the old "tape is running/time-is-money" economic argument and may explain why younger music-listeners prefer to download songs either legally or illegally. The idea echoes the same economics that led listeners in the 1960s to record their favorite hits off of the radio. That substance of the argument has to do with how an individual values his/her time. If music-lovers works for a low per hour wage (or often no income at all), they will value the time spent downloading, backing up, and switching cuts in terms of what they could be earning during the same time. Let us consider the following example. Assuming that twelve packages or a comparable CD costs $12. 00, a baby-sitter earning $6 per hour could afford to spend even though two hours of time ripping music to achieve the same value. However , someone with a skilled trade or a degree may be earning $24. 00 or more per hour. Spending more than one half hour at ripping would exceed the worth derived. The counter-argument of the time-cost of travelling to a brick-and-mortar music store gets offset by a persons ability to log-on to Amazon or elsewhere in less than a minute and possibly receive free shipping. The market will constantly change as the primary market demographic ages. It happened with the Baby-Boomers of the 1960s and 1970s therefore will happen with Generation X, Y and Z in the current century. The bottom line of all of this debate rests on the fact that a consumer will choose the mode of deliverable that optimizes his/her bundle of values. The following bundle includes quality and quantity of content, durability, and time-cost effectiveness. These remain the lessons that will music makers and music deliverers must understand to survive. The more things change, the more they continue to be the same. "When I'm drivin' in my car, And that man comes on the radio, He's tellin' me more and more, Approximately some useless information, Supposed to fire my imagination, I can't get no, oh no, no, no . inch -Michael Philip Jagger, British Economist, London School of Economics In conclusion, we recognize that certain values inspire consumers as well as businesses. These values include content, durability, and time cost. It does not matter whether the good and service under consideration exists in the form of real, personal, or intellectual property. The premise remains the same for making favorite songs, building automobiles, teaching economics, and providing legal services.

[jessicaoniell-blog]

How to Come Up With a Business Name (11 Methods + 12 Tools)

“I heard you’ve got a new business, congrats! What’s it called?”  This happens to almost any new business owner as people are curious to hear about the brand name after hearing about what your business does. Whenever someone asks you about the name of your new business, a cool and out of the box name can make a lasting impression. Additionally, coming up with a brand name is one of the most important decisions for a founder. That’s not all, the brand name also helps guide the company’s promotion and branding strategy. Here are some qualities that should be in a brand name: Catchy, to grab attention instantlyMemorable, Easy to rememberShort, shorter names are easy to pronounce and remember.A minor reflection of your products or services (optional)Most importantly, Unique These qualities make a good impact as always and should be followed whenever someone is starting a new venture. That might be hectic for a while as it takes some steps and brainstorming and if you’re already filled with a lot of other stuff in your brain then maybe the moment you’re planning with brainstorming, your brain is at rest mode. So, let’s make a churn and burn, easy way to come up with a great, catchy, memorable & short brand name.  Because coming up with a solid brand name is difficult when you have tons of other things to get done, here is a step-by-step process to coming up with a product or brand name that leaves a lasting impression on your customers. Before that, if you’re into a new business, best of luck from our team!

How to Come Up With Unique Business Name Ideas?

There are going to be a few methods and ways with tools that can help in this case. Scenario / Example: Let’s consider two businesses - a mobile app development services company, and socks manufacturing business. Let’s walk through one process to come up with business name ideas both of these businesses. Important Notice: I will restrict myself to a few terms that I will select to go along with, to make things simple and get the point across. However, I suggest you select at least 10 terms or words that reflect and define your business and its value proposition for a good result.  I will attempt to make names based on my selected words and terms only, instead of moving in a random direction. Once you have a list of brand name ideas, then you can play around and creatively find one what works best. And last but not least, I will be only giving a few brand names as an example to each method whereas there can be many. Hope it goes well. Let’s get started!

Synonyms - Related Words

How does it work? Here we find synonyms for the business, but what word should we use as a starting point? Let’s define words or terms that are very relevant to the two businesses.  Application & Development  and Socks & Feet  These are my starting terms and words. Let’s look for synonyms related to these terms. You can google ”application or development synonyms” or go to Thesaurus.com, paste the word and see if you get something useful. With a quick search on Google, here are some words that I found and make sense to me: Evolution (Development)Buildup (Development)Headway (Development)Praxis (Application) and Hosiery (socks)Anklet (socks)Heel (socks) I can combine my original and synonym words from here to come up with the first layer of ideas. Service: PraxisHeadwayPraxisHeadwayAppEvolutionAppBuildup Product: HosierySocksAnkleSockSocksFeetSocksHeelFeetHeel

Acronym 

How does it work? Suppose we want to explore acronym of our terms that define our businesses, the Mobile App Development Services Company and the American Socks Manufacturing Company. You can come up with any words that describe what your business does. Or, you could use other inspirations like names, locations, etc. Service: MADCAS - Mobile App Development Company and Services CAD - Company of App Development Product: SMC - Socks Manufacturing Company.ASMC - American Socks Manufacturing Company Real Life Examples: IKEADKNYAOL BBC Easy, right?

Mashup

How does it work? This is also easy as straightforward, all you need are two words that capture the essence of your company, and mix them, wholly or half. I have App Development and Socks for Winter. Service: DevelappAppDevAppDDApp Product: Sowin’SockerWisoWintSWinSocks Real Life Examples: Compaq Groupon

Misspell

How does it work? We make a list of terms relevant to our company and add an artistic misspelling. A downside is that people used to consider this a spelling mistake, but with Foundr, Quora, Flickr and others, trends are now changing. Misspelling within limits and to some extent might help make a generic word memorable. Let’s go with App Development and Socks for Winter and see what we come up with. Service: AppDewDevelupAqpAppyAppDoUppDev Product: SockrWintrSockaSockz Real Life Examples: FlickrFoundrTumblrReddit

Symbol (+ Word)

How does it work? There are hundreds of symbols and not just alone in mathematics; symbols can be found in different fields and subjects. You can simply google symbols lists with names or something like that, and you will get many. I liked a few so mentioning them below. Same as above, we've got the same words relevant to the business terms. Service: DeltaMobiDevArcAppPhi Product: NablaPhiSocksLineSocksRay

Removing/Adding extra letters

How does it work? Again, we know our words and what we have to do is add or remove any extra letter from our words. It somehow resembles the above method of misspell but a slight difference is, in removing and adding additional letter should not make a name with the feeling that it is misspelled, but a letter is added or removed, in simple words we’re not allowed to give wrong spelling to the exact words but we can remove or add letters. Our terms here are Mobile Application Development Company and Winter Socks Manufacturing Company. Service: Appobile (M is removed from Mobile)Pobile (M is removed from Mobile)Appa (A is added)Appile (Mob is removed from a mobile)Mobileap (P is removed)Bileap (Mo and P is removed)Mobilee (E is added) Product: SocksMan ( ufacturing is removed)Cosocks (mpany is removed)Macu (nufacturing is removed, C from company and U is added)Wocks (W is added from Winter and S is removed from socks)WinTocks (ter is removed from winter and S from socks)

Words from Dictionary

How does it work? We just need to read a lot of words from the dictionary and see if we can come up with any name for our business. There are a lot of words there and we have to select a word that slightly relevant or reflect our company. I’m only choosing words starting from B, C and D. Here the words will be general and not moving around our selected words but as I’m strictly bond to show examples around our chosen words, so I am listing both versions. But I will prefer to go with general words without using selected terms. Service: Devbawbee / Bawbee (Scottish a coin of low value)BingleDev / Bingle (Austral. informal a collision)AppEdge / Bleeding Edge (the very forefront of technological development)DevColporteur / Colporteur (a person who peddles books, newspapers, or other writings, especially bibles and religious tracts) Product: ConcinnitySocks / Concinnity (elegance or neatness of literary or artistic style)CouthySocks / Couthy (Scottish (of a person) warm and friendly; (of a place) cosy and comfortable)CrottleSocks / Crottle ( a lichen used in Scotland to make a brownish dye for wool)CudbearSocks / Cudbear (a purple or violet powder used for dyeing, made from lichen)DeasilSocks / Deasil (clockwise or in the direction of the sun's course) Real Life Examples: AppleTwitterMajestic Canon

Relevant-Relatives words Combination

How does it work? Our business is about Mobile App Dev and Socks for Winter, so who develop an app? Developer,  What it relates to? Tech, What it does? Run on Mobile and why we use socks? To stay warm, What it is made up of? Thread, Who wears it? Human, When we wear it? In winter. Service: TechRunRunTechMobDevDevRun Product: WarmThreadWinterHumanWarmWinterWinterWarmWinterThread

Hybrid - Half Business Related Word + Half General Word

How does it work? Alright, this is a straightforward way because what you need is one word relevant to your business and one general word. I personally use adjectives or a noun as a general word but you can try anything. My two business-related words are App and Socks and let me add general words with them to see how it comes up. Service: AppDreamAppJunctionAppLopeAppDashAppWinAppGoAppZoneAppShed Product: SocksDudeDeepSocksSocksGenieSockLevelSocksTouchSocksMine Real Life Examples: PayPal (pal means friend)GoDaddyIPhone

Repeat First Two or Three Letters in Inverse

How does it work? In this method, we’ll select the first two or three letters of our defined terms and then add those first letters with our selected first letters but in inverse format. Our words are Application, Development, Socks and Winter. Now, let’s try this.  Service: AppA (Ap are first two words and added in inverse from right to left)DevveD (Dev are first three letters and added in inverse from right to left) Product: SooS (So are first two letters)Soccos (Socs are first three letters)Winniw (Win are first three letters) Real Life Examples: OPPO

Prefix and Suffix 

How does it work? This is also a very simple method which involves prefix and suffix. Come up with words and find prefix and suffix list then try adding into your selected words and see what sounds better. Let’s do it with App and Socks. Service: Appify (-ify is suffix)Appism (-ism is suffix)UnApp (-un is prefix)TransApp (trans- is prefix) Product: Socksly (-ly is suffix)Sockistic (-istic is suffix)Insocks (in- is prefix)UltraSocks (ultra- is prefix) Real Life Examples: WeeblyGrammarly

Other Methods:

Ask employees, friends & relatives for a name suggestionLook for a place name on the map as Amazon, Adobe and Fuji did.Use your name, your kids, or your loved one’s name as Danone and Mercedes did.Use the most important memory by describing it in a single wordUse what you believe by describing it in a single wordLook for historical or mythical places, character names or objects and use them as your brand name as Asus, Nike, and Starbucks did.

Here’re the Names We Got Using Above Methods:

Now I have a long list of name ideas and hopefully, I can select one I like from them. While I did not mix up any two methods and used only the defined terms, you’re free to mix and match different methods at once and play around with multiple terms. Let’s see once more what we’ve got so far. Service: PraxisHeadwayPraxisHeadwayAppEvolutionAppBuildupMADCASCADAppDevelAppDeveAppDDAppAppDewAppDemAppoAppyAppoDoAppDoAppDiUppDevDeltaMobiDevArcAppPhiAppobilePobileAppaAppileMobileapBileapMobileeDevbawbee / BawbeeBingleDev / BingleAppEdge / Bleeding EdgeDevColporteur / ColporteurTechRunRunTechMobDevDevRunAppDreamAppJunctionAppLopeAppDashAppWinAppGoAppZoneAppShedAppADevveDAppyfyAppismUnAppTransApp Product: HosierySocksSockankleSocksFeetSocksHeelFeetHeelSMCSMACSoWinSockWiWisoWintSWinSocSooksSoocksSockrSycksWintrSockaSockyNablaPhiSocksLineSocksRaySocksManCosocksMacuWocksWinTocksConcinnitySocks / ConcinnityCouthySocks / CouthyCrottleSocks / CrottleCudbearSocks / CudbearDeasilSocks / DeasilWarmThreadWinterHumanWarmWinterWinterWarmWinterThreadSocksDudeSocksDeepSocksGenieSockLevelSocksTouchSocksMineSooSSoccosWinniwSockslySockisticInsocksUltraSocks

How Well Known Companies come up with a Brand Name?

ASUS (from the mythical winged horse Pegasus) Nike (the goddess of Victory).Samsonite (from the Bible character Samson) Starbucks (from Starbuck, the young chief mate of the Pequod, in Moby Dick)Audi (the Latin translation of the German name “Horch”)Altavista (Spanish for “high view”) Daewoo (“great house” in Korean).Acer (Latin for “sharp”, “able”) Volvo (Latin for “I roll”)Cisco from San Francisco, where the company was founded.Reebok is an alternate spelling of “rhebok”, an African antelope.Quora is a fake plural of the latin quorum (public assembly).7-Eleven, it’s open from seven in the morning to eleven at the night, every day.Pixar is a combination of the word pixel and the initials of one of its founders, Alvy Ray SmithMercedes (named after the daughter of one of the founders) Danone (named after the founder’s son’s childhood nickname)Adobe (after the Adobe Creek, running close to the founder’s house)Amazon (named after the largest river in the world, by volume of water) Fuji (named after the highest mountain in JapanCompaq (from “computer” and “pack”)Evernote (from “forever” and “note”)Groupon (from “group” and “coupon”) Lego (from the Danish “leg godt”, which means to “play well”).AOL (America Online)BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) BENQ (Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life).

Tools to Auto-Generate Name Ideas

Here is the list of some awesome tools that can help you in auto-generating brand name ideas for your business or startups that you’re going to start or maybe doing for someone else who asked you for the favor in suggesting him/her the name. That’s fair enough, here the task is same to come up with some words relevant to your business and copy-paste words one by one and hit search option in the following tools below to see the magic.  NameMesh.comLeanDomainSearch.comShopify’s business name generatorNamelix.comOberlo’s business name generatorWordoid.comDotomator.comNameStation.comDomainHole.comBustaname.comDomainr.comImpossibility.org Wrapping up! See, That’s easy to do so. You’ve just got an idea of how to do the brainstorming thing to generate some cool names. But what it will make the best part? If you use your creativity and I’m sure you’re more creative than me (wink wink). I’m just hoping that you’re at the stage where you are no more worried about business name ideas and how to come up with a cool brand name. Get it like mud in hands and avoid sands. Hope it helps and you’ve enjoyed the guide throughout. Know a friend who’s looking for a brand name idea for his startup or business? Share with them and also let us know in the comments section which two names from service and product you like the most and share your thoughts and feedback. Happy, Happy Business :)  Read the full article

[drgriswald]

Meet the Cat in the Cravat

Nicknames: Gris, Vae, and Nat

Star sign + MBTI: Aquarius and ENFP.

Height: 5′7″ 

Time right now:  8:33 AM EST

Last thing you Googled: The campus layout for SCAD Savannah 

Favorite music artist(s): hmm..  Abel Korzeniowski, BRADIO, Glass Animals, Akiko Shikata, Yoko Kanno, Cecil Corbel, Eurielle, Austin Wintory, WOODKID, and most original soundtracks (especially in relevance to castlevania).

Last song stuck in my head:  That Handsome Devil- Charlie’s Inferno

Last movie: LOTR brotherhood of the ring

My fab outfit: A cool white shirt/faux jersey that happens to be really form fitting with some waist high shorts, a black choker, and brown ankle high boots. (usually with a thin white and grey running sweater I own)

When did I create this blog: uh... =u=; good question

The trash I post: shitposts and art i appreciate

Do you get asks regularly: Nope! I don’t open them much and usually any questions people have are more or less inquiring as to whether my commissions are open or not on my art blogs XD

Why did you choose your URL?: ‘The cat in the cravat’ is reference to Vaega Navarro over at eorzeas-top-model.tumblr.com , my main on FFXIV

Gender: I am a woman

Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff 

Pokemon team: uh...the red one- I think

Favorite color: I love many colors for different reasons. Monochromatics because they appeal to me in how i wear them-...but I genuinely like white (If you’re not one of those smart-asses who says white isn’t a color)

Dream job: Drawing and doing what i love in a comfortable and safe environment....and with good pay (lol) I dream of being hired by SE but I know it can be difficult to even be considered as an artist for a big company like that.

Number of blankets: Two. An old pink one I had when I was about 10 (Which i’m very attached to and that I occasionally hump) and a fluffy grey and white one that is decorated with a yellow flower pattern on the inside- its very warm and very comfy.

Followers: 

Tagging: Anyone whose interested! Ty to @ferai-caolann for tagging everyone and their mother so i could fill these empty and cold hours of the morning with something vaguely purposeful.

[nardaviel]

tell us about kinatsuen

x

:DDD ty anon! sorry for the delay

1. Who texts more often?

en but they’re usually just weird things he’s thinking about at the time. atsushi texts most often with information or questions that are relevant to their lives. kin-chan rarely initiates texting although he’ll respond if someone else texts him

2. Who is better with kids?

atsushi!! en likes them but they’re exhausting and kin-chan often doesn’t know how to deal with them

3. Who tops/bottoms?

en tops. kin-chan bottoms. atsushi is a switch. sometimes en or kinshirou will do the opposite role but tbh not often

4. How do they eat ice cream? What’s their favorite flavors?

they all get ice cream in a cup. atsushi thinks cones are nice but more trouble than they’re worth, en just thinks they’re a pain especially if you eat slowly, and kin-chan thinks it’s gross how sometimes the ice cream melts over your hand. i think atsushi would adore ice cream with chili in it but i don’t think they have things like that in japan (am i wrong though????? idk) so instead he gets chocolate, or any unusual flavors if they sound interesting. en likes vanilla ice cream with weird toppings, especially manjuu if thats an option like in the game :D kinchan likes green tea ice cream. it doesnt taste like green tea but he still thinks it tastes good

5. Do they go on dates? What are they like?

i dont think they go out on specially designated dates very often. for special occasions maybe like kinchans birthday. he probably wants to go to a fancy restaurant for his birthday dates so those are full of en feeling kind of uncomfortable and out of place, until kinchan catches on and starts getting them private rooms so en doesnt feel judged. … they go out sometimes to do stuff i think? and those are de facto dates even though they werent planned that way, like.. they act cute and in love bc theyre too in love to do otherwise

6. Do they stargaze? Expand.

WHAT A QUESTION

yes, they go stargazing. but en falls asleep quickly tbh and sometimes he cba to go at all so often its just kinatsu. when its kinatsu, it is sickeningly sweet. i still think that atsushi is the one whos really into astronomy and kinchan just enjoys spending time with atsushi in a romantic setting. there is lots of cuddling. …when en is there, though, he like .. makes up new constellations and speculates about the mysteries of space, &c &c. so its not as tooth-rotting but everyone still has a good time

7. Who’s the laziest?

hmmmmmmmmm…

8. Who complains more?

en tbh but kinchan has his moments as well

9. Who wakes up earlier?

kinchan! atsushi wakes up early too but not kinchan-level early. en .. yeah

10. What do they smell when they smell amortentia?

en: fresh laundry (= clean sheets), the smell of something sweet baking, kin-chan’s soap lololatsushi: curry, green tea bc he associates it with kin-chan, that kind of autumny smell u know when the leaves are falling and its starting to get coolkin-chan: the smell of tea ceremony which may or may not include more smells than just green tea idk, the sweet curry atchan makes him, a faint hint of paint bc en is an artist but too much paint smell is unpleasant

11. Who sets the other’s ringtone to something loud and obnoxious behind their back?

LMAO if anyone would do this, en would, but i’m not convinced. possibly kin-chan sets the alarm on en’s phone to something unbearable on a day when en has to get up early

12. Who uses chopsticks/Can either of them use chopsticks?

they’re all japanese so

13. When they can’t sleep what do they do?

kinchan tries to lie there in silence with his eyes closed the way u r meant to do. sometimes that gets results. if it doesn’t, he probably gets up and reads in a different room. atsushi does the same, except when he lies there quietly he’s less likely than kinchan to cuddle up to whoever’s next to him bc he doesn’t want to wake them up. en … ????????????????????? ??????? if he couldn’t sleep he wouldn’t know what to do with himself so he’d just lie there until it happened

14. Who’s clumsier?

probably atsushi. none of them really strike me as super clumsy but i think kinchan is graceful. whereas atsushi can be kind of awkward sometimes im sorry bby

15. Who would hold the umbrella in the rain?

en is the tallest. he’d try to make atsushi do it but atsushi would be like “just hold the umbralla en-chan omg” so he’d do it. he’d whine about it tho. also it’d have to be a big umbrella to fit all of them under it

16. What do they argue about most?

making en do the chores. kin-chan being a snob. those can be kind of rough bc kin-chan is a bit of a classist dick u know so sometimes he unintentionally hurts en’s feelings and then the resultant argument gets kind of messy. kinshirou and en also have frequent arguments about art but they aren’t as emotionally charged

17. Which one is a secret snuggler?

kin-chan. en is an open snuggler. and out and proud snuggler

18. Which one offers their jacket to the other when they complain they feel cold?

atsushi, but kin-chan won’t take it. u keep urself warm, atchan!! en often says the same thing but if he’s really cold he’ll accept it a;ljsdf

19. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

atsushi. en remembers their favorites &c but not every single thing at every restaurant. kin-chan also remembers i think but he doesn’t let on, he just enjoys the feeling he gets when he’s right. it’s warm and fuzzy and also slightly triumphant lmao

20. Who reaches for the other one’s hand while driving?

en … tbh … kin-chan and atsushi are more conscious of road safety!!!! ..but sometimes if the road is straight they take en’s hand when he reaches out lmao

21. Who gets the window seat?

en. he wants to zzz. a couple of times early on kin-chan said no i want the window seat i want to watch the scenery but en was so annoying about not being able to zzz as easily that he just let him take it after that

22. Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it say?)

ok this meme really is just like a bunch of questions from other memes all stitched together. this question confirms it. atsushi leaves the notes. they’re cute little cheerful things for kin-chan but they are an extra way for him to nag en-chan. also occasionally en leaves obnoxious things in kin-chan’s lunch if they’ve been arguing or he’s been teasing kin-chan and then kin-chan is mad all afternoon :D

23. Who wakes up first?

kin-chan

24. Who falls asleep while watching a movie?

all these questions about sleeping and waking up like are they even necessary here

25. Who’s prone to wearing socks indoors (or to sleep)?

my first thought was that maybe kin-chan has bad circulation, but he’s an archer… idk if that would help the circulation in his feet, but in any case i’ve changed my mind about that hc altogether. so probably atsushi if anyone

26. Who has bigger cravings?

…. en and kin-chan. possibly kin-chan feels it the most if he goes without tea but like en needs his manjuu ;;

27. Who reminds the other to put on sunscreen before going to the beach (or pool)?

atchan. kin-chan might tell en but he has faith in atsushi’s ability to remember for himself. (atsushi reminds everyone tho including kin-chan)

28. Who carries all the important documents while traveling?

kin-chan

29. Who sneaks in cookies in the shopping cart?

en a;sljkdf

30. Who cooks at 2 in the morning?

n .. o one. i was going to say this sounds like smth en would do but then i was like… why tf would en be awake at 2am…

31. Who gets extremely competitive playing Mario Kart?

…ok so here’s an image for u. en and atsushi are getting intense over mario kart and kin-chan comes in and kind of shakes his head at them but then en invites him to join in and won’t take no for an answer so kin-chan is like ugh fine. but he doesn’t really put any effort into it at first except then he comes in 12th place in the first race whereas en and atsushi come in 1st and 2nd and it is an insult to his pride so he’s like… ok. let’s do this. and en and atsushi are startled! but in the other races he makes it up to like ……….8th place maybe. …which still isn’t good enough for him but he chooses to be disgusted w/ the game rather than w/ himself

32. Who takes longer getting ready?

probably kin-chan? idk i don’t think en or atsushi put unusual effort into getting dressed/getting dressed up. kin-chan might take a little extra time to make sure he looks 100% classy and put together but even he’s not gonna spend an hour or even half an hour getting ready

33. Who likes doing the dishes?

???????????????? none of them. atsushi ends up doing them most often but that doesn’t mean he enjoys it

34. Who points at a dog when they see it?

… no one, but en is the one who says “ah a dog”. but! kin-chan is the one whose face quietly lights up the brightest at the sight of the cute animal. ..as long as it doesn’t get to close bc dogs are slobbery and undignified

35. Who’s prone to road rage?

…kin-chan. why can’t all these imbeciles follow basic traffic laws D

[theday]

Those feelings are perfectly valid. It doesn't make you petty just because you still feel this way while some have moved on; people feel and deal with things differently. I don't know how you feel about these feelings of yours, but try not to beat yourself about it. Hopefully he'll apologize if he gets the chance. If he doesn't, I hope these feelings leave eventually.

For the Jae situation (if you’re talking about the song) I think it’s unfortunate that the song he recommended has such problematic lyrics. My stomach was twisting the whole time I was reading them and to know that he thought it was appropriate to recommend it didn’t make that it any better. I try my best not to blindly love bands or idols but a part of me thought that he was going to apologize. It’s been almost a week but I don’t think I’ve seen anything yet. This has me feeling torn at this (1)

point. This might be biased but I suggest having a bit of faith in him perhaps? Based on his personality (from what we can see anyway) I feel like he wouldn’t leave a topic like this untouched on purpose, especially if he knew that my days were upset about it. I understand that it can be unsettling to have one of your favorite people do something that rubs you the wrong way without any closure to disappate those negative feelings. Even if you do continue to feel badly towards him, know that (2)

hi anon!! how are you i didnt really expect anyone to talk about it bc i have v few day6 mutuals but thank you for bringing it up!!! i have talked about this before in an ask i answered on my main blog (thought it doesnt relate to the topic at all so ill just copy and paste what i said) under cut bc this will get long!

as of november 6:

so something (refer to the song he said suits myday) happened with jae recently and ive seen fans trying to defend him by @ing him and saying that they love him which is fine - great even! but what i dont approve is how everyone’s basically forgotten about the whole matter because they had concerts so instead of @-ing him and asking him to explain himself, they tell him what a great concert it was which is also great bc their concerts are honestly amazing. basically my pet peeve is when ppl dismiss the problematic action of some people just bc they like them.

another thing is that there were some fans who started guilting others for wanting to drop day6 completely because of what jae did and in my opinion i think it is totally cool to want to drop a group if they did smth bad like??? its ur life???? u can choose who you want to like. what is not cool is pulling out all the good things the person has ever done in their entire life and try to remind others about the positive sides of the person. yes. they’re an encouraging person, etc. but that does not cancel out the bad things they’ve done until they explain/apologise. what is infuriating is just the manner some people took it?? they literally went ahead and tweeted shit like “would your parents drop you if you did smth wrong?” and “you’re seriously gonna drop someone whos been nothing been nice because of one incident?” yes. people will and you dont have any fucking right to stop them? so dont go pulling out receipts.

another thing. its also okay to want to stan the whole group even if someone has done smth problematic. like? to me youre cool if youre able to see and acknowledge the bad shit someone has done and still stand by their side while educating them at the same time its nice to have faith in your idols. however, i wont say much when your idols dont respond and/or respond in a way that shows absolutely no remorse. its cool if you want to support them too, despite that.

tldr; dont fucking excuse someone’s behaviour/action just because youre so far up their fucking ass. dont pull out shit from before either, be it good or bad. and lastly, its okay to want to drop/continue supporting them, its your life.

i just wanted to talk about this tbh,, it was nice to see a few mydays trying to urge jae to explain the whole situation but seeing as he still hasnt and couldve it really irks me :-/

okay update its been a day and i havent really thought about this but im kinda conflicted now bc jae still hasnt talked about the song and im probably just making a big deal out of smth that will never happen again but it really doesnt sit right with me knowing that jae recommended that song to his fans and said it suited mydays?? bc looking at the lyrics… i SURE hope not… idk i have neither forgiven or forgotten but he’s okay now.? i cant stay mad at someone for that long anyway ill never forgive him 4 it though lmao petty ppl only

 jae’s still an amazing person to me with all the encouraging words he says to mydays but this one incident is just soOOOOO hrm 

okay so that ^ was like 4 days ago and it was answering a question on pet peeves so it didnt really have to do much with jae at all sorry for making u read that the second last paragraph is probably the most relevant whoops anyway

ive already said this but thank you so much for coming to my ask to talk (? though its mostly to reassure) about this with me because on twitter where i follow more mydays, i barely saw anyone talking about it and as i mentioned above it really bothered me :-/ everyone has different ways of responding to it so ill let that slide because there may be people who still want to enjoy day6′s music without having to deal with anythng “problematic” idk i cant speak for those fans who keep quiet about it but this isnt about other mydays its about jae and 

the fact that he’s been active on twitter since the release of the november magazine but has yet to speak about it also bothers me and its not smth i can just brush aside because like you said the lyrics are fucking terrible and has upset at least 2 people??? (which is completely understandable, the lyrics are trash along with the artist but i doubt jae knows about the shit the artist has done) from what i managed to catch on twitter idk about others and i posted a message on fans here because he has said that they do check fans so im hoping he ends up seeing it soon assuming he doesnt know about how the song distresses some mydays (i think most people have stopped @ing him about it at this point) and ill try to keep tweeting him??

i check the jae_day6 tweets and there are barely any tweets about the whole thing which is sad :-( so im just giving him as you said, the benefit of doubt and i believe that once jae finds out he’ll speak about it because jae is still the kind, encouraging person to mydays and i dont want something like this to change my opinion of him although it did eventually since i cant look jae (and pictures of him) the same way :-/ it probably has to do with the fact that i get influenced really easily by what others think?? and this time bc of what i think i ended up reacting negatively/not at all to jae things and i mean it sucks??? but i know that its okay to feel the way i do since we havent gotten any sort of explanation whatsoever 

anon i hope youre doing much better and even if you harbour any negative feelings towards jae too i want you to know that it’s really alright to feel that way like you said!!!! it makes me a feel a bit better that i have done my part to try and get jae to notice the mistake he’s made and i just hope he’ll talk about it eventually because he has so many opportunities to apologize/discuss the matter (vlive, twitter, fans) theres also music access which i will try and tune in to next monday so i can leave a comment (id feel bad for bernard though since hes the main dj)

once again thank you so much for being kind enough to reassure me and im glad it gave you a chance to talk about this too because something like this isnt something i can forget easily and i hope you have a good day because youre really great!!!!! i love you and its amazing that you believe in jae idk i think youre amazing!!!! 

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

Tagged

I was tagged by @spreadthecurse - thank you so much, Mini! I don’t think I’ve ever participated in a tag game exactly like this, so cool for a new thing. :)

1. Why did you choose your url? The URL I actually wanted was taken (the only two hints I’ll mention about it: it’s a song lyric, and it ALSO has the word “soul” in it), so I thought about how I really wanted to convey the theme of my blog...and in that sense, I hope it comes across just how much I truly love music. :’)

2. Any side blogs? On Tumblr, just @takealittlepieceoftheirhearts. I used to have a Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks-dedicated blog, but I deleted it because I’m just...way too salty about them both to dedicate a whole entire blog to them now. I’ve been thinking for the past couple weeks about making a whole separate fandom blog that’s TOTALLY unrelated to music though but ahhhhh I AM AFRAID TO TBH. And like what if I get bored of it. I never get bored of music which is why both of my blogs are still so relevant to me. So I dunno.

3. How long have you been on tumblr? Shall be seven years in September, oof.

4. Do you have a queue tag? I used to - it was “I wanna queue her name in the sky,” my favorite line from my favorite song (”Free Fallin’“ by Tom Petty), but post-hiatus from Tumblr due to their censorship bullshit I still wanted to rebel so I don’t use a queue tag anymore. Sorry if it’s inconvenient for my followers, but look: Tumblr’s censorship is fucking inconvenient!!!! I JUST WANT TO POST ABOUT AND PROPERLY TAG A CLASSIC ROCK BAND CALLED FANNY CAN YOU FUCKS LIFT THE BAN ALREADY? FFS!

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place? Ahehehe...I originally made my blog to join the Beatles/classic rock fandom on here, and arguably I’m still here to represent the classic rock fandom (especially to represent the women of classic rock - YEP THAT’S STILL MY JOB), but my Beatles phase is quite over (thank the Universe for that...).

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp? Well, Buffy Sainte-Marie is currently my top artist of this year on Spotify. I’ve been listening to her and appreciating her a whole hell of a lot this year and last year and when I found that particular photo of her I was like ‘OMFG I LOVE THIS’ so I had to make it my icon. :’)

7. Why did you choose your header? It’s the part of the interview where the [Janis Joplin] quote in my blog description comes from - where she’s saying, “You see, actually what I'm trying to do mostly, in the whole world, is to not bullshit myself, and not bullshit anybody else.” I recognize that the blatant cursing could deter some people from following me, but I honestly don’t care. It’s my blog and Janis is my hero - it’s necessary, as far as I’m concerned.

8. What’s your post with the most notes? I’m pretty sure it’s a photo or photoset of Janis. :D💗

9. How many mutuals do you have? Quite a few! And ILY people. :)

10. How many followers do you have? 1290

11. How many people do you follow? (Blogs) 396

12. Have you ever made a shitpost? Um, I guess so. Not one that was ever really, like, “relatable” and got a bunch of notes, though. But I don’t care about that. LOL

13. How often do you use tumblr each day? A few hours to what you could definitely call excessive. I try not to be on here all the time, though...sometimes I’m good at limiting my time on Tumblr (and sometimes I am very much not). Although I’m also not here EVERY day out of choice, so meh, it depends.

14. Did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog once? I guess so, especially in my early days here...and who won? I think that’s subjective. (As in: Usually I think I win but the other person ALSO thinks they won so like. You know...I guess it’s a tie. LOL This is why I try not to involve myself with drama, honestly. I’m too stubborn, and people are also stubborn. Resolutions don’t tend to work out in those situations, you know what I mean?)

15. How do u feel about "u need to reblog this" posts? I’m not a fan of quite often, but it depends on the subject matter. If it’s reasonable/urgent, then I try to.

16. Do you like tag games? Mostly! I appreciate that people think to tag me in stuff. :’) But then I feel guilty because I either a) take FOREVER AND EVER to actually do them, or b) I never do them at all. Haha. UGH. :/

17. Do you like ask games? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES, they’re one of my favorite things on here.

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous? Honestly, I think “Tumblr famous” mostly refers to people who intentionally post memes and shitpost and stuff, and no offense to any of my mutuals but I don’t really think too many of you do...LOL So by that idea, I would say none?

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual? No, although I do feel great affection for my mutuals. :’)

I will tag (although don’t feel obligated to participate, of course! And also try not to feel bad, unlike me, if you want to but don’t end up doing it, LOL): @buddyhollyscurls, @astarkey, @astoppedclock, @sogothefaithless, @happytimetravelmilkshake, @takeawalkoffmyknife, @bittersweet-symphony, @labyrinthymoi

[a1-cloths-blog]

Filthy Genius Creator Aaron Sits Down With A1 Cloths. Talks Fashion Climate, Upbringing, Filthy Genius Brand, Future Plans!

Q: Before we get into the brand, we always like to give our audience an understanding of the Brand founder. So as we begin, who is Aaron AKA Retro is?

Im a 26 year old African-American Entrepreneur

Q: Where were you born and raised?

I was Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio

Q: To resonate with filthy genius fans, we want the people to have a more in depth understanding of you. So, what was your up bringing like? and how has it molded you into the man you are now? 

My upbringing was kind of the typical black middle class up-bringing. I was raised by a single mother who worked hard to make sure me and my sisters had what we needed. I have 5 brothers and sister but I really grew up with 2 sisters. So I stayed to myself a lot being the only boy. I used to listen to a lot of hip hop and watch a lot of bet and MTV growing up. I really started by getting rap albums from the library growing up and I would get albums by artist like Ludacris, Lil Wayne, and Young Jeezy coming up and I started to really love hip hop culture and look up to these artist. I used to walk to school everyday listening to rap music. I always been an introvert I guess you can say. I never had a lot of friends and I stay to my self a lot. I never was really trying to fit in with the crowd, I never cared what other people were doing I just always did what I personally liked.

Q: Being a Cleveland, Ohio based brand , what got you started in fashion, was is it your passion or something you grew to transition into?

Well, My first introduction to fashion was watching rap videos on TV but I never liked to ask my mom for expensive things it didn’t feel right to me. So I would just see clothes on tv and stuff I did not really have many cool clothes. It wasn’t till I was 16 years old and I got my first job at finish line that I really started to buy my own clothes. When I first started working there was around right before the time wale really made the sneaker game popular. My coworkers would make jokes to me because I used to only wear chuck taylors to work. Working there I got introduced to all the latest sneakers and I start spending all my money on shoes and When tumblr came out I was on the blogs heavy looking at all the different cool brands online and I start loving fashion really getting exposed to it on social media. Honestly I didn’t even consider myself a good dresser until I notice people would always tell me at school and people would always compliment my clothes. I started to build a reputation and I didn’t even really realize it because I stayed to my self so much I didn’t know what people was saying about me and I didn’t care. But It really started sticking with me senior year when A lot of people were saying they voted me best dressed and It was all the people who I respected what they were wearing. I wasn’t popular enough to win the actual award lol. About a year later when I was in college I was in business school but I noticed they were not teaching me how to start my own business and That’s what I really wanted to do. So I thought it was smart to start a business to gain experience. I decided to start a clothing line because people always asked me about my clothes and I was already looking at clothes online all day anyway so it made sense. I noticed it was a passion of mine because it was something I was spending a lot of time and attention on in my free time. So that’s how the brand started.

Q: Growing up in Cleveland, its a known fact that only the strong survive, we have many fashion brands come and go, what would you say separates from the others that has help you last this long?

A lot of brands have come and went some people have changed the name of their brands or started new ones or stopped all together. I think What separates me from these other brands and why I have lasted to long is because I stayed focused on the brand and if I lost focus I always found my way back a lot of people gave up on their brands. Another thing that separates my brand is me, I’m the source of the designs. People have always liked what I wear compliment my clothes and that’s why I started this brand. Luckily for me that same energy translates when I go to make my own clothes. People love the pieces I make and they want to wear them. People love my perspective on dressing and that keeps me motivated to keep going and that also keeps this brand relevant. Because of the kind of person I am, I don’t follow all the trends so my brand is able to stay unique but still cool, timeless and relevant at the same time. I can drop a shirt made in 2012 and it will sell out. A lot of brands in the world can’t say that.

Q: As we transition into the brand filthy Genius , when was your brand established?

I started this brand in 2012 and I was one of the first Cleveland clothing brands. It was at a time when being an entrepreneur was not the cool thing to do like it is now. 

Q: For the people who might be new to hearing about your brand, what is the meaning behind Filthy Genius?

A Filthy Genius is a hustler, someone who makes a way to live their life in a way that makes them happy instead of living by what everyone else says you should do. I feel like this is especially relevant today. We’re in a new age where we have a lot of people are starting business and trying to make a living off their passions as opposed to the past when the route to success was going to school and get a job. Everybody is a genius in some way everybody has a talent or something they were put on this earth to do that they can do exceptionally better than a lot of other people. When you find your genius that’s what you should be working hard to perfect that’s you gift to the world. The term Filthy is all about abundance. Everybody wants to be Filthy rich and the best way to get to be Filthy rich is by finding and perfecting your genius. It’s not easy It take hard work and dedication you have to get it out the mud then you’re “Filthy”.

Q: Since you’ve been in the fashion industry, what would you say has been your biggest revelation from your beginning, till where you are now?

One of the of the biggest revelations I had was that Fashion and Streetwear is my Genius. When I sat back and realized how many people love to wear the brand and When I noticed the fact that a huge number of music artist who don’t know me at all personally were naturally finding the brand and choosing to wear it in their music videos that was a huge revelation for me. When someone shoots a music video usually they are trying to dress there best and look as cool as possible. It’s a big blessing that people are choosing to wear this brand to look their best. Even when my brand wasn’t known. When I think back on it the first shirt I ever made was worn in a music video. That revelation has caused me to set Very High goals and realize my potential and the potential of this brand.

Q: When it comes to Filthy Genius, what is the message that your are trying to convey to the public?

With Filthy Genius I’m trying to motivate the public and assist in giving people the confidence they need to go after they’re dreams. When you wear this brand, you are labeling you’re self as a Filthy Genius. Human beings are extraordinary. Our brains are powerful beyond measure. We are capable of so much and I use this brand to help people unlock their potential.

Q: Since the establishment of Filthy Genius, what has been your biggest accomplishment that you are most proud of?

One of my favorite Artist who I respect in fashion is an artist by the name of Sauce Walka. Sauce coined the slang ‘drip’ and ‘sauce’ which everyone on the planet is using right now to refer to style. My goal was to get Sauce Walka wearing my brand I literally listen to him when I design clothes. I thought that would not happened until this brand was world famous because he really only wears the finest most expensive designer clothes. But one day I woke up and He shot a music Video wearing a vest from my brand. This was a big day for me because I wasn’t that known and I thought this would happen when I was popular. But no, he was one of the first celebrities to recognize and endorse the brand. And that was so big for me because he has some of the most influence on fashion and hip hop in our culture. Everybody steals Sauce walkas drip. Almost every artist in hip hop has been influenced by him even drake and Jay-Z so for him to wear my brand was so big to me and I will forever respect him.

Q: With the fall right around the corner, what can the fans of filthy genius be on the lookout for?

With Fall around the corner people can be on the lookout for High quality clothes that’s going to make you look good. A few pieces to make you stand out and give u attention. What you do with that attention is up to you.

Q: With the city of Cleveland on the rise, does filthy genius plan to branch out? or is your main focus to still build your following in Cleveland? 

Yes, I plane to branch out and get some steam all over the country and eventually be a worldwide brand. We are most popular in Cleveland as we are the leading local streetwear brand in this city. But we also have a Buzz in Houston and Miami right now. I want this to brand to be known all over. I want Cleveland to be proud that one of the top clothing brands in the world was birthed in this city. This city deserves that. I’m not sure if people realize this but we are one of the stylish cities in the world and I’m going make sure we get our recognition.

[killscreencinema]

Bayonetta (Wii U)

A couple of years ago, YouTuber Anita Sarkeesian came under fire for making the bold claim that... well... some video games can be pretty sexist ya’ll. When I say “came under fire”, I mean she was vilified, harassed, and made into the enemy of all gaming by boy with serious issues with women having the temerity to dare criticize their favorite hobby. 

I mean, I get it - it’s no fun to have some buzzkill lady, whom you assume knows nothing about gaming (the default presumption of fanboys of any ilk), come along and point out that the thing you passionately love has serious flaws.  How dare they!?  We’ve all been raised watching Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell, a feminist caricature at best written by 50-year-old white dudes who wrote every line of hers with sneering mockery, constantly accuse every activity around her as “sexist” with no real conception of what that word even means.  Like “racist”, or any “ist” or “ism” word, “sexist” has been so overused, and therefore wrung dry of its gravitas, that it’s become almost a joke, which is a shame because it does exist, especially in the world of video games.

To put it simply, I believe some of us have been “programmed” by “The Media” (oohhhh) to respond to accusations of things like sexism with: “Oh calm down, Jessie Spano! Fuck off to Las Vegas to be dancer and have a ludicrous sex scene with Kyle MacLachlan in a swimming pool!”  Which is unfortunate, because as we are now learning, there are quite a lot of serious sexism issues that deserve more than brisk dismissals. 

I don’t bring this up because I want to go on a Feminist diatribe, something I’m woefully unqualified to do (although I know who Margaret Sanger is, so that gives me some cred, right?), not because I’m a man, but because I’m me - a guy who tries his best to respect women, but could probably always stand to do better.

The reason I bring this up is because while I played through Bayonetta, I kept wondering, “Is this a positive female protagonist in gaming?”  Scantily clad women is hardly a new feature in games, but often, their clothing, or lack-thereof, is usually never acknowledged or even a part of their character - it’s pure fan service.  I mean... what kind of Interpol agent dresses like Chun-Li?  Mai Shiranui’s outfit in the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters games increasingly pushed the boundaries of good taste as either her boobs got bigger or her costume got smaller. 

There is something refreshingly brazen and confident in how Bayonetta proudly embraces, even celebrates, her sexuality.  In fact, the creator of Bayonetta, Hideki Kamiya, was convinced that the character wouldn’t work without a “woman’s touch” and so partnered up with an artist named Mira Shimizaki to develop her fashionable look (which you can read further here).  

Also context (a word that unfortunately seems to become less, and less relevant to social debate) is key as well.  Bayonetta, published by Sega in 2009, is brawling game, in the style of Devil May Cry, and follows the titular character, who is a witch that was locked away for hundreds of years until the present day.  Bayonetta doesn’t remember her past, or why she was sealed away, but she does remember her duty as an “Umbran Witch”, such as hunting down angels, which in the world of the game, are malevolent creatures no better than demons.

In fact, for the past 20 years that Bayonetta had been released from confinement, she had been making a sweet living hunting angels and trading their halos to the minions of “Inferno” for money.  However, the game begins at the point where she stumbles on a clue to her past, as related to a mysterious magical jewel she wears on her chest, and leads her to the fictional city of Vigrid to investigate.

The tone of the game from beginning to end is unapologetic, ultra-stylish, campy action schlock and man it is GLORIOUS.  This is a large part of what makes Bayonetta’s over-the-top sexiness palatable - that, and the fact that she’s just such a cool character.  Hellena Taylor, the British voice actress for Bayonetta, imbues the character with a haughty sophistication that’s reminiscent of Lara Croft.  Meanwhile, Bayonetta’s superb character animations, from the way she calmly struts while firing a gun, to her dances which activates her ultimate attacks (called Climax Attacks), greatly assist in developing the character into a sassy, sexy, absolute badass. 

As mentioned before, the game plays like Devil May Cry, with Bayonetta being capable of using melee or projectile combos at a breakneck pace.  The variety of combos you can learn with each weapon is overwhelming and usually amounts to button-mashing your way through most battles.  Then again, considering that I won the “Stone Award” for each level (which is the worst trophy you can earn), you don’t want to take my word for it. 

The game does a great job of not getting too repetitive and changing things up so that some levels you’re engaged in a crazy motorcycle chase while in another level you’re riding a goddamn missile and blasting away enemies like it’s Space Harrier.  There are a lot of quicktime events, which can be irritating, especially when failure means instant death.  These can happen so quickly, sometimes RIGHT after a cut scene, that the unwary might often be blindsided by them.  Speaking of being blindsided, my biggest complaint about that game is the terrible camera angles.  Very frequently the camera will position itself at an awkward angle for battle, sometimes obscuring the battle scene entirely.  Even more annoying is how enemies will attack you from off-camera, either with projectiles or physically, and you might not have even known they were there until you’ve been hit. 

Other than that, my complaints are few.  Yes, several assets and locations are way too overused.  Yes, the song “Fly Me to the Moon” is played so often, I now frequently wake up in the morning singing it.  None of these complaints should deter you from playing this game though. Bayonetta is not only fun as hell (or Inferno), but practically bursts at the seams with character and style.  Whatever one might think of her character as it relates to feminism, or the portrayal of women in games, she makes quite the impression and I believe there’s room for her in a pop culture zeitgeist full of female characters who aren’t fit to kiss Bayonetta’s gun shoes.   

[smartrapper]

http://ift.tt/2t2K338 ^ ORIGINAL ARTICLE ^ 1) Expanding Your Fan Base Exponentially Duh, Right!? The main reason to collab with an artist (aside from wanting to do a track with them because you respect them) is that you want to be able to gain fans from their fan base. This is especially the case when it comes to paying for a collaboration with a bigger name artist. You are spending the money for all of the benefits I am listing in this article. If you want to know how to find out collab prices of artist check this out. 2) Social Credibility And Bragging Rights This collab track being on your next project is going to help you get more downloads and attract more fans. When you start marketing the album you get to use the other artist name by saying “My mixtape is coming out featuring artists like _____ and ____” and that entices people to want to hear your project. It makes it look like you are doing big things because either you have relationships with these bigger name rappers or you somehow had money to pay them for collabs, either way you look bigger than your local neighborhood artist. This is why when artist don’t have ANY features on an album it’s a bragging right. They are selling the units 100% off of their OWN name and no using someone else’s to boost their sales. Look at J Cole projects or Nas’ Illmatic as an example. Then look at how they get to brag forever about how they did that. Now let’s look at when Tech 9 really exploded. He has been around since the early 90’s and had a really strong underground following but he didn’t blow up to STAR level until the release of his 6s and 7s album. So what made that album blow him up? Well he bought collabs from every relevant rapper out at the time in order to gain more buzz for the album. Let’s look at the list of artists featured on that album: Ceza JL of B. Hood U$O Yelawolf Twista Busta Rhymes D-Loc Twisted Insane Hopsin B.o.B Kendrick Lamar Oobergeek First Degree the D.E. Stokley Williams of Mint Condition Liz Suwandi Lil Wayne T-Pain Krizz Kaliko Stevie Stone E-40 Snoop Dogg Jay Rock Kutt Calhoun Nikkiya Brooks Blind Fury Mackenzie Nicole Big Scoob Chino Moreno & Stephen Carpenter of Deftones Lebowski Ces Cru Wideframe Pill Brotha Lynch Hung 33 Artist features on 1 album (including bonus tracks and extended versions of the album) which is also 33 more fan bases talking about and spreading his project. It clearly worked. 3) A Sharing Ability For A Whole New Fan Base You can now take the song with the verse you got from the other rapper and actually start promoting it to HIS fan base and the fan bases of other artist that artist has collabbed with. They are definitely willing to click on the video/song if you send it to them because it is something from an artist they like that they haven’t heard yet. To gain fans 1 by 1 I would literally hand send it to every single person’s inbox on Facebook, Instagram and even Tweet it at them on Twitter. Every new click could be a new fan of you. Don’t think about this as spamming, think about this as getting the most bang for your buck and establishing relationships. You paid X amount of dollars to get that rapper on a song and the deal probably only came with a small post up or no post at all. (depending on the deal made and the size of the artist.) 4) Name Attachment For More Collaborations You can now use your track with that artist in order to influence other big artist to work with you. You can reach out to artists that THAT rapper has already collabbed with and say “Hey, I just collabbed with _____, I’d love to get you on a track too!” and they are more likely to hop on a track with you since you look more ‘inside’ the industry. 5) One Less Verse You Have To Write Looking back at the Tech 9 album it’s kind of funny to think that he also saved a lot of time not having to write all of those verses and hooks because other artists did the work there. If you want your song to just be 2 verses, you can write 1 and pay the other artist to do the other one. You just saved 15 minutes to a few hours of time (depending on how much time you take to write your verses) If you want to find out how much certain rappers charge for a verse check out my article on it! Music Record Label A and R Contacts List FREE: http://ift.tt/2sa1IoR 125,000+ Followers On My Instagram http://ift.tt/2p4anVL See The Cool Stuff On Our Facebook Page http://ift.tt/2ctJeGP Click That Subscribe Button For Yourself.  by Smart Rapper