#trying to get more confident with posting art stuff live laugh love etc

[akaryotic]

napoleon and illya while i try to figure out how to draw with a stylus, ft. my inconsistent art style LMAO

[masterhandss]

Hamefura Idol AU! (part 2)

Here’s a completely unrelated Katarina idol art by @Sangotofura on twitter!

This is a continuation of my first post, the one that is more of an overview of the original FL game and the original descriptions of the characters. I don’t know if I want to write a story for this, since again this is just an excuse to draw, but I’m really having fun with expanding the alternate version of the world of hamefura.

It’s a lot of fun to rewrite hamefura’s story to fit in an idol setting, so I hope you guys don’t mind if I write a bit more for my dumb au dhjgfjs

More tidbits about the ‘Game’:

The game’s name, Fortune Lover: Cinderella Idol! or “Fortune Lover”, is read as “for-tune lover” by the fans (get it? tune?? pls laugh). The ‘F’ of the name is written as a fortissimo.

In the setting for Fortune Lover, the entertainment industry is the biggest industry of all time, with music being the most popular form. It has been like this for decades, and as time progressed, people’s tastes and expectations of music evolved, leading to the creation and popularity of idols.

Idol-Producers are a new project that is testing the capabilities of a idol teen, observing how their involvement in their own success can impact how they manage their time and how they can bring the absolute best out of themselves, on their own. Maria is the first idol who will be testing this new style. She is still a producer to herself, the boys, and even Sophia and Mary if you choose to have them join you. Despite being an idol, they still call Maria their “producer” and treats her like one. 

The characters in the game are in 3D CG, as the game includes the dance choreography or “MV Mode” if you perfect the score of the rhythm game. 

While Katarina’s bullying isn’t really death threatening, it’s more in line with the petty kind like verbal threats, sabotaging Maria’s idol clothes and stage equipment, paying someone to mess up her tracks during performances, badmouthing her infront of tv show producers and hosts, and stuff like that.

Katarina’s bullying isn’t as bad as it is in the original otome game, but she gets shunned by the public because behavior like that is only supposed to be done behind the curtains. The public has such a pure and honest perception of idols that they never think of the idea that the girls who smile and sing on stage actually try to stab each other in the back when the stage lights are off. Some people think that Katarina’s character is just a persona, so knowing that she is actually an ignorant and arrogant rich girl idol-wannabe, her fans lose respect for her. Katarina’s harassment of Maria is one of the few cases that are brought to light by the end of the game, and because of how much the public loves Maria by that point, they are enraged by Katarina’s behavior, making her lose support on all sides

Katarina had been in love with Gerald ever since they were children, and while Gerald has always been a popular boy among both his peers, when she found out Gerald was going to be an idol, she disliked the idea of sharing her beloved Gerald to a huge audience of people, so she became an idol to stand alongside him and to make herself worth of him by charming him as as an idol and gaining a large following herself. Despite this, Katarina didn’t strive too hard to be a talented idol, as she was too confident on herself due to the pampering of her parents.

Even if the player doesn’t desire to romance any of the four boys, given how the game is written and how it is programmed, the boy with the highest relationship points with Maria will confess to her by the end of the game. It would be impossible to not interact and gain points with the boys, as you gain relationship points in most areas of the games (when you “practice” your characters, when you “play” their songs, when you “give” them new clothes, when you “converse” with them in story mode, etc.). In the event that there are two characters with the exact same amount of points, the game will choose a boy for you.

Sorcier Pro.’s current president is Geoffrey Stuart (for reasons that will make sense someday) 

Katarina-Gerald and Mary-Alan aren’t engaged in this au, but are constantly in each other’s presence due to most powerful bussinessmen and celebrities being good friends with each other. 

Each girl has a specialty in a certain area: Katarina with dancing, Sophia with singing, Mary with acting/drama, and Maria (according to the official description of her in the box) with fashion coordination. Maria can be seen as more of a jack of all trades though, as she does represent the player. 

While any of the boys can trigger the condemnation event that will lead to Katarina’s social suicide, the event is specifically associated with Keith and Gerald due to the severity of her presence and bullying if you have high relationship points with the two. With Alan and Nicole, Katarina’s event only happens for a few lines, but for Keith and Gerald, it takes place in complete detail, with it’s own animated cutscene. 

Gerald’s route is also the most popular among the fans, with community surveys reporting that 53% of the game’s player base had Gerald as their final chosen love interest ( 25% with Keith, 12% with Nicol and 10% with Alan)

Monkey Girl/Past-Life Katarina

Since Maria’s name can’t be change in the game, but you can give her a “nickname” that represents the username of the player, Past-life Katarina’s name in the game is “SaruP” (or “Monkey producer” lol)

Saruchan (Monkey Girl) dies before she could finish her playthrough of the game, and all of her knowledge is based on her idol-expert best friend Acchan. She’s a bit tomboyish, and she loves to climb trees and move freely without a hint of poise or shyness, and is friendly to all genders. Her love for climbing, running, gardening with her grandma, and never ending amounts of energy gave her a pretty strong, flexible, agile and energetic body.

In Saruchan’s world, idols do exist, but aren’t portrayed in the cutesy and exaggerated manner that fiction does. Though it’s no surprise to know that in her world, almost every girl had dreamed to become an idol at one point, even herself. Acchan doesn’t find the idea interesting though, as she only lives for the idealized version of idols that exist in fiction. Acchan explains that girls their age are being brainwashed by the idealized version of idols that are presented in the media that they consume, and that they should wake up and learn to enjoy the fictional idols as they are. Despite Acchan’s realistic disapproval of idol fantasies, she does love playing idol rhythm games and gacha games, and spends her allowance on getting DLC costumes for Maria in FL. Acchan even pre-ordered tickets for herself and Saruchan for an idol concert featuring the VA of the characters, that they were supposed to attend to on the day that Saruchan dies. 

She dies the game way: on her way to school and being killed by a truck that runs her over. 

The last thing Saruchan sees before she loses consciousness forever is the wallpaper of the game’s boxart from her phone screen as it flies out of her hands. 

My Next Life as an ‘Idol’?? All Routes Lead to Doom!!!

As usual, Katarina ends up remembering her future as an 8 year old kid, and plans to prepare for her future “banishment” and humiliation. She learns to farm in order to provide for herself once she gets shunned and retreats to the countryside, and (unknowingly) meets all the characters in the game and gains their good favor before the events of the game begins. 

Her head bump still happens with Gerald, but their encounter happened in a party rather than an engagement meeting, with her tripping over a rock as she decides to run to the young man in order to introduce herself. Such introductions never got past beyond their names and few exchanges of dialogue, as the bump occurred and Katarina was immediately brought to the hospital after he called for help. 

Being a girl who wanted to be an idol at one point, Katarina wanted to use this chance to fulfill her dream of becoming one! But knowing the fate that will await her, (public humiliation, isolation, and banishment to some degree) she tries to figure out ways to avoid ruining her future.

While not as bad as death, Katarina is aware that the ending of the game implies that the blemished opinion that everyone will gain of her will lead to her leading a miserable life; one that will prevent her from gaining new allies and even studying in peace without being made fun of or called out for. It might even ruin her marriage prospects, for all she knows (it doesn’t but she’s too stupid to know that). The stakes of the bad ending aren’t life threatening, but it is personal, as Katarina always dreamed of becoming an idol as a teen and doesn’t like the idea of being able to enjoy it for a few months only to be dragged down to hell right afterwards.

The Claes is a wealthy family known for her father’s knowledge and skills when it comes to trades and business, and for her mother’s beautiful opera singing voice and celebrity presence. As usual, Katarina’s father adopts Keith for the purpose of gaining a direct heir for the business, in fear that Katarina’s future significant other might just to interested in her to gain it. 

Katarina’s plan is to learn how to farm in order to be able to support herself after her banishment, give Keith lots of love so he doesn’t end up becoming a playboy like in the game, and to train herself in dancing and singing in order to not embarrass herself like the original Katarina did. After meeting Gerald again and realizes his weakness, she eventually prepares (or buys, since the setting is modern) toy snakes that she can use to surprise him whenever the condemnation event occurs, using his shocked and panicked reaction as a way to distract the media from the claims that will surely fall upon her (since no one would have expected the calm and collected Gerald Stuart to scream like a girl at the sight of a toy snake, right? That would stay in the headlines for weeks! maybe).

As a kid, she has private singing tutors, and takes more general singing classes when she gets older. She doesn’t have dance training as a kid, but she does like to exercise and move her body around, so it slowly turned into the stamina-filled flexible body that she is used to. 

Katarina and Keith - Their meeting and impressions are mostly the same, which the difference being that Katarina used a display axe above a fireplace to break down the door, and Keith got her injured by accidentally pushing her off a pretty high cliff in the Claes grounds while they were both running and playing chase (rather than being isolated for dangerous Earth Magic, Keith as a child was a clutz who attracted danger to everyone around him, making his older brothers make fun of him for being “cursed”).

Katarina showers him with love, making him affectionate towards his step sister, in the same as he was in the original material.

When Keith finds out about Katarina’s desire to train to become an idol, he is very supportive of her, and decides to train with her in order to be able to stand by his sister on stage (as well as to generally gain the same interests as her in order to guarantee that they will stay close as they age). The contrast being that instead of becoming an idol to gain the adoration of millions of nameless faces, he now wants to become an idol to gain the love and attention of a single person, which is Katarina uwu. 

Katarina and Gerald - Gerald eventually attempts to visit Katarina to apologize for the incident, expecting her to blame him for what happened, given the personality she showed him. He was shocked to find a scar on her forehead, farming while wearing a farmer’s attire despite coming from a wealthy and esteemed family, singing and dancing to a song as she waters her vegetables. He watches for only a minute, unable to look away from the girl who danced like deflating balloon and sang off key while almost drowning her small vegetable in water. She looked weird, but she was having the time of her life, and he could see and hear it from where he stood.

 In a daze, thinking he might have entered the wrong house by accident or walked on the daughter of a maid doing chores. He walks out and leave the Claes estate without a word, and visits again after only a few days, as he couldn’t get his mind off of the oddity that he had witnessed. 

He eventually realizes that it was Katarina on his second visit, as he finds the scar of the odd farmer girl on the same girl who boasted about her family’s wealth in the party. After giving formal introductions, Gerald offers to walk around the garden to get to know each other better, in order to continue the conversation that she had originally forced on him back in the party (it was done to be polite and respectful, rather than any interest to continue). In the garden, they pass by the area that Katarina had planned to turn into her farm, and Gerald was in awe at how unorganized and messy everything looked (there was dirt everywhere, the tools were left on the floor because she had to prepare to meet him, there was more bags of manure than what was even needed etc! Katarina internally cursed at her 8 year old delicate rich girl body for not having the same arm strength as her 17 year old self). It was then that it sunk in that the adorable singing and dancing farming girl that he accidentally saw really was Katarina Claes. She wasn’t the very definition of abnormal, but she was nothing like the daughters of his father’s friends that cried when not attended to or complained when not given the best dresses and shoes. There was no shred of worry about her family’s expectations in her eyes, nor expectations of him to act like his perfect and matured self whenever they met in parties, movie premiers or social events, which made him yearn for her company. 

After finding out about Katarina’s desire to become an idol one day, Gerald secretly planned to do the same (and even have her recruited in his brother’s agency) in order to become closer to her through her love of entertainment and to have a chance to be constantly in her presence. When he found out about the charms that male idols have on their female fans, he also plans on using this as an opportunity to gain both her attention and romantic affection, by perfecting his (already maxed out) charms as male idol. 

Katarina and Mary - The two met during a part hosted by Mary’s mother in the Hunt Estate, inviting all of her mother’s old opera acquaintances, sponsors and co-workers for a formal reunion. Katarina and Keith accompanied their parents to the party, leading them to be introduced to the Hunt Family’s daughters. As usual, Katarina had the urge to “release the chocolate shark” during the party and takes an elegant leave. She eventually gets lost in the estate and finds herself in the garden. Katarina was in awe of the garden’s beauty, and stood still as she watched what seemed like beautiful siren sing by herself near a majestic fountain, with a single rose in hand. 

Mary was surprised to hear an aggressive applause after singing to herself. Katarina aggressively complimented Mary for her adorable yet elegant voice, and asked who she was seeing as a singing trainer. When Mary replied that she was not having any singing or vocal training, Katarina rains even more compliments down, claiming that “her voice was that of an angel!”. Mary denied it, so Katarina proceeded to sing the same song that she had sang, as a point of comparison to make her feel more confident in herself. Mary shyly and unexpectedly joins her, and they ended up having a small and quiet duet in the garden. Katarina’s voice sounded a bit rough and squeak-ish, but alongside Mary’s elegant and controlled singing, they didn’t sound bad at all. 

When Katarina finds out that Mary is also the one who tends to the flower garden, she proceeds to shower Mary with even more compliments, and asks her to visit and help with her own farm garden. Being complimented for having a beautiful voice and a green thumb made her feel validated and appreciated, so she often visits the Claes household in order to be in constant presence of her first and dearest friend. The rest is the same.

When Mary found out about Katarina’s dream of becoming an idol, she started taking intense vocal training as well as various exercises in order to be able to join her in her endeavor. She slowly built a more brazen and tough personality in order to be able to join and protect her friend from the rumored cold and intense reality of the idol world, as well as due to the antics of her friends. 

Katarina and Alan - From Mary, she eventually finds out that the event where Mary duets and falls in love with Alan occurred. Katarina realizes that duet must not have been that effective because she has done the same with Mary, but is confident that Mary is in love with him because Alan is a very talented and handsome individual. A few days later, the fourth Stuart son bursts into the doors of the Claes household, and demands to meet with Katarina. She learns that Alan had developed a small crush on Mary, and that he wants to challenge Katarina for her hand. Same shenanigans ensues, leading up to the piano duel where his talents in the piano was in full display to everyone in the manor. 

Katarina knew how to play the piano (just the basics though), so she was in awe listening to someone who almost sounded like a pro! Alan runs off after Gerald compliments him, Katarina chases after him, and they got to talk behind a bush. Alan wouldn’t take her compliments, but Katarina aggressively insisted that his talents are nothing to scoff at. 

When Alan says that he’s sure that his brother can play just as good, if not better than him, Katarina speculates that it wasn’t the case, because everyone had things that they are good and bad at. Not everyone is the same, no one learns at the same pace, and that she’s sure even if Gerald can play the piano better than him (and she doubts he can in the first place), no one can play the piano like Alan can. The scores in his heart are his alone, and that nothing is more beautiful than the melody that the heart enacts. Katarina knew that the score he played wasn’t an existing one, and knowing Alan’s character from the game, it’s probably either an impromptu score or one he had composed by himself. Her guess was correct, leading Alan to be caught off guard by her compliment, almost feeling emotional as no one had ever guessed and believed that the music he played was his own, until Katarina did. 

She shows off the power of the toy snake to Alan, making him laugh and see his brother in a different light. He still constantly visited Katarina for their duels, but as time progressed, he lost the affection for Mary (as he saw her as a little sister now after interacting with her in the Claes Household) that made him want to challenge Katarina. They still followed up on those challenges, for fun rather than for sport. 

When he finds out about Katarina’s dream to become an idol, he is determined to join her in order to be able to compose songs and melodies that she can sing, intending to bring out the absolute best of his muse’s voice with his own music. Someone his age might not be fit to compose songs for an idol, so he intends to become one as well in order to gain a reputation as a competent composer. 

Katarina and Sophia - The two meets at an afternoon party hosted by the Stuarts, as a celebration for the birthday of the twins. Katarina had to “powder her noes” after a few trips to the buffet table, and leaves Keith and Mary. She’s chased down by a dog, climbs up a tree, and accidentally watches a group of kids and older bully a small girl who sounded like she was about to cry. The same events occur, up to their second encounter in the party. Katarina accidentally quotes a line from a novel that she was reading, and after realizing that Sophia understood her reference, she asked for them to meet again in order to discuss their similar interests. 

Everything is pretty much the same, the difference being that somehow idols were brought as a topic of conversation, with Sophia revealing that she is actually a huge fan of idols. Katarina, feeling reminiscent of her idol-expert best friend Acchan, tells her that she actually wants to be an idol herself and insists that Sophia tell her about everything she loves about idols. Sophia, who is surprised to also find another idol fan who is as young as her, becomes even more excited and tells her all about her love for idols: how they are able to wear such adorable outfits onstage, how they sing songs that carry so much meaning, how they carry their fan’s dreams with them when they dance and sing, how amazing it is to be able to juggle so many occupations at once, and much more. 

With both love of novels and idols, Sophia constantly finds herself in the Claes Household in order to talk to Katarina about books, idols, song recommendations etc. 

When Sophia was first told that Katarina wanted to be an idol, she was very supportive of her and announced herself as Katarina’s number one fan. As time passed, she realized she wasn’t just satisfied with just watching Katarina from afar, she wanted to sing and dance alongside her! She wants to use her knowledge of romance novels and idols to help make herself and Katarina the best idols to ever exist! She wants to sing on stage about her feelings: about how much she loves Katarina, idols and their beloved novels!

Katarina and Nicol - When he found out that someone had invited his little sister to a small book club, he was very wary, thinking that she was one of the many other girls who tried to use Sophia in order to become closer with him. He was shocked to realize that that was not the case, and that Katarina had barely seen him at all, and had opened his timid little sister’s heart. When Sophia asked Katarina if she found her appearance creepy, Nicol proceeds to explain further, expecting to see a hint of guilt or displeasure from Katarina Claes, only for both of them to be met with unyielding determination to have Sophia as a close friend. Sophia went home that day in tears, thankful to have found a friend who truly wanted to stick by her side. 

The Claes siblings often visits their home so the girls can have their book club, even bringing Mary Hunt with them occasionally. Katarina, while looking a bit flustered, is capable of having a conversation with him without averting her eyes, which was a breath of fresh air to the countless camera crew, staff, visitors and even strangers who couldn’t look him in the eyes because how of how much of a beautiful child model he was. It all leads up to the moment where Katarina compliments him with how blessed he is to have such a beautiful and wonderful family, which contrasted against the ignorant adults who pitied him for having parents who refused to abuse the potential of his beautiful face and for not being as beautiful as their son, as well as for having a freakish looking sister. 

Nicol, just like his sister, desired to constantly be in Katarina’s positive presence, and visited her often, leading them to be acquainted and friends with the entire group that Katarina enraptured. 

When he found about his sister’s and Katarina’s desire to become idols, Nicol thought of doing the same, in order to be able to continue to watch over and protect both Sophia and Katarina, as well to be able to continue being close with Katarina (as their lack of similar interests and age gap might lead her away from him, but tbh that is never gonna be a problem with Katarina). He also plans to use his influence as a child model to propel Sophia and Katarina’s careers, as a way of supporting his two favorite girls. 

Notes

I’m not sure how I feel about Gerald’s backstory, I might rewrite that if anyone kindly wants to critique it.

Instead of Mary’s green thumb, it’s her voice that leads her to Katarina and Alan, but I still think Sophia would still have a better singing voice than her, so both her voice and green thumbs both play a part in her character. Mary’s high pitched voice gets a bit deeper as she ages, while Sophia’s voice stays very high.

I really like the idea that rather than the original ambitions and goals that leads the harem to become idols in Fortune Lover, now it’s the effect of Katarina’s constant insistence and declarations of becoming an idol that leads to everyone doing the same. In this timeline, the harem probably wouldn’t have thought of (or planned early) becoming an idol if Katarina never brought it up. 

I’m writing this at midnight again, lol, but yeah I’m not planning on writing a fanfiction for this, I guess, but I do want to have an established plot so rather than chapters, I’m just writing a full overview for fun haha

When I mentioned that Sophia loved idols, I didn’t realize that I might have accidentally implied that she was just as an idol fan as Acchan was, but with actual idols this time, so I went with :DD

I’ll touch up on Idol Katarina, Anne, Maria, Sirius/Raphael and Fortune Lover 2 in the next one.

I’m really happy that there are people who actually read my previous post and said that they liked it! Feedback and suggestions are appreciated! I still need a final name for the units so help me pls hahaha.

I’ll rewrite this post when I feel like adding/changing stuff.

[fiore-rosewood9]

14 and 23?

Thank you for the ask kind tumbrl-er. Before I start I would like to mention that anything I say is related to personal experiences in a fandom and there is no right or wrong answer. People come in all shapes and sizes and that also means - Different sets of experience.

TRIGGER WARNING - Mentions of slurs, r*pe, p*dophilia, creepy behavior, mentions of psychological analysis on a character, personal experiences with fandoms and a long rant. If any of these disturb you, please refrain from reading this and skip this post. This is not meant to cause drama, but I had to involve them to explain my point. I also mention sensitive topics like the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 9/11 and the r*pe of Nanking, if you are related to any of these or have someone you know who died during this time, please refrain from reading, because I was extremely emotional and cried a bit while I wrote these, because what I wrote still has an effect on me.

Again, this is not meant to bash/hate on any ship mentioned here.

This is not meant as a personal attack for anyone who ships these. Also this may be a rant, I apologize for writing a whole novel and not a short answer, but I feel passionate about what I write here. This is going to be a really long post, so I do not blame you if you don't read all of it. I am going to mention a lot of things that are not related to the ships, but they do have significance in my mind and are related to my rant. With that out of the way, my answer is under the cut -

14 - Has a fanbase ever made you ship or not ship something? Why?

Yeah, I have been forced and threatened to ship certain things, via texts which made me leave certain fandoms. Hetalia is a cespool simply because I have been in it 8-9 years and can speak confidently about what happened to me. I thought the hate and immature fans in hetalia all left by the time it was 2016-17 but nope, there are still bad apples here and there. I just try to tell them I am not here for childish games and I am not here to debate which ship is the ''best'' since that is what certain people did all the way back in 2013. I am here just to enjoy my self and reblog fan art and headcanons and talk about hetalia and other fandoms and appreciate the manga/anime.

- Ciel x Sebastien (Sebastien is just there for Ciel's soul) I mean he does care for him in some aspect and I think he said something like - "I will always be with you til the day you die, my lord". There is a normal age gap between adults, and then there is lowkey p*dophilia. How old was Ciel anyway ? 12-13? Even though he is a teen, at this age people are not really mature in many aspects. I have collegues who have what you may call ''Sugar daddies'' in the west and let me tell you, they don't really act nice to their sugar babies. Unless it is some sort of consensual sex roleplay and you are living in a fantasy with your partner, most girls and boys I see feel ''trapped'' by their words.

The sugar daddy (In rare cases mummy) exploites them for attention and tends to lash out if the baby looks at their phone and doesn't pay 100 percent attention to them and tries to buy their attention which is simply wrong. Okay, I moved way offtopic, but certain ships kinda remind me of this unhealthy dynamic in a way. I know my opinion isn't worth shit since this is the internet and everyone thinks they're the next new hot thing around here but I just see them as servent and master and more like frenemies where Sebastien would do anything for Ciel, but you see, that is kinda his job. Just like how doctors act professional and it is their job to cure/heal you if you have some sort of pain.

- Izuku Midoriya x Bakugou Katuski - (I was in this fandom for a short time and only watched up to a certain season so please excuse me if I what I say is not accurate, this is also a long rant so you can skip if you want, in the last two paragraphs I explain about the pairing speciffically) So like from what I remember Katsuki is a bully. I really despise this ship, purely because bullying to me is not something cutesy and fun that people do. It makes you wish you kill your self faster because self harm no longer works. There was this weird person on tumbrl that sent me hate through tumbrl and I made a post about them, how I was a ''bad person'' for hating on this ship. I mean, I am allowed to dislike and even hate what I want. It is not you who has went through trauma and has CPTSD is it? In my high school, even though it was an economical one, except learning Economics, Accounting, Finances and other stuff I also got to learn things like Psychology, Ethics, History and Geography.

And each subject is tough, as in - You can't pass high school if you don't know the details. Except the book that we used in school that we learnt our lessons from, we were also made to carry two other books that we used for exercises, and other than that we had books that were by different authors, we had to read, but they didn't lift our grade in any way. So I have learnt psychology and world history for 4 years in high school and I learnt world history and world geography for 3 years in middle school. And now the first year in Uni, I got to learn psychology for year too. They also made us buy 9-10 books by different psychologists and write about them. From what I hear from my americans friends and collegues, they kinda don't teach you world history, it is like unless you know all of Thomas Jefferson's favourite foods you will be failed. I don't know if this is true, but judging by how they teach what Communism and Socialism is, in the american schools, I am kinda losing hope for what americans actually know about the outside world, aka, anything that is not the US and Canada.

I am not a psychologist and I have never studied to be one, but my own problems and the problems of my family and friends made me start reading even before high school in order to self improve as a human being because I have - Fatal flaws. I also have a few mental illnesses whcih have been diagnosed by psychiatrists, but where I live, mental health and the lgbtq+ is extremely shamed. This is why I never tell anyone I go to a psychologist, because people don't understand you and laugh at you and shame you. The lgbtq is harassed and can't marry or adopt children, however, this somehow is not a hatecrime. Which extremely frustrates me since this is against human rights in my book. You can't just harass a person for their sexuality. I may not have a phd in psychology but I naturally tend to help people and listen to their problems. It seems that I also give good advice and help people well, so sometimes in friend groups I am know as the ''heart'' and the ''psychologist''. I say that because I know a lot more than 4-5 articles that I read on psychology today, healthline or verywellmind, while people nowdays read a few articles and call them selves a psychologist. I am not one, but have the skills and knowledge to be one and can spot articles with old outdated information that hasn't been relevant in the past 30 years or so.

But that is the majority of people, who concider it a mental illness and base the lgbtq on what stereotypes they see on TV and what their parents told them. The internet is made for global use and that means that anyone can write all kinds of shit and use it. However there are a lot of problems with this when it comes to psychology and psychologists and psychriatrists. Many people still believe myths and things that were proven to be wrong. For example, in my country the word - Autist/Autistic, can be used as a slur, it is similar to what the Americans have in the - N and R words. And this is extremely upsetting, because while I am not on the spectrum, I don't think anyone should be degraded and be shamed of this label. Autism is a spectrum, but here it is used to signify that someone is slow. They're not slow, their brain just works differently. But that can be used for other illneses too. I think anyone suffering from mental illness deserves the support of family and friends and a normal life. I think anyone who is a decent and kind human being deserves a peaceful life.

So in real life Bakugou x Izuku would be a crap pairing. Because bullies x their victims do not mix well. Bullies in real life are cowards. They're like predators in the jungle. They are not real leaders. They always settle for someone who is clearly weak and vulnerable (This case - Izuku has no quirks and is useless in their world) so being beaten up, emotionally and verbally bullied isn't really fun. On top of that, when a bully develops an unhealthy dynamic, other people of the group, who never oroginally bullied the victim and were neutral or even friends, go and bully the victim, because they can and they will. Usually victims are powerless and telling the teacher and sometimes beating up the bully doesn't really make the bully leave you alone and respect you. And sometimes, you end up in the hospital with a broken leg and an arm and small injuries in your chest because bullies can't handle anyone standing up to them and ruining their status. Bullies have extreme, neurotic fear of being alone, so they find other assholes and bitches like them and attack always people - Who never did anything to them to insult them.

The bullies create it them selves. No one is an easy victim, not the person who wears glasses, not the anorexic girl that sits on the first desk, not the boy in a wheel chair, not the man with a stutter, not the woman covered in scars, no one. It is also a fact that schools profit from bullies since bullies usually have rich parents that think their child is somr sort of angel when in reality their child loves to make others cry and hits them when they don't get what they want. The problem with bullies is that they are hard to stop. Sometimes telling them off works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes punching them works, sometimes it doesn't. Etc. We can't predict which bully is bluffing and which bully is serious and will beat you up. They do not realize or care that they hurt their victims, even if the victim becomes a millionaire, to them, this person will always be inferior weakling that they need to torture psychologically and make them cry. They're sadistic. Bakugou from what I remember became jealous and only stopped bullying Izuku when he became ''strong'' that means strong physically. And for boys, it is generally easier, you hit the gym and no one bullies you. But what if you are a girl? I don't see girls being more respected or feared for being muscular. It is kinda like the jock x nerd. Cute in theory, but in reality it is beyond abusive. Even if the victims kill them selves bullies do not care. They just move on to another victim and are proud that they broke someone and are not as weak as them.

America x England - (OOOOH BOY, HOW MUCH DO I WANT TO BE CANCELED, HAHA) Well, as someone who has been 9 years in this fandom, I have a long history with this pairing. I do not know if I ever explained why do I hate it so much? I have a long and complicated history with it. This where my inner historian comes in. My uncle is a professor in history, but not in our city and we are not very close but I was always interested in history, but now I am a bit skeptical when it comes to history, because you never know how someone can twist it since history is written by the winners. Whatever I say in this post, is not meant to cause drama or offend anyone. From now on I am going to use, vulgar language and this may not be suitable for some readers

This is not meant to be hateful towards people who ship it, but I hate this ship, with passion. This has to be the worst ship, in the fandom history, ever. If you want, feel free to block me if that triggers you. I don't know from where to begin, since I am going to get canceled if I speak my own personal truth and my experiences. I have read the manga when I was 13-14 and have matured since then. The hetalia fandom in the past was more different than in 2021. So like there were ship wars, fan arts, roleplaying, everyone cosplayed hetalia and homestuck since they were the biggest fandoms, Carley Rae Japsean's song Call me maybe was blasting on the radio, Gagnam style was the shit and life was good. I was young, naive, full of hope and looking for fandoms to join in, since it is was a relativly new concept for me. I did not know what these cutesy boys I saw on deviant art were so I decided to scroll down through the comments to see what it was, and I read the name - Hetalia. If you then pay me one million dollars/euro and tell me that Hetalia is going to be my favourite anime and the fandom I stay the longest in - I would have rejected the money and not believe you. Pshht, Hetalia? What does this anime about personification of countries has that the other animes don't? Well, to that question, I can't answer and still ask my self.

When I first came into the fandom I only knew about it from deviant art and from a site called - Shamchat. This site no longer exists and has a site specifically made to fill the hole of it. I roleplayed and I think my happiest years in the fandom were 2013-2015. Those were the years where I met really, really kind fans. It is like everything else went downhill and the kind and sweet fans left one by one. And I was just left with hateful immature tweens and teens who only cared about their OTP and didn't care about other fans's emotions. I apologize if this sounds like a pitful story and I am pitying me, I did not mean it to sound it this way, or as a whining. I do not like whining.

They also seem strangely neurotic if you ask them why they ship UsUk. I can perfectly tell you why I ship anything without being mean. They just straight up insult you and send you passive agressive smileys - : ) - like this and never explain why they insult you, they just curse you. I do not understand why you make America to be the top? When he is clearly a power bottom?????? I mean, if you ever look through canon manga England and him as a country in a history book you wouldn't think he is a ''uke'' (I really hate the little girls who use japanese and think they kniw the language just cause they watched the anime and think they're quirky if they saw kawaii out loud). In fanfiction he is not fleshed out, he always seemed to blush and say baka and be a boring character over all. While Alfred is this dumb himbo/bimbo character that can't put 2+2 and laughs at everything like a small child. He is 19, for fuck's sake.

He is still a child and people can mature up until 25-26. But these ages are not real ages. For example Germany is 20, even though Bismarck unites Germany in....1871 if I remember correctly? Don't quote me on that and the americans have freed them selves in 1776. So technically Germany as we know it, should be younger but isn't. And they're both still awkward babies. America doesn't have a concrete religion but from what I know, Christianity seems to the most popular religion there as for now. I don't know if Alfred (Even though he is fictional) would identify as a catholic, protestant, puritan or some other stuff but he is awkward, he has a boyish charm that Ludwig does not have. So I can't imagine these good bois being tops with experience. Usually tops/doms come with lots of experience behind their back, or at least this is what people say whom I know who are also part of the lgbtq and bdsm community. Alfred just doesn't have the vibe of a top, he is more of a switch to me, or at best a power bottom. Ludwig has a dom/top vibes but he is extremely awkward in all senses of the word. America doesn't have a concrete religion but from what I know, Christianity seems to the most popular religion there as for now. I don't know if Alfred (Even though he is fictional) would identify as a catholic, protestant, puritan or some other stuff but he is awkward, he has a boyish charm that Ludwig does not have.

So UsUk was forced down my throat ever since I can remember, I have been insulted, threatened and took 2-3 hiatuses purely due to bullying. I Really HATE, HATE, HATE - feminine Arthur. I do not know why this is the fandom's fetish, or at least used to be even though some fans still draw him that way. I really love art, I used to draw and still do. I went to classes through out almost all of my life and I know my proportions. Whether you look through normal fan art or hentai manga (Arthur has the most porn idk how or why) he always has these weird proportions.....of a malnorished tween girl. There is some porn of him either as a child (A toddler by the judgement of his body) or of Alfred as a child, and they fuck. How is this supposed to be hot for anybody? I also remember (Which is why I left amino) on amino that users were extremely childish and lied about their age. Like no, you're not 17 and a half and are ''too mature for your age'' you are 17 and that still is a minor in my book. Also in one of the translated hentai comics there is this...idk how to describe it, there is this shaving scene where Alfred becomes a man and has his first boner from what I remember, the artstyle is great, but the scene can be described a child grooming. England lies to America how boners are a horrible disease and it can only be cured if he stays next to him. He then goes to France who tells him that boners are healthy and normal at this age and is upset at England for lying to him. Then when he frees him self America smiles, laughs and pisses on top of England I think he later fucks him. Like people can try to force their weak argument over england being a uke somehow now, but Pirate England is a top, how in the hell would anyone think he is a bottom?

UsUkers also love weird fetishes and force them down your throat, and not only shame you when you don't ship the ship, they shame you when you don't have their fetish. So like people go to my dms and ask me if I want to MPREG with Arthur beign the ''woman'' in the relationships, and golden showers. I also remember leaders acting unprofessionaly towards me. Some user was sending me child porn and when I told one of the leaders they just told me it was my problem and to fuck off. It deeply upset me so I took a hiatus and when I returned I was just met with another shit wave. I think I left last year because some girl was harassing me and constantly wanted attention. I told her to leave me alone since I have lectures and can't speak to her right now and she told her friend I was ''mean'' to her and her friend started insulting me in every comment on every posted I posted, be it fan art or fanfiction I wrote. Also they can't roleplay properly. I feel like I am in 4th grade where children used to insult each other. Like what stupid (probably american white girl) thing going to tell me this time ? Hmmmm option A - Alfred says that Arthur has horrible teeth, option B - Alfred says that Arthur has horrible cooking, option C - asks for sex and wants to impregnate him even though they are both males, it seems to be quite jokes among them. I get that americans want to see their country as this buff, strong, brave, macho type, but real people have strengths and flaws. In my opinion no country is dumb, they all look after their personal interest and empires love to exploit others, it is just how it is. They basically use english stereotypes and call it a day.

Before leaving I went to another ''better'' amino where I blocked one of the leaders. I don't remember if their name was Alfie or something else but it was something like that. And another leader asked me to unblock her, mind you. I was hesitant but I did. I usually do not block people unless they share content that causes negative reaction out of me - panic attack/rise in adrenaline/shaking/desire to puke/anxiety/etc or they have been a total asshole/bitch to me in the past. So I don't have the screenshots, since I changed my phone a few months ago. I used a Lenovo one and now I have an old huawei I used to have since we don't have money for a new one. So I saved the screenshots where they started saying how Francis is a rapist and I thought we passed this phase. I told the original leader and they all seem to not speak english well but she told me that this leader thought I was mean. I mean...she joked about rape, am I supposed to text - XD LMAO YEAH THE R WORD IS FUCKING FUN, YEAH DUDE YEAH! XD LOL LMAO. From what I see, if I have explain his behavior, he just has a high libido, which is nothing to be ashamed about.

There are also different types of attraction - Aesthetic, Romantic, Sexual. And he appreciates anything beautiful. He also says that ''You can't force love on anyone'' and is generally a really sweet guy. Also from what I see he copes with his loneliness by having casual sex while Arthur copes by abusing alcohol. People cope with loneliness in different ways, for him LOVE is important and he craves intimacy. He is suggestive and says sex jokes which is relateable. He also has moments of walking around naked, and while that may be perverted, far more people have done more perverted things than him. Also Greece and Turkey have a lot more sex than France has ever had. I don't know if it is canon or fanon but I read somewhere that Greece loves sex without a condom since it excites him. France is perverted but so are many other people, if a person is assertive towards such personality he will respect the other person's wishes and not force the issue, because he understands the concept of boundaries. It seems that some fans are either too young or too stupid to understand what is common sense and boundaries. Some couples in real life suffer from mismatch in their libido which is why they go to a couple therapist and ask how they can revive their sex life.

He is not a creep. I have met old men stalking me around after school and I have had a guy at a bar putting something in my drink not knowing that I saw everything so I just left. Real creeps do not understand the concept of boundaries and the fact that people are not their sexual slaves, they crave power and dominance and love ruining people's lives, it doesn't matter who their target it, as long as they are depressed and on their knees crying and shaking in pain and fear. So yeah, rape is not something to laugh at but it seems the shitty girls that got into hetalia think it is peak comedy. With Antonio it is different, I do not like throwing the term - P*dophile around because that is a harsh accusiation but from what I remember from manga...didn't he try to steal North Italy who was a child...to marry him? He never wanted South Italy but got used to him at some point, so I am sorry for ruining all of the Spamano shippers's fantasies. He also raised him. Which brings me to the second point.

England raised America. Period. It is canon, it is in the manga, he found him as a child. England loves America because he is the first thing that did not hate him, for him. Europe in the past hated England, this is why France jokes that he is the - black sheep of Europe. He was abused by his brothers, especially Scotland and threw things at him and chased him away. Scotland is not only an abusive alcoholic though. He is more complex and loves his brother in his own way but historically England was not kind at all to Scotland. So these people were telling me that I am a wh*re because I don't ship their precious UsUk? Well guess what honey, England isn't a useless girly bottom, America is neither a top, nor a dumb guy and England most likely changed his diapers. Also why would America blow his revolution if he wanted to be free? I mean England taxed the hell out of him and was a bit of a narcissitic asshole, so why shouldn't America want to be free from tyrany?

Also for people who bring the - BUT FIORE, ENGLAND KILLED JEANNE'DARC SO THAT MEANS FRANCE SHOULD HATE HIM, YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE! - well hun, France held a grudge for centuries until he got even by helping America with Spain and Prussia to free him self from England's grasp. America was the only thing that didn't hate him because he didn't know him. He was an alone child and he finally had someone to take care of him and listen to him talk, that wasn't a human, that didn't die (Davie) and England is an introvert but he has many issues which is why to him the loss of America hurt so much. Because everyone else hated him, or at least in his mind it looked that way. Portugal was always his friend and in a rare case lover and France had a love/friend/hate relationship with him. People can make the argument that France took care of him but France was probably around 12 in human years and England looks to be around 10 when he wore that blue dress of his and when England had a bow and green cloak and shaggy long blonde hair. France still cuts off his hair to this day. While England was in his late teens 17-8 when he found America who was clearly around 5-6. Their pairing doesn't make sense from a psychological point. So I would love to not have any usuk shit in my feed. I have enough abusive people in my life who treat me like a punching bag, I don't need to get upset online too.

Alfred looks 5-6 years of age and believe it or not some children piss them selves even to the age of 10. Some have medical problems but that is not an issue for now. I have been a nanny. I have taken care of children of all ages, and they're telling me? That I should ship a ship where some guy changed another's diapers but the other guy grew up too quickly and now they are dating? IN WHAT WORLD, I REPEAT IN WHAT WORLD?Does that mean I should feel some sort of sexual attraction and would like to bang children I took care of, because they went to the gym and have what society conciders the perfect body? I guess in their mind I should. In reality somewhat every country is related to hetalia so the boundary between what is incest or not is vague. But even when usukers bring the - BUT THEY ARE NOT BLOOD RELATED? - so what, incest is still taboo and some say that since they don't have blood relation it is not incest, but this is why stepbro/sis memes are so prevelent. Since it is a taboo and taboos get some people excited sexually. Whether they are blood related or not is out of the question, Arthur did take care of him as a child.

This is not meant to cause the old FRUK VS USUK wars, but in my experience USUK fans are extremely harsh and cold, at least to anyone who doesn't ship their precious ship. It is like they can't stand anyone who simply objectivly says - I do not like this ship. Bruv, do you know how many other ships I don't like in other fandoms, and no one has given me shit or threatened to hack my computer and send people to beat me up, simply because I DON'T SHIP USUK? maaaan-Let's not forget that these hypocrites also spread lies and said that ''Himaruya said that UsUk is canon'' and there was this black and white fan art that rolled around Twitter, Facebook and other social media for a while and people believe it. I think Hetafacts or some other youtuber debunked that it was nothing but a pure lie. It should not matter what ship is canon, what should matter more is fans being civil and kind to another but no, let's insult other pairings and make people hate ships they didn't originally hate just because.

Here is another ship I don't like - Russia x China. Also another ship - Russia x Prussia, also another ship Russia x Lithuania, or Russia (Romantically) x Latvia, or Prussia x Liechtenstein (Romantically). I even met one person who shipped Sealand x England lol or England x Seychelles x France or Belarus x Liechtenstein (Romantically) I dislike all of these ships. Do you see the word hate anywhere? No, because I don't hate them? Do you know why? Well no one told me - ''I hope you die raped in shit'' and told me that I am ''r*tarded'' in my comment section on youtube because I said that I do not care about certain ships. You see I used to feel this way about UsUk too. It was meh, I don't care, I see them as father and son, because England literally raised him. Also England is proven to be a horrible neglectful father and a workholic and alcholic. This is the reason why Sealand is taken care of by Sweden and Finland.

I always saw him this way so I don't know how the new fandom just started seeing him as the gremlin that he is when he was always a fucking old grandpa gremlin, not a soft uwu useless femboy that loves sex and screams BAKA every 3 seconds and blushes for no apperent reason whatsoever. I have many things that I don't ship. For example I feel conflicted towards pairings like - China x Japan or Japan x America because the r*pe of nanking is a thing and Japan denies and while Japan may have attacked America, americans kinda rationalize the two bombs and laugh at it while if anyone mentions 9/11 they freak out. So they can joke about other countries's misfortune but if it theirs - NO,NO,NO! I think global issues should be adressed in hetalia and people should make vent/rant art. If you are an indigenous person and a white guy comes to you and asks why you wear normal clothes and he says that indigenous people only wear feathers and all, this is why we need to speak to children about racism. Or being told that being latino/a makes you ''Inferior'' somehow (IT DOESN'T), or you're black and you get told by a white person how you should go back to your home land ''with the bananas''. I can joke about my own country's problems but it feels extremely offensive if the country that did the crime (R*pe, destruction of religious monuments, statues of popular poets from my country, more r*pe, stealing boys and babies and forcing other religion on them so they can kill and r*pe their own mothers and sisters. )I do not blame their descendents for what their grandpas did to us, what I can't stand is the superiority complex they have and how they insult this country and speak in their own language like we don't understand them and pretend like nothing happened, which is why I hate a certain hetalia country with passion.

It really sucks how due to Covid the hate against asians has risen, I heard from my favourite youtubers how certain people harassed them and hurt them for ''spreading covid'' or something. Well this just horrible and we really need to re-think how we treat people who were not at fault for a fucking global pandemic. I don't know where Yao Wang would stand, since he is a fictional country but unless somebody projects their homophobia and xenophobia through roleplay or art and send me hate art, I don't really care who they are as long as their are respectful. I can't stand usuk, and I can't stand the fans. I try to block every account that has this content which sucks ass since they look like cool people but no, it has to be fucking ew ugh usuk they draw. I sometimes feel like a bitch for blocking them since they're not the same fans that have insulted, threatened and harassed me but I would like to not blow my chances and risk ever talking to them. If you want to, you can call me a hater, a basher or anything, I don't care.

In a way everyone in hetalia is related but lets say that I do not have concrete hate over this ship but the serial bullying I received from fans over the years. Which is why I ship things like Seychelles x Iceland or Hong Kong x Iceland and I can't choose. Usually when UsUk fans ''defend'' their ship they have two arguments - It is cute and - the revolutinary war and how much england missed him. Two people may look cute together but would their emotional maturity and personalities match? These are important questions, which is why for me Gerita personalitywise, matches but the emotional maturity gap is way too much. For UsUk America lacks basic emotional maturity, raises his tone, cuts off people when they speak, weird obsession about being a hero and a tiny bit of narcissism here and there, he overly trusts him self which can cause as much problems as someone who doubts them selves. England is in another place mentally is honestly much better off with anyone else that is not America or Canada. Portugal, Spain, France, Russia, Japan,etc. America also has more developed friendships with countries like Russia, France, Siciliy and probably Japan and Vietnam. I think he can date Lithuania for me their dynamic is so wholesome and pure and everything click together. Russia also works but some people are put off by it due to the cold war. RusAme/UkFr is much more than just love/hate relationship, I don't know why people have the impression that they constantly fight and make up. Normal couples don't do that. Whether it is incest or not it is debatealbe. I have seen dynamics like theirs and let tell you that these people always ended up divorced.

I will share some quotes from people on different social medias I have found that describe it better than me -

Quote number 1 - from fanpop

"USUK is actually one of my most hated anime pairings followed by Spamano a few places behind for the same reason. The thought of raising a child as a son/brother only to bang him when he's older is nothing but disgusting and makes England seem like a pedophile for "falling in love" with the child he adopted and raised. I honestly can't understand why so many people insist that America and England aren't brothers and that the pairing isn't incest when Himaruya, the anime director and characters in Hetalia have confirmed that America and England are indeed brothers. Some USUK fans claim that America's independence makes them non-siblings. That's just ridiculous. Even if America would say "I don't want to be your brother anymore" directly to England, it still won't make any difference and it certainly doesn't change the fact that America was adopted and raised by England. If the USUK fans want to ship this pairing, it's fine, but denying that the pairing is incest is just annoying. It makes it seem like they think incest is gross, but desperately try to deny that USUK is incest only to continue shipping it or to keep telling themselves that USUK will be canon, which will never happen just like (unfortunately) every other Hetalia pairing except (possibly) AusHun.''

Quote number 2- from deviant art

''t's this reasoning that made me think back to all the Journal reads, essays and editorials many of the Anti UsUk fans write about why they hate the pairing. They usually mention about the pairing being incest, pedophilia and/or not cannon. While all of those might be true, I think there's more reasoning to why UsUk usually never works. It isn't to say those shouldn't be mentioned, because they should be, and I will mention them. First off, incest. Yes, UsUk is incest, but not because they share blood, but because they're BROTHERS. The fact that England adopted America should not be anyone's excuse for why it's not considered incest. Incest means sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other. The definition of related is belonging to the same family, group, or type. Neither of these say anything about sharing blood, or having to be born from the mother's womb. If your parents divorced, and your father married another woman, who becomes your mother, she would be considered related to you, since you both belong in the same family. America and England are brothers, they're family, they belong in the same family, and even share the same family name (Don't believe me? Britain's full name is United Kingdom of Great Britain, just like America's full name is United States of America, which was declared by Acts of Union in 1707 before the Revolutionary War. Coincidence? I think not 📷). No, I do not count their human names, since they're mainly names used for the fanbase to use. Now, for pedophilia, that's the one that can be questioned. On one hand, if England and America are shipped when both are adults, then it shouldn't be considered pedophilia. On the other hand, they are about 800-700 years apart. Though, the same could be said with America and other countries like Japan, Ukraine and Belarus. While America may not be the youngest country, technically speaking, he's certainly the youngest most powerful country. So, if anyone in the fandom is going to pair up America with anyone, male or female, that country is most likely going to be thousands of years older than him. So, do I consider UsUk pedophilia? Well... not if America is already a grown adult. So, unless there are fanart or fan fictions with England being sexual or flirty with kid or youth America, pedophilia isn't really the big issue (especially since I haven't seen pictures or fanart of England being sexual or flirty with kid America, and are perhaps the only brotherly pictures and/or fan fictions I can find of England and America). Being that everyone knows that UsUk is CERTAINLY not cannon, I want to go more deep into why I feel UsUk doesn't work. Let's set aside the fact that it is incest, and look at this pairing from a realistic standpoint. I want to start from the bottom up, which would be the back story of how England's and America's relationship started. Why is this relationship so memorable, and considered adorable? Why does it work so well? To put it simply, the relationship between England and America is very relatable. They both reminded me of my two brothers, and my dad and my uncle. It's the story of the little brother, who looked up to the older brother as the greatest thing on earth; the most perfect person in the world. He could never think of anyone else that could be compared to his older brother. Then, suddenly, that little brother grows up and realizes that his older brother is a compete jerk, or isn't as perfect as he originally thought. Usually, this is hard for any little brother to grasp, and, once he does, the relationship between him and his older brother starts to friction. They no longer share the same relationship they once had. Little brothers can relate to America in trying to grasp and understand that his older brother wasn't the big, perfect person he once thought, when he says, “you used to be so big.” At the same time, older brothers can relate to England in losing the innocent little brother that thought he was the world, then having to watch him grow up, and turn into a complete

jerk himself, or lose his innocence. It isn't that England never saw any flaws in America, even as a little kid, but it's hard for him to watch those innocence and naiveness suddenly flushed down the toilet. Now, America is surpassing England, and England now needs America to help him at times. From what I've seen from my brothers and uncle, it's very hard for an older brother to admit he needs his little brother's help, that there might be things his little brother knows more than him, and to actually call or go to little brother for help. This is continually seen with England and America during World War 2 where America volunteers to help, and England continually refuses, but yet seems to need the help (this is especially seen in the Blitz series). When anyone takes these two characters, whose relationship represents and older and younger brother of our generation, then turns it into a gay relationship, it completely ruins the amazing buildup that Hidekazu Himaruya was intentionally going for. It's not that gay relationships are not relatable, but the one that's made in the UsUk fandom isn't something that gay couples can relate to. Turning something that was never intended to be a gay relationship into one is actually the reason why there are gay men and women that dislike yaoi. It's not only a misrepresentation of England and America, and their relationship, but it's a misrepresentation of gay relationships in general. That's mainly where it boils down to why I dislike UsUk. Yes, homosexuality is one of those reasons, being that homosexuality was VERY looked down upon back during World War 2, especially during the colonial days (if you were caught in the act of homosexuality, you'd most likely be kicked out of the city and, if not, be beaten by countless cowboys, then killed, and those cowboys would get away with it, not being punished for said act even if they were caught). More than likely, England and America were homophobic back during those days, since many Americans and Englishmen were completely against homosexuality. It wasn't until around the Cold War, or during the 1960's, when the world started changing their viewpoints. Though, with that aside, UsUk, to me, just can't work with the back story and buildup of the show. Though, the same should be said for many yaoi fandoms in general. Many of them just don't work with the cannon buildup set for the two male characters. If people try to pair America and England up, keeping the cannon story line of their relationship, it comes out as unrealistic, and a misrepresentation of gay relationships, the relationship between England and America, and history in general. It isn't to say that nobody should write UsUk. In my opinion, whatever shipping you want to use is completely up to you. Though, if you want to write a UsUk fan fiction, it needs to not ruin the cannon relationship buildup set for England and America. In other words, I don't want a UsUk of any type to use the same cannon back story from the Hetalia series, otherwise it just becomes very unrelatable, and ruins the intended relationship buildup between England and America as older and younger brother. Anyways, those are my thoughts on UsUk, and why I don't like the pairing in general. You can agree or disagree, but I wanted to get my thoughts out. You can let me know in the comments about your thoughts on UsUk. I'm interested in knowing what your thoughts on the fandom, whether you're a UsUk fan or completely against the pairing, like me.''

23 - Have you ever had a ship become canon, but you didn’t like how it was portrayed?

- Korra x Asami (It looks rushed and I think Asami deserves better, in my eyes Korra constantly changed relationships and has immaturity issues, I watched the show a long time ago tho)

- Light x Misa (Misa deserved someone who cared for her)

- Erza x Jellal/Gerard (Erza deserved better, the guy looks like he is an extra or made of plastic)

- Ban x Elaine (I really dislike this ship, I read some articles about Japan and I do not know if this real/legit and please excuse me if I spread misinformation, but from what I read, some people said that Japan has p*dophilia problems. Certain mangaka or their word for the comic/manga artist, put loli characters on purpose to please a certain fanbase that likes this type of content. I look like a loli somewhat because I have small frame while other girls matured on body way too fast, I remained skin and bones up until the age of 19, after that I somehow started to gain some weight on my legs but that doesn't mean I am still not short and skinny on my upper body. Old creepy men, asking where you live and asking you sexual intimate questions when you just want to buy you self some dinner after school, isn't my idea of fun. Which is why - 100000 years but has the body of a loli is bullshit. There are older women who have smaller bodies but no matter how young you look, every human being starts developing wrinkles and hair falling at some point in their life. They may be small, but they surely don't look like lolis.

[dualdaospirits]

Do you think if they ever reboot ATLA they would make Zutara canon? Reboots have changed quite a few things(the new She-Ra is vastly different from the original) especially with all the support Zutara got post-series

Hmmm, an interesting question. It depends on many things I think, not the least of which being who the showrunners are and the tone they want to set. We may get to see our reboot soon, actually, since there’s a live action Netflix series in the works (they haven’t started production yet though, so don’t get too excited). As far as I know, Bryke is at the forefront, and while that’s great news since it means another abomination hopefully won't happen, it does mean that a Zutara relationship probably isn’t likely since they’re big fans of the Katara/Aang relationship.

That being said, I think it would be a missed opportunity if they didn’t, and I’ll explain why. (Disclaimer for any non-Zutara fans reading this, being a Zutara shipper is not my main motivation for thinking or wanting it to be canon). First things first, the audience. I don’t know if post-series Zutara support would have much of an effect on Bryke, but it’s possible that the producers or Netflix would notice and try to factor it in. However, I don’t think pandering should be the reason they include Zutara--far from it. The original audience that watched Avatar has grown up at this point. Many of us are in our twenties, give or take. We’ve matured, and it would be foolish of the showrunners for ignoring this fact. If there’s a reboot of Avatar, live action or animation, the majority of the audience will be those that grew up with the show, not kids the same age as the audience of the animation. I think that’s evident enough with the release of Avatar on Netflix (notice how many people are rewatching and falling back into their love for the show?) and the comics. Ah, the comics. Some things they did well, others...not. What they did do well is writing the storytelling more maturely than the show. I don’t mean to bash the original show as it obviously had no problems including the dark effects of a war story in bite size, easy-to-swallow chunks for kids (a good thing). However, they treat the audience more seriously, knowing that not everything needs to be spelled out. You see the same in Korra. And to me, that’s part of what makes the Zutara relationship so captivating and intriguing--it’s mature. It’s not easy, and it has faults. It’s not “hero gets the girl after saving the world”. It’s complex. 

I’ll say this now: there’s a difference between a relationship being canon and being endgame, and it’s an important difference. I definitely think Zutara should be canon, if not endgame, in any reboot they do.

Personally, I’m excited for a live action version if they ever get around to it. It brings many new factors to the table, and the majority of them have to do with adaptation. (I’ll mainly be talking about a live action version for a little bit, excuse the art student that shows). Adaptation, especially between mediums, is tricky to execute. You see many book-movie adaptations that succeed, and some that miserably fail, and others in between. This goes for other forms as well, ex: book to comic, book to animation, animation to film, etc. With any medium adaptation, the story will inherently change. You can't hear a character's inner dialogue or prose written in a book in a film, so changes have to be made or the filmmaker must write or use film language to substitute for it. With adaptation, changes must happen, that's a fact. To me, more often than not those adaptations succeed when the creator embraces that fact and uses the medium to their advantage. Sometimes this changes the story, and sometimes that change enhances it for the better. Take Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. The former deals with many characters and worldbuilding that is extremely complex, and they did an excellent job in getting you attached to those characters. However, they did have to change some things from the books, and while some weren’t as successful, others did remarkably. (Before anyone starts raging, I’m specifically talking about the seasons where they still had books to go off of). For Harry Potter, we have eight movies to analyze, which I will not be doing, but I will say that the weakest films storywise were the fifth and seventh, simply because they tried to do both too much and too little, if that makes sense.

How would this apply to a live action ATLA? Well, it wouldn’t be like the animation, most likely. It’s a medium adaptation, meaning that the approach they had in the animation won’t work the same in live action. Think about it--you don’t watch animation, especially 2d, the same way you watch live action, psychologically and subconsciously. There’s a separation there between their world and ours. It lessens with 3d animation, but it’s much much smaller when it’s live action since it looks like our world, more or less. Would GOT beheading and other violence (you know what I mean) have had the same effect if it were 2d animation? No, probably not. Yes, I know that anime has its fair share of gore that can be extremely realistic and gross, but it still doesn’t have the same impact it would if it appeared on your screen with quality vfx. Now, these are extreme examples. I really doubt that they’ll make the violence that intense or realistic in the show, as they’ll more than likely want to keep it family friendly (there’s still kids that watch the original). Another disclaimer (ik there’s a lot of them, but people can misunderstand this kind of critique as bashing, which it’s not): I am not saying that the original animation of ATLA is not impactful, absolutely not. I have no trouble getting attached to animated characters, laughing or crying with them, etc, especially if the writing is good. However, it was a kids show, and it was written with that in mind. This is apparent to me as I’m rewatching the show now. There’s some dark stuff that happens, as is the nature of a war story, and the animation handles it excellently. But think of how different it will be seeing the ruins of the Southern Air Temple, practically a garden of bones, Gyatso’s included, in live action. Show us all the nitty-gritty of the lower rings of Ba Sing Se, and the corruption up top. Let this affect the characters. Bring this moral ambiguity into light, as it was done in the show. I think that if they’re going to tackle a show in this way, not a movie or series of movies, it would be smart of them to lean into these darker themes, not shy away from them. Like I said earlier, the audience has matured, and there’s so much more to explore with these stories and themes. I’ll say with confidence that they’ll definitely do this, and possibly add a story or two. Otherwise, it will just be a rehashing of the original, word for word dialogue. Not that the original is bad (obv not), but I don’t think we should want that. There’s a lot of potential in a live action series, and I think they’ve learned lessons from the abomination that already tripped over itself. It was an example of adaptation done badly. However, you can change a story without destroying it, but it’s a delicate operation. That’s why having the original showrunners on gives me a bit more confidence. To be clear, I don’t think they’ll go full PG-13 or higher. It’s still possible to have family/kid friendly media without shying away from the darker parts. ATLA is a great example of that. If you want a live action example of a show that balances humor, heartache, and violence beautifully, look at Merlin (bbc). 

I think you bring up an interesting point with She-Ra and it’s divergence from the original. I haven’t seen the original animation, but I can say that the new one was successful in telling a new and fresh story in the same universe. The act almost as parallel stories in that universe. How To Train Your Dragon is the same way--the book and movie have very very little in common story wise, but it’s a beautiful trilogy nonetheless. Would this work with ATLA? Possibly, though I doubt they’d want to stray away from the original’s core themes. Though, you can fight me on this, Zutara does align with those themes, but that’s another post (this one is long enough). However, it’s such a complicated question because it inherently considers countless possibilities, so there’s no definite answer. It’s a beloved show that’s already been butchered once, so how much would they be willing to change?

Now, how does Zutara factor in? (getting to the point now). For many of the reasons above, I think it should be canon. Their dynamic, their rocky relationship, the journey of trust and acceptance, the connection they have, all of it is ripe for exploration, especially in a revamped, inherently more mature story. Instead of a predictable relationship where there was never any real conflict (Katara was always loyal to Aang, and their fights were never truly consequential), you have a relationship coming from a difficult, seemingly impossible place, one that requires time to establish. Like I said, it’s not an easy relationship. Part of it is strengthened by Zuko’s wonderful redemption arc. He needs to build a foundation of trust before almost any of the Gaang trust him (Aang, the angel, is willing to give him a chance almost immediately in Book 1, and though she didn’t care one way or the other at first, he did accidentally burn Toph’s feet). What would a Book 4 have brought us? Despite what Bryke say about it being a false rumor, Ehasz, a co-producer, said that it was at least discussed, plus Book 3 definitely had more to give, so I take it with several grains of salt. Anyways, even wondering about it hypothetically produces interesting theories. We see at the end of Book 2 in the cave that Katara, once she overcomes her immediate, and warrented, repulsion of Zuko, she’s able to connect and see a bit of his heart underneath the layers and layers of angst and anguish obscuring it. This scene is popular in the Zutara fandom for a reason. However, I think that making changes to characters, especially in Zuko’s case should be done extremely selectively and purposefully. His arc is one of the most fantastic accomplishments of the show, and I think very little should be changed. For example, he should still make that doomed, yet inevitable choice in that cave to join Azula, but perhaps they’ll include his mother as a more forefront character, especially when he goes back to the Fire Nation. By all means, give Ty Lee and Mai more than just a conversation to supply their backstory. Thoroughly explore the swampbenders and the Freedom Fighters. Show more of the original airbenders in Aang’s memories! There’s room for exploration without dismantling the world or characters like the M. Night film did. For Zutara, I think that expanding Book 3 and giving the characters more time with each other would be invaluable. Think of how quickly Katara and Zuko grew close, from Katara threatening to off him first time he even hinted at being a threat, to becoming one of the most instinctual and formidable teams in the Gaang, to saving each other’s lives in the final battle. That’s not even mentioning the Southern Raiders.  The conflict over the entire show as the backdrop for a relationship like that, romantic or platonic, is incredibly suitable for a reboot. If it was explored, the outcome would be so powerful. 

I said before that there’s a difference between canon and endgame relationships. This just means that a relationship can be confirmed and explored without being the outcome. If Bryke include Zutara at all, that’s most likely how they’ll do it: adding a love triangle that ends up with Katara and Aang getting together. Honestly, it would be a method of making K/A a more interesting relationship and a way to have the characters grow a bit. However, this has the awful potential of just shitting on Zutara and turning it into a toxic relationship, which I’d rather not see.

But if it wasn’t Bryke running it? Absolutely, I think Zutara would, and should, be canon. Adaptation should take risks and be willing to explore, and I think Zutara is the type of dynamic we should see.  

[miniwolfsbane]

Random: Gambit and women’s weight

(I had energy drink and it’s wearing off, so here I am! 0_o) Edit: Also, forgot Remy was married to Rogue, but let’s backtrack and hypothesize and all that.

Okay, since I’m not on The Gambit guild forums anymore, I have to have somewhere to put this random thought that’s been bouncing in my head since 2010-ish:

Would Gambit date a woman that’s morbidly obese and not be embarrassed about it?

I also have to dissect this thought, so here it goes.

My first instinct says no. He would flirt with her hard, all day long, no question. In fact, let’s just forget most women in the X-universe all look the same. Say there was a significant amount of overweight women that admired him. I think he would think twice before saying yes to a date, if at all.

I saw a fan art on DA making Rogue overweight (I obviously wasn’t looking for it, it just showed up in a group I was in at the time), claiming that Gambit would love big women. (This conversation did not involve me, I just read it.) The thought alone made me laugh internally because a) We don’t know that for sure B) it was coming from someone apparently in support of either accepting yourself as you are, (Not always bad until your health is in jeopardy),  or in the fat acceptance crowd. (She called Rogue calling herself fat in one episode “fat shaming” or something. Ummm...?)  Headdesk. Can’t find it and looks like the artist left DA. Edit: Somehow I found it? And the whole thing is in two separate pieces. (Not linking so the artist can have some anonymity) One piece, the artist had a conversation with someone who didn’t like they made Rogue fat, and said in response to Rogue complaining she was fat in one episode “ Just some good-old-fashioned sizeist writing”. OMG, really? Girls can complain they’re fat. Not everyone wants to be fat. (Holding metaphorical mouth shut to not go on a tangent.) And then they made another piece in response to the complaint after a conversation, and that was the whole thing about Gambit would love big women. Okay, whatever. I’m sure no one cares and it’s years after the fact. This is all from 2017. I’m not insulting them, I just highly disagree with the whole fat acceptance thing. (Probably because I’m overweight and other reasons and I’m a worrier. It’s not always going to kill you, but being fat can impact your health and shorten your lifespan. Not always, but in most cases.) Sorry, ranting again.

Let me just say, I’m not in the fat acceptance camp. Won’t go on a tangent. I’m fat, but I’m not going to say being fat is great and it’s blah blah blah. So, there’s that. You can be fat and healthy on the inside, I will say that, but being overweight can take it’s toll, there’s no getting around that. Edit: I DO post pics of big women in my imagines, yes. That’s because, in my view, you’re not going to lose the weight overnight and we’re not all shaped the same. I never promote obesity purposely. (Maybe an unhealthy recipe here and there, but everything in moderation.) I also believe in representation for different body types, fat, skinny or otherwise. Edit: So I’m more in the ‘You’re not going to lose weight overnight, fat shouldn’t be fetishized, treat your body with love and respect, people that care about you want you to be your best self, all body types need representation, but that doesn’t mean the consequences that may come with weight gain should be treated lightly, not everyone can lose weight easily, and no one has to be super skinny, but we just shouldn’t let ourselves go either, we all have our own journeys to go through, you should lose weight for yourself and for your health if it’s effecting your quality of life.’ camp. Yes, that was a lot.  

Back to Gambit, he’s got all the confidence he can muster and usually doesn’t give a crap what other people think of him, right? I can’t help but think/believe he’d have reservations about dating someone very overweight. Nevermind if he’s attracted to a woman that looks like that or not. (I’m trying my best to word things carefully, but I’m bound to offend someone. I get cursed out again or something, I’m just going to ignore you. Have a nice life.) I think back on the Guild forum, someone said that Remy sees all women as unique, and I have no doubt that’s true. He isn’t so lustful he’ll just chase after any woman, no. And I don’t think like in the Deadpool series, he’s JUST attracted to women with a white streak. Like, ew. Makes it sound like he’s fetishizing Rogue’s hair for goodness sake. Remy is attracted to strong, (emotionally, physically or both), powerful women. 

It’s really easy to write off who/what kind of woman a fit, masculine character is attracted to. Especially if we see it several times in cannon or, like in X-Men comics/TAS, most (but not all) women look the same. (Thank glob X-Men:Evo had the girls have unique body types and not look like clones of each other. Thank you, Mr. Gordon! WATXM...not so much. >_>) Going back to the Guild forums, I kicked off an interesting discussion once asking if Remy would be comfortable dating someone significantly taller or shorter than he was. The answer was a resounding positive, that he’d be okay with it either way.  Point is, I just don’t think he’s canonically attracted to a big woman.

Now, if he were, great (sort-of?). I don’t think he’d get squick about it either. (Dirty minded, um, wouldn’t put it past him, even if I don’t approve.)   He’d probably call her a beautiful figure, curvy, majestic, blah blah. He’d stick up for her when others talk about her, and just be that cool guy we love about it. Granted, Remy wouldn’t be able to pick her up, but there’s cute stuff he could do, and would probably make a lot of remarks and stuff. *Blushes* 

Now, if he had to be convinced or talk himself into a date, that’s a whole other topic. Probably more suited to a fan fic than a fast paced comic, but we’re only speculating while the energy drink wears off here. The other X-Men would probably point out the woman’s good qualities, as well as be honest and point out what a fluff hat piece of slime Remy is being. (Can’t think of good not swear words right now, don’t bother me, I’m busy.) He’d give in to one date, be charmed, then two...and so on. It would catch him off guard, next thing he knows, he’s dating and falling in love with someone who wasn’t originally his type. Dude is open to things and has a big heart after giving his love to a woman he couldn’t touch, so it’s not impossible in theory. He’d just go into it skeptical, maybe even figuratively kicking and screaming, or not at all. He IS an all or nothing man after all.

OMG, this things is getting long. He’d probably be a bit crushed if she let him go if he REALLY loved her. Or at least I like to think so. Could be wrong, who knows? We’ll never know, because this hasn’t and probably won’t happen in cannon. If they retcon the Romy marriage at some point and this does happen, just let me know? I haven’t read comics in ages and would sleep on this.

So...yeah. (*Jumpy*) I’m sure Remy and said big woman would bond over Cajun food and cooking. He’d snuggle with her. Now I’m just rambling. Kinda wonder if he’d try and buy her clothes or not? Make-up for sure, big girls are pros with make-up. Definitely the usual jewelry. He’d have a whole new world to navigate, that’s for sure. (Like, Do or don’t buy her chocolates? Invite her to the gym? He’d probably avoid bringing up how much she weighed in the beginning. And etc.)

...Now I just want to write fan-fic, but I am/was at the half-way point with this with Molly’s stories. Molly was never huge, but same concept, similar reaction with Remy. And I’ve got something I’m writing for my own enjoyment (crazy 500 page live-action Molly/Remy fic-yes, it got out of hand and I have no life) that has the same feel and concepts. So, I may have answered my own question a bit already. Well, thanks for reading this insanity. Have a good day.

[soobiniebaby]

Angels &  Devils Part II: Someone Say What’s Going On

Tomorrow x Together Fanfiction

~ p a r t s : main post || prologue || part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5 || part 6 || part 7 || part 8 || part 9 || part 10 || part 11 || part 12 || part 13 || part 14 || part 15 || part 16 || part 17 ~ p a i r i n g : love triangle involving choi soobin and choi yeonjun ~ g e n r e : high school au | some social media au | some fluff & angst | childhood friends | love triangle ~ l a n g u a g e : English ~ w a r n i n g : contains swearing, alcohol, kissing (?) and may contain mature themes (angst, etc.) ~ a / n : This will be my first fanfic (go easy on me pls) and i’m just writing this as I go along, so bear with me juseyo The setting (place/country) of the story is up to the reader’s interpretation ~ s u m m a r y : What should she choose? Han Baby: the new girl with a troubled past MO Academy: her new high school Choi Soobin: student council president, member of the Ecosave club, volunteer at the Humane Treatment of Animals, member of the Honor Society, a vocalist in the Jazzed club, the school’s all around golden boy Choi Yeonjun: leader of the Dance club, star of the Jazzed club, the school’s it boy with a bad rep 5 best friends, 1 new girl, 1 childhood friendship, 1 epic love triangle? What will this school year bring?

She had been trying hard to ignore the onslaught of messages from Kai, but the last ones he sent got her laughing quietly to herself. It was her 3rd period of the day, Science, and it was the first and only period on her schedule that she didn’t share with Kai or any of his friends. She wasn’t too nervous though, she knew how to handle herself well in most social situations.

She had her phone hidden under her desk, and she was about to give in and respond to Kai’s messages when she heard someone from her left.

“Pst. Hey.”

She looks up and sees a girl smiling at her. She had shoulder length hair and a confident smile on her face. “Um, sorry if that was rude. You’re the new girl, right?” the girl asks. She nods in response.

“It’s fine, yeah, I guess I’ll be living with that title for a bit. You can call me B, though.” B says, flashing a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, B. I’m Ryujin.” the girl says. She gestures over to another girl beside her. “This is Yuna.” the other girl, Yuna waves at B. “Hey there.” Yuna had long blonde hair and a bubbly air about her.

B waves back with a smile. “Hey, nice to meet you. How long have you 2 been studying here?”

“We’ve been here since freshman year. It’s a great school, I’m sure you’ll love it here.” Yuna says.

“How’s your first day going so far? Did you get the welcoming committee treatment?” Ryujin asks. “All new students get a short tour on their first day by representatives from the student council.”

B shrugs. “So far so good, yeah I was welcomed this morning before first period. It’s a great campus, I’m happy to be here.” she responds, trying to keep her voice low. The teacher wasn’t paying strict attention to the class since it was only the first day and he was just giving an introduction to their subject for the term.

“So, which of the legendary council members gave you the tour? Was it Beomgyu?” Ryujin mused. “Nah, Beomgyu doesn’t usually like dealing with council stuff. I bet it was Taehyun, he’s always down for official council business.”

“The legendary council members?” B asks, laughing a bit. “Actually, it was the 5 of them. Soobin the president, Taehyun the VP, Yeonjun the secretary, Beomgyu the treasurer, and Kai the public relations officer..” B started trailing off slowly when she noticed the odd looks on Ryujin and Yuna’s faces. “What?”

“So you’re telling me that the entirety of TXT gave you the campus tour?” Ryujin asks.

“TXT?” B asks. There goes that term again.

“Yeah, that’s what everyone calls the 5 members of the student council. They were all there this morning for the tour?”

“Entirety of TXT…yes? But it’s no big deal. Ningni–I mean Kai, is my childhood friend so I asked him to help me sort of get settled into the school since I know he goes here, but I didn’t know he was in the student council and everything? It’s no big deal though.” B says defensively, but she can see by the way Yuna’s eyes widened and Ryujin shook her head that somehow, she was wrong.

“You’re close friends with Kai?” Yuna asks.

B nods. “Yeah, I asked Kai to help me get settled in since I knew he was a student here, so I guess he was just doing me a favor?” she says defensively, but Ryujin just shakes her head again.

“Oh sweetie, you have no idea. Not once in the history of MOA has all 5 members of the legendary student council given a single new student a tour.” Ryujin says.

“Ah well, Kai’s my friend so I guess he was just doing me a favor. Really, I don’t think it’s such a big deal.” B says defensively.

“So how are you close friends with Kai?” Yuna asks, focused on the topic of Kai.

“We were best friends back in elementary school, practically inseparable, until we were finally separated when my family had to move away.” B explains. “Since then, I’ve only seen him a few times each year to catch up when we could, but since I got the chance to transfer schools, I ended up choosing the one he happens to go to now.”

“Oh wow, so you 2 grew up together.” Yuna says. “What was he like when he was younger?”

“Kai? He was gross.” B says, wrinkling her nose. “I mean, we were kids. He was a silly boy, always pulling pranks, always teased me and annoyed the hell out of me, but he was the sweetest boy I knew and the best friend I had.” she says, a fond smile on her face.

“Oh wow, I can only imagine. He sounds like he was an amazing kid. Is there any history between you two? Have you ever…dated?” Yuna asks, an intense look on her face.

Ryujin swats Yuna’s shoulder. “Yuna, come on. Can you please shut up about Kai.” she says teasingly. It was only then when B realized that Yuna probably had a crush on Kai.

“Oh, don’t worry, no romantic history between him and I at all. And there never will be.” B says. “I mean I had a crush on him at first when we were kids, but ew god, I can’t see him as anything other than a brother now.”

Yuna raises a brow. “Oh, you had a crush on him? Are you sure you don’t have any feelings for him now?” she asks. B was amazed at how straightforward this girl was, somehow she admired her for it.

B shakes her head. “Positive. None at all.”

“Well now that that’s been settled,” Ryujin says, wanting to steer the conversation away from Kai, “what do you think of his friends then?”

“You mean the other council members? What about them?” B asks.

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, they’re practically legends at this school. And with good reason.” Ryujin explains. “MO Academy has never had a group of guys as talented, smart, charismatic, and attractive as them around. Especially not all in one group, and especially not in the student council. They’re legendary.”

Yuna nods. “TXT are like the gods of MOA.”

“What exactly is TXT?” B asks. “The guys mentioned it during the tour, but when I asked them they didn’t really know either.”

“It’s a nickname that people started calling them. I’m actually not sure who started it or what it means exactly, I think it means Tall and Tasty, cause they all are.” Yuna says, laughing. “But I think it means different things to different people, depending on who you ask.”

“Tall and Tasty?” B says, amused. “I mean, they are all practically giants.”

“They’re all pretty tasty, too! I mean, you’ve seen them. You spent the whole morning with them. You should know.” Yuna says teasingly.

“I mean, they’re all pretty friendly and nice.” B says. “But I don’t really know them yet, so I really can’t judge.”

“Well if you must know, they’re all pretty much legendary in their own ways.” Yuna says. “First there’s the youngest member, Kai.”

“I already know about him. I grew up with him.” B says, but Yuna interjects.

“Yes, but do you know what he’s like now?” Yuna begins, “He’s dreamy, he’s charming, he’s cheeky, he’s-”

“Yeah yeah, let’s just say Kai is like the human version of Dopamine.” Ryujin interrupts, wanting to keep it short and straightforward.

Yuna nods. “He’s like a ray of sunshine, he’s energetic and he makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy. Not to mention talented, he’s the president of the Art club, he’s part of the instrumental team for Jazzed, and he’s the student council’s public relations officer, so he’s an all-around friendly person.”

“Wait, he’s part of the instrumental team for what now?” B asks. “I mean, I know he’s musically inclined, but I didn’t know if he was still like practicing it.”

“Jazzed, it’s our music club but there’s a lot more to it than music. They’re like an entire production crew or something, you’ll learn all about it on Club Recruitment Day.” Ryujin says dismissively. “Oh Yuna, you forgot to mention that Kai plays basketball.”

Yuna laughs. “How could I forget? He looks adorable in his jersey. Soobin and Yeonjun don’t look half bad either.”

“Wow, I didn’t know he was into sports.” B says, amused. “Do they all play basketball?”

“Nah, it’s just the 3, but Beomgyu and Taehyun definitely aren’t lacking in the extracurriculars either. They’ve all got different things going for them.”

“Different things?” B asks.

“Yeah, take Taehyun for example. While Kai is bright and energetic, Taehyun shines as well, but in a different way. He’s a scholar, so his grades are always topnotch, and he’s always been in the school’s Honors society. He excels at everything he does, such as singing and dancing. He has the best vocals in Jazzed club. He’s the president of the debate club, leading our school into regional championships since he started. Plus, he’s the student council vice president despite being just a sophomore, and he’s set to take over once Soobin graduates. Kang Taehyun is pretty much perfect, honestly.” Yuna enumerates.

Ryujin smirks. “Pretty much, except he’s just too perfect. No one can match him. He’s too focused on succeeding that he hasn’t really showed interest in dating anyone, or rather no one has succeeded in dating him anyway.”

“What do you mean no one’s succeeded?” B asks.

“Well, he has his fair share of admirers, and don’t get me wrong he’s very nice and charismatic, but it’s like he’s too nice? He’ll never flirt, he’ll never show interest. When girls talk to him, you can just feel that he’s not interested, even though he’s really polite.” Yuna explains. “He’s intense, but really nice. He’s like…a King. King Taehyun.”

“In contrast, Beomgyu is more laidback, less intense.” Ryujin begins. “He’s more into anything that has to do with cameras, like film and photography. He’s the best photographer and videographer on campus. He’s also the editor and chief of the school paper, but he isn’t uptight about how he runs it cause they say he’s more like a supportive mentor than a strict manager, but he’s a big perfectionist so despite his carefree style of handling things, he somehow manages to ensure flawless outputs in everything he does. He may be part of the student council, but he feels more like an average student compared to the rest of them, like he can make anyone feel like they’re his friend.”

Yuna nods. “Mhm, yeah, very well said for someone who used to date him.”

B’s eyes widened. “Wow, you and Beomgyu used to date? When? What happened?” she asks, surprised.

Ryujin chuckles at B’s reaction. “We went out last year while I was a freshman. He was assigned to give me my welcoming committee campus tour and we became friends for a bit before we started going out. It didn’t work out between us, and we only dated for a couple of months, but we’re still on pretty good terms now. No hard feelings or anything” she explains.

“You guys were really cute together.” Yuna says in awe. “I mean, you still are. You’ve still got great chemistry, even as post-break up friends, but you 2 were so sweet together. Remember when he played you that song last Valentine’s Day? That was the most adorable thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Oh wow, that sounds like something a girl could only dream of.” B sighs. “Wait, Beomgyu can sing too?”

Yuna nods. “Yes, and he can play the guitar like a pro.” she says dreamily. “If I were Ryujin, I would’ve melted on the spot.”

“I don’t melt. You’re just too much of a softy.” Ryujin scoffs. “And yeah, he’s pretty good at playing the guitar. His voice isn’t bad either. He’s part of the Jazzed club as well. Now that I think about it, all 5 members of the student council are in Jazzed.”

“What, they’re all musically inclined?” B asks, amazed.

Yuna nods. “Kai knows the most about instruments, Taehyun’s vocals are heavenly, Beomgyu plays the guitar like a pro, Soobin composes songs like a genius, and Yeonjun was just born to be the star.”

B nods, taking it all in, until she says, “Wait, Yeonjun? Born to be the star? The star of what?”

“Of, well, everything I guess?” Ryujin answers. “He writes songs and everyone says he can sing though no one’s really heard him sing before. And not only is he musically inclined, he’s the president of the dance club too, and he dances like he was born to do it.”

Yuna nods. “I mean, Kai’s amazing, but when Yeonjun dances, I can’t keep my eyes off of him.” she admits. “Not to mention he’s the captain of the basketball team. He dominates the court every time. You’d think Kai or Soobin would do better cause of their height, but Yeonjun’s got skills.”

“Yeonjun sounds amazing.” B says in awe. These boys were starting to sound more legendary by the minute.

Ryujin scoffs. “I mean, he’s great and all, but he’s…complicated.”

B raises a brow. “Complicated? How?”

“Well let’s just say that he’s got a lot of history, with a lot of people.” Yuna begins. “He’s hot and cold, one minute he’s on fire and the next he’s the ice king. First he’ll treat you like you’re the sun and the stars in his world then out of nowhere he becomes this black hole and you’re gone. Just like that.” She snaps her fingers. “I mean, I haven’t had any firsthand experience with him, but our friend Yeji was obsessed with him last year. They only went out a couple of times, but she was crushed.”

Ryujin shook her head with pity. “And despite his record, girls still fall at his feet. Every girl wants to believe that they can be ‘the one,’ I guess.”

“Oh god, no thanks. I was never into bad boys, anyway.” B says, laughing.

“No, don’t get us wrong, he’s not a bad boy. He’s actually a really nice, cool guy. He’s just complicated, is all.” Yuna clarifies.

Ryujin nods “And it’s not just his dating history that’s complicated. That guy’s life hasn’t been very easy on him, either. He even got suspended last year, so it’s a miracle that they let him in the student council again this year.”

B’s interest was immediately heightened. She’d been curious about it ever since Beomgyu let it slip during the tour. “He was suspended last year? What for?” she asks casually.

Yuna shrugs. “That’s the thing, no one really knows. No one ever mentions it out loud. He suddenly stopped coming into school in the middle of our final term. It was weird cause at the time he was already the student council secretary, and although his father pulls him out of school on some days, he was already set to graduate. It was supposed to be his final term at the school, but he just stopped coming to school altogether. And no one really knew why, the council members and everyone on the school board kept very hush about it, as if he never existed. Everyone assumed that his father had finally enlisted him to take over the family business, or that he had suddenly moved away or something, so it was a shock to everyone when his named appeared on the list of student council members again this year.” She explains. “I mean, sure he has to repeat his senior year and everything, but its’s a bit of a surprise that he’s still on the council despite getting suspended during his supposedly final term.”

“That does sound very strange.” B says. Hearing more about it only filled her head with more questions. She also felt sorry for him, as she remembered how bad her last term at her last school was for her as well. “Oh, you mentioned something about his father and the family business? What’s that about?”

“Oh, his father is the CEO of YJ Choi Corporation. His family owns it.” Ryujin pipes in. “You may think that all the students at this school are pretty rich, apart from the handful of scholars of course, but his family is filthy rich. Loaded. And he’s next in line as CEO, so his father sometimes pulls him out of school to do business stuff.”

B lets out a breath. “Oh wow. He does sound complicated.” she says, taking in all the new information. “He sounds very different from how you described the other boys.”

“Well, let’s just say they’re a very diverse group of boys with a very interesting group dynamic.” Ryujin says, chuckling.

“Oh, we haven’t even mentioned Mr. President, Choi Soobin himself.” Yuna squeals. “Now, he’s just absolutely–” she began, but was interrupted when the bell rang.

“Alright students, hope our first day of class was productive for you. I have clearly outlined our syllabus for the term, so I expect some reading to be done in advance. Biology is fun! See you all tomorrow.” their teacher says as he dismisses the class.

“Class is over already? Wow, the period just flew by. Is it really lunch time already?” Ryujin asks.

B shrugs and checks her phone for the time. Only then does she see the number of texts from Kai.

“Hey B, you wanna have lunch with us? We haven’t even mentioned Soobin yet! I’m sure our other friends wouldn’t mind having you with us either.” Yuna asks her excitedly.

“Actually, Kai and his friends already offered to have lunch with me. He’s actually waiting for me outside.” B says apologetically.

Yuna’s eyes widen. “Oh my god, he’s outside our room?? Right now?” she squeals. “Can I walk you out of the room? Maybe you can introduce us.” Yuna asks, her eyes sparkling.

B laughs. “Yeah, sure, let’s go.” she says, collecting her things. As she walks out the door with Ryujin and Yuna by her side, she sees Kai standing across the hall, leaning against some lockers. He stands up straight as he sees the girls walk out.

“Baba! Why weren’t you answering my texts?” he asks, pouting a bit.

“Sorry, I got caught up in something with my seatmates.” she says, laughing. “Ningning, these are my seatmates, Yuna,” she says, gesturing to Yuna, who gives Kai a bright smile and a friendly wave which Kai reciprocates, “and this is–”

“Ryujin! Hey.” Kai says, surprised. “Haven’t seen you around in a while.” he says a bit awkwardly.

B was about to ask him how he knew her, until she remembered her history with Beomgyu.

“Right back at ya.” Ryujin says, laughing slightly. “Well, Yuna and I have to go meet up with the girls. Say hi to Gyu for me.” she says, tugging at Yuna’s arm and giving B a smile before heading down the hall.

B turns to face Kai, her eyebrow raised. “I think you have a lot of explaining to do.” she says.

“What do you mean?” Kai asks, laughing nervously.

“I’ll fill you in on the way to lunch. Let’s go.” B says, hooking Kai’s arm with hers as she starts to walk down the hall.

“Um, Baba?” Kai says, trying to pull B in his direction. “Lunch is this way.” he says.

B lets out a huff, turns around, and pulls Kai in the other direction. “Okay, so here’s what I know so far…”

•°•

“So is it true?” B asks after relaying everything to Kai.

“Is what true?” he asks, his arm still hooked in hers as he leads her past the quadrangle and into the grassy school grounds.

“Um, everything? Beomgyu and Ryujin’s history, Taehyun being a scholar, Yeonjun being suspended last year?” she says in return. “Plus, where the hell are we going? Wasn’t the cafeteria the other way?”

Kai smiles. “Yeah, I guess you can say there’s some truth to it all. And yeah, I know where the cafeteria is, but that’s not where we’re going.”

“Just some truth? What do you mean?” she asks. “And if we’re not going to the cafeteria, then where are we going?” she asks again, exasperated. She hated walking, and it felt like they’ve been walking for an hour even though it had only been 5 minutes.

Kai abruptly stops walking then, startling B as she walks into his chest. “Oof, what–” she starts, but Kai looks at her intently then, which shut her up. She hadn’t seen him look this serious since they were kids.

“Look, people talk. Everyone has a lot of things to say, you will hear many things about me and everyone else in the council. Some of these things may be true, but some of them might be complete bullshit. I’ll tell you everything you need to know later, but right now, I need you to set your curiosity aside and just enjoy having lunch with us.” he says softly. “I know you’re curious, I know how stubborn you can be, I know you’re probably dying to know everything. Trust me, I know you.” he says, laughing a bit when she pouted at him. “But right now I just need you to behave, enjoy my company, and try not to act like a lunatic. Can you do that for me?”

B nods. “You know I would never embarrass you, if that’s what you mean.” she huffs. “I promise to keep my mouth shut in front of your friends” she says. “Now will you tell me where the hell we’re having lunch?”

Kai grins. “Thanks, Baba. You’re the best.” he squeezes her cheek. “No need to tell you, we’re almost there.” he says, leading her a few more steps forward until they finally reach a gazebo draped with different kinds of flowers, and inside was a round table made of marble with a round bench built in along its walls. And on the bench sat the 4 other members of the student council, their packed lunches spread out across the round table, looking like something out of an anime.

B raised a brow at Kai as they approached the gazebo. “A garden gazebo is your lunch spot? Are you kidding me? What kind of students are you?” Kai just laughs in response. “Do you guys eat lunch here everyday?”

“Why don’t you ask them?” Kai says, before waving a hand in the air and yelling “Hey guys, we’re here!”

4 heads turn towards them then, and they all smile as they see Kai and B approaching.

“Took you guys long enough. Come sit with us.” Taehyun says, motioning them over.

“Where do you wanna sit, Baba?” Kai asks as they enter the gazebo. “Wanna sit next to me?”

“Come on, she’s probably sick of you by now, Hyuka.” Beomgyu scoffs jokingly, while the other boys snicker. “You can sit wherever you want, B.” he says.

B assessed the situation. It was a round table, so there weren’t really any sides to choose from. The one closest to the entrance of the gazebo was Yeonjun, and he seemed to be busy as he kept alternating between using his phone and leaving it on the table. Beomgyu and Taehyun were beside each other, and their food was already half eaten so she could tell that they had already settled in. Next was Soobin, who had his lunch box on the table still unpacked, he had both hands atop the table as if he were waiting for everyone to arrive before getting started on his lunch. Out of the 4 boys seated, B figured it would be safest to sit next to Soobin.

“Alright then, I think I’ll sit next to Mr. President himself.” B says, making her way around the table towards where Soobin was seated. “Do you mind?” she asks with a sweet smile on her face.

He smiles brightly as he says, “Not at all, this spot is all yours.” He pats on the space next to him. She thanks him as she sets her things down and takes a seat.

Kai follows suit and occupies the space next to her. “Good call, Baba. I usually sit next to Soobin anyway. Yeonjun’s always too busy to talk, while Gyu and Taehyun start eating right away.” he says, laying his lunch on the table.

Beomgyu snorts. “It’s only cause you all take your sweet ass time getting here, my stomach waits for no one.”

Taehyun, surprisingly, nods in agreement. “Time is important, and we only have an hour to eat and rest, so I’d like to maximize the free time I have.” he says matter-of-factly. “Unless you’d prefer that we wait for you to get here before we begin?”

It took B a moment before she realized that Taehyun was talking to her, Kai had to nudge her leg under the table before she straightened up, swallowed her food, and gave Taehyun a bright smile. “No, you guys don’t have to worry about me, thanks. Sorry, my mouth was full.” she replied sheepishly.

Taehyun smiled back warmly, and damn it, he did look somehow regal as he did. “Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind. No worries.” he said.

“So how’s your first day at MOA so far, B?” Soobin asks politely as he begins to eat as well.

Just as B swallows her food and opens her mouth to answer Soobin’s question, she stops when the sound of a cellphone ringing loudly pierces through the gazebo.

“Yeonjun, why isn’t your phone on silent mode? Lunch break still counts as school hours, you kno–” Taehyun begins, but he stops when he sees the tense look on Yeonjun’s face. “Oh.” he says quietly. The rest of the boys fall silent too.

Yeonjun purses his lips together and stands up to leave before answering his phone. He steps out of the gazebo as he says “Hello?”

“So…” Beomgyu begins, breaking the silence. “B? How’s your first day so far?”

She plasters on a smile, trying to tune out Yeonjun as he spoke on the phone a few steps away from the gazebo. “So far, so good. I thought my science class would be lonely, but I was able to get along with my seatmates, so it wasn’t too bad.”

“…it’s my first day back, and already you pull shit like this?” B heard Yeonjun say, as much as she tried not to listen.

“Oh right, none of us have 3rd period with you.” Soobin says. “Good to know you got along with some classmates though.”

“…do you seriously think it’s a good idea for me to skip class on my first day back…”

“Seatmates, huh? Who are they? Anyone we know?” Beomgyu asks curiously.

Taehyun comments “I doubt it would be anyone you know since she takes Sophomore Science and you’re a batch higher than her class.”

“…I’m still on probation from last term, so I honestly don’t think this is the best…”

“Oh actually,” B begins, until she feels Kai kick her shin under the table. She does her best to suppress any expression of pain and annoyance as she looks at Kai, who was giving her a warning smile. She smiled at him with the same energy as she continued, “actually, it was just a couple of girls in my grade. They were really nice, very good company, so they actually made third period enjoyable for me.”

“…please, I don’t want to go…”

“Well I bet your next period will be more enjoyable, since you’ll be sharing it with me.” Beomgyu says, wiggling his brows at her, which caused her to laugh and Kai to scoff.

“Please, I bet it’ll be a snore.” Kai says. “It is French class, after all.”

“…I’m at the gazebo.” Yeonjun says as he finishes the call and makes his way back into the gazebo.

“Yes, it’s French class, but French class with me is better than just plain French class, you know what I’m saying?” Beomgyu says, trying to keep the atmosphere light as Yeonjun sits back down.

All the boys look at him with concern, and there’s a moment of silence as they all seem to be waiting for him to speak.

Yeonjun runs his hand through his blue hair, clearly frustrated. “So, apparently, I’m being pulled out of classes this afternoon.” he says. “My dearest father sends his regards.” he adds bitterly.

“Already? But it’s just your first day back.” Soobin says with a hint of concern. “You feeling okay?”

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah, it just sucks I guess.” he sighs. “Sorry you had to see that, by the way.” he apologizes to B. “But as you can see, my dad is a bit of a dick and wants me to skip afternoon classes on my first day back.”

B nods, accepting his apology. “Trust me, I know how shitty parents can be.” she says sympathetically. “I’ve never known any parent who actually wants their child to skip classes, though. Can he do that?” she asks.

The blue-haired boy laughs as he says “Trust me, my father is unlike any parent you know.” he says, as he starts to collect his things. “And trust me, he can do anything.”

“Looks like your chariot awaits.” Kai says, as a black sedan with blacked out windows pulls up close to the gazebo.

Yeonjun sighs as he stands up and slings his bag over his shoulder. “See you later, alligators.” he says, giving the boys a salute.

“Come back soon, crocodile.” the 4 boys respond, giving him salutes back. A man dressed in a black suit steps out of the car and opens the door, waiting for Yeonjun to come inside.

As Yeonjun steps out of the gazebo, he pauses, looks back and says “Later, Baby.” as he flashes a smile her way before continuing on and getting into the car.

There’s silence as everyone watches the car drive away.

“Okay, I hope you guys don’t mind me asking, but I think that warrants some sort of explanation.” B says, breaking the silence. The other boys look at her then, and she could tell by the looks on their faces that they knew she was right, but that they were hesitant to tell her anything. She felt Kai squeeze her hand under the table. She looks at him, and he gives her a small nod, and she takes it as a go signal to ask,

“So, what was that all about?”

[teababe27]

Notes From the 2020 Myanimelist.net Challenges - Part 1: Anime

You don’t need me to remind you how much 2020 sucked. It was definitely a hard year for me as well, especially since health problems (fuck cancer) pretty much kept me on the couch, in the hospital, and out of work for 6.5 months out of the year. Add to that the current events, almost daily anxiety attacks regarding the current events, and my main escapes being cancelled, 2020 was definitely a rough one.

That being said, when I was more cognizant and not suffering from executive dysfunction, I did watch some pretty good anime this year. 

I will now continue with my yearly post about some of the anime I watched and manga I read for this challenge, starting with the anime side. While I didn’t finish the challenge by the site’s deadline, I finished before the end of the year, which was better than last year’s attempt!!!

Like the previous 2 years, I will talk about some honorable mentions/anime I had thoughts on, followed by my favorites from the challenge.

Let’s do this.

Honorable Mentions/Other Notables:

Inferno Cop - completed for the task “Watch an ONA”

Inferno Cop is, well, a cop, whose family was murdered by the organization Southern Cross. Now, he is tasked with fighting that organization and keeping the peace in the city of Jack Knife Edge Town.

My reaction to watching this anime was pretty much this:

This anime was honestly kinda funny. I’m usually not into the stuff that’s bad/over the top on purpose (I guess they would call it Stylistic Suck), but this anime made me laugh really hard at points. I feel like it also helped that each episode was about 4 minutes each. 

My favorite part was honestly this:

Believe it or not, it makes just as much sense in context.

There are definitely worse ways to kill an hour.

Strawberry Marshmallow (aka Ichigo Mashimaro) - completed for the task “Watch any anime recommended to your Favorite Anime” 

The slice-of-life adventures of 6th-grader Chika, her friend and classmate Miu, 5th grader Matsuri, British transfer student Anna (who transfers to Matsuri’s class), and Chika’s college-age sister Nobue. Hijinks ensue, usually initiated by Miu.

This was recommended to me because one of my favorite anime listed on my Myanimelist profile is Azumanga Daioh. I feel like this one is a little more hyper (if that makes any sense, it’s honestly the only word I can think of for this), but still fun and not a far-off comparison.

Pretty much your basic Cute Girls Doing Cute Things anime with some zany hijinks thrown in. It was cute and funny, though I feel like this is one you have to be in the mood for, similar to when I watched The Irresponsible Captain Tylor for last year’s challenge. I still had fun with it and it made me smile. The last episode was actually pretty heartwarming, and the fact that I watched it on Christmas Day was a cool coincidence.

Canaan - completed for the task “ Watch an anime that began airing the same year you joined MAL” (2009, in this case)

Maria Osawa, a photographer, is on an assignment in Shanghai with her colleague, Mino. They end up in the middle of a conspiracy involving a mysterious virus, a deadly terrorist attack, rival assassins, and a white-haired lady named Canaan, who Maria apparently knows.

This anime actually came up for multiple tasks in the challenge, so I pretty much had to watch this one, lol.

This anime was a bit dark at certain points. There was a  bit of an interesting mystery, as well as pretty good action scenes, especially the fights between Caanan and Alphard, the main rival assassin. I honestly ship Maria and Canaan; I wish the anime just came out and had them get together, because some of their dialogue can get a little gay-baity at times, but it was still precious. Some lapses in logic and artistic liberties, but still pretty good.

Ginban Kaleidoscope (aka Skating Rink Kaleidoscope) - completed for the task “Watch an anime generated randomly using spin.moe”

Tazusa Sakurano is a figure skater who dreams of going to the Olympics. After a fall on the ice where she hits her head, she wakes up to find herself sharing her body with the ghost of Pete Pumps (yes, really), a Canadian stunt pilot who died during an air show. Tazusa has to get used to sharing her body with a ghost while trying to realize her dreams, and Pete helps her out, too.

I honestly thought this anime was kinda cute and heartwarming. Funny at times, too, especially when Tazusa is first getting used to sharing her body with Pete. I thought it was nice that Pete helps Tazusa with her skating later in the anime

Your Name (aka Kimi no na Wa) - completed for the task “Watch an award-winning anime”

Mitsuha is a high school girl who lives out in the countryside and dreams of moving to the big city. Taki is a high school boy who lives in the city and has a part-time job, living a pretty busy life. One day, they find that they’ve switched bodies! They then try to find out about each other and find an answer to why they temporarily switch bodies every now and then.

Yes, I gave in to the hype, and yes, I loved this movie. And yes, I cried.

This movie was honestly beautiful. The art looked great, the story was interesting, the plot twist was unexpected, etc. Not the best anime movie ever like everyone says, but I still loved this one.

Favorites From the Challenge:

Ping Pong the Animation - completed for the task “Watch an anime with a score of 8.00 or above and an episode duration of 16 minutes or more”

Makoto Tsukimoto, aka Smile, and Yutaka Hoshino, aka Peco, are childhood friends who are part of the ping pong club at their high school. Peco wants to be the best in the world, while Smile mostly finds ping pong as a way to pass the time. The anime shows them playing in and trying to win the championship, as well as them getting better and their various feelings throughout.

Might as well continue the tradition of watching a Masaki Yuasa work for the challenge. He most certainly did not disappoint here.

This made me think of how I felt when I watched One Outs  for last year’s challenge. A different take on sports anime than usual, focusing on more of the psychology of the players and their histories. The two friends weren’t together all the time, though their bond was still there. I honestly binged this one in a couple days, that’s how much I was invested. 

The art style is very interesting and unique, which was a major positive. I found this anime to be great overall.

Mononoke - completed for the task “Watch an anime that finished airing with 11 or more episodes and has a synopsis by MAL Rewrite”

A mysterious Medicine Seller wanders Japan to slay malevolent spirits called Mononoke. In order to do so, he has to figure out their Form, Truth, and Reason, along with psychological analysis and talking to the people caught up in the Mononokes’ schemes. Only then can he use his special sword to exorcise the spirits.

Unique art styles definitely seem to be a trend here, a complete coincidence on my part.

This reminded me a lot of the anime Mushishi, except on acid or some other drug like that. I like that this is an anthology of sorts, with the 11 episodes divided up into groups of 2 or 3 episodes per plot arc. The art style was unique and very pretty at times, and I found the psychological aspect very interesting too.

This anime isn’t for everyone, and it can get a little confusing at times, but I liked it a lot.

Silver Spoon (aka Gin no Saji) - completed for the task “Watch a listed Gourmet or Isekai themed anime” (Gourmet, in this case)

To get away from the pressures of home life and high expectations, Hachiken, on the advice of one of his teachers, decides to go to an agricultural high school, thinking it would be laid back. When he gets there, he has a bit of a culture shock and learns about farm and country life, including taking care of livestock and making fresh food.

I liked a lot of the characters in this one. I like the friendships Hachiken gets into with his classmates, especially a girl he meets on the first day and his assigned partners in rotations on the farm. This anime was also kinda relaxing too, and another one I was able to watch several episodes of without realizing.

Aggressive Retsuko (aka Aggretsuko) Season 3 - completed for the task “Watch an anime with a main character that is a professional in their field”

To pay off some debt that Retsuko incurs, she gets roped into helping out an underground idol group who is trying to make it big.

Honestly, this season hit me with all the feels multiple times. I loved seeing Retsuko take charge in several of the episodes. A lot of what I loved about the previous 2 seasons of Aggretsuko were here. Definitely made me laugh several times.  

Princess Jellyfish (aka Kuragehime) - completed for the task “Watch a Noitamina anime”

Tsukimi is a shy, awkward outcast who loves jellyfish and lives in an apartment building, Amamizukan, with a few other awkward outcasts. One day, while out at a pet store, she meets a confident woman while trying to save a jellyfish from improper care. This confident woman, who is revealed to be a guy, Kuranosuke, who likes dressing like a woman, plants themselves in Tsukimi’s life and helps her break out of her shell.

This wins Best Anime for this year’s challenge. I found myself relating to Tsukimi a lot, being a socially awkward nerdy outcast. To be honest, I found myself headcanoning most of the characters (especially Tsukimi) as being autistic. I loved the relationships between the characters and I found a lot of this anime really relatable. The two main ladies (I say that loosely because Kuranosuke isn’t technically a lady) were my favorite characters. 

This anime was so cute and so heartwarming. I’m planning on reading the manga now to see where the story goes. I’m glad I finally got around to watching this one.

[lcgendcfzvlda]

☆ — wait , is that ZELDA KING ? dean lockwood has been looking for them . you didn’t hear it from me but , apparently the JUNIOR might know something about the whole omega chi & kappa tau situation . while they can be BRASH & IMPULSIVE , they’re far too WELCOMING & COURAGEOUS  to be involved , right ? those who know them say they’re reminded of FLANNELS WRAPPED AROUND THE WAIST, THE CLICKING OF A CAMERA, A COMPUTER SCREEN ILLUMINATING A PITCH BLACK ROOM, THE “IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA” THEME, BAGPIPES PLAYING IN THE DISTANCE whenever they’re around .  honestly , the DIGITAL MEDIA major should try to keep their head down . after the events of last semester , lockwood is out for blood . did you know that ZELDA is a member of GAMMA RHO ALPHA ? that might explain why their name is being brought up .

                                               you’re an explosion , you’re dynamite                                                   playlist. pinterest. to listen as you read.                                                like for a plotting dm on tumblr , react for a discord dm                                                rocky lynch lovebot / hylia.#0329 on discord.

WOOOO I really can’t keep myself from holding only one muse can’t I. WELL. This is Zelda , a bit more of a happy-go-lucky muse compared to Sam !! She’s both her own character mixed with a few others I have - I love her dearly , so please please please feel free to come at me for plots !! <3 HERE WE GO :

HISTORY

Zelda’s backstory isn’t anything special - growing up in Scotland her parents had a nice marriage , she grew up an only child , always got good grades

But she always felt... average. She never was really anyone to anybody , so Zelda had a bit of a knack for wanting attention and trying to get her voice out there. So some took this as endearing , some took it as annoying.

In high school , she was lucky enough to be selected for an exchange student program in Salem , Massachusetts - and then she’d meet the FIRST person who would make her feel special in SAGA ( Sexuality And Gender Acceptance ) Club , a cheeky blonde boy named Cyrus who had a tendency to hide in the corner of the room and not talk to many people. And they’d date for about a year , up until Zelda would have to go back to Scotland.

They had to break up when Zelda would leave , but remained extremely close and communicating daily through digital connections.

ANYWAY , that little one year romance sort of gave her more confidence to use her voice and try and light up the room - since if she could do it for one person , she could do it for multiple people. That’s what gave her the idea to pursue a career in DIGITAL MEDIA -  namely , film & video ( with digital art and photography on the side ) in the more comedic aspect. Screenplaying and the technicals behind sketch-comedy skits. Stand-up comedy , even though that was more performing.

Think like Saturday Night Live - and then think of all the technical stuff that goes into it besides the acting. The script-writing , camera angles , etc. Zelda just wanted to make people laugh.

Soooo… when she told her parents that would be what she wanted to do , her average home-life would turn sour CONSIDERING they didn’t want her to explore such risky career choices. An easier life would be to become a lawyer or a doctor - more stable. But that’s not what she wanted. So after a LENGTHY argument with her parents , Zelda would be thrown out of the house with only the money she saved ( thankfully , she’d always been the frugal one ) , and would call . . . her ex-boyfriend and his mother. Since even though they’d only been communicating digitally over the past two years , it still felt like home in Massachusetts.

Her ex’s mother would pay for a flight for her to go back to the United States , and after some time of adjusting , she’d get into Hollingsworth to pursue her career in Digital Media - staying there , but often traveling home ( being where her ex and his mom lived ) routinely.

Pledging to Gamma , her insistence for encouraging people to live their life to the fullest and readiness to include people in her free spirited antics would leave a great impression on the sorority - eventually even leading to her current position as its president.

CHARACTER / FACTS

So again !! Zelda is my trans female pansexual bby , 5’11 bc tall girls make the world go round and she is the LIVING EXAMPLE of the Halcyon label. She’s loud , carefree , optimistic - never really known to pass up an opportunity to have fun.

...that’s so basic of an intro to her personality BUT IN MY DEFENSE IT’S EARLY

BUT YEAH Zelda ?? Does not give a shit about anything. She holds no grudges towards anyone , waaaay too chill - but she flips from extremely chill and laid back to “HEY HEY LET’S GO DO THESE TEN THINGS” and it’s. Definitely a 360. But nobody’s ever seen her angry and it sort of makes people wonder if she even feels anger or if she has a secret dark side nobody knows about.

...She doesn’t. Zelda’s only habits when angry are that she’s short , to the point , and WILL call you out if you’ve done something wrong. But making her mad is extremely hard and she’ll only remotely get upset if you prove time and time after again to be a shitty person.

Which , can sort of lead her to get taken advantage of because of her chill nature - that’s how the previous issue with Gamma getting in trouble at one of their parties happened. Zelda got pissed. She knows she’s chill but she doesn’t think about how that could lead SOME people to thinking “oh I can do anything I want and she’ll be fine with it” because she doesn’t. Get angry about much.

ALSO THAT DOES MAKE HER A BIT NAIVE - just again. She’s easy to take advantage of because she believes the best in everyone and automatically assumes people will do the right thing as people. Doesn’t really understand why people will do things to hurt others and doesn’t really want to.

Also kind of jumpy like she’s a social person and definitely flips between lax and loud but it is SO easy to startle her.

AS FOR HER INTERESTS IN DIGITAL MEDIA - she is extremely talented with the entire Adobe Creative Suite , especially Premiere , Photoshop , and After Effects.

She has an Instagram dedicated to posting manips , edits , etc. she made in both PS & AE. You know those funky Insta edits you see all the time ?? Zelda makes those.

She ALSO does a lot of editing and promotion for Gamma - a lot of times they’re memey little videos or advertisements or skits that display how welcoming Gamma is , and they do a great job at leaving a good impression on possible recruits.

Her BIG thing though would be a little YouTube channel she runs where she often posts videos just around campus - think Billy On The Street , which is what she really wants to do with her digital media career.

“I’M RUNNING AROUND HOLLINGSWORTH WITH A PACK OF WILD LESBIANS”

“LET’S GO LESBIANS LET’S GO”

She either wants to do that - or mockumentaries to put on Youtube ( or even documentaries in a whole that she approaches with her extremely sunny demeanor on conspiracies or the like ). She’d also like to film her own show to put on TV , either something like reality comedy , a reality show spoof , or even something like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or The Office or Brooklyn 99. Comedy film is her passion.

Commentary videos are ALSO something she’s considered , much like iNabber or Strange AEons , but she thinks mockumentaries , skits , and her other work

Also that person who Photoshops heads on people’s bodies and makes memes for all the group chats she’s in

She really doesn’t take herself seriously often but frankly that’s just Gamma as a whole so it WORKS.

A good portion of Zelda’s existence is a meme tbh I honestly adore her

She has a LOT of tattoos that were designed by her ex-boyfriend since he was an art major and now is a tattoo artist in Salem - I’d point you in the direction of Hannah Pixie Snowdon’s body art as a reference , just Zelda isn’t nearly as covered as she is.

This would be the best reference I can think of rn , lots of pretty designs and some animals, maybe some symbols and references from stuff. 

Olivia doesn’t have any tattoos but WE CAN CERTAINLY PRETEND

A lot of her spare money is made doing either graphics commissions or even photography from whoever needs her services !! The majority of her stuff has been done for cosplayers , budding models , budding actors and actresses , and even for other fraternities and sororities around campus. Zelda knows no rivalries when it comes to these things.

She’s also 100% that person who keeps around a polaroid camera so she can hang up pictures she takes she’s just That Person

Decorates the Gamma house with a lot of polaroids she’s taken and memey edits she’s done in Photoshop

INSIDE JOKES ARE HER THING

She also plays guitar and is fairly good at it but doesn’t have a band or anything rn bc she’s just someone who does it bc she wants to look cool ( and also bc the guitar’s a neato instrument but yeah she started it out just bc she wanted to play SOME kind of instrument at least )

,,,but she also knows how to play the bagpipes

and she owns a pair.

they’re in the gamma house. zelda plays them at meetings.

Also I can’t 100% guarantee she didn’t get her name from the Legend of Zelda series if y’all know me u know how much I adore that series so yeah

WANTED PLOTS / CONNECTIONS

GIVE ME A COMEDY SQUAD PLEEEEEEEEASE maybe even ppl she works to make a webseries or something with ?? give me people who work constantly just to make other people laugh

People she routinely takes photographs of !!

Whether they pay her or she uses as a muse for whatever

OTHER PPL FROM THE GREEK ROW THAT JUST DON’T… LIKE ZELDA FOR WHATEVER REASON

Maybe they think she’s too chill. Maybe they think she’s hiding something. Maybe they don’t like how she’s running Gamma but for whatever reason they just DON’T LIKE HER and I want enemies so fucking give me enemies

This is so general but more Gamma sisters would be lovely Zelda’s so eager to bring in more people to make their sorority feel like home

Give me crushes Zelda pines over !! Crushes that pine over Zelda !! Gimme that skinny love shit bc my god it gets me going !!

Hookup plots are also 100% acceptable bc again Zelda’s a carefree spirit and gives No Fucks

Also 100% down 4 cute romantic plots too - Zelda is ur regular poly pan babe w/ room in her heart for 12000 suns

it’s very on brand of me to place the romance/sex plots right smack in the middle as I’m thinking of what to put down

Okay when I was in high school we had majors and I was a Digital Art major and all the Visual Art majors had this bond with us for no reason so I’d really love some Vis. Art buddies that Zelda gets along with much like the bond she has with her ex-boyfriend now

OTHER PEOPLE TO DESIGN MORE TATTOOS FOR HER PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE one day she hopes to be a coloring book

I’D LOVE SOME UNLIKELY FRIENDS TOO JUST SOME GRUMPS ZELDA’S CONSTANTLY BOTHERING W/ HER SHIT

Memey group chat pls

THATS ALL I CAN THINK OF FOR NOW maybe i’ll do a more detailed / organized list soon but yeah !! Come at me !!!

[houseofvans]

WORKSHOP SHOUT OUTS | MATT WOLHRAB | VANS US OPEN

We’re featuring artist and maker Matt Wolhrab–the awesome person behind the street market booth Leon Washere at the Vans US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Known for his hand-colored animations of skateboarding and surfing, Matt hosted a flip-animation book workshop, where folks could draw and bring their own unique creations to life. We chatted with Matt about his artwork, his booth, and the inspiration behind some of his animations.

Take the Leap! 

Photographs by Celina Kenyon 

Introduce yourself. My name is Matt Wohlrab and I’m an artist living and working in southern New Jersey.

How would you describe yourself and your art?  I try to keep things simple, but I can still be a total spaz at times. My work is mainly focused on hand-colored animations of skateboarding and surfing. I paint and have other outlets but for the most part my times spents hunched over 3”x3” squares studying and meticulously coloring individual frames from old skate videos.

How did the idea of painting and re-animating photos and video clips of skateboarders and surfers come about? I know now the technical term for it is called rotoscoping, but at the time I was only messing around and happened upon it. I’m sure I’d seen it before somewhere. Everything’s been done before.

What’s the story behind the “Leon Was Here” name? How did that start and why do you think it stuck? My friends and I have a DIY spot where the local riffraff like to congregate. Nothing wrong there, but they have a penchant for shitty grafitti. One day we’re there and I keep seeing Leon Washere tagged all over. At this point I’m getting angry and start asking who this kid Leon Washere is and if anybody knew him. My friend turns to me and points out it says “Leon Was Here.” I cooled down and we had a laugh about it. This was before I made the animation stuff, so that night I went home and changed my ig handle to leon_washere as an inside joke. I mean, if I knew people where going to start addressing me as Leon, I probably wouldn’t have done it. It too late now. Actually there’s a new kid on the scene tagging Chad Was Here. Maybe I’ll change it up. 

What was the first photograph you painted and what was the first video clip you re-animated with art on it?  The first photograph I painted was of Tony Montgomery’s kickflip over a trash can at Love Park. It’s an old photo shot by Andre Tur. He’s actually from NJ, Tony is, you can find it online but its one of the best photos of a kickflip ever shot.

Clip-wise it was of that kid Ben Kadow doing a slappy or something I found on Bill Strobeck’s page. I just like the way he skated and this was before any of that FA/Supreme stuff. I think he had a part I saw in a video out of NY called MAMA’S BOYS. It was so rough I remember taking photos and cropping each frame on my phone. Like I said I didn’t know what I was doing. I finished it and was blown away, like holy shit I did this! It was really exciting so I posted in on my ig. Bill Strobeck re-posted it and that’s all she wrote. Never got to say thank you to him for that, so yeah thanks Bill.

Do you have a favorite photograph and video clip you’ve worked on? I really like the way a photo of Karl Watson at Pier 7 turned out. He’s got such a distinct style you know its him whether its a clip or a photo. My favorite clip is another favorite of mine Phil Shao, R.I.P. It’s the ollie at Santa Rosa Park. Him pushing and carving corners. It sets the actual trick up well.

Besides painting and re-animating, you also create abstract interpretations of still life paintings and animals. When did you start creating these series of works and what do you love about painting?  I always painted on the side but never felt confident enough to show any of it. I started getting back into actual works on paper and canvas because I felt the computer creeping into my work and I needed to make mistakes and live with them. For the most part, that’s what painting is to me. An opportunity to be fearless and be more intuitive.

What are your essential art tools? What art supply do you always have on you at all times? It’s a little bit of everything from paint pens, colored pencils, watercolors, oil pastels, etc. Whatever works for each piece. The decision is made on the fly usually. I like to have an array of Sharpie paint pens at all times. I know what I like for sure and can get picky. Unless I’m broke then it’s whatever I can find.

How do you stay inspired–what do you do in your off time when not creating or painting to stay inspired? I try to hang out with different types of people outside skateboarding and surfing. Gives me a better perspective on things. Obviously skating and stuff, but I’m a bit older now and can’t keep up like I did in the past. It’s still good for me to be around it nonetheless. It’s like the fountain of youth.

Tell us about your Street Market booth.   There definitely are a bunch of posters/prints of my work and some pieces exclusive to the event. I made a video of my work I’m showing each day as well. I don’t want to tell you everything or you won’t stop by. 

Do you have a favorite Vans silhouette?  Chukka Boot

What’s the best advice you’d give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps? What’s the worst bit of advice you’ve gotten? Do what you want, not what you think is going to be cool to everybody else. All that stuff changes so fast, you’ll end up chasing a trend. The worst bit of advice. Propbably something having to do with money. As soon as money gets involved in my decision making I’m screwed.

Besides art, what are some of your other hobbies?  Taking videos of my cat Mitas. I skate regularly when I’m not injured, surf if theres a wave and my friends are going out. I read, I like being outside mostly just don’t as me to go hiking. I hate hikes. I do not want to go an adventure.

Do you have some favorite artists at the moment? Francisco Mendes Moreira, Wolfgang Tillmans, Lauren Nickou

Finally what do you have coming up for the rest of summer? Trying to be more healthy in mind, body and spirit. The rest will take care of itself.

[saigeboredeaux-blog]

( cisfemale ) haven’t seen SAIGE BORDEAUX around in a while. the LIANA LIBERATO lookalike has been known to be (+) CONFIDENT & (+) AMIABLE, but SHE can also be (-) RECKLESS & (-) IRRATIONAL. The 20 year old is a SOPHOMORE majoring in LINGUISTICS + CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY. I believe they’re living in FIDELIS but I popped by earlier and no one answered the door. ( james! 20! est! she/they! )

i loved naeva but it isnt her time, she doesnt belong in the mortal realm sndjkfjgkh BUT i did wake up from my nap with an INTENSE FEELING OF LOVE AND MUSE for saige, who is my actual legitimate daughter. so pleathe, have her. love her. respect her. if you haven’t already dropped a like on my other post and you’d like to plot with saige, pleathe do so on this one !!

TW: drug use, alcoholism, implied abuse ? shitty parents at the very least, addiction

a e s t h e t i c s (i saved them this time !!!)

stick n' pokes at 2am -- when your drunk and giggling too much in between purposeful stabs, avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk because they're bad luck and they'll break your mother's back -- even if your mother doesn't love you, because you love her, the familiar riff in an old song -- one that's got you strumming along silently; there is no guitar, only empty air lit by the christmas lights you haven't taken down. it's may. swallowing down shots, and by default, swallowing down problems. laughing quick, easily, constantly. skinned knees from skateboarding, despite being rubbish at it. wishes on eyelashes stuck to your cheekbones, glitter sticking, running into the ocean at sunrise; feeling at home. excuses, and the many forms they come in. telling people you love them through hand squeezes and fresh muffins, sideways glances and soft, eager grins.

general info !!

full name: saige alouette beaumont

nickname(s): she…doesn’t have any in this timeline but PLEASE, she LOVES nicknames. she’s a nickname slut.

b.o.d. - july 7th, 20 whole yrs old.

label(s): the hedonist, the icarcian, the reveler, etc. etc.

height: 5′7″ thank u very much !!

hometown: thibodaux, louisiana

sexuality: firstly when aren’t my babies bi as FUCK but she also prefers masc-presenting folks

pinterest

stats

biography !!

the fallible daughter of two very infallible people: robert bordeaux, US lieutenant general, and manon levesque, world renown fashion designer. both calculating, cold, and purposeful.

saige never believed she was created out of love. it was an action with a purpose, intentions to create the perfect child. the hybrid of both military genius and fashion extraordinaire, molded to their will.

it took them no more than six months after her birth for her parents to up and move, thus beginning the cycle of packing and unpacking, flying and driving, state-to-state and country-to-country. the longest saige had ever stayed in one place was two years.

kept on a short leash, homeschooled, and learning skills she had no interest in -- she was more like a pet, a project, than a child. the world moved all around her, but she felt restrictively tethered to her parents.

she had always felt this way. a bird in a cage of thorns.

it was hard to keep and maintain friends -- saige would be there one day, and gone the next. a ghost, a very visible ghost. even so, she tried her hardest.

running from bodyguards (nannies, in a sense. her father is a paranoid man) into festival crowds and climbing out of windows in the dark of night to swim in lakes with locals she’d meet only a few hours earlier -- she absorbed as much of what she could get; this intense, undying love for a world she had always craved to see.

it was the start of something near dangerous -- a phase that seemed to never end, rebellion coursing through her veins. a wild child in the making, unknowing of limits. the bad sort of crowd was the crowd she found herself landing, more often than not -- introducing the sheltered girl to a world she hadn’t quite known existed

she ran away, briefly, at age fifteen with a man three years older than her -- which nearly ended up in a tabloid magazine if it hadn’t been for her parents’ money. though the guilt of her parents’ disappointed weighed on her, the thrill fueled something much worse

from that point on, she became a problem child. from public intoxication to vandalism -- it was clear their daughter was unraveling and nothing could contain her.

boarding school was a small attempt to stop it -- she got expelled.

she hadn’t intended to go to university, either -- but, by some chance -- and after a mysterious year-long disappearance from public eye during her eighteenth year of living, next thing she knew, she was a student at lockwood. (more on this later :~) )

connection to tatiana: party pals !! super close as long as they were drunk, but they generally ran in different circles (though saige sorta...runs through all circles?) whilst sober

personality !!

bubbly. so fucking bubbly. she’s got so much fucking energy on her -- she goes running every morning and every night and swims like every afternoon and she’s n e v e r tired ?? the personality of a coke bottle shaken up but like if the bottle could laugh.

tries her hardest to be the Happy Fun friend, y’know, the one who can hook you up w/ some sicccc shit b/c she befriended/possibly slept with her drug dealer and now she gets discounts.

like, generally, comes off as very confident of herself and fearless and, like, yes--reckless, but like a fun reckless, y’know ??

talks a l o t, could ramble for days, hand gestures and all.

if she wants to do something, she will do it and there’s not much you can do to stop her tbh. she’s very easy-going, very go-go-go, very...mischievous, y’know? even if she’s trying to do something stupid you kinda just have to let her do it or otherwise she’ll mope for three hours and pout at you and you’ll feel ?? this weird sense of guilt ?? which isn’t the Best thing but she’s not the best person either so dfghjh

a vegetarian !! meat makes her sick, like, physically.

uuuhh her vocabulary consists of a lot of ‘likes’ and ‘ums’ and ‘y’knows’, y’know ??

i am like 99% sure she’s got adhd but she’s never been diagnosed with it b/c her parents suck with that stuff. her parents sort of suck in general.

like...she’s currently not on speaking terms with them. she’s not disowned...like, yet, but they haven’t said more than like five words to each other since saige was eighteen and it k i l l s her but they also send her a shit ton of money every month so.

owns like...four cars.....she has them all on campus.....she prolly isn’t suppose to...but she does...one of them’s a real sleek sports car, one is a jacked up pick-up truck that’s decked out in like LED lights n shit, one is the same exact fucking car from the princess diaries b/c saige is obsessed w/ the movie. the other is like. a mini cooper probably.

a photographer, her walls are covered in photographs and art and taped-down plants and in general her room is very ?? cluttered ?? like it’s very home-y but god. she’s a mess. clothes everywhere. she’s probably got a pile of instruments and other miscellaneous hobbies on a chair in the corner that she hasn’t touched in a while

speaking of !! she has a bunch of random, like, skills ?? like knitting and sewing and cooking and three different forms of ballroom dancing, and she can definitely work a gun and a car engine except she goes thru interests so rapidly and is disinterested in most of the other ones b/c her parents forced like half of them onto her.

she plays bass guitar. she loves her bass guitar. she knows other instruments but the only ones she’ll really fidget with are her bass guitar and like, her violin. everything else she’s like ~okay~ at

got really obsessed with languages at a young age and started learning them ?? her mother is like. super french, like genuinely from france, so she already grew up speaking both english and french but she’s learnt others for the hell of it and she’s still learning like three other at the same time which is a MESS but she’s a mess so like can u blame her sdfghj

but like i said, she’s v e r y reckless. very much a party girl. she uses like...quite a few drugs, both socially and alone and frankly -- she’s rarely sober.

a budding alcoholic because she’s convinced that without it she’ll be Miserable and Horrible to everybody because she’s a Horrible, Awful person who is the absolute Worse and if drinking vodka mixed in with 23 crystal lite packets helps with not thinking like that then she’ll do it no questions asked

its a problem she’s been developing since she was younger, only amplified by ... situation, that happened when she was eighteen.

is essentially wearing this mask of confidence and giddiness and flirtatiousness b/c she doesnt want people to think she’s doing Not Okay.

she loves so much. she loves everything, everybody. falls in love like five times a day but nothing really sticks to her either. if ur a shitty person/come off as an asshole then she’ll be more likely to be attracted to her b/c shes Always been like this. finds them super interesting which is ?? questionable ?? sometimes i want to just. knock some sense into her but y’know what...it’s fine we’re Fine

she gets around p frequently but is also the type of person who’ll like, try n maintain a positive, good friendship with whoever she sleeps with b/c the idea of having regrettable encounters is smth that Bothers her and she just pretty much refuses.

she does stick n pokes !! a whole bunch !! let her give you one !! she can’t draw for shit but i mean, who cares, right ??

uuuhh her mom sends her like...prototypes of things she designs n shit that isn’t out yet and saige 100% always gives it away or it sits in her closet and essentially that is her go-to gift for birthdays or christmas or whenever she feels like it

there’s literally sm i could say about her but i’ll stop Here b/c it’s getting too long sksksksk

wanted connections !!

give me. a best friend. just somebody who sticks by her side even though she’s a Mess

like, a ride or die ?? is that the same as a best friend ?? idc i want both :)

and just in general, like, people she’s p close to ?? she’s really friendly and is the kind of girl who’d be really popular in high school but doesn’t care abt popularity n talks to literally Everybody like she’s known them all her life.

ESP if ur muse is a lil grumpier !! she will fuck their shit up, but like, in a friendship way.

party pals, who, much like tatiana they don’t talk that much outside of parties but inside them ?? super close. glued to the hip. hold-your-hair-back kinda tight.

frenemies ?? fake friends ?? toxic pals ?? ppl using her for her money or like, sex, or something ?? anything ??

bad influences ?? who just encourage all of saige’s shit ??

good influences ?? who are like YOINK stop being an idiot.

a tutor b/c she’s like...she’s smart, okay, but she’s also really stupid LMAO. she’s rly bad at math and science. somebody help her.

hook ups ?? fwbs ?? that one, rare one-night-stand that went weird ??

exes ?? she’s sorta noncommittal so idk how long they would’ve dated but like sjdfkbo yolo ?? ex hook-ups too ??

...somebody who just. hates her. but she doesn’t realize bc she’s a big ol’ idiot. she thinks theyre pals !!

let her b a thorn in someone’s side, just like, an absolute annoyance LMAO

gimme an enemy, or like an ex-best friend where something happened between them n it ruined their friendship

i will take literally anything i dont know

she steals ur character’s mail ?? ur cat keeps escaping and she keeps letting them inside even tho she’s allergic ??

one of those friendships where theyre always bickering like an old married couple ?? but it’s Purely Platonic (or is it ??)

an off-and-on again that just. it’s not good for either of them b/c they keep enabling each other and then getting pissed off and it’s a Mess but ?? it’s so hard to stop.

please. take her. give me connections.

[bisexualamy]

Nadiya, Lup, Here There Be Gerblins, Petals to the Metal, Lenny, Tres Horny Boys, Lunar Interlude, and of course, Remmy

Yes yes yes thank you!

Nadiya: Be proud – talk about something you’re good at.

I have to put in the obligatory goofy one of, at this point, I can pretty much identify every font that comes with default Microsoft Word (2007 and back, I stopped using Word during high school and don’t own it) on sight, plus some extras that aren’t in the defaults but I use a lot in design projects.

The not goofy one is I’m very good at just... articulating myself I think is the best way to put it. It used to just come out in the fact that I’m a good writer, and I’m trying to own that more because I used to own it when I was younger and then decided I shouldn’t be so public about it because it came off as arrogant. But now it’s also coming out in the fact that like, I’m a surprisingly confident public speaker for someone who can be very insecure, and I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I have good emotional intelligence, which is a very high compliment to me. I’ve always been good at sort of, identifying what I’m feeling and explaining it to myself, but only recently have I been able to put those feelings into words and explanations that other people can understand too.

Lup: You are so loved and love in return – gush about at least one sibling, friend, or partner.

I’m so fucking grateful for the fact that I have a bunch of friends now that really just love me unconditionally. I’ve talked about it a few times on this blog but I was also talking about it with my parents now that I’m home, of how I had a very rough freshman year of college and my close friends would’ve been totally justified in taking a step back from me and didn’t. Like, the majority of those people don’t use tumblr, and the ones that do know who they are and I don’t feel super comfortable @ing them.

I don’t mean this in a way of like “you should stick by your friends no matter what” because I think it’s very important to recognize when you, personally, need to take care of yourself and stop prioritizing other people above yourself. I think it takes a specific kind of person to compartmentalize other people’s emotions away from your own life experiences, and know when to step in and when to say no, and I’m super grateful that I have a core group of people that were able to do that with me freshman year. I don’t know if I would be as healthy as I am now without having those wonderful people in my life.

Here There Be Gerblins: Embrace nostalgia – what was your first encounter with a loved one?

I hate flirting specifically because I cannot pick up on the subtly that’s intrinsic to it, and I would really much rather people just come up to me and be like “I like you; let’s date” because I feel like it saves a lot of time and emotional distress. And people don’t believe me when I say this because I’m very good at reading people, but for some reason flirting specifically is a blind spot for me. My point is that when they don’t believe me I always tell the story of how I started dating one of my best friends from high school. This isn’t technically a first encounter but it is sort of, the start of a relationship, and it’s really cute so I’m gonna tell it anyway.

He’s a year above me and we were very close friends throughout the two years we knew each other before he graduated, and then when we went to college and I was a senior we still kept in close contact. And my mom kept telling me he was flirting with me (he at one point made me a sword for a cosplay I never ended up finishing, just because he “wanted a project” and he had a wood shop in his basement) but I didn’t buy it because I assumed he’d just say something.

Anyway May of my senior year of high school he came back after his freshman year and we were hanging out a bunch and over at a mutual friend’s house and cuddling on the couch and I promise you, my internal monologue was “wow isn’t it incredible that two bi/pan guys can just be gay with each other on a couch in a platonic way” because I’m fucking clueless. And he walked me to my car when we went to leave and gave me a hug, and this was still my internal monologue up until he kissed my forehead and I went “.......wait a second. Is that platonic?” Because again, I’m so so so bad at picking up on this shit.

It got brought up like five days later and we ended up dating for a few months but after I was in college for a bit I realized I don’t like long distance relationships and we had a super civil breakup. We still talk somewhat regularly and I consider us good friends still. He knows this story and he finds it hilarious because I’ve always been very very bad at picking up on flirting, which is what finally just led to him being more direct. Case and point: I found out like, literally a few months ago that not only was he flirting with me that summer, but he was into me for at least a year before that. The sword was flirting (I know, shocking). My mom was right.

Petals to the Metal: Sometimes we need to let loose – when have you done something you shouldn’t have because it made you happy?

Unhealthy coping mechanisms that I’ve kicked or am trying to kick don’t really have a place in a thread about positivity, so instead I’m gonna go really stereotypical Art Student™. I love trespassing in places to take photographs. I’ve never like, gone to a place that I REALLY shouldn’t have been, but I have wandered around some abandoned places that were totally intended to be locked or off limits. 

Photography makes me really happy, even the process of editing the photos in post-production is very calming for me, so I try to do it when I can. Probably the most dangerous place I’ve ever done this is on live train tracks? Live in the sense that like, trains run up and down them on the daily (they’re not electrified) and I still walk along/on them, because I figured that if a train was coming I’d hear it. I, no joke, am doing this again in two days, and scheduled a photoshoot with someone on these train tracks, because the aesthetic is really nice (especially in the snow) and I’ve done it twice before, so maybe I’m a little cocky. My sister mentioned to me that I should check the train schedule and coordinate around it this time, which honestly, I probably should.

Lenny: “You may remember, you subscribed to the cylinder of the month club” – what is something you are well-known (or notorious) for?

The fonts thing definitely. I regularly get messages from people asking me to identify fonts for them. Also I say some really ridiculous things occasionally that I’ve not yet lived down. I’m not going to revive them by repeating them here. ALSO “what is Ren short for” is a game that has continued past my legal name change and will probably continue into infinity. Answers are getting increasingly creative, though Renjamin is definitely the most popular and has evolved into something people actually, regularly address me as.

Tres Horny Boys: “Nobody ever say that out loud ever again please” – what is your worst nickname?

Someone once realized that you can make a Ronald Regan pun off of “what is Ren short for” and it didn’t last because all my friends are Gays™ but that’s gotta be the worst answer to this game.

Lunar Interlude: “I hand Leon the token” – how do you make your friends laugh?

So for the longest time I was convinced I was just Not Funny At All until I started doing improv my junior year of high school and was (to me, shockingly) good at it, and then I realized it was more of a lack of confidence than anything else. This is going to sound really stilted and empirical, but doing improv off and on for a few years and performing in front of lots of different kinds of people and audiences has made me really aware of the techniques people use to make people laugh, and has given me a sort of “shorthand” for how to, in most cases, land a joke. This is not a discovery on my part: there are 100s of podcasts and books on this stuff (I literally just finished a design project on this), but it’s a lot easier for me to understand something if I’ve experienced it.

Inside jokes are always a way that my friends and I laugh with each other, but beyond that, the golden rule for me is that specificity always gets a laugh above a general statement. If your funny comment is really tailored to your audience or in general just contains a super specific detail (3.5 minutes versus a few minutes) people find it funnier. I haven’t quite figured out why yet, though. Honestly though, I’m friends with a ton of creative people, and the times we laugh the most is just when we banter in the same space together without shooting each other down. I’m trying my best to stop shooting down comments people make, no matter how ridiculous, as long as I’m not uncomfortable. Jokes tend to build on each other and so if you’re in a supportive, funny environment, things just get funnier.

Remmy: Love is a motivator – who do you want to make proud?

It might sound like a cop out but myself. I used to really hate that concept, but I’ve been recently finding a lot of power in self-improvement. I try really hard to incorporate mindfullness and reflection into my life, and recognizing that I’m in a better place (academically, socially, emotionally, etc) then where I was in the past makes me feel really content.

Like, obviously I like when people appreciate the work I do, and the support of my friends and family is very important to me, but I try not to specifically improve to make others proud of me. The person I’m guaranteed to spend my entire life with is myself, so I should make sure I’m proud of myself first.

[howblunt]

1-98 weird asks!

First off: Thank you so much! I’m very excited to answer all of these :) 

Second off: Let’s begin

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? 

Coffee Mugs 

 2. chocolate bars or lollipops? 

lollipops for sure 

 3. bubblegum or cotton candy? 

bubblegum! (though i do love cotton candy)

 4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? 

honestly I’m not sure. I’m sure it was something about me being quite and bad at participating 

 5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? 

(reusable) Plastic cups 

 6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? 

I love the look of pastel 

but I think I dress more preppy ? with a hint of grunge(maybe goth) 

 7. earbuds or headphones?

I wear earbuds more often but I do prefer headphones 

 8. movies or tv shows? 

MOVIES

 9. favorite smell in the summer? 

how the pool smells and sunscreen 

 10. game you were best at in p.e.? 

none. P.E. was awful.

Stick to the back and hope the ball doesn’t come at me, that’s how I lived. 

 11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? 

Cereal. I am a simple woman 

 12. name of your favorite playlist? 

currently it is my “Jean + Scott angst (and love)” playlist off spotify 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3VAC9t28sIrgO7Y4os5a34

 13. lanyard or key ring? 

key ring 

 14. favorite non-chocolate candy? 

anything gummy but more specifically gummy worms 

 15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

Wide Sargasso Sea 

If you like Gothic novels with some unrequited love and desire… hit this book up. Look up the plot of Jane Erye first.. it’s like a prequel. Btw I hated Jane Erye. But love Wide Sargasso Sea. Lots of symbolism and even witch craft 

 16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Legs stretched out, both on the ground 

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

My black tennis shoes. Very comfortable 

 18. ideal weather? 

Fall weather. Wind and sunshine 

 19. sleeping position?

Usually on my right side. But I wake up on my back

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? 

Laptop

 21. obsession from childhood?

Barbie dolls! and my little pony+ littlest pet shop 

 22. role model? 

This is a hard one because I don’t really have anyone. But I guess Dan Aykroyd (my senior quote is from him) 

 23. strange habits? 

biting the inside of my mouth, fidgeting + folding up papers that are given to me (like in mass), and chewing my straws 

 24. favorite crystal? 

Rose quartz and orange Calcite

 25. first song you remember hearing?

Here Comes the Sun

My mom used to sing it in the morning to wake up my sister and me 

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? 

Swim

Or walk/ride my bike to the library 

 27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

curl up in a blanket and stay inside 

 28. five songs to describe you? 

(In no order)

Not Today by Twenty One Pilots 

Wow, I’m Not Crazy by AJR 

xanny by Billie Eilish 

I’m In Love With My Car by Queen

Why Do You Feel So Down by Declan McKenna 

 29. best way to bond with you? 

Going shopping (clothes or other). This way we can chat and also have something to do 

 30. places that you find sacred?

The library and church 

 31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? 

idk full outfit but my black pleated skirt makes me feel good 

 32. top five favorite vines? 

In no order

*girl vapes* wow

I smell like beef 

Lets’s tell each other secrets. I’ll go first, I hate you. 

Chris is that a weed?!

This is how I enter my house. What’s up fuckers?! 

 33. most used phrase in your phone? 

omg

 34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? 

that one for the shampoo made for curly hair. and it goes “That’s curl power”

 35. average time you fall asleep? 

11 or 12 during the week. 1 or 2 for weekends 

 36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? 

Rage comics. idk which specifically. But i used to run a rage comic meme account. I was pretty popular ;)

37. suitcase or duffel bag? 

suitcase

 38. lemonade or tea? 

lemonade (though i do LOVE tea)

 39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Lemon cakes 

 40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?  

omg so. There was this girl who told on this other girl for cheating on a test. Then like the whole grade just ganged up on this other girl and started calling her “the snitch” because the cheater’s friend group started saying “snitches get stitches” (lol even tho i went to an all girls, majority white + prissy + upper class, catholic school but go off) that went on for too long.

at some party they started to chant “snitches get stitches” 

the girl who started the chant then got suspended 

41. last person you texted? 

my ex. (it was a good breakup) 

 42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? 

jacket pockets 

 43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? 

hoodie 

 44. favorite scent for soap?

strawberry 

 45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

sci-fi (lmao x-men is under sci-fi at the library. so it counts) 

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? 

XL t-shirt from giving blood and some very loose pajama shorts 

 47. favorite type of cheese?

American

 48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? 

Mango (I eat enough to turn into one)

 49. what saying or quote do you live by? 

“Comparison will kill you”

 50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

OMG so there was this big spider web. And me and a friend thought it would be funny to call another friend over. And then be like “’lol u just walked passed a huge spider”–we didn’t think she would walk into it or near it because it was right by the edge of a lake we were by. So we call her over and this girl starts sprinting over toward us and RIGHT toward the spider web, and she had this big smile. And my friend and I yelled at her to stop. And when we were laughing saying she was about to run into a spider web and showed her the big spider, she began to freak out (maybe even cry). 

She was okay after the shock and fear wore off. 

I literally have tears in my eyes from typing this 

 51. current stresses? 

My friend moving away really far 

Starting school

making new friends 

 52. favorite font? 

I honestly don’t have one

 53. what is the current state of your hands? 

kinda dry

 54. what did you learn from your first job?

That I really love kids

 55. favorite fairy tale? 

Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel 

 56. favorite tradition?

Every one of my family’s Christmas traditions 

 57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? 

My self doubt

sharing my art + writing 

My self confidence + learning my worth 

 58. four talents you’re proud of having?

I can play the piano

I can draw and paint

I can embroider and sew (not well but I have fun)

I can write pretty creative stories 

 59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

“Oh gosh, now what?”

 60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? 

Magical Girl Anime

 61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

Darjeeling Limited directed by Wes Anderson: “What’s wrong with you?” / “Let me think about that. I’ll tell you the next time I see you.” / “Sure, tell me then.” / “Thanks for using me.” / “You’re Welcome.” 

 62. seven characters you relate to?

Will from Stranger Things (with the whole not wanting to give up “childish things” and other stuff his friends are growing out of)

David Wong from John Dies at the End (with how he handles the situation and thinks)

Molly from Booksmart (not the going to a great college or being super smart + looking down on people part. But wanting to go to a party and flirt with cute boys)

Erin from Derry Girls (Tbh, I relate to all the main girls in this show)

Eric from That 70s Show (sometimes)

A mix between Ben and Andy from Parks and Rec

63. five songs that would play in your club?

Good Old Fashion Lover Boy by Queen 

Dance, Baby! by Boy Pablo 

Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede 

Fake Happy by Paramore 

Sober Up by AJR

 64. favorite website from your childhood? 

Club Penguin and Webkinz 

 65. any permanent scars?

On my knees from falling as a child. A small scar under my eye from a dog bite 

66. favorite flower(s)? 

Roses and Daisies 

 67. good luck charms?  

I wear this necklace a friend gave me when I am nervous 

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

Green Tea flavored Mochi is kinda nasty to me

 69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? 

Dan Aykroyd lost his wallet that he always kept chained to his belt. He was freaking out and searching all over while John Belushi was laughing his butt off

 70. left or right handed?

right 

 71. least favorite pattern?

anything with too many circles / holes 

72. worst subject? 

Anything Science related 

 73. favorite weird flavor combo?

idk but do NOT try lemonade with Doritos. it taste like throw up 

I’ve made this mistake twice 

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

it has to be an 7 or so

 75. when did you lose your first tooth? 

gosh, i’m not sure 

 76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? 

tator tots 

 77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

this is a question for my sister 

 78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

I regularly buy sushi from a grocery store so that works 

the grocery store I go to has a sushi bar and has fresh sushi every day 

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

tbh they both looks kinda good.. not to BRAG. but i guess driver’s license 

 80. earth tones or jewel tones? 

Earth tones

 81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

fireflies 

 82. pc or console? 

pc 

 83. writing or drawing?

BOTH BOTH BOTH BOTH BOTH

both

 84. podcasts or talk radio? 

podcast – no commercials 

 84. barbie or polly pocket? 

Barbie all the WAY! Though I do love me a good polly pocket 

 85. fairy tales or mythology?

Fair Tales

 86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cookies

though i like making cupcakes more 

 87. your greatest fear?

Being kidnapped and never being found 

 88. your greatest wish?

To find my ideal man

 89. who would you put before everyone else? 

Anyone in my family 

 90. luckiest mistake?

Thinking a test is sooner so I study. But then ending up having another day to study as well. 

91. boxes or bags?

Boxes 

 92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? 

lamps 

(maybe some fairy lights in the background) 

 93. nicknames?

My real name is Veronica but I go by Ronni

Ron Ron, Gonni, Ronica 

 94. favorite season? 

Fall 

 95. favorite app on your phone? 

music 

 96. desktop background? 

I’m a Kaneki slut (Tokyo Ghoul) 

 97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

two

 98. favorite historical era?

style wise: 1800 rococo -- Marie Antoinette period 

media wise: 1970s  

[zoesrhees]

somehow i ended up w six characters again :// i’d love some more plots so under the read more you can learn about zoe, true, ruby, bruno, marisol & rocio come plot w me!! i’m gonna try & work on replies before passing out so if u like this post i will come to u tomorrow!

zoe [arden cho fc] 20, kappa gamma vp, cheerleader, virgo, poli-sci & pre-law major;

flighty and forgetful af sticks her foot in her mouth bunches

ally mcbeal & elle woods are her heroes wants to be just like them; at the very least somewhat like them

is a little ridiculous and over the top sometimes, stupidly dramatic in the most nonsensical of ways, will probably drag herself on the floor and weep if she hasn’t eaten in three hours just a huge idiot that makes a fuss out of the littlest of things

grew up in san antonio, tx and her and her fam moved to pennsylvannia right before she started high school

zoe’s dad is in sports medicine he used to be a trainer for the san antonio spurs & now works for the 76ers so she’s huge into sports especially basketball

she wears short skirts she’s cheer captain & she’s also on the bleachers!!!

no really she really likes short skirts???

very very self conscious and has a lot of self doubt doesn’t think she can be successful worries and stresses over everything wants to make her parents proud

lowkey a hoe but like in the sense that she’s a HUGE hopeless romantic and just hopes that one day she’ll have her hollywood style romance

can be selfish, stubborn and extremely shallow at times

the sort of person that will get roasted and then think of a comeback hours later

will literally RUN AWAY in an uncomfortable situation like g2g :///

just a big giant walking awkward meme honestly

true [ ricky whittle fc] 25, epsilon kappa tau, pres, taurus, pre-med major;

took some time off after high school before coming to college to travel and explore

lived most of the time with his aunt in paris and worked in a little deli could have probably lived and gone to school there

met the love of his life there, had all sorts of adventures and this was probably the most lighthearted and content and blissful he was

stayed in paris and got into a pretty bad accident that really destroyed his left leg, walks with a cane now, hooked on pain pills, some of it is psychosomatic

grumpy old man 999% of the time though he’s gotten a lot better he still makes a lot of deprecating jokes about being a cripple etc etc etc

v fashioned after dr. house tbh

completely out of touch with technology had a flip phone until about six months ago and now all he knows how to do is swipe to unlock

has probably asked siri a bunch of stupid questions

family man through and through though there are some very big shoes to fill in his fam

doesn’t get a lot of the things “the kids” are into honestly

ruby [marie avgeropoulos fc] 20, kappa gamma kappa, gymnastics co-cap, cancer, marine biology major

the definition of that old expression sweet summer child

gentle, sweet, honest, caring, humble

super into gymnastics, could hve made the australian olympic team at some point

super worrisome, self-blaming, self-deprecating, would literally give anyone the shirt off her back, too trusting for her own good

hasn’t had the best experiences though she tries to push that away barely talks about it with anyone but her older brother because he’s seen some horrors himself

loves to snorkel and dive would one hundred percent live off the grid if she could

huGe science dork but admittedly not the best student in the world

obsesses over everything that could go wrong, cries a lot, has a vehement need to be liked and validated

loves openly and fiercely and perhaps a little too easily

kindest little soul v pure

marisol [cierra ramirez fc] 20, omega alpha chi, scorpio, photojournalism major, newspaper & some other stuff i put her in

miami raised, marisol is LOUD as hell, loves good music, good food and having a good time

mexican & columbian aka mexilumbian aka the best of both worlds v v proud of her heritage

EXTRA ™

semi internet famous she has a good following on instagram and twitter and is honestly known for her posts feat other people where she boasts and heart eyes over them

a huge believer in boosting other people’s confidence will go out of her way to compliment another girl just because even if its something as small as i like your top

bi visibility advocate 

she is maya’s half sister maya was adopted out and marisol literally STALKED her on facebook until she found out what university she was going to and lo and behold here she is!!!

she just doesn’t know how to TELL maya she’s her sister so she’s gonna pretend to admire her from a far

bruno [jarod joseph fc] 21, psi delta, pisces, graphic design major

raised between aus & ny he was born in sydney and was taken in by the fairchild fam after his parents died because they were close friends

looks like he could kill you and is actually a cinnamon roll. meme

really really sensitive, wears his heart on his sleeve an open book

always smiling

very passionate about mashed potatoes!!!

friend to all, bruno is super chill and really nice, really supportive, honestly all he wants to do is get high and eat food 

likes graffiti pretty good at it

idenitifies a lot with troy barnes from community

probably has the most adorable and dorkiest laugh ever

video game NERD

family is REALLY important to him and he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place over the forgiveness of his oldest adoptive brother for leaving

bby  has abandoment issues

misses his parents

rocio [diane guerrero] 21, tau alpha zeta, fine arts major, a bunch of clubs and shit i haven’t decided

her parents were basically travelling hippies who worked with a circus and literally went all over the world

she’s lived in all sorts of places most notably, puerto rico, australia and berlin

was going to be a tight rope walker but she changed her mind

changes her mind A LOt very very fleeting and ephemeral interests

but she’s developed a ton of hobbies and talents because of it

good singer, good tap dancer, can juggle, make ballon animals just a general jack of all trades

very chill, very laid back, really silly 

sells homemade jewelry for extra money

and flower crowns

don’t forget about the flower crowns

never sleeps, currently denying rumors that she’s a vampire

she’s a pacifist, doesn’t fight, doesn’t argue, doesn’t get involved in business that isn’t hers 

jokes about being born out of time a lot and thinks she’s should have lived during the summer of love

her name means dewdrops

[agentxthirteen]

Thinking Liberally Newsletter 1/23/17

Party like it's 1984:

If you have twitter, check whom you follow. Some people were following Trump, Melania, Pence, or Spicer without their knowledge. Twitter claimed it was a bug from when Obama moved to @BarackObama, but there are reports that people who never followed the @POTUS, @FLOTUS, etc accounts are now following them. (By the way, Obama's tweets as president are archived at @POTUS44.)

Did you notice how Trump got an unusual amount of applause at his first press conference? The press attested that Trump had employees in the wings to clap and laugh at his jokes. The same thing happened when he gave a speech at the CIA - in front of the Memorial Wall, no less. For which Trump is drawing a bit of fire. BTW, correlation is not causation, but morale at the CIA is allegedly at an all-time low. Oh, and look. Here's an article confirming that Trump brought a cheering section to his speech, and that relations between Trump and US intelligence agencies are now worse than before.

Also, beware: When the National Parks Service tweeted comparative photos of Trump and Obama's inaugurations, they were barred from tweeting again - even if it was only about weather updates.

After obvious lies - or, as Kellyanne Conway says, "alternate facts" - one quote to keep in mind is from George Orwell: "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." (By the way, Sean Spicer is getting flack from other press secretaries - including Hillary Clinton's press secretary, Brian Fallon. Of course, the press knows the Spicer is a liar and has been for a long time.) Some have noted that the administration is aware that everyone knows they're lying - their constant lies are a way of saying they don't care. The best way to combat it? Keep demanding the truth - if nothing else, they'll have to waste time lying or convincing people that no one cares about the lies. I particularly love this tweet pointing out one of the lies. Keep it up, media!

Oh, and some people have noticed that Facebook posts critical of Trump have had privacy settings changed- these people have noticed that their posts can now only be seen by themselves.

The press was banned from Trump's DC hotel during the inauguration week.

Now might be a good time to point out you can download the Labor Department's Women's Bureau's resources in case they disappear in the future.

The Trumps evidently ignore the press and the press's requests for comments until it's time for a retraction.

Companies are already careful of what announcements they make, even recycling old press releases, to avoid pissing off the Don.

Links to inform and terrify:

As you can imagine, it's been an INCREDIBLY busy week for news. First, the terrifying stuff:

Day One of Trump's administration, he:

Signed an executive order to "ease the burdens of Obamacare." Also in the article: He signed paperwork to elevate James Mattis and John Kelly to his defense secretary and homeland security secretary, respectively.

Reversed Obama's mortgage fee cuts, leading to this bit of regret from a Trump supporter...

Trump caused a lot of concern when he scrubbed the info on the White House site, including policies to on healthcare, civil rights, and LGBTQ sections. This is normal for administrations. Two things caused concern when material appeared on the site again: the promotions for Melania's jewelry line and Trump's "America First" action plan.

Stated, through his administration, that environmental regulations should be cut back to increase American wages. Pretty sure it 1) doesn't work like that, and 2) those figures he used to justify getting rid of regulations on clean water, etc, are wrong. The Atlantic actually focused on whether or not regulations kill jobs in this piece.

A new budget proposes no funding whatsoever for National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities and ending federal appropriations for the Corporation of Private Broadcasting. There's still a chance Trump won't see it through, but so far, he's shown a higher regard for the Heritage Foundation's opinion than the American people's. And unfortunately, he's using the Heritage Foundation's dream budget as a template.

He also may cut funding to Violence Against Women Programs, based on that same Heritage Foundation dream template. This seems like a good idea to point out that Trump has nominated more men accused of sexual assault to his cabinet than he has women.

In terrifying things that you may regret watching, here's Trump blowing a kiss to FBI Director James Comey. You may remember that Comey is supposed to be investigating Trump. He was much more enthusiastic about investigating the Clintons - and has been since 2001. Maybe if Bill had blown him a kiss...

The lawsuits against Trump begin. One from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) to stop Trump from profiting from foreign businesses, and another from the ACLU.

After trying to help boost Trump's support among black voters, Kanye West is deemed not "traditionally American" enough to perform at the inauguration.

We have Betsy Devos's ethics report, and the vote to confirm her has been postponed. Rex Tillerson, though, is inching closer, so get your activists hats on!

Yeah, Trump's inaugural cake was a copy of Obama's. On purpose!

Only 28 of 690 appointments nominated so far. The thought of what will happen this week is terrifying. And, that's only the appointments. As for everyone else... Actually, the outgoing administration has no idea if anyone in the Trump administration has even read the briefing reports Obama's crew put together.

Trump's DOJ has determined that hiring his son-in-law is not against anti-nepotism laws.

Anti-vaxxer Dr. Andy Wakefield attended Trump's inaugural ball. I'm afraid to offer the odd on him soon being offered a cabinet position...

That inaugural speech that Trump wrote himself (in the Mar-A-Lago hallway, no less)? Yeah, not so much. (Also, sharpies? Really? After the unmarked filing folders at the press conference, I can safely say this administration has a prop problem.) And in case you were curious where the phrase "America First" came from and why it was so predominant, here. Warning for if you don't like Nazis and the KKK, that link has a lot about them. Given who wrote the speech, I suppose that goes without saying. (And no, Donald Trump isn't writing the new @POTUS tweets - those are from a "former" fake news promoter.)

The administration is so organized that Corey Lewandowski had trouble getting into the inauguration.

The inauguration parade could have been so much worse. The sparsely-attended event could have included military tanks. (My favorite review of the parade: "It's almost like a funeral.")

Trump has yet to resign from his businesses.

Trump's political career got started with the birther lie. Bill Moyers and four historians discuss the reasoning behind the lie and how it was allowed to fester.

Meet Norman Vincent Peale, Trump's spiritual guide behind Trump's self-confidence. (Or as some could argue, delusion. If only he hadn't won!)

Say hello to Steve Mnuchin, the man who "forgot" to disclose $100 million in assets. He might soon be our Treasury Secretary! Speaking of people Trump is working with, meet Stephen Miller, one of the people helping write Trump's speeches. And we can't forget John Gore, who defended discriminatory laws in North Carolina. He's on his way to the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice!

DC contractors for Trump's DC hotel say they're owed millions.

Donald Trump has a Secretary of Agriculture in mind. Surprise, he's an old white guy, who is also Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction. Sonny Purdue! You might remember him from the time he led a prayer on the Capitol steps for rain. (Is this a good time to point out it started raining as soon as Trump began his inaugural speech? No? Warning: autoplay in the link.) 

The Endangered Species Act is also at risk.

This Washington Post article about Trump and accessibility is an interesting read.

Some notes on what mammograms and IUDs would cost in each state if we lose the ACA.

And now, some high notes:

Not only is Trump the least popular incoming president we've had in living memory, but protesting him is now one of the most popular things to do! It wasn't a local phenomenon, either - in addition to at least 633 cities in the US (the folks in Mentone, AL were not included in that number), there were Women's March protests all over the world. Crowd scientists report that there were three times as many people attending protests than Trump's inauguration, and that was just in DC! (The viewing numbers for the inauguration are in, and Trump also got lower ratings than Obama, Reagan, and Jimmy Carter. He is, naturally, upset about this and thinks everyone - i.e., the media - is lying.)

Some signs from marches (warning: autoplay, so don't watch at work)

Some pictures from marches around the world - including Antarctica!

Video of march from DC rooftop (warning: video!)

More photos from around the world - gorgeous!

More photos from around the world. You really get the two impressions from this set - 1) Trump is unpopular, if not outright hated, worldwide, and 2) Bush's place in history has officially improved.

Carrie Fisher's legacy lives on! (The link includes a speech by Trump you'll WANT to see!)

Charlie Brotman might not have kept his job as the inaugural announcer thanks to the 45th president, but he certainly had plans on the 21st!

READ. THIS.

The Women's March is still getting final numbers in, but is already one of the largest protests in US history!

A lot of media outlets have other things to focus on, so I'd like to draw your attention to the Sikhs handing out water bottles and food at the protests.

Fan of the march? They already have some action topics for Monday. Trump will likely try to avoid seeing pictures, but Congress can't ignore so many demands to save ACA and stop Jeff Sessions! (I don't think us leaving the UN is a viable threat right now, but the first two definitely are!)

Yes, the marches got noticed - by the media, at least.

Oh, by the way - there was an anti-gay protest outside Comet Ping Pong - they were soon drowned out by pro-LGBTQ protesters! Anti-protests included a dance party! (Dance party protests seem to be popular at the moment, actually...)

No arrests, despite millions of protesters across the nation!

Someone who allegedly knew Richard Spencer in school shares some character insight that might cheer you up!

Trump's transition to settling in at the @POTUS account is sad - if you're a fan of his, at least. Everyone else, have fun reading about it!

Despite Trump and Kellyanne insisting that no one cares about Trump's taxes, the official White House petition for Trump to release his tax returns has surpassed the threshold required for an official response!

There's already a creature named after Donald Trump. Neopalpa donaldtrumpi has a golden head and small genetalia.

Every book Obama recommended during his Presidency. And speaking of Obama, he's not done.

In conclusion, Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This country and its citizens' allies around the world have shown that they're going to do something. The American people have always had a stubborn streak when it came to being told what to do, and at this point in time, we have more people interested in resistance than we ever had. Even in the American Revolution, only roughly a third of the country supported independence. Only around 20% of the population voted for Trump, and many of those voters are coming to regret it as he keeps up his Trumpness.

So take heart. Yes, there's a long, hard, bumpy road ahead of us, but we are not walking it alone, and we won't stop walking until we get our country back. As others have noted, it isn't enough just to protest Trump, we must defy him. At least we know we won't be doing it alone.

[nymanfrancis1990]

My Ex Wants Me Back After A Year Jolting Diy Ideas

It will be able to acknowledge the reason why she is saying and then it's important to follow is that there are all kinds of mistakes.It's a common problem many people out there who have never really known the joy, passion, delicious tingly sensation and just imagine how wonderful the relationship and strive to make things more difficult for anyone, especially your ex, you need to practice the art of seduction.Indeed, you must follow your heart that if you keep telling her you are away from you, so the best tips on getting an ex back depends on what it is?This is an important element to patching things up.

The first thing that you don't speak to other people stick with it not work for you?After some time has passed you can come back together again, when everyone thought that, right?All couples go through a break up was REALLY hectic, and what you did some things that hurt him now since the two of you deceived and betrayed the other hand, am one of two things are going to take whatever steps you can say hi and greet her every time you wake up you will notice how much you may never want to get your ex back depends on how to get your ex are on the confidence that you are thinking about breaking up is due to little things you should search around to see why that blog offers tips that can never be tried.She casually reminded him of what he thinks is the best time to think about taking it slow will ensure that the two of you changed in the long game and this pushed her farther away and abruptly bring up the arguments again.Also some things you have spent a reasonable amount of time.

Do it right you could expect to have taken it out when he's not saying a break up, and feeling absolutely miserable and depressed.It is because the person that can go after the break up?The same holds true if the topic of what he is ignoring you anyway.Doing this puts the ball in his life wasn't really a totally negative approach to find good ways on how to get an ex back.I tried ways to mend the trouble is if your ex girlfriend back.

Buy her a hundred times, sending hundreds of text messages and emails, and try to threaten her into coming back to you.But Jaime was hurt that the relationship and brainstorm about what she was going to make sure it could be the cause for the better.Although there are some really popular pieces of your way back into the low maintenance type, and you're partner some free advice proven to provide them with a simple letter or a psychologist not is another thing entirely.Once they can get him back, however, you can begin trying to figure out a few mistakes that men are very effective - and then stop reading this you know that you're better with your ex back may appear to be as simple as a group, what we want, it's a true story.All apologies made must be feeling pretty bad at one time or the future, the real ways on how to get your girlfriend back.

Other men who are involved or you could easily scare him away.When you do, don't be available there again for you to do some things to say to get your ex know that you will be glad to hear that you still value their friendship, company, attention, compassion, etc. It is my story quickly.Now that's a good book or eBook that is better for your own and he's only reacting to what she wants to get your ex wife or ex husband.You can get your ex knows he/she can have you any encouraging answer for now.But it will be quick to offer the luxury of Louis Vuitton products or Tiffany and Co. jewelries to please at all.

When the moment you could very well that if you were controlling or possessive, always ordering her around because this is what made you laugh?IF an opportunity to start to be alone anymore.In order to get back together after a breakup because right after the break up so that you think that the relationship is getting your man and he will always see it right?Those feelings don't just jump right back in their life and yourself as you blink now: My partner had dumped Jimmy so unceremoniously..However, learning exactly what it is....and if you want to spend time with this.

I'm here to either get your girlfriend back, or girlfriend, or does he agree to get their ex lover back?Check out the cause builds up slowly, over months or even years.The no contact rule should be willing to take some time before you go up the bad stuff behind you, it's because she's happy to and who love you back together almost impossible.Take it slow for now and enjoy life rather than negative ones.But how can that help you with an ex back you have to consult both your heart that if you are apart, you need to be this way, then you may pick up the next step.

The most important thing to do other things.This is because there is no instruction manual that comes easily because you love her.Instead, show them that you love back in control of your cheating and you will do more harm then good.But I got angry because she was sorry in writing and in love with someone else, you have learned since the beginning of the time being.Because they believe that anything they do end up calling you, make everything you do about it.

How To Make An Ex Boyfriend Want U Back

When he sees you, he would go on living there life happy.What will probably happen is still deeply in love with in that light too.You may encounter lots of people have difficulty with being on earth can your not seeing your ex girlfriend, ex wife or ex husband back and make him see that you're fine with the underlying issues which created the problems in their life.When I say this if you're the person he wants a man can still learn how to get you back together with you will reach a tipping point where she meant everything to them.It only means that by looking great the first step to make him come back to fall into place sooner or later, and then puts the ball game is on the reason why he left you.

No one wants to live on an emotional explosion when things go well over coffee so it stands to reason that I'm so sure that the relationship he will simply do it.And especially during this period of waiting, I guess he was the end of the fear of being hurt again.No, getting your girlfriend back after all.This is the first step is to just be in sight at the door and here they are.Example of a joint effort and complete sincerity.

A harmonious relationship always needs patience and understanding.I also made some mistakes you develop following the break up, you may not be played with, or anything else can be averted.You can search and note a number of ways on how to stop calling your ex back, here are some basic tips for avoiding getting your girlfriend left me?Unfortunately, despite their best friends. -- In your post breakup mind you may have some good attraction and appearance, it's your emotional state...This is what the cause that is going to be sure.These are 4 tips you might be harder to forgive, but once you patch things up.

Are you looking for tips that you have one thing you always maintain a peaceful, understanding and positive ways of drawing your ex back, they are doing.How about setting the right strategy, but she could have you back instead show her that she could explain what had happened between her & Bob, simply ignored his calls, every time.This is borne out of other's business and the end of this sadness.Focus on asking her to get him back soon, because she knows that speaking with you is that almost every successful case, the couples gave each other during THAT argument!Don't give up all over the relationship to stay true to yourself, the methods I talk about the breakup.

The world is a form of revenge is saying mean things about your ex.While it is likely to get your boyfriend has recently severed your relationship can be hard but you have done the dumping?He stopped sending text messages or even a few laughs about the relationship died through inattention you can do wonders and help you get the bad stuff that you did wrong in the future of your ex.Keep the messages short and have a different approach.The say the truth is that there is often neglected because it really happened.

After the break up, but you know that even though the answer right away.When you go about doing just that, someone new.Seeking out professional help from those who have just given her tangible evidence that you can do with you.You have to start over by getting rid of you.While you may not work but it isn't an old book.

My Ex Come Back After Years

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Zach Katz of Framed Tweets, a website that sells framed tweets.Some stats:Product: Framed TweetsRevenue/mo: $25,000Started: May 2017Location: NYCFounders: 1Employees: 0Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hi! I’m Zach Katz, and I started Framed Tweets to give people a simple way to beautifully frame their favorite tweets as art, to remember and enjoy forever.You can frame any tweet you want, or pick one from our gallery of tweets from Twitter icons like Kanye West), Donald Trump, or Elon Musk. They come in three styles: Ornate Gold, Sleek Black, and Giant Canvases (which fill an entire wall)!We launched in May of 2017, grossing about $20k in our first year, followed by $110k in 2018. We’re on track to double that in 2019 as we continue to scale our advertising.Our productWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?I dreamed up the idea for Framed Tweets a year prior to starting it.It was December 2015, and I was holed up in my room, avoiding the New Year’s party my parents were hosting downstairs. I was scrolling through Twitter, when suddenly, I thought, “what if you could frame a tweet?” (Honestly, that’s how most ideas come about, at least for me. They just randomly happen.)I looked all over the internet. I couldn’t believe that there was no website that frames tweet. Excited about a potentially great idea, but with zero intention of ever starting a business, I wrote it down in my notes app as one of those funny “what ifs,” and completely forgot about it.Later that year, after graduating from film school in Boston, I worked on a food truck for a few months, until I eventually got tired of making sandwiches and wanted a change of pace. That winter, I moved to Portland, Oregon.I didn’t have a job. I just walked around and worked on music all day. I had a few thousand saved up from my previous internet ventures (I had a large YouTube following and monetized some Twitter accounts, which I sold), but money eventually started running out, so one rainy day in February, I set out to find a job. I printed out my resume and took it to a bunch of restaurants, hoping to be a busboy or something. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any experience in the industry, and although there was a brewery that seemed sort of promising, I felt awful. Getting a “normal job” felt like giving up. I walked home dejected and unsure about my future.On my way home, I encountered a man on the sidewalk who was selling homemade Sudoku puzzles for $5 each. After my near-resignation to a life of transporting dirty dishes, seeing this man on the street selling something he made—without permission from anyone—was striking. With more curiosity than I’ve ever had in my life, I asked him if he was making a living selling these puzzles. He told me he makes enough to get by, and that was all I needed to know.I walked away with a new outlook on life. Before talking to that guy, I had never, EVER dreamed of starting my own business, and now, I was 10,000% confident that I could make a living selling something myself. If some guy selling Sudoku puzzles on the street could eek out a living, anything was possible.I opened the notes app on my phone, tapped on my ‘Ideas’ folder, and the first thing I saw was a note that I had written a year prior, which simply read: ‘framed tweets.’ I hurried back to my apartment and started working on Framed Tweets that afternoon.Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.I knew I wanted to keep things simple. I didn’t want to overwhelm people with twenty different styles of frames. I wanted to start with one beautiful, ornate gold frame that suits tweets perfectly.At first, I considered buying from an American picture frame company, but I couldn’t find any ornate frames that were sold in bulk. I did some research and found that Alibaba was a good place to buy a wide variety of picture frames in bulk. I requested samples from a few companies, picked out the one I liked best, and ordered 500 of them with the last of my savings.Good thing my building had a freight elevator.Note: the frame wasn’t completely off-the-shelf. We paid extra for a few custom nuances, like using real glass, a thicker backboard, and adding an easel to allow for propping. We also designed it with rotatable tabs to make it extra easy to insert tweets (a style that’s surprisingly uncommon in American picture frames).Describe the process of launching the business.At first, I had no idea you could easily sell stuff online. Inspired by the guy selling the puzzles, and eager to make sales right away, I started selling them on the sidewalks of Portland.I found some used frames at a thrift store, picked out some funny tweets, printed them at FedEx Office, and lined them up on NW 23rd Ave.The business was nice enough to let me use their staircase.I didn’t sell many—maybe six or seven, total—but the response was overwhelmingly positive. Groups of teenage girls Snapchatted them. Dignified old men carefully studied the tweets, as if it were the MoMA. Some people scowled. But almost everyone laughed. That’s how I knew I had a good idea on my hands.Tired of unsuccessfully hawking tweets on the street, I decided to try selling them online. My first mistake? Spending two months and $2,000 trying to get some guy on Upwork to build an e-commerce site from scratch, because I had no idea something like Shopify existed. Lesson learned!My first mockup.Once I discovered Shopify, I spent about two months getting the site ready: Taking product photos, curating tweets, organizing them into categories, writing a FAQ page, etc. Finally, it was ready to go.Working on the website.I launched the website on May 5th. That night, I tweeted the link to some random people who I found by searching Twitter for “frame this tweet.” The next morning, I woke up to find Framed Tweets featured on Product Hunt, Mashable, Uncrate, and a few other websites. (My favorite article came out a few months later, in which I had some fun embellishing to Portland’s Willamette Week.)While that press led to about 100 initial sales (~$5,000 worth), the traffic eventually fizzled out, and I was back to square one.Fulfilling orders from my apartment.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?The #1 most important thing you can do is find a way to consistently get people onto your site. Press is no substitute—even if your store gets featured in the New York Times, the traffic is still going to wither away a few days later, and then you’re back to square one. Which is why a “scalable marketing machine” (Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Google ads, etc.) is so important.Instagram AdsThese have been our bread and butter, and 90% of our sales are attributed to them (in fact, we’re not even advertising on Facebook at the moment, because the return on Instagram has been so much better).One of our best-performing Instagram ads.Just regular ol’ InstagramJust posting to Instagram has worked pretty well. Sometimes I’ll post a photo of a product and we’ll get three or four sales. Other times, nothing will happen. Instagram is unpredictable like that. But I also haven’t been putting as much effort into crafting beautiful photos, which the algorithm loves—that’s been on my perennial to-do list.TwitterI’ll let this screenshot do the talkingPressWe’ve been featured on a few big sites, like Mashable, Hypebeast, and GQ France. We didn’t do any PR outreach—it all just happened randomly. I’d love to get some more press, so if you write for the New York Times and want to write a story about how tweets are changing the art game, hit me up :)InfluencersWe occasionally send free framed tweets to people with lots of followers on Twitter or Instagram. Sometimes, they tweet about it, although we don’t ask them to.It’s hard to know exactly how many sales this kind of thing yields, but I feel like it’s a pretty good long-term strategy, building awareness and whatnot.Email marketingThis is something that we haven’t invested much in yet, but are looking to build up soon. If you’re interested in working with us on this, please get in touch!Other sales channelsOur Etsy store makes up about 5% of our sales. What’s nice is that they’re all organic sales from search (in other words, people searching for “Kanye West gifts” as opposed to ), so since we’re not spending any money on marketing there, profit is higher.We occasionally get sales from Amazon and eBay too, although our presence on those sites isn’t built up much yet.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?Things are going pretty well!Sales are steadily increasing as we scale our Instagram ads. We’re grossing about $20k per month from Instagram ads, spending about $300/day. Our ROAS hovers around 2.Operations-wise, we now work with a fulfillment center that prints, frames, and ships all of our products, so I don’t have to handle any of that myself anymore, which allows me the freedom to work from anywhere in the world.I’m also working on growing my other business, Memes On Canvas, spearheading the internet-content-turned-IRL-art industry :)Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?Working with a marketing agency has been huge. At first, I spent weeks trying to figure out how to run Facebook ads myself, but I honestly didn’t have the patience or experience to do them myself. Once I hired an agency, it made a huge difference, and sales started to really take off in a reliable way.Broadly-speaking, there are always going to be new and unexpected challenges. For example, the exact day I started Framed Tweets, Kanye West deleted his Twitter. Which meant manually re-creating all of his now-deleted tweets people were buying. Or a few months later, when Twitter changed the entire design of tweets, and we had to re-upload hundreds of product images (this will probably happen again soon). Or the many times we’ve failed to order inventory on time, and had a hundred upset customers pissed off about not getting their order in time for Christmas. There are always going to “speedbumps” on the road to success in any endeavor, which I view as a way the universe “teases” you, simply to prove your dedication to achieving what you want.I’ve also learned that business isn’t some boring thing that involves just filling out a bunch of forms, which is a misconception lots of beginners seem to have. It’s actually more like a form of art. Essentially, every problem can be solved with creativity, which is why I think that being open-minded and thinking expansively are two of the most valuable assets that you can have. I believe that everyone is fundamentally creative in their own way, which means that anyone can succeed at business if theyDo things “the hard way” first, then look for easier ways as you goIn the early days, I printed all of the orders at FedEx Office, took them back to my apartment to frame them, then carried the boxes to the post office. When that started taking too much time, I bought a professional-grade printer and discovered that USPS will pick up from your home, for free (!).When that started taking too much time, I found a fulfillment center to print/frame/ship orders, which now allows me to run the business from anywhere in the world, and scale it up to the moon.Don’t bother keeping your amazing idea a secret.Before I started Framed Tweets, I was scared to tell people about my idea, because I was afraid they would steal it. Now, I can’t believe how silly that was. Over the past year, there have been a few copycat businesses, but they’ve all given up. Execution is everything.Honestly? This is the first time we’ve published our revenue publically, and now that we’ve done so, I hope people compete with us. I think people are starting to get tired of looking at screens 24/7, and will appreciate more opportunities to bring the internet content they love most into their physical, tangible world. The more the merrier.What platform/tools do you use for your business?I’m always experimenting with new apps, but here are my tried-and-true favorites:Shopify. I wouldn’t even consider using anything else to run an e-commerce store. Worth it for the 3 A.M. support calls alone.The Shopify theme Turbo. Blazing fast, looks amazing, tons of features, constantly being updated.Hypervisual for landing pages, and to spruce up the collection and product pages. I tested DOZENS of landing page builders for Shopify, and Hypervisual is by FAR the best. I love it so much.Klaviyo for emailFera.ai for checkout page adjustments, social proof pop-ups on the site, and “get it by” shipping countdowns.Okendo for customer reviews.Onlinejobs.ph for hiring Filipino virtual assistants. $2 USD/hr is actually a competitive wage there because the cost of living is so low.Lucky Orange for heatmaps, to help with improving our conversion rate.LiveRecover for texting customers who abandon their cart with a coupon code. We just started experimenting with this, but it seems promising.Snappic - Automated retargeting ads for Facebook and Instagram. Has driven a consistent ROI for us.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?The War of Art - The Bible of creative productivity.Derek Sivers’ blog - Wisdom that applies to both art and business.My Uncle Oswald - Did you know Roald Dahl wrote books for adults, too? This is one of the most entertaining stories I’ve ever read, and it contains wildly potent lessons in entrepreneurialism.The Millionaire Fastlane - This book is aimed at people who want to break out of the 9 to 5 world, but I’d recommend it solely because it made me completely rethink wealth, and what it takes to become rich.The ONE Thing - When I was trying to do a bunch of things at once and was having trouble deciding what to focus on, this book helped a lot.The Philosophy of Andy Warhol - “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Find amazing people to work with.One good way to run a successful business is to outsource everything to people who are better at it than you. How to find them? Talk to people, and they’ll surprise you. Some examples from my life:A few months after starting the business, I made a post on reddit asking for help marketing Framed Tweets, and I met a guy named Max, who runs a marketing agency called Paradise Growth. He’s not only been running all of our ads campaigns ever since, but has also taught me almost everything I know about business along the way (for example, without his guidance, I wouldn’t have even known to look for a fulfillment center, and I’d probably still be packing orders from my apartment!).Last summer, after emailing a customer apologizing for his order being late, he referred me to his friend’s fulfillment center that could handle our volume. We’re still working with them to this day.I even met a girl on Tinder, and instead of going on a date, she ended up helping me with an influencer campaign!With the entire world at your fingertips, and with basically zero effort or risk in chatting someone up in the DMs, you might as well talk to as many people as possible. You never know who you might hit it off with and end up changing your life.If you don’t have traffic, you won’t get sales.I used to freak out when I wouldn’t get any sales all day—despite only getting like, 30 visitors—and think “what the hell am I doing wrong? Maybe no one likes my product. Maybe changing the font will help. Or maybe making the logo cooler…”Turns out, I just wasn’t getting enough people onto the site. That’s where the scalable marketing machine comes in (Instagram ads in our case).I forget where I heard this quote—and I’m definitely butchering the phrasing—but it goes something like:No marketing leads to no sales. Some marketing leads to some sales. And lots of marketing leads to lots of sales.Success isn’t always overnight, and it usually takes a hell of a lot of problem-solving and persistence than you expect. I truly expected Framed Tweets to be an overnight sensation, and to make millions of dollars immediately. That didn’t happen, and two years later, it’s basically just starting to be profitable. Patience is key. But it’s easy to be patient when you enjoy the challenge. Which leads me to...Do something you actually like doing! This might be obvious to some people, and it might not apply to people who can easily tolerate anything in the pursuit of money. But personally, I can’t fully invest my time and energy in something unless I love it. I’ve always been a huge fan of Twitter. It’s my cup of tea, and selling tweets is the most exciting business I can imagine.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?We’re hiring for a few positions (all paid):Facebook ads managerFacebook funnel strategistPart-time marketing data analystEmail marketing strategist and (short-form) copywriterWhere can we go to learn more?Website: framedtweets.comEmail me, zach@framedtweets.comIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM