#AND IM NOT TALKING AS RARE AS WU LETS THEM!!

[bluebirds-37]

ninjago headcanons

DAMN yall liked hcs

..i have more, in no particular order or organization

Zane was the first of the ninja that Lloyd warmed up to since Zane on a surface level understood why the others didnt trust him, but also really didnt since Lloyd was like 10 at the time, he was probably like 15 or sm he isnt holding a grudge against a child

Nya cant cook, for the life of her no matter how hard she tries, she burns everything or serves it raw; no in between

Lloyd lost his sweet tooth with the time tea (i dont remember what its called), and kinda just stopped letting himself be a kid from that point forward despite still having a good portion of his mentality be childlike

Cole has chronic pain and has since he was a kid

Kai worries himself to death over Nya and Lloyd, one's his sister and the other he's destined to protect, so he highkey mother hens them (Nya hates it)

Lloyd never really talks to Misako unless he has to. As much as part of him wants to get to know his mom, the other part of him cannot get over the fact that she left him in the first place

Jay cares a lot about his appearance, borderlining an unhealthy amount

Wu has about a thousand stories to tell but very rarely are they the ones he should tell (ie the oni stuff, the green ninja prophecy ect)

Wu had absolutely no fucking idea where Lloyd was after Misako dissappeared and Garmadon left for the dark realm or whatever it was—otherwise he wouldve housed Lloyd because he knows they dont have other relatives who couldve taken care of him

Pixal doesnt have the same emotional understanding that Zane does so sometimes she'll say something unintentionally rude without even knowing and he'll just stand there like😦

i have more but my cramps are eating my ass rn so im gonna nap chat✌️

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

Woo its Wu!

FINE! I'll make the damn oc post

So. Taking the… Crumbs and vague things we have for the mercs and fucking Running to weave my own personal blorbo into it anyways lore time buckle in

And by buckle in i mean look below the cut im not that much of an asshole.

Mason Wu has a younger sibling (potentially half sibling from a different father im still faffing w the details on Parents) called Hawthorne Wu

Hawthorne and Mason are only like a year or two apart in age (again still. Figuring this out) and Mason didn’t get parentified exactly bc they were so close in age, but he has always been the more level headed, calm of the two— meaning that after losing their mom in high school, when Hawthorne starts getting into and causing a lot of trouble which ofc lead to them getting their ass busted for trouble a lot too, Mason is the one who has to bail them out of said trouble

SO we fast forward to post high school/early twenties w two siblings who have been needling each other in their grief for a few years now and both don't have a lot of options and well you know. There’s the whole GREAT FUCKING WAR thing going on!! The military recruitment game is Insane. And Mason and Hawthorne both separately decide to join up without telling each other initially, and then have a big fight about it when they do fuss up bc neither one is exactly happy about the other one also going to war 

Fortunately they get sent to different places for basic training. Less fortunately, because they're both angry when they go to basic, they don’t make an effort to stay in touch (im sure this does wonders for both of them and their mental and emotional health, dont worry it)

VAGUE. HANDWAVE. MILITARY CAREER. WHAT THE FUCK IS A TIMELINE I DONT FUCKING KNOW.

I do have some details sorted out in my brain tho so quick rundown of some solids i have without any real sense of timeframe for them-- also, liable to change based on vibe but this is currently what ive got in my head for these dicks:

- Isaac Gates and Mason Wu are at the same base for their basic training. 

- Hawthorne Wu and Samuel Ortez are bunkmates at their base for basic 

- Hawthorne takes to piloting and flying like a duck to water-- haw loves him some zoomies, and the feeling of flying becomes his favorite thing. Ever. of all time. 

- At somepoint in this,, vague timeframe of Oh During The War ™, all four of them end up on the same squad. Mason and Haw are,, not on the best terms, but hey! Your brother isnt dead! That's nice….?

- Star crossed friend groups-- Hawthorne and Isaac get along like a house on fire (with about as much likelihood to destroy something honestly) while Mason and Sam similarly get along pretty well!  Something poetic about finding the kind of people who have a familiar dynamic and balance here or something idfk

- They dont stay on the same squad, alas, but they do a better job of staying in contact

-  Mason loses his leg at,,, some point in this???? And fails to tell his fuckin brother about it, bc better-communication-than-before is a low ass bar when before was just not-fucking-talking-at-all. Hawthorne is pissed when he finds out about Mason's injury from Mason's (at the time) girlfriend Megan instead of Mason himself. 

-  Gates, Ortez and Haw end up on the same but different squad again later down the line again and this time they plan stick together

Which is a fun thought! Except this is war and things rarely go to plan. 

Case in point: the Mission. 

Circa,,, lets call it late 2546? (about 7-8 ish years after the wu's joining up? Like i said the concept of a timeline is vague at best) Haw's squad is on a mission that goes,, well wrong, as these things are prone to do

How wrong? UH. Good question! Look a lot of this is just vibe and throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks but its fun trust me. Let's just call it Very Very Wrong.

The vibe is this: they're screwed! They've got injured, no transport, and not a lot of places to hunker down and defend while they call and pray for evac. Things look… Bad.

And then Hawthorne Wu gets a brilliant idea. And by brilliant i mean fucking stupid. 

Haw decides, they're gonna run meatshield. Buy their team some time, hopefully. Except, honestly, it's really more like bait than meatshield. Whatever, six of one, half dozen of the other right?

So what this absolute DUMBASS does is fucking. Book it. Out in the open, towards an abandoned banshee. 

Hey, remember how I said Haw picks up piloting? And loves it? Yeah hey look that just became relevant!

In a classic “yoink” maneuver, Haw claims the banshee and uh. Plays into the part of bait! Namely by…. Flying directly at the enemy and just. Blowing up everything they can once they figure out the controls

Which does, some-fucking-how, buy their squad enough time to get reinforcements and get the hell out of there

They radio haw to ditch the fucking alien ship ans rejoin them, which haw is happy to do—

They get shot down before they’re even able to get the banshee low enough to bail. 

They’re listed as KIA, because… well. It was a hell of a way to go out, you know?

Don’t worry, their goofy ass still haunts the narrative (to me)— namely, with their empty grave and the anniversary of their death!

See, Gates and Ortez aren’t able to attend the funeral. They’re still at war, you know? Mason was still recovering from the whole. Losing a leg thing. Which is why he was back home to have the funeral at all. 

Losing his baby brother gets Mason to propose to Megan! One of those, “I don’t want to wait because we’re not promised tomorrow” kind of moments. Megan says yes, ofc. 

Few years later, the war ends. Just in time for the fifth anniversary of Haw’s death. 

Ortez and Gates aren’t really… talking. The last few years of the war were rough on everyone and nobody handles it well. But they both end up in front of Haw’s gravestone (sorry, cenotaph— you know since there is no body)

And mason joins them, surprising all three of them a bit, because they had all fallen out of touch with each other Chance meeting leads to going out for drinks (“Haw would make fun of us for being mopey about him. Let’s go somewhere a bit less depressing and catch up?”) and exchanging contact info— which turns into more hang outs in the future and, eventually, rants about how they have these skills they should be doing something with them and, hey there’s an idea.

Anyways, theres the lore dump for Hawthorne :] Enjoy this little bastard, I know I do!

[violetgarlends]

idk if you’re into like historical movies (tho this one is more like historical fiction) but there is one called “Firebrand” (phenomenal costuming btw) and there is one clip right after she was told her friend was executed, where she kinda confronts her husband about it (bad idea since he’s the king) and mumbles smth. He grabs her by her neck and pulls her down and basically tells her to watch her mouth and terrifies the shot out of her.

All this to say; I definitely think a scene like that happens between XL and FX. FX hears about smth XL did (maybe smth regarding MQ or smth else) and during the rare time he has his voice, he mumbles smth under his breath. Usually XL would ignore it but not this time cus it’s questioning his authority. So he yanks FX forward by the back of his neck and dares him to repeat what he said louder. FX obviously doesn’t. XL threatens to take away FX’s voice permanently. “You don’t need it, after all.”

FX begs him not to. XL eventually lets it go, placing FX’s head on his lap, petting his head as FX tries not to cry. I think XL doesn’t really get physically punishing, but the few times he does, it’s terrifying cus it’s so quick, you don’t have time to react.

Bonus points if MQ is there and fighting against every instinct telling him to go and protect FX.

ooo i need to watch that. I am into historical movies and historical fiction, and i especially have a soft spot for Tudor historical fiction, but im just so bad at watching movies

The costuming does look gorgeous though, holy shit. God i love good historical costuming

But that’s so perfect for them. Even after everything he’s been through, Feng Xin hasn’t entirely lost his ability to talk back to His Highness. And then Xie Lian reminding him of how much stronger he’s always been? I love it i love it i love it

The fact that he doesn’t (physically) hurt Feng Xin often only makes it worse. He’s come to expect those punishments from Wu Ming, but even after everything, it’s still hard for him to imagine those punishments coming from Xie Lian. Poor Feng Xin would be terrified

And then the immediate switch to a twisted sort of comfort only makes it worse. He’s still shaken, and close to tears, but is too scared to allow himself to cry. Every touch makes him terrified of being hurt again

Mu Qing being there just adds so much. He can’t reveal himself, the other servants know not to intervene, but he can barely keep himself from running to Feng Xin’s side. Xie Lian grabs him, and every one of his martial instincts tells him to go protect him. Feng Xin falls to the ground, his head in Xie Lian’s lap, shaking and trying not to cry, and Mu Qing wants so badly to run to him. To actually comfort him. Seeing Xie Lian’s faux gentleness only makes him angrier

[dudidump]

idc if hes the son of fsm master fung is better!!

im spamming the tags w a rant (dont read too much into it i havent rewatched the entirety of ninjago/newseasons for a while so i mightve got wu's chara wrong idk)

[rexlapi]

i know no one who follows me is into genshin bUT im so proud of this au so i’ll post it anyways

moongod!zhonglixmotal!childe, chang’e/hou’yi au (no previous knowledge of the mid autumn festival is needed, hopefully i explained it well enough in the fic)

am i yours?

rating: teen for inexplicit self harm  wc: 2k

ao3

- -

It had only been a century since the god of the moon, known to the people as Morax, had first come to the barren rock he would soon have to call home. He had no emotional attachment to the place, however he had no other place to call home. Too many years since the man who had once been Zhongli had last seen his love, too long since he had known happiness. 

The earth was rising into view from his palace on the moon, the blue waters always reminding him of his lover’s bright eyes. Zhongli stood on the cold stone floor, staring out into the distance. It was the anniversary of the day when Zhongli had first ascended to yue, a day many mortals celebrated, offering him yuebing, or mooncakes, in hopes that he would bless their families. Every year, he found it in himself to smile upon those who still remembered his story, hoping that one day, his good would come back to him in the form of the one he loved. But of course, the world was a cruel place, leaving the immortal nothing but a barren rock to live his sad eternity on. 

Despite the people’s celebratory gifts, this day was always one of sorrow for Morax. He had only experienced a few decades of imprisonment on this rock, yet somehow Zhongli felt so, so very old. This day only ever reminded him of what he’s lost, of what he will never have again. To be fair, almost everything reminded him of his Tartaglia, from the waters of earth to the orange of the sun. More than anything, these things reminded him of his biggest mistake.

There was nothing in this that the moon god regretted more than his reckless action that got him stuck on this barren rock, never to see the face of the one he loved again. 

The day that ruined Zhongli’s life had been a beautiful day, one of the most beautiful days he had ever seen. The skies were a vibrant blue, streaks of puffy white clouds dotted throughout the sea of blue, the sunlight warm and bright. He had planned on proposing to Tartaglia that day He had everything prepared, an elaborate basket of luxurious gifts for the other man’s family, as well as a lovingly self-crafted pair of matching dangly earrings, for each of them. Zhongli unconsciously brushed his hand over his ear, toying with the rare orange jade bead at the end of his. 

He had been waiting for Tartaglia to return home from an assignment when one of his own students had broken into his house, looking for the small potion of immortality Tartaglia had received for shooting the excess suns out of the sky. His Tartaglia had always been an adept warrior, being proficient in nearly every weapon. Zhongli smiled to himself, wishing he could see the way Tartaglia bounced on his toes before every right, his face stretched into a broad grin, ready for the rush of adrenaline that every fight gave him. 

Zhongli had always loved teaching, wanting to impart his knowledge and wisdom on the next generation of bright minds. He would never forget the look of horror his student wore when Zhongli angrily shoved a spear through their stomach, snatching the elixir out of weakening hands and downing it in one gulp. It wasn’t until Tartaglia returned home shortly after the incident when Zhongli realized what he had done. He remembered how Tartaglia’s eyes had widened, his voice calling out for him, but Zhongli could already feel himself floating away, becoming weightless, as if he had become a spirit. The distraught cries from his love that morphed into sobs, calling his name, begging him to stay, telling him he loved him These cries would forever ingrain themselves into his memory. The elixir would have let them be happy and together forever. Instead, it separated the two of them for the rest of time.

Every year on this day, he would talk into the sky, hoping that maybe, one day, Tartaglia would hear him. Hoping that maybe one day he could see him smile, hear him laugh again. This year was no different. Zhongli busied himself in the kitchen, preparing some of Tartaglia’s favorite foods. He would eat a bite of each dish before leaving the rest as offerings to whatever greater powers lay above him, asking them for mercy, for freedom for this barren rock. Though, behind all of these, he would always ask to see his love, one last time. 

Please, Celestia. This is all I can offer for you. Please, I’d like a way off this rock, freedom from my past mistakes. He looked off into the distance, at the painting he had done of Tartaglia. Please, I’d like to see Tartaglia again. Please.

Years like this one passed. Years became decades, and decades became centuries. Time passed quickly for the immortal, and though it may pass fast, it had no end. Every year, Morax asked the same things of Celestia. Every year, he received no response. He had grown so very tired. 

On his 8880th mid-autumn festival, he awoke to see a sharp periwinkle dagger wrapped in silver silks sitting on the edge of his bed. He carefully unwrapped the fabric to reveal a beautifully carved glaze lily embedded on the handle. A small piece of paper fell out of the wraps, peaking Zhongli’s interest. He carefully set the dagger down onto his bed, picking up the small slip. 

A note, written in elegant, looping, traditional Liyuen. It read: Morax, your prayers have been heard. Celestia sends its regards as well as apologies for taking so long to process your request. Take this dagger as the key to the next journey in your life, where the one you love is waiting. It has been enchanted so there will be no pain. However, if you decide to take this chance, do know that it is irreversible. Do as you wish with it, take the chance or do not. 

I hope you find your peace, Zhongli.

The note was not signed, but somehow Zhongli felt as though he knew the person who had written the note. “Thank you.” he croaked out, his voice rough from lack of use. His hands shaking, he picked up the dagger once more. It was the perfect weight, a perfect balance of light yet solid. It had been, well, ever since he had come onto this rock since he had held a weapon. Not a weapon, a key. A chance. Hope. 

He took a walk around the empty palace where he had lived in solitude for thousands of years, as if saying goodbye. It was a goodbye he was happy to say. He retrieved the hand carved wooden box containing his most prized possession from it’s secret location, securing it in his pocket. He carefully rolled up the scroll containing the image of a smiling Tartaglia and slipping that into another pocket, scared that if he did see Tartaglia again, that Zhongli wouldn’t be able to recognize him. 

He stared down at the dagger in his hands, his fingers curling around the elegant glaze lily. He felt his grip grow tighter, then he felt his hands start to shake. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. He was ready to leave this barren place behind. I will see you again, Tartaglia.

As promised, the blade brought him no pain. 

... 

Zhongli opened his eyes to see an ethereal forest, the trees not quite opaque, as if they weren’t quite there. He looked down to see the beautiful blade that had been gifted to him stained with golden blood. He wasn’t bothered by the golden blood, for it was the blood of immortals after all. He was however, awed by the trees he saw. He hadn’t seen vegetation in what felt like years, not having to eat food in order to sustain himself after ascending to godhood, saving human food for very special occasions. 

He looked around, though he didn’t see anyone. Where the one you love is waiting, the note had said. Zhongli wandered around the forest for what felt like days, looking for a head of bright orange hair or a pair of deep ocean eyes. He saw neither. Had the sender lied? He couldn’t help but lose a little bit of hope, though wherever he was now was still certainly better than the hellhole of a rock he had resided on for millennia. He took a deep breath of the fresh air, feeling more and more energetic by the moment. 

Say something. His brain told him. He was running out of options, so he did as his inner monologue asked. Clearing his throat, he recalled the song he would sing to his Tartaglia. Humming the first few lines to get warmed up, his hope growing with every beat. 

“Xu ni sheng shi shi, wu jue qu de ai,” His voice shook as he switched from his native Liyuen to lover’s Snezhnayan. “Always and forever, in this heart of mine…” The forest was silent. Zhongli felt his heart shatter, not wanting to accept that he really would never see his Tartaglia again. He knelt on the ground, his hand clutching the blade of the dagger, a cascade of golden blood dripping onto his spotless black-gold hanfu. He wished he could feel the sharp pain of the cold blade biting into his skin. 

“Xu ni sheng sheng shi shi, wu jue qu de ai,” 

Zhongli had never stood faster in his entire life, the dagger falling to the ground, forgotten. His eyes widened as the familiar face of his beloved appeared from behind a tree. He stood stunned. The sender didn’t lie.

The sun seemed to illuminate the younger boy, his orange hair glowing golden, his typical gray ensemble billowing in the breeze. Zhongli had never seen such a beautiful sight in his thousands of years of existence. “Always and forever, in this heart of mine… longer than the heavens, and the stars that shine…”

Zhongli and Tartaglia both rushed forward at the same time, the orange haired boy taking the other’s bleeding hand in his, while Zhongli gently placed his uninjured hand on his lover’s face. “Xiang si qing nan nai, yuan yu ni tong zai,”

They both broke out into smiles filled with grief and disbelief, their voices shaking as they finished the verse together. “I am yours, I am yours, forever”

Collapsing into the other man, Zhongli let himself cry. “Tartaglia I-”

He felt strong arms hug him tighter, only making Zhongli sob harder. “Shh it’s okay, I’m here now. You’re here now.” Tartaglia had begun to cry too, having fallen to the ground with Zhongli, the two a tangle of limbs and tears. 

“I love you so much.” Zhongli choked out, letting more and more of his years and years of pain and loneliness fade away with every moment in the other boy’s arms. 

Tartaglia kissed Zhongli through teary eyes, trying to convey the words he couldn’t say in the action. “I’ve never stopped loving you, even after all these years. I love you, Zhongli. So much. Please, don’t be an idiot again and cause us another eight-thousand years of separation. I don’t think I can go through that again.”

Zhongli laughed through a sob, placing a kiss on Tartaglia’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” He pulled out the box he had carried around with him since he had been banished to the moon. Carefully, he pulled out the other earring he had crafted all those years ago, the same shape and pattern as the singular one Zhongli himself wore. “Tartaglia, would you be mine forever?”

“Only if you’re mine forever" He responded, the biggest shit-eatting grin on his face. 

Zhongli nodded solemnly, completely serious in his consideration of the agreement. “That is a fair contract.”

Tartaglia laughed before kissing Zhongli again. “It was a joke, of course I’ll be yours.”

He dipped his head down, allowing Zhongli to attach the earring to his ear. Perfect. Zhongli couldn’t help but think. The blue jade matched his eyes perfectly, just as Zhongli’s earring matched his own amber eyes. “Forever?”

“Forever."

~~~~~~~~~~

Xu ni sheng shi shi, wu jue qu de ai -> Let your love live forever,

Xiang si qing nan nai, yuan yu ni tong zai -> Love-sickness is unbearable, I wish I were with you

[furinana]

Megaten Furbait compilation

A list of myth characters that were depicted as animals or animals with anthropomorphic features in the Megami Tensei series that have some level of appeal to furries.

Birds, reptiles and other species included.

Now let’s start!

Garuda

Kaneko designed very, very few humanoid birds (even less featuring actual beaks) so Garuda is a big win to me. I love his playful pose from the first artwork combined with the big thigh exposition.

Anzu

The curly beard and the shining brown skin really give him an extra attractiveness.

Kabuso

I fell in love with this little fellow at first sight. The way he just looks down and has a “tch!” expression like he’s mocking you.

Anubis

I don’t pay much attention to Anubis since he’s depicted in essentially the same way in a lot of other media. His slender and sophisticated figure is still mesmerizing to stare regardless.

Quetzalcoatl

I tend to prefer his human form but Quetz’s dragon form isn’t half-bad. His pissed face like he’s mad at you for eating the last piece of ham from the fridge.

Baphomet

This goat has his horn on fire and has something sticking out of his crotch! He’s up to no good! Now that I think about it, the sword and the shield must symbolize his hermaphroditism.

Behemoth

He looks at you the same way a pregnant mother would do to her lover.

Gagyson

I’m not fond of demons with a lot of random features all over them. I forgive Gagyson because he’s bird-like and is cackling maniacally.

Neko Shogun

Is he a demon or a toy? SO FRIGGIN’ CUTE! I LOVE YOU, DAMNIT!

Hanuman

A dignified old man doing yoga. Check out the little golden monkey in his armor.

Heqet

This froggie looks so happy to see you! She’s like a character that came straight from Animal Crossing.

Dormath

Not very furry-like but at least she’s worth more than Nekomata. She looks comfy to hug. Be careful or she’ll hit you with a Macca Beam though.

Ose

There it is... the most insane furbait of the list. This fucker tricks you into thinking he’s covering himself but as soon as you look at him from behind you find out he’s been walking around with his ass completely bare. It’s like he’s tainting you to look at it. Don’t even get me started at his Hallel form.

Chironnupu

BABY YOU’RE SO CUTE!!! His tongue imitating perfectly the way a dog pants cheerfully when its owner is close!!!

Hecate

A personal favorite. As soon as you summon her, she gets ready to push you onto the bed and peg your ass.

Shesha

Shesha’s battles aren’t something exciting to remember about but I truly do like his enormous snake body. Too bad you couldn’t summon him in this state.

Fomorian

If you are into hunks, Fomorian is just your dude. Remind him not to skip leg day though.

Amon

This guy definitely fucks. Beware of his ridiculously long arms.

Ganesha

I wanna touch his fat nipples and his bellybutton.

Basilisk

Such a jolly little creature! It’s like a Pokémon! 

Jambavan

He seems way less scary once you realize he’s a bear.

Gryphon

I wanna pull his big tail and see him screaming agonishingly. Apparently his meat is quite tasty.

Azumi

Azumi might be JUST YOUR THING if you liked The Shape of Water. I wonder if her mouth is too rough to kiss.

Pazuzu

There’s something that awakens in me when I stare at his happy trail.

Kuda, Inugami and Makami

L     O    N    G

O

N

G

BOIS

Wu Kong

I like his personality in the games a lot. A troublesome kid that speaks brashly.

Girimehkala

I wanna touch his fat nipples and bel-oh wait, I already said this to Ganesha.

Cait Sith

Look at his stupidass huge boots. I love this guy.

Nalagiri

I’m not enthusiastic about elephants in general but Kaneko sure draws them in a way that makes me captivated. I like how this one feels gritty and muscular contrasting the chubby ones.

Suparna

The pre-evolution of Garuda. Very majestic. I love the extension thingies from his crown.

Mushussu

The little snark with his tongue while looking at the viewer. It’s the little details that count.

Mezuki

I hate horses. I truly truly hate horses. I’m fond of this one for some reason however. Maybe it’s the fanged teeth? Or the cute braids?

Tao Tie

You don’t wanna get on this fluffy fella’s bad side.

Kobold

I like how this Kobold has quite some feminine figure. Small hips and big boobs.

Illuyanka

A body of water shaped into a masked dragon. Kaneko really nailed on the execution of this one.

Orias

I truly don’t care about Orias but his old artwork is funny. He’s tied to his horse as if both were a present.

Hachidaiou

A rare one! And it’s a turtle! Does his shell only cover his back?

Seth

Despite his major villain profile in the lore, his personality in the negotiations sums up as “big moe beast that loves lettuce”.

Mithra

"Bro” “What is it, bro” “I tied myself all over you bro” “B-bro...”

Chi You

I know it’s just his spear but the shadow makes it seems he’s wearing high heels.

Tangata Manu

Tangata Manu is so cartoonishly weird to the point it’s adorable. Look how shitty his wings are. Poor guy. 

Senri

Furry milfs stretching? Furry milfs stretching, anyone?

Makara

Makara in Dx2 is friggin adorable. I often forget it’s supposed to be from the Dragon race because of its little Bambi head.

Heavenly Generals

Kaneko the absolute madman designed the twelve chinese zodiac animals as boss enemies. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME HAIRSTYLE.

Kikimora

I love chickens but she doesn’t resemble one enough to be endearing on this aspect to me. I like the ‘creepy creature in domestic clothes’ image though. She even helps you with housework if she feels you’re hard-working enough!

Vasuki

This one knows he’s a bastard and is fully delighted with it.

Hresvelgr

His cute expression sure makes bird lovers like myself fall to our knees.

Cerberus

Everyone’s favorite doggie! Regardless of how generic Cerberus ends up becoming in later games, his role as Nakajima’s loyal partner or our lovely Pascal the dog makes me quite fond of him.

Kamapua’a

A pig with a cape! A PIG WITH A CAPE!

Fafnir

I keep thinking of that mission in Strange Journey where you had to casually ask Fafnir for a piece of his body. Since he’s all made of metal, I guess letting someone else borrow your leg wouldn’t hurt you.

Samael

I never got to properly use one yet in the games but I'm super fond of his design. The color palette is one of my favorites.

Yatagarasu

no talk with me im angy

[moved-to-moothebloo]

why do you ship gr33nst0rm? {not in a "you should stop cause im an anti" way but just why? i dont see a romantic dynamic between them but im curious about other peiples perspective}

Greenstorm is a hard ship to talk about tbh.

First of all, I just want to make it clear that I do not ship them because of any torture porn or abuse or whatever. I don’t think there are any greenstorm moments in the show so you can chuck that idea of me thinking that out the window.

The only thing that kind of got me to ship it was because I really like ships where at first the two don’t really understand each other and fight, but if/when they set aside personal endeavors and take the time to understand them, they actually start to get along and like each other. It’s a very difficult trope to pull off and the only show I’ve seen do this and do it well is Puella Madoka Magica with Sayaka x Kyoko and to an extent, Madoka x Homura. And even though the ships aren’t canon, in Steven Universe, that trope applies with literally every Peridot ship.

In my fanon, I like to imagine if Morro ever was revived for a redemption arc (which I really hope they do) there could be a really interesting arc between him and Lloyd. Because yes even though they fought, the only reason Morro really didn’t like Lloyd was because of his own envy for power. Yeah they fought and he maybe seemed against his morals, but the point is that was the main motive that clouded his judgment (and most likely his own morality.)

And honestly, if that happened, it could lead to some of the greatest moments in the show. We already know Lloyd believes in forgiveness (since Lloyd too was a trouble maker until Sensei Wu took care of him) so seeing him trying to help Morro with his self-esteem problems, Morro healing and debating with himself if he wants to make the effort of trying to get better like most people who feel destructive like him do, and both of them trying to adjust with each other through their grudges and fears.

Even if you don’t ship them I don’t think anyone could deny that would be amazing and the best characterization any of the characters could have in the entire show.

If you were to ask me if I shipped them romantically I would say “a little bit, but not really.” I know that’s a contradictory answer but hear me out. If they took my advice and did that with the characters, but they were just friends, I would be perfectly fine with that. A romantic relationship would be like sprinkles on the ice cream for me. (I know that would never happen but ye.)

Really I kind of ship them the same kind of relationship Steven and Peridot, Sam and Bucky, or Sayaka and Kyoko have. And if you know those characters you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Sorry this was ten times longer than I thought it was going to be. Let me add a tl;dr

TL;DR

I ship them because even though there isn’t a lot to work with in the canon, and I don’t really ship them in a romantic sense either. I do think in the future if they ever brought Morro back there could be many interesting possibilities with the two that I would be very excited to see.

But honestly, fromm the bottom of my heart, I thank you so much for wanting to listen to other opinions even if you might not think the same. In a website where that’s incredibly rare, especially when talking about “controversial” ships. So I just want to thank you so so much for that. (Especially since writing this was really fun.) Thank you so much and I hope you have a cool day.

[hayle64]

playing mercy with fatigue harvested thoughts from another rough night i was too in my head/paying no attention in since i was elsewhere getting compromised/almost making some pleasurable love with outdoor flashy lights that had one earring runnin incredibly wild (dont lose it again). first time inna long time im showing up all alone. not all the way by myself, i came along with him, him, the overgrown nigga whos playing tracks they’re finding themselves uncontrollably moving towards. a few songs, a couple less wus good’s, im here searching for a special to cure this over the top exhaustion i shouldn't have been feeling so soon. is this how im suppose to feel cause damn gravity’s hittin pretty heavy. signs to take as find you the bombay equinox, nigga you dont even really like this joint anyway. making it inside, rudely not seeing the who that was around me once quietly stepping forward. first cup and im already politely letting go when our hands touched. hope the, “sorry i didnt see you, go head thats all you, i’ll make that next one” was alright. she smiles which i took as it was alright. departing away just as quickly as i entered. finding this back of mines hugging/putting in that strong work against a friendly empty space. watching them all closely atta afar. tonguing a memory of first day’s i couldnt get a single somebody to lemme take a seat with em. biting my lip once i started realizing its now “do you know if ivy’s gonna make it”. biting down even harder cause the answers are probably sum like who knows when it comes to that nigga.. unfazed and defenseless by this muck of an imagination im touring through. wondering how much time had passed before i heard the question thrown in a room full madness. a calm “what do you want?” that violently spun chills throughout my core.. covering my face with my beaten bruised left. pressured dark palm of mines answering i want to leave here. but damn that was minutes ago n’ im still in that same empty space doing courses through my hair with these fingertips. placing a curious focus on the ceiling. my body strangely maybe appearing to be in waits for someone to comfortably grab,tug, pull on me with some urgency. always been in belief i was lost. ive been having dreams lately of a someone/something finding me witta genuine approach of theres this place im suppose to be. a place unbothered thats filled witta feel only i or we could understand (fuck).. im wondering off too much, guess im again in another place i've spent too much time caressing. stealing another sip of this sweet that sleeps within the bottom of the plastic cup. a taste no where close to that stay on your mind fountain you can find between carefully soft places she may called her private flower.. swaying to sound that was more than right to keep me a moment longer. started smiling to myself to some unpure idea i cant remember, but was deep enough i almost had dropped this almost emptied cup. starting to think i had too much, im feeling this touch around the arm that wasnt one from me. looking down to realize what was standing patiently in front for me to notice. braver around five’six asking the surface question of if im really enjoying this song. the color close to red that’d probably shown on my face if it wasnt for the dark pigment. it was more the simple record, i tend to take myself to other/nevermind unable to reply to whats she was asking from the green eyes and light mixed tribe skin that were nicely distracting. i was thinkin how long were you rite there, understanding later she had been watching since that bitter tropical drake song. if i payed more attention her eyes was making conversation when we both grabbed that same cup back then in that one room (buggin). innocent stalking from across the way. her friends, a few girls all pretending to not watch what could be talked upon inna later group text. time now passing from shared schools we both attend, and the fact she’s a nurse fora hospital i just happen to be born in. she doesnt do parties, this was a rare monday night cleanse. venue shows hosting small artist on the weekends her only real pleasure beside reading books from favorite chefs. she’s has an older sister who was also one of four watching. she wasnt as thick as the younger sister, or im meant close to me as her little sister, but i could easily see this family resemblance. “ivy what do you like to do?”, shit bashful thinking, jumping fences, getting a thick ass to sit up on it in reverse positions (my drinks almost completed, fuck). redness on her face before the “omg, ivyyyy seriously?” that had me thinking bout my recent ended relation.. i get it, i really get it, the last letter was y’ and like my ex always into dropping unnessecary questions before the panties, i can clearly see you will maybe be no different with the curiosity. eyes again prowling since theres a new expression on her face. they're waiting again for something to happen and god the darker me’s saying you know what you are make her overwhelmed by those few letters.. put in the action to get them all wet through a “thats what i need” universal connection. a mouthful with these hands, theres a reason for this attire. my types foever been the book girl in the small dark sundress (i fucks with the outfit). her lips moving, im thinking more than listening about her face in the dirties ways cause she had the nerve to come up to me without even knowing my name.. a gentle night to free the mind, she probably believes im smiling to whatever she's saying, but im afraid this precious lily doesnt gotta grasped on how rocky im tending to make this wave she’s provoking become. small talk and niggas who get the urge to touch whats mines/she was mines (chill save that for later), is some shit i cant put up it. crossroads with these building emotions that are taking over. i wanna aggressively choke you even if i just met you. telling myself lightly grab her throat n’ ask what was it you really desired from me. fuck the disguise, speak the truth, lemme know if theres an outcome to this night that i could give you what would it be.. romantics along paradise cove before the sun rises, or would you prefer getting bent in local parking lot, where your face was only kissing me/rear seat. ive been such a good nigga and this bitch got me feelin tempted. ima sick bastard unable to focus and i know she sees it. a working nurse huh?, well place the stitching near this wound around my heart. show me how precise those hands of yours really are. me and my ex never got the chance to play that part, i mean we did alotta things that if i told you, you probably take off and leave me (doubtful). she grabs my arm again, the shit to obviously bring that tragic back. asks that irritating line of “gimme you instagram”.. take a second and straight up say iight, but imma head out for minute (never came back, crashed near the water. had to uber to the homies to find the homie had tried to get with the other sister in the past, legendary)

[mariemary1]

Getting to Know the Ghost: The Complete Beginners Guide to Snapchat

This post has been refreshed for 2017

Snapchat is the latest platform taking the social media world by storm.

Since its launch, in September 2011, Snapchat has shown incredible growth. The Venice, California-based company now boasts over 161 million daily active users and 10 billion video views, daily.

And with consumer attention comes ad dollars, with many major brands turning to Snapchat as a way to connect with their audience. Gatorade is one of the brands getting involved; they ran a sponsored Lense during the Super Bowl and generated over 100 million views.

So how can you get in on the action? And how can you use Snapchat to grow your business?

This post will give you the lowdown on Snapchat, from the basics of how it works to 5 super-actionable tips for brands and businesses from marketer, Everette Taylor.

Ready? Let’s get started 

Getting to Know the Ghost: A Handy Guide to Using Snapchat for Marketers

Contents:

– What is Snapchat?

– Snapchat 101

– Everette Taylor’s top tips for brands on Snapchat

– Recommended accounts to follow

What is Snapchat?

In a social media age where saving and preserving moments has become the norm, Snapchat found a way to go against the grain.

With Snapchat, every moment is temporary. What’s shared is rarely saved. It’s about in the moment connections.

In its rawest form, Snapchat enables us to share temporary, self-destructing photos, videos, and messages (also known as ‘Snaps’). Images and videos will last anywhere from one to ten seconds, and users can embellish each Snap with captions, drawings, and filters.

Once a Snap has been viewed, it’s gone forever.

Though the temporary nature of Snapchat may sound a little strange, when you think about how we interact with each other day-to-day, Snapchat mimics that behavior closer than any other social network, as Gary Vaynerchuk explains:

  The way Snapchat works is much closer to how we communicate face to face than any other social network. What I mean by this is that: when we talk to each other, passing in the halls or just living out our lives, those moments disappear. Snapchat emulates that behavior and psychology.

Sidenote: The infamous ghost in Snapchat’s logo is named Ghostface Chillah, based on Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Snapchat 101: Everything you need to know about getting started with Snapchat

So we’ve covered a little about what Snapchat is, but how exactly does Snapchat work? Let’s dive into some of the main features, and frequently asked questions.

Snaps, Stories, and Chat

What’s a Snap?

Snap is the word used to describe disappearing photos and videos – the main functionality of the app. When you send a Snap to a friend, you can make it last anywhere between one to ten seconds and then once it’s been viewed, the Snap will disappear.

What’s a story?

A Story is a collection of Snaps played one after the other. Stories, unlike Snaps sent to individual friends, can be viewed by anyone who follows you. Stories last up to 24 hours after being posted and people who follow you can re-watch stories as many times as they like.

Pro tip: When you’re watching a Snapchat story, you can reply to a particular photo or video by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

What are Memories?

With Snapchat Memories, you can now, for the first time, share photos and videos captured outside of Snapchat to your Story.

Memories enable Snapchat users to tell bigger stories that incorporate more than just in-the-moment photos and video. Instead of purely spontaneous content, Snapchat can now be used to share much more thoughtfully — similar to the approach you’d take with platforms like Instagram and Facebook, where the content you post doesn’t disappear.

How does chat work?

Snapchat also has a Chat feature, to start a conversation with someone just swipe right on their name from your recent Snaps page. Like Snaps, Chat messages disappear once you’ve read them.

More than 60 percent of users use the app’s chat function every day.

You can find out more about how Chat works in the below video:

Further reading: Everything you need to know about Snapchat Chat

Snapchat Chat: Everything You Need to Know About Snapchat’s Excellent Messaging App

Lenses and Filters

Whether you want to add an Instagram-style image filter or add a monocle or mustache to your selfie, Lenses and Filters are fantastic, and fun, ways enhance your Snaps.

Lenses

Launched in September 2015, Lenses are a fun way to augment your snaps.

Lenses are usually funny or goofy animations that are overlaid on top of your selfie and around 10 million snaps use Lenses every day.

Snapchat explains how Lenses work on their blog:

When you’re using the camera to take a selfie, just press and hold on your face to activate Lenses. You can play with Lenses before taking a Snap — just select one from the row at the bottom and follow the on-screen instructions!

Here’s an example Lens:

Sponsored Lenses 

To achieve long-term success, any social network must figure out their monetization strategy.

Initially, Snapchat experimented with sponsored ‘brand stories’ and a Lens store. However, for now, they seem to have settled on sponsored Lenses as their primary revenue stream.

Around a month after releasing Lenses, Snapchat debuted their first sponsored Lens in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox, who used the Lens to promote the release of The Peanuts Movie.

Since the first sponsored Lens, many brands have tested the water. One uber-successful example is Gatorade’s sponsored Super Bowl Lens which generated over 100 million views over SuperBowl weekend – that’s almost as many views as the game got live in TV (111.9 million).

Snapchat reportedly sells these sponsorships for between $450,000 and $750,000 per day.

Filters

Much like other social networks, Snapchat allows you to to enhance  your content with filters. To view the filters available to you swipe right after recording a video or taking a picture.

Pro tip: You can add multiple filters to an image by holding a finger on the screen once you have one filter selected and continuing to swipe.

Geofilters

Geofilters are unique overlays for Snaps that can only be accessed in certain locations. Here’s an example from Monterrey, Mexico:

Creating a geofilter

Anyone can submit their own geofilter, and Snapchat encourages artists and designers to use this these filters to bring their own style to the Snapchat community.

Here are Snapchat’s recommendations for geofilter submissions:

Filters must be submitted as a web-optimized, transparent PNG

Your PNG should have a width of 1080 pixels and a height of 1920 pixels

Your PNG must be under 300KB in size

Sponsored geofilters are currently being rolled out with a few selected brand partners and are working on launching a broader geofilters product later this year.

To learn more about Snapchat geofilters and how to submit your own, check out our guide.

On-Demand geofilters

Snapchat have now introduced a third type of geofilter. On-demand geofilters enable anyone to pay Snapchat have their own, unique geofilter available in a specific location for a set amount of time.

As TechCrunch report:

The minimum size for these geofilters is 5,000 square feet (enough to cover an office building) and the minimum amount of time the geofilter can exist is 30 minutes. On the other side of the spectrum, users can spread their on-demand geofilters as far as 5,000,000 square feet.

The turnaround time for review is about a day, and pricing starts at $5.

This is hugely exciting and could open up a wealth of opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to use Snapchat as a marketing channel.

Imagine you run a restaurant, you could create a filter to celebrate a new dish and make it available in your town. Or a local cinema could run a geofilter for a new movie coming out. The possibilities here are endless.

Are you excited by the prospect of on-demand geofilters? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments below this post. 

Learn more about Snapchat Geofilters and how to build your own with our step-by-step guide: 

Everything You Need to Know About Snapchat Geofilters (And How to Build Your Own)

Discover: Snapchat’s media destination

In January 2015, Snapchat launched Discover, “a new way to explore Stories from different editorial teams.”

Discover launched with 11 top media companies such as ESPN, The Bleacher Report, CNN and Vice. Discover put these brands in a prime position to grab the attention of Snapchat’s young audience.

Here’s how Discover works:

How to add friends

There are a number of ways to add friends on Snapchat. The first thing you need to do is tap the ghost icon  displayed at the top of the camera screen and select the ‘Add Friends’ option.

From the ‘Add Friends’ screen you can add other accounts by Username, from your Address Book, by Snapcode or Nearby.

Add by Username

If you know the username of the account you’d like to add, just type their username in the ‘Add by Username’ field and then tap on the ‘+’ button to connect with them.

Add from Address Book

This option will enable you to search the contact on your phone to see who is already on Snapchat. From here, you can also send an SMS invite to anyone who isn’t currently on Snapchat.

Add by Snapcode

A Snapcode works just like a QR code and you can add friends  by scanning their Snapcode using your smartphone. You can scan a Snapcode directly from someone else’s Snapchat app, or scan it from a photo you’ve received via email or IM. 

To scan a photo that includes a Snapcode, you just have to tap on  ‘Add Friends’ > ‘Add by Snapcode’ > ‘Photos.’

Add Nearby

Nearby is a location-based feature, enabling you to search and connect with other Snapchatters who are in the same area as you. Tap on ‘Add Friends’ > ‘Add Nearby’ and Snapchat will find nearby users.

Sharing your username

Snapchat has also released a way to share your username publically and allow people to connect with you.

To do this, tap on ‘Add Friends’ > ‘Share username.’ This will then generate a link for you that will look something like this snapchat.com/add/ashread14. If you share this link with someone, they can then add you on Snapchat (this works really smoothly on mobile, on desktop your URL will link to a Snapchat download page).

Snapchat icon guide: What do the emojis next to friends mean?

If you check your Friends list on Snapchat, you may notice icons/emojis next to some of your contacts, for example, a  or a :

Each of these emojis means something different, and they change over time based on how you interact with that friend. These emojis are private and will only ever be seen by anyone other than you.

Here’s a breakdown of what each emoji means:

Gold Star  – Someone has replayed this person’s snaps in the past 24 hours.

Yellow Heart  – You are #1 best friends with each other. You send the most snaps to this person, and they send the most snaps to you.

Red Heart ❤️ – You have been #1 best friends with each other for two weeks straight.

Pink Hearts  – You have been #1 best friends with each other for two months straight.

Baby  – You just became friends with this person.

Face With Sunglasses  – One of your best friends is one of their best friends. You send a lot of snaps to someone they also send a lot of snaps to.

Grimacing Face  – Your #1 best friend is their #1 best friend. You send the most snaps to the same person that they do.

Smirking Face  – You are one of their best friends …but they are not a best friend of yours. You don’t send them many snaps, but they send you a lot.

Smiling Face  – Another best friend of yours. You send this person a lot of snaps. Not your #1 best friend but they are up there.

Fire – You are on a Snapstreak! You have snapped this person every day, and they have snapped you back. Increases with the number of consecutive days.

Hundred - 100 Day Snapstreak. The 100 emoji appears next to the fire when you snap back and forth with someone for one hundred days in a row.

Verified account emojis

If a story is shared by a verified account (usually reserved for well-known public figures, major brands and celebrities), you’ll see a custom emoji next to their name, so you know they’re the real deal!

Emojis for official stories vary from person to person. For example,  the basketball emoji   appears next to official NBA stories, Calvin Harris’ stories are accompanied by a tiger, and DJ Khaled uses the key emoji .

5 Top tips for brands on Snapchat

To bring you the best, most actionable Snapchat tips, we teamed up with Everette Taylor, who gave us the lowdown on how to use Snapchat to deliver value for your business.

1. Bring value through variety of content

With Snapchat, you have to bring value with every piece of content you share, Taylor explains:

Take a minute and think about most of the Snapchat stories you see and how similar the content is. The fact is, for most – originality on Snapchat is lacking. That’s the case for many social media platforms but can be the most apparent on Snapchat due to the nature of the app. That’s the cue to step your game up.

The best way to bring value to users on Snapchat is by providing a variety of content that your users will either find entertaining or helpful information. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and take risks. Monotony = loss of interest.

It’s also important to keep Snapchat’s user base in mind when it comes to content creation – 45% of Snapchat users are under 25.

The point is to be fun, creative and experiment. Remember the audience on Snapchat tends to skew to be a lot younger. If users know what to expect from you, they will be a lot less likely to click on your stories which means less impressions for you or your brand. Take to time to strategize a marketing strategy for your Snapchat like you would any other channel or funnel.

In the early days of TV and Radio, if you missed a show, it wasn’t on again. There were no DVRs or on-demand services. Snapchat is much the same, once your story has been live for 24 hours, it’s gone forever.

To keep your content interesting and engaging, you could create a schedule to give your audience an expectation of what’s coming up:

Create custom content, for example having “Motivation Mondays” where you offer inspirational quotes or highlight inspirational stories/people or “Tasty Tuesdays” where you cook a new recipe or review a new restaurant. Whatever you do, just have fun!

2. Create your own Snapchat KPIs

Measuring your performance on social media can be a tough task at times, especially on some of the newer platforms.  And currently, there aren’t any public ways to get analytics or data around your Snapchat account.

So when it comes to measurement on Snapchat, Taylor advises that “a little ingenuity is needed.” 

First thing you want to figure out is VPS, Views Per Snap. In my opinion, this is the “one metric that matters” when it comes to Snapchat. The best way to do this is to calculate the average views for your Snapchat videos each day and record that number in a spreadsheet. You can then start to track the progress of your views daily and begin to set goals.

Alongside Views Per Snap, Taylor also recommends tracking followers and screenshots:

If you have the time and the patience to manually count, you can calculate new follower metrics and figure out your follow rate – daily, weekly, monthly and even annually. This allows you to set acquisition goals as well.

One of the most useful KPIs I’ve come up with screenshots. This shows that people found whatever you posted highly entertaining or valuable.

This leads nicely to the next tip…

3. Make Sure Users Anticipate Important Messages

One of the biggest barriers to entry for brands on Snapchat is figuring out how Snapchat can directly have value for their brand. One of the best ways is to give important messages and announcements on your Snapchat.

If you’re delivering an important message on Snapchat, for example, sharing a URL you’d like your followers to visit, asking them to screenshot it can be an excellent way to drive action.

When it comes to screenshots, Taylor advises giving your followers some warning of what’s coming up:

You have to be smart about how you go about this. You have to make users anticipate something is coming before it comes. Let users know that you’re about to announce something important before you do so or prompt them by saying “screenshot the next snap.” Yep, it’s that simple and can be highly effective.

4. Use Other Social Media to Promote Snapchat

Snapchat doesn’t have a public friends feed or a mechanic that will show people that their friends are viewing and engaging with your content. As such, a great way to build your audience is through your pre-existing followers on other networks, Taylor explained:

One thing I admire about Vine & YouTube influencers is the way they are able to shift their audience to other social media platforms. It’s an impactful tactic if done well. It requires you to be using other social media platforms to promote your Snapchat.

One of the most effective ways to do this is by scheduling posts on Buffer to promote your Snapchat throughout the week. Some platform-specific tips include: making your profile picture of Facebook and Twitter your Snapchat QR code, setting up a pinned tweet on Twitter and pinned post on Facebook promoting your Snapchat, and setting up automated direct messages on Twitter along with a value proposition for people to follow you on Snapchat, etc.

Taylor also recommends taking screenshots from your Snapchat pictures and videos and sharing these on other social networks:

Taking your interesting Snapchat pictures/videos and posting them on other social media platforms with your Snapchat handle is super effective. I’ve found this the most effective on Twitter and Instagram. Also if you’re doing something fun or exciting, you can tell people to follow you to see more. For example, “I’m at *insert event* – follow my Snapchat to check out my adventures.”

Here’s another example of Pepsi promoting their Snapchat lens on facebook:

Get a mind blowing taste of #PepsiMaxCherry with our Snapchat lens for today only! Send us your snaps to PepsiMaxUK to feature on our story! 󾁏

Posted by Pepsi Max on Saturday, 13 February 2016

5. Create your own content to promote your Snapchat

Creating Snapchat-focused content outside of Snapchat is a great way to promote your account:

Many people such as growth expert Morgan Brown and others have realized that one of the best ways to promote your Snapchat brand is to create your own content about Snapchat. This can be lists of best people to follow, best practices and tips, case studies, etc.

If the content is solid, people will share it, and there will be a lot more brand awareness for your Snapchat. Making lists is probably the best way to go about it, this will give you a distribution by influencers who will promote your content in reciprocation.

You can also use your Snapcode, Snapchat username, and profile URL within your content as a way to drive new followers:

A bonus tip with this that I haven’t seen any brands using….yet. That is the use of a Snapchat icon on their content, websites and emails. Snapchat now has a new feature where you can copy a link where people can add you on Snapchat. Including these icons on your content, emails, website and other forms of content could be helpful in building your audience.

4 Snapchat accounts to follow (and what makes them great)

One of the toughest things about getting started on a new social network can be knowing who to follow and learn from. With this in mind, I’d love to share a few Snapchat accounts that are rocking it right now:

Vaynermedia (@vaynermedia)

What they Snap: The Vaynermedia Snapchat account takes followers behind the scenes at the agency and into a day in the life of one of the team members.

Why it works: Snapchat is an amazing way to show the human side of a business and the people behind the brand. By sharing a day in the life on Snapchat, Vaynermedia can build stronger, more authentic relationships with their followers.

Gary Vaynerchuck believes there are two real wins of this approach to Snapchat: “it boosts the internal morale within the agency and connects people across offices and two it makes my employees true practitioners of their craft,” he explained on his Youtube show.

NBA (@nba)

What they Snap: Behind the scenes content from games, game previews, TV schedules (so you always know what you can watch), and much more.

Why it works: Sports fans love to get behind the scenes and Snapchat is the perfect way for the NBA to share authentic, behind the scenes content from events fans would never normally have access to.

Casey Neistat (@caseyneistat)

What he Snaps: Casey Neistat is a well-known Youtuber and filmmaker. Neistat’s Snapchat Stories are super-engaging and feel like vlogs as he invites his followers to follow along as his day unfolds.

Why it works: Neistat’s Snapchat stories are authentic. He lets each story build up naturally, too. Instead of jumping right in at the climax of a story, or the most exciting part of his day, he’ll build it up as his Story progresses.

Check out one of Neistat’s stories below:

DJ Khaled (@djkhaled305)

What he Snaps: DJ Khaled is the king of Snapchat! Throughout his Stories, Khaled entertains his followers by sharing his “keys to success”.

Why it works: DJ Khaled is a huge hit on Snapchat because he lets his personality shine through in his Snaps. He also delivers content based on a set theme, ‘success.’ This means his followers know what to expect when they start viewing one of his Stories.

Sidenote: DJ Khaled’s account became legendary when he shared a Story about being lost at sea on a jet ski.

Bonus: 5 more people and brands to follow

Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee)

Eva Longoria (@realevalongoria)

Product Hunt (@producthuntteam)

Major League Soccer (@mls)

Lewis Howes (@lewis_howes)

We’re on Snapchat too, you can connect with us by adding the username ‘buffersnaps’ or by scanning the Snapcode below:

Over to you

I hope you found this post useful and discovered a few new Snapchat features and tricks.

I’d love to send a huge shoutout to Everette Taylor for sharing his awesome tips with us – we’ll be sure to implement some of these in our Snapchat strategy.

You can follow Everette on Snapchat, his username is ‘everettetaylor’ or click this link from a mobile device to add him directly.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Snapchat. Do you actively use the app? Have you tried using it from a brand perspective? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share?

Please feel free to add your thoughts and experiences in the comments below and I’m excited to jump in and join the conversation.

Thank Getting to Know the Ghost: The Complete Beginners Guide to Snapchat for first publishing this post.