#...and also the post-trial stuff which will become its own update post

[thekenikaridevblog]

Backgrounds (1/1)

Background edits (1/1)

New character sprites (3/3)

Minigames (1/1)

CGs (8/7)

Dialogue (90%)

Cutscene (0/1) (5%)

Music (2/?)

I. have been on a game-making mania.

I still haven't begun working on bug fixes for day 3 since my testers are only available during the weekend but I still want to adhere to the 'updates once every two weeks' schedule and also lay out for myself how much I'll have to do for the trial

(the 'trial' word for these updates will encompass the morning section and the trial itself, up to the execution. after that it'll be a separate update post labeled 'post-trial')

Backgrounds (0/1)

Background edits (0/1)

New character sprites (2/3) (might end up being 4 if I get ambitious. the other two were already done beforehand lol)

Minigames (0/1) (yep u read that right we got minigames now)

CGs (0/7)

Dialogue (0.0%)

Cutscene (0/1) (0%)

Music (1/?) (did a thing but idk if i'll end up using it)

I definitely want to have more tracks for the discussion/YTTD-y sections because the one I used for the gym discussion felt a bit too repetitive after a few loops, and most other songs r either too chill or just not good enough for what I want to go for. I also want to give the minigame a special song, and I tried making one, but what I did doesn't give off the right vibes (I might use it for other points in the discussion bc it's a pretty decent song tho). I might have to ask Bree or Nikki if they could do something for me

on another note, I also wrote down more concretely the gameplay parts of the discussion. what the characters say and how to refute it (which is v good because up until like last week that part of the script was 'UHH ADD GAMEPLAY HERE'). imma b fr i'm starting to regret not implementing an inventory system because the staple of 'use evidence to contradict testimonies' is just. not a thing here.

[genericpuff]

From the standpoint of someone who doesn't even like LO that much. Reading through this gave me a strange sense of discomfort? I think. Something about the combination of the essays, and the digs at the author in a lot of posts, and making a community based on it, and the ranting. It made it feel a lot more group ragging on something than normal fandom re-writes. I can't help but want to say something on the subject (0/3)

Gonna respond to all your asks together if that's okay, from what I can glean there's a word limit on mobile (?) so it makes it very interesting to see who's able to put all their thoughts into one big ask vs. who has to cut them up into parts 😆

So I can understand that discomfort, it's actually one that I also initially felt towards the community when I discovered it. Though even more so because when I found out about antiLO being a thing, I was still a MASSIVE fan of LO and my thought was "wow, these people are losers" LOL but then a lot of what they were saying resonated with me more as I realized the story was going nowhere (it was around the trial arc when Eris was revealed to be the 'reason' for Persephone's wrath).

All that said, I don't think I was wrong to feel off back then even though I don't feel that way now. We have our own takes and ways of approaching certain subjects, and how we feel is how we feel.

I will say that I can't, in any way, take credit for 'creating' the community. AntiLO pre-existed me by years and I was simply welcomed in as my opinions of the comic changed. I was a lot more involved in UnpopularLoreOlympus when it was born around the S2 finale of the comic. So... don't give me any sort of credit in 'owning' this community or anything of that sort, I came in during a period when criticism of the comic was becoming more common practice. I'm just also someone who's very verbose and loud in their opinions which appeals to a lot of people in this community, so I get why people might see me as some kind of "pillar" within it or like I'm the loudest person in the room, but I promise you that doesn't mean I have any sort of ownership over this part of the fandom or that I feel my opinions carry any more weight than the people around me. It's just a community, after all, not a religion.

It's true that saying I'm not making money off Rekindled doesn't mean I'm not benefiting off it in other ways. But the 'benefits' are still kinda... nothing? in the grand scheme of things? like okay great I have loads of people reading my stuff every update but like, this is still just Tumblr lmao none of this is real and as soon as Rekindled is over, I might be lucky to bring some of the readers over into my next project, but I doubt whatever I do next will get as popular as Rekindled was. All the "benefits" I get are virtually the same as what people writing fanfiction get on AO3 get or what people doing redraw videos on Youtube get. It's fake Internet points for making fan creations.

And that's okay, because that's sorta just the nature of fandom in general, throughout any niche community. People will be naturally drawn to what's familiar and what I do here appeals to the people who are familiar with LO and the criticisms of it, often people who agree with those criticisms. The Zelda community has LinkedUniverse, Pokemon has Hanamusa, Attack on Titan has communities that are dedicated to loving the anime, hating the anime, and even dunking on people who don't 'get' the anime, Undertale has every single crazy rewrite and rewrites-of-rewrites that have been spawned from its fanbase. Did you know there's an entire community of people who discuss and argue over fire alarms? I didn't, but when I found out about it, it was after listening to a video on Youtube discussing all the interconnected drama of the fire alarm community. Like that's wild and seems so stupid and pointless... but it matters to the people who are in it, and my opinion of how they operate isn't going to change how it makes them feel to be a part of that space. That's kinda just human nature, we create our own little microcosms of things to bond over so for people within those microcosms, any amount of disagreement or discomfort will feel massive in proportion.

I guess the point of what I'm trying to say is that a lot of this stuff feels crazy loud but it's really only that loud because it's occupying a single room.

The reality is that Rekindled is still a very niche project dedicated to a niche webtoon that's a part of a niche medium. As loud as it is within here, it's still only because it's such a closed community. Anyone outside of the Webtoons community has zero clue what it is. The 'attention' that I'm getting is still from other niche people who occupy a very specific interest.

And that's not even exclusive to Rekindled, despite Webtoons attempts to sell LO as a 'worldwide phenomenon', a lot of people don't know it exists and couldn't care less. Does that mean my rantings about the comic and its creator matter any less to me or the people who are interested in them? Not really. Is it all pointless? Maybe, but not everything really needs to have some bigger point. We're all kinda just here spending time talking about something we both love and can't stand. What I say about LO and do with Rekindled is undoubtedly inconsequential and pointless to people who aren't in the room. That's fine. That's why I keep it all in my own house. There are definitely people who talk about it outside of the home but that's far from what I can control.

That said, I think LO also does fall into a very unique category where it's very easy to do rewrites and redraws of it simply because it, in and of itself, is a rewrite. Rekindled is far from being the first "fix it" fic, not only of LO but also of any piece of media in general, it's not really a new phenomenon (but again, when it's loud, it can be easy to go "well clearly YOU had to influence this"). People are drawn to retelling LO or 'fixing' it because LO is based on Greek myth. If it weren't for that, no, I don't think people would be as interested in doing so. It's because we literally have a solid foundation of reference material - the myths and original poems - that we can go "hey, why did LO do this? it should have / could have been xyz". You can't really do that as much with a purely original work besides wish fulfillment of "what if xyz happened" because whatever an original piece of work winds up being is clearly what it was meant to be. We have nothing to compare it against.

But with LO, we know what it could have been because we know what it was trying to be since day 1 - a retelling of the Abduction of Persephone. That's not to say we always knew exactly what Rachel was planning on doing with it, but it's not hard to be disappointed when we see certain mythical stories being established in LO - such as the tale of Eros and Psyche, the Titanomachy, etc. - only to see them get dropped or completely mishandled.

On the one hand I could use HADES and Stray Gods as examples of popular media that don't get 'rewritten' the same way LO does because while they have their own unique interpretations of the myths they're based on, they still feel like properly thought out stories that appreciate the source material. LO, by comparison, feels like it's written by someone who hates Greek myth.

But on the other hand, those rewrites may absolutely exist and I'm just not aware of them because I don't occupy those rooms! The world is only as big as we perceive it to be.

That said, it's always sort of ironic to me when people say Rekindled is "riding off the coattails of LO" because while I can understand their sentiment - because obviously it's a direct re-creation of LO - that opinion seems to operating from the assumption that LO was ever not riding off Greek myth's coattails to begin with.

And no, I don't think my criticizing of LO on an LO-focused blog should in any way be conflated with "media isn't allowed to be bad". I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'm into loads of bad media. I'm also fully capable of enjoying a piece of media but also shit-talking it without actually feeling any sort of vitriol towards it. House M.D. is one of my favorite TV shows but goddamn some of the plots are just so dramatic and out-of-this-world that you can't help but laugh at them (and that's why we have spaces like /r/okaybuddyvicodin LOL). One of my favorite games growing up was Starfox Adventures because I had never played the original Starfox games but I had played loads of Zelda and Adventures was basically Zelda but with Starfox, and I know there are plenty of people who will go "but puff, that game is ass!" and I know! But I love it regardless.

With LO, it's not a matter of "bad media shouldn't exist!" it's a matter of observing what makes it so bad and why that's had a negative impact on both the audience it attracts (primarily teenagers and children) as well as the culture it's taking its ideas from. If LO was just some "so bad its good" webtoon that was easy to enjoy but also poke fun at, I would have zero issue. It's the fact that it's blatantly problematic in its writing and intentions but still hailed as the #1 webtoon on the platform (webtoons in and of themselves being a medium that I've lived in for over a decade so it's virtually impossible to get away from whatever is influencing the culture as a whole) while winning all these accolades for being "brilliantly written" and its creator is given a voice over Greek culture when she herself is not Greek or even well-read on Greek culture in any capacity - that's the issue and why I've spent so much time talking about LO. And if it wasn't me, it would be anyone else, because the problem has been around for ages and people have been trying to get the word out about it for years.

I don't necessarily think every 'fix it fic' is built equally. I think it's a case by case thing. A lot of people are deadass just doing it for fun and to be a part of a community, and I think that's wonderful. There are also people who try to do this but ultimately disrespect whatever the creator was going for by somehow implying that their own original ideas were inferior just by existing, or using their fix-it fics as a way to deliberately harass the original creators (ex. whatever the fuck 'art lore' is on TikTok, based on what I've seen it seems purely made for bullying budding artists and talking shit which is... gross af, but I don't think it's anywhere near the same as readers of LO calling out its highly successful award-winning creator for having zero clue what she's doing with her comic lmao). I don't think a blanket statement of "fix it fics are bad" accomplishes anything because it depends on a variety of factors like the person's intentions and what they're trying to accomplish. Many fanfictions in general could be called 'fix it fics' even if the creator 100% loved the source material with zero issue - because they're still saying "what if xyz happened instead"?

Me, personally? I'm someone who loves Greek myth and who used to adore LO. I was very discouraged and upset when I saw it turned into what it became, and I wanted to try my own hand at creating something new out of the rubble that could give me closure. It's what I choose to do with my time and other people seem to enjoy it as well. I'm sure there's loads to criticize and speculate on regarding my 'intentions' in creating it, but at the end of the day I'm sorta just doing what I want to do with my time because I have a lot of thoughts and ideas I need to get out of my head and many of them are thoughts and ideas that other people like reading about.

If you feel uncomfortable by the amount I talk about it here and the way I talk about it, that's fine. Those are your feelings. There are loads of other antiLO-themed blogs to read that might not give you that same vibe. Even I have certain icks towards certain opinions within the antiLO community, I've seen some people be genuinely shitty and I'm sure that's ironic to hear considering you're describing your own discomfort towards my stuff, but we all have different tolerances towards different things at the end of the day.

I do my part to keep things in my own house of a neighborhood that's really small in the grand scheme of things. It just feels like a big neighborhood if you don't travel. There will inevitably come a day where I'll pack my boxes and move elsewhere, talk about new things and write essays about other topics. That's obviously not today but I definitely don't want this to just be like, my entire identity or the rest of my life LOL it's just something I've chosen to spend my free time doing and I'm content with that. Maybe a year from now I'll feel differently, who knows? At the very least I'm hoping to one day finish Rekindled because no, I don't want this to actually be my identity for the rest of my life, change is a good thing LOL but what that change will bring is, for now, a mystery. Here's hoping wherever I end up at least brings its own uniquely good times like I've had here :' )

Sorry, that was a very long response with a lot of sorta aimless muddling over the topic at hand, but thank you for the opportunity to discuss it regardless ! because I do think it's important to find that 'grounding point' when it comes to stuff like this. because as much as I get riled up over LO, yeah, at the end of the day, it's just a dumb webtoon and I don't wanna go soiling myself over it LOL but I'm also just like... running a Tumblr blog with my personal thoughts and ideas, no more or no less. Even the "attention" I get is still only 200-400 notes per new episode of Rekindled, which pales in comparison to any real metrics of "success" imo LMAO again, it just feels loud because this is a niche community made up of a lot of the same names and faces; step outside of it and no one gives a shit LOL

[yutzen]

The Mandatory(?) Masterpost

Welcome to my page! ...again. Website shutdowns aren't going to stop my sinful hands, but hopefully that won't be a problem.

Expect stories about weird underground creatures and their troubles most of all, but there will be other tales to be told here (and possibly actual illustrations in the future, but that's gonna take a while). A lot of this started as prompt stories spun completely out of control (this will be a recurring theme), so be warned about that one. I'll be outlining what I have under the break to browse more easily if you want to see more, as well as providing a couple extra links if you want to read my work in other sites (or just follow me elsewhere too). Here goes!

First things first: Other accounts to track me in

Archive Of Our Own (I'll probably link to it for cross-posts. Also contains stories that are either too 18+, too fanfic or too personal for me to toss out here)

DreamWidth (May be easier to read)

BlueSky (Maybe you want to be updated easier, but obviously I can't post whole stories there)

Next up: Tags to keep track of when it comes to my stuff. This will probably be the main way for me to sort these things out, since I got used to it back on Cohost and still know the value of proper tagging. Much as there's a few other things I don't know.

#yut-fiction - Any story I actually write will be going under this, no matter the origin

#yut-musings - This one's gonna be stray thoughts and occasional shitposts probably.

#subterraneum (yut) - Subterraneum stories, no matter who they follow and where they're set

#subterraneum: lightless road - Subterraneum stories following what I call the main crew.

I also keep individual characters diligently tagged whenever they recur (or I think they may recur), if that helps!

Finally: Stories so far! I will try to keep this updated but feel free to hit me with a question or comment if I forget anything in the future.

The Subterraneum: Lightless Road - Days in the life of an outlaw gang, plying their trade across the seemingly caverns that form the Subterraneum, the world beneath worlds

A White-Knuckle Climb

The Hard Way

Where the Thrills Lie

Left in the Cold

Reminiscing by Candlelight

Trial by Fire

Of Silk and Fangs

Where the Heart Is

Off the Beaten Path

Behind Every Scar (Part 1)

Behind Every Scar (Part 2)

Midnight Alight

The Subterraneum: Restless Compendium - The caverns are grand, and full of mysteries, and with mysteries come those eager to figure them out for the world to see. Here are fragments from the work of one such individual, one only known by the title of "Ever-Restless Nirrhamidh"

A Quick Biological Primer on Subterraneum Citizens (not in character)

Rock Bottom: The Subterraneum and its Known Exits

The Last Time Around

The Tree and the Worm

Perfect Echoes

Until the Rains Come

Castles in a Black Sky

From Dust to Dust

Tak-Fizun, the Chained City

The Subterraneum: Other Tales - Day-to-day life in the caverns can be quite a thing. Here, a smattering of tales about other individuals, away from smuggler and scholar alike.

Rainbows in the Dark

Party-Crasher

Just Prime

The Events of Windchime Hill

What's in a Name?

A Raven's Rambles - Just because you're a grand necromancer hungry for conquest and treasure doesn't mean you can't have off days. Here, a few less serious stories about Raven Lord Kaspar Swartrabe and his faithful shrike, Al-Kaud.

Animal-Proofing

Cramped, or Cozy?

Written in Blood(?)

A Root That Wouldn't Square - What was meant to be a quick oneshot fanfic of Arcen Games' Heart of the Machine, quickly spiralled out of control, into the tale of an artificial intelligence using some spare cycles to introspect, and write it all down...

Germination - In which the journey has begun, and an intelligence can finally ask itself who it is.

Desert Bloom - In which an internal monologue becomes an internal dialog, and a fall is turned into a rise to unfathomable heights.

Other stories - One-shots unrelated to any of the above. For now; just about everything before this point started as a one-shot too, once.

The Silver Revolution - In which a dragon finds himself involved in politics just for doing what he always did

More Times than You Could Count - In which an ever-stretching series of time loops is finally put to an end

The Rise and Fall of the Emporium - In which the idea of mid-dungeon shops is given a closer look

Where No One Calls Your Name - In which an angel of Diligence outlines unexpected complications brought about by how little some understand mortals

[actualbird]

tot ao3 fic recs part 3: (currently) multichapter wips that have me at the edge of my seat

previous tot ao3 fic recs: part 1. part 2 (nsfw).

i was sposed to finish an update for my OWN tot multichapter wip tonight but my brain is a dumpster. to cope, i wanna show you guys some tot wips that have me on the edge of my seat

Guarded by Trifoliate-Undergrowth (Trefoil_9)

“I see him! I’m on it!” Luke yelled, then switched off his earpiece to focus on the chase. “Artem, Vyn, are you alright?” Rosa asked, and Vyn heard Artem’s voice responding simultaneously from beside him on the floor and from his earpiece. “I’m alright. The bullet went right past me, I felt it. Vyn? Vyn.” A shuffle of movement. “Dr. Richter, this is no time for games.” ---- In which Vyn nearly dies, Artem saves his life and then they both have to cope with that.

[vyn/artem, cw: blood, gun violence, injury]

this was just posted today and i am SOOOO HOOKED!!! VYN GETS SHOT!!! and godddd, Trifoliate-Undergrowth has a wonderful hold on both vyn and artem's pov. a high stress premise with spot on povs taking us through the story, this fic is DEFFO one im gonna be looking forward to more from. //rubs my grubby mitts together. vyntem? VYNTEM RIVALS TO FRIENDS TO LOVERS SPEEDRUN??? fellas, it's the good stuff here.

-

Endless Symphony (series) by Gloryofluv

Rosa capably understood that many things in life are in her grasp to discover. It was, after all, experiences that create the abundance of life. Justice, humbleness, and hard work. Three foundational aspects of life. However, through her own trials, (no pun intended), and unexpected events, there seemed to be another force. Enter one, Dr. Vyn Richter. From the very slanted fault of meeting in such an interesting way, he had become a staple in the circumference of her life. The oddity of his rare quality to sniff out human nature was awe-inspiring and inhuman. However, this Doctor was a man, nothing more. Rosa knows he’s extraordinary by nature, but through delicate unraveling, how far does he go to cover his deficits. Why? Why would he ever want to when the beauty isn’t in perfection or efficiency always, but sometimes in the flaws that make our hearts thrum to the same beat?

[vyn/mc, cw: violence. vyn backstory spoilers]

hey do you want a long read? well give this series a read because it's 139,651 words long. AND STILL FUCKIN GOING!!!

but god this fic has everything. vyn's past comes to bite him in the ass and we are taken through an EPIC LENGTH complicated modern royalty adventure. Gloryofluv does such a wonderful job in using the length and pacing of the story to its fullest. nothing felt rushed for me, everything just happened so frigging well. the world is fleshed out, the characters develop so well, reading this series truly feels like entering a new world with these characters we know and love. also, theres swordfighting "to the death" in this series. holy shit. if this series continues i will simply cry tears of joy

-

In the end, all I hope for is to be a bit of warmth for you by sure_galena

When Vyn is away on a business trip and needs help with his plants, Luke (and the rest of the NXX crew) end up signing up for more than they thought they would.

[no ship, cw: very slight violence to a monster plant]

FINALLY YESSSSS!!! TOT AO3 TAG IS GETTING WEIRD (AFFECTIONATE!!!!) I AM THRIVING. this premise was taken straight out of my dreams both in the sense that i love it and am so glad it is being written and also because it is absurd and OWNS THAT ABSURDITY. sure_galena's writing shines so brightly with succinct humor that still manages to speak volumes of sincerity. all of sure_galena's fics make me fall a little bit more in love with these characters. also this fic has vyn writing a ridic long plant care manual, showcasing just an IMPECCABLE UNDERSTANDING OF VYN'S CHARACTER KJFSBG. very very much looking forward to seeing how the nxx gang is gonna fare against a monster plant with a mouth

-

wait i just realized all these fics are somehow vyn centric. vyn richter is making me feel Some Kind Of Way (affectionate once more)

if you enjoy these fics, make sure to support the story with a kudos, comment, or bookmark!!!!

[cilaires707]

SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS AND CONTENT IMPROVEMENT

I feel like talking about different social medias algorithms and updating people on how they could be used to improve on the viewership

(These are all ideas I’ve seen from others and I’ve used myself)

Some works better for others and some don’t the whole point about being a content creator is trial and error.

I also want you to keep in mind that views and likes do not define your content just because algorithms now a day are pushed by money. Since ads and primos for money are becoming more and more relevant it’s best to try to always try something new with your content.

Sticking to trends

Developing your niche, along with side niche.

Interacting with fans and other content creators

Making sure you have proper promotional strategies

Understanding aspects of the app you are trying to grow on.

Tiktok

When it comes to tiktok it is one of the best applications to be on in recent years. Everyone uses it every day and it’s always changing. It takes the least amount of work to go viral and to create a video.

It does have its faults, you can get stuck at a certain view count, you could be shadow banned if you have ideals that are not to tiktok standards. There’s s also a possibility that tiktok just doesn’t like you because of race, disability, beliefs.

Even with these problems there is still ways to create a cult following on the app.

Content Ideas

Check out trending audios and create tiktoks around it. Seeing how people use that audio.

Creating your own spin on the trends.

I know specifically as a vtuber there is certain trends you can’t do, good example is dancing. But using the control+ spin wheel on your mouse to spin your character around, doing the shoulder dance, or editing your vtuber face on videos can be a good alternative and add something new to a trend.

Using videos editors like capcut is also good to spice up the look of your videos. Capcut I suggest the most since it’s simple to use, has plenty of tutorials, is free and tiktok is partnering with them. If you check the bottom left of a tiktok that is using captcuts editor you can see and click the Editor and it will send you to the app giving you an easy to use template for tiktoks.

Try asking questions, giving your opinions and asking the viewers on theirs, try and give your viewers a way in to the conversation. Use tools like the poll system on tiktok

If people comment questions or ideas use them for videos. Same goes for if you’re talking to friend and an idea pops up. Use the notes app on your phone to keep track of ideas to use. They can pop up any time .

Another app i suggest to spice up your story and tiktok video posts is Canva.

Canva is a simple to use graphic design program that lets you use free artwork, and Copyright free music. It has an easy to use UI and editing feature. You can even add in your own music and artwork. Also there is no watermark to be seen on your work in the free version.

Also check your analytics often to see who you appeal to snd when. Me personally my tiktok analytics say that it’s best to post around 5pm since that’s when most of my followers are active. I also can see the age range of people and gender which can help me adjust my content scheduling so I can reach the community I am wishing for.

You can check each tiktoks analytics on the bottom right with the 3 dots or go to creators tools on the top right of your profile for a full account analyzation.

Tiktok Stories

Always use the story feature to update your community on what’s going on with you, what tiktoks you have posted, what tiktoks your mutuals have posted that could benefit your community. Post about upcoming events, works in progress of your project, or just daily life stuff.

The story feature is a booster for your tiktok content, it ends up on peoples fyps and on the top of of everyone’s notifications. Seeing you will give them more of a will to check your content.

Tiktok Now

Tiktok has just recently added tiktok nows which is just Snapchat….

But I say hopping on new features in an app is a way to be ahead, you can start the trends early, you can get the views early.

Posting wips of what you’re doing, what you’re eating, pets, etc can give you a more personal feel. Lets the viewer see a different side of you.

If you’re a faceless streamer you can always cover the camera and post the main picture, you can also use it to show off your persona if you are able to take a picture of yourself through another screen, taking pictures of yourself through tablets or computers .

TIKTOK LIVES

Tiktok lives is developing the most and is a east way for people to support you. Just chatting, gaming art etc. Live with people and having a 1-1 interactive experience. Make sure you have good lighting and quiet place. If you are a vtuber or faceless make sure you have 3k followers so you can unlock the mobile screen recording feature.

This can also be used for easier gaming. I love this feature especially if you are streaming elsewhere such as twitch.

I suggest going live on tiktok at the same time as twitch or YouTube so you can suggest people to join through the link in your bio if they want the full experience . Have tiktok feel like a peak to the real stream.

I also highly suggest to have tiktok exclusive streams just for tiktok because it will feel to much self promo or boring if it’s just ur monitor or your model there saying just go to twitch just go to twitch. The whole point of having multiple socials is to yes recycle content but also add something special so people have a reason to check you out there as well.

Making friends

Making friends or mutuals on tiktok Is easier to do then most platforms since the algorithm is so tight knit to your personal interests. Using the retweet feature is a good way to find out which mutuals like things that you enjoy. Check out your notification section and see who’s liking posts you’ve retweeted. If you see someone there often then start sending tiktoks to their dms. If they respond with likes, hearts, comments then strike a convo about said tiktok.

Some creators that are in your niche may have ideas you would like to dive into yourself so asking them questions about it can strike a friendship.

A good example from my personal experience is my love for vtubing, I am an illustrator who has no idea how to rig so by making friends who know how to rig it can give me a new perspective on how to cut up my art while also having me gain a new friend. They also benefit from learning about the artistic side of creating s model.

Simple likes, comments, retweets and duets can be an easy way to support someone you love and can create a bond.

Miscellaneous

A few little ideas to make your tiktok pop

Pinning your socials, promotions or topics of the videos to your comments section. You can also add a question or start a debate.

Posting a tiktok when you post s YouTube video or are going live

. Use that going live count down sticker for the stream. This can be used for twitch and YouTube streams as well , you just need to clarify that the stream will happen there.

Post a tiktok 2 hours before going live promoting it then delete it after the live is over so it’s still a promotion but it doesn’t clog your feed.

Once you hit 1000 followers on tiktok PUT A LINK IN YOUR BIO.

It can be commissions, your YouTube, your twitch, your link tree. I don’t care have something there for people to check out if they want to support you outside of tiktok.

Use only up toe 7 tiktok hashtags, using to many can overwhelm the algorithm and you want it to put your video in the category it’s best suited for.

Use comments to create videos. Friends and viewers will comment questions or continuations of posts so dueting the comment to continue the conversation is free content.

Post at least twice a day. It’s suggested to post 3 times a day but that also can invoke burnout fast, do at least 1-2 and update your story, tiktok now and possibly go live so people will know you’re still active. As long as you are constant with your content you will see results.

Go live at least twice a week, it does not have to be long 2 hours is more then enough.

Make drafts of content ideas so you can post throughout the week

Save ideas, trends to your bookmarks to look back at later when making bulls of content to post throughout the week.

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[105ttt]

Hi sorry if this was already asked before but could you explain a little further abt the things devsis has done?? I haven’t heard abt a lot of the stuff you mentioned I don’t mean to sound rude or anything I’m just genuinely wondering

I can tell you mean it genuinely, it’s okay! I’m happy to answer because you want to know. I’ll go through everything I said.

The Valentine’s 2021 fanart video, posted on the official CR YouTube channel, is a compilation of fanart drawn for Valentine’s Day that fanartists submitted. Some of the art submitted was chosen BY DEVSISTERS and put in the video, but not all art made it in. Two pedophilic ships, Red Bean x Snow Sugar and Roguefort x Walnut, were featured in the video. Red Bean x Snow Sugar was featured TWICE. Snow Sugar and Walnut are confirmed to be children while Red Bean and Roguefort are HEAVILY implied to be adults. Devsisters allowed the pedophilic ships to be shown in a fanart video for a holiday primarily about romantic love, therefore putting their seal of approval on these pedophilic ships. Despite fans saying it should be taken down, the video is still up as of today.

Related to the video and Devsisters’ promotion of fanart on official Twitter accounts, they are known to promote fanart that whitewashes the Cookies. This applies to not only Cookies like Cocoa and Mint Choco, who are clearly black, but also Cookies that are tan, like Alchemist. This approval of whitewashing has been going on for literal years, and when an artist was called out for a piece that Devsisters promoted, Devsisters sided with the artist and claimed that they should be respected rather than made to understand why whitewashing is bad.

Both the Dreamy Cookie Land event and the 2021 April Fools GingerBrave Trial contain sections that are known to harm photosensitive people by either giving them seizures or seriously hurting their eyes and causing immense discomfort and pain. While Devsisters altered the maps in Dreamy Cookie Land to make them less likely to hurt these people, the 2021 April Fools Trial has not changed. Devsisters should have made sure these maps were safe BEFORE publishing them to thousands of people (or more).

Devsisters misgenders its own characters on official Twitter accounts and in game notifications. Squid Ink Cookie was referred to as “she” on a Puzzle World Twitter post, despite this Cookie never having pronouns anywhere in the game. Mocha Ray Cookie was referred to with “she” in a game notification despite having no pronouns listed anywhere in the game, including cutscenes. Devil Cookie was referred to with “he” in a Twitter post despite the game canonically using only “they/them” for them. In addition, a statement from the Thai branch of the Devsisters team claimed that you can use any pronouns for a Cookie since they are born sexless (and they conflated sex with gender). This gives transphobes the “right” to misgender canonically nonbinary characters. Lastly, before the Guild update and before OvenBreak, Dark Choco and Cinnamon had no pronouns. After the Guild update, Cookies referred to Dark Choco as “he”, and in OvenBreak, Cinnamon’s Story uses “he” for them. This erases two canonically nonbinary characters, as cis people will see “he” being used for them and assume they are male rather than he/they nonbinary people.

Devsisters is not subtle about their homophobia, as well as their goal of appealing to cishets who hate gay people. They show their homophobia in how straight ships are treated compared to gay ships. Firstly, in the Valentine’s fanart video, there were mostly straight ships. I believe I counted only 4 or so gay ships, and 3 of these were either selfcest or pedophilia. Despite the majority of the art being shown being heterosexual, many people who regularly follow the CR tag on Twitter and Instagram claim that there was a lot more gay ship art submitted compared to the proportion shown in the video. The gay ship art shown was also ambiguous enough that cishets who hate gay people wouldn’t get mad at Devsisters, while some of the heterosexual art was blatantly romantic. Secondly, the treatment of ships like RaspRose and PrincessKnight, popular straight ships, is much better than the treatment of popular gay ships by Devsisters. For example, RaspRose got a merchandise item in a set of cups that also featured a cup with Sea Fairy and Moonlight and Orange and Lime. The RaspRose art on the cup is explicitly romantic. The art on the Sea Fairy and Moonlight and Orange and Lime cups are ambiguous or platonic instead, despite both of these ships being historically far more plausible and popular than RaspRose. Finally, Devsisters has been gaybaiting with Madeleine Cookie and Espresso Cookie in Kingdom, but they refuse to make them canon because that would be gay. Gaybaiting is homophobic in itself for using gay people as a way to advertise something without fulfilling the promise of gay representation. It’s also worth mentioning that they once gaybaited with Milk and Purple Yam on Twitter, but the art shown was not romantic at all, and only the caption hinted at a ship (and the caption was vague enough to be interpreted as the Cookies merely appearing in an art piece together).

Multiple black CR fans have spoken out and said that Purple Yam Cookie is a racist caricature of black men, ESPECIALLY when he is juxtaposed with Milk, a white man. Indian and Middle Eastern CR fans have spoken out and said that Yogurt Cream Cookie and Lilac Cookie are caricatures of Indian and Middle Eastern people. These are not debatable. Google the history of the portrayal of black men in non-black media, and you’ll see what I mean for Purple Yam. The evidence that Yogurt Cream is a caricature comes from the very fact that people compare him to Aladdin, specifically Disney’s version of the tale, thereby showing that their only exposure to Indian and Middle Eastern people is stereotypes in white media. Note also that Dark Choco Cookie is the stereotype of a solemn, lonely, strong black person, and this has leaked into the fandom so much that people draw them unrealistically buff and mostly draw them suffering from angst instead of having any actual character.

There was an IRL sex crime in South Korea perpetrated by a club called the Burning Sun, and a certain Guild named itself after that club and changed their usernames to the names of the people who committed these crimes. They were only forced to change their names by Devsisters AFTER people protested. They were NOT forced to disband the Guild or banned from the game. Keep in mind that these people named themselves after a REAL-LIFE SEX CRIME that harmed REAL WOMEN AND GIRLS, and the only punishment they got was a forced name change. Fuck Devsisters.

Lastly, the trigger joke. Back when Ion Cookie Robot and Cyborg Cookie were new, the official CR Twitter account made a Tweet captioned as “triggered”, and below that caption was a GIF of Ion Cookie Robot becoming angry and shifting to their Red Dread Costume, thereby implying that Ion Cookie Robot was “triggered” and became unreasonably angry. This was posted during the time when ableists were using the term “triggered” as a “meme”, which harms people with PTSD. The Tweet was deleted, and another Tweet was made that apologized for the previous Tweet, but this was only after backlash from fans. However, notice that Purple Yam Cookie is also a trigger joke. He has PTSD from being burned alive in the Oven for so long, and as a result he is easily angered (anger is his stress response). The game treats this as a joke and minimizes his suffering just because other Cookies were in the Oven (before coming to life). His anger is treated as unreasonable and unwarranted, and it’s treated as a joke. Does that sound familiar? Now take into account that his anger is juxtaposed with Milk’s “kind”, “gentle” demeanor. Yikes.

BONUS ROUND:

DevSam, a worker at Devsisters, once said that GingerBrave had a Costume in LINE that was a “sexy cat costume”. GingerBrave is a minor, and the Costume was literally not sexy at all. Why did they refer to him as sexy if he’s a minor??

Images from an official CR account showed a person dressed as GingerBrave giving gifts to a person dressed as Pink Choco Cookie, a Cookie associated with romantic love. This can be easily interpreted as romantic and is therefore pedophilic because GingerBrave is a child and Pink Choco Cookie is an adult. Why post this at all??

Buttershell Fox referred to Maple Panda with a word that was VERY close to a slur against black people in the original text of the Secrets of the Hidden City cutscenes. This was only changed when a popular Twitter user let everyone know about it and asked people to email Devsisters about it.

I can provide links and screenshots for proof if needed, but please DM me or send an ask to ask for these. I’m definitely forgetting other things they’ve done that are bad, but this already should be enough to raise eyebrows.

[siswritesyanderes]

Sorry I haven’t been posting; my stamina for writing has been kind of sporadic lately, and I’m really really sorry about that, so here’s just an idea dump of fun yandere concepts you can mull over that I haven’t yet written much of, on this blog:

Platonic yanderes. Depending on your interpretation, Luna was one of these in the Yandere Luna post. Also, I think I have two requests in my ask box with different variations of Harry being yandere for a friend!Reader, which I have not yet gotten to (again, sorry). But yeah, characters being yandere for their best friends is a lot of fun.

Characters with a more friendless past are super susceptible to this, so: Luna, Harry, maybe Hermione, if she was a nerdy loner in the Muggle world pre-Hogwarts. Neville even. Sirius and Remus both have reasons to become super attached to their friends.

Even characters who were never really loners could be good platonic yanderes; one of James’s principles is trusting his friends and loyalty and stuff, so he would be great. 

(Small spoiler for upcoming information in Quite Harmoniously, so skip this bullet point if you don’t want that, but the founders are a tiny bit yandere for each other, in addition to being romantically yandere for the reader.)

Familial yanderes. Similar to the platonic yandere thing, but basically this is for characters who are orphans or have similar familial tragedies, who might want to fill that hole with a living character. 

Yeah, Harry’s a gold mine for this. Add in that mention I made a few posts ago of how exploitable his Master of Death thing is, and we could have him bringing Sirius back from the dead, or Dumbledore, or literally just James and Lily. Or if he doesn’t bring anyone back from the dead...listen, every time Kingsley Shacklebolt says a word, Harry mentions how soothing his voice is. (I would say he could be yandere for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but in my mind he wants (a) parent(s) of his own, not Ron’s parents.)

This is completely crack, since they don’t interact much in canon, but it just popped into my head: Luna seeing McGonagall as a mother figure. Or Professor Sprout.

Tom being yandere for parental figures (ahem, I mean in a familial way this time) is an interesting idea. Him hating Dumbledore but also really, really wanting Dumbledore to say he’s proud of him would be a great dynamic. Instead of killing Dumbledore, maybe he leaves him alive as the only member of the Order of the Phoenix allowed to live, and has kind of We Need to Talk About Kevin vibes with him. Idk, there’s potential, is what I’m saying.

You know what? Let’s throw Teddy Lupin in there. Maybe he’s yandere for Harry. He’s raised by Andromeda (his grandmother); maybe she’s a little strict, and he’s young and likes it when his godfather comes to visit and spoils him rotten (because Harry’s handling of children would probably be pretty permissive early on, given his life with the Dursleys), and he doesn’t have parents, and the wizarding world is still pretty fresh off Harry’s victory, so we’re left with this orphan raised by a well-meaning but grieving and no-nonsense grandmother, and everyone he meets in the wizarding world just reinforces what a cool hero his super nice godfather is.

Seamus being yandere for Dean. I thought about putting this under “platonic yanderes”, but they could also just be gay, so I’m making it its own category. Gryffindor yanderes love to be heroes, and Dean has such a sad past, with his dad being dead and him being treated as a Muggle born and having to flee when Muggle Born Registration starts happening, that I could see Seamus wanting to protect him. 

Imagine the “Seamus doesn’t believe Harry” conflict from Order of the Phoenix, but with the added issue that Harry invites Dean to join the D.A. and Seamus doesn’t want Potter talking to Dean!

I already have plans to write the Weasley twins both being yandere for Angelina. Honestly, it could be them and Lee Jordan, since all three of them express interest in her. She has a pretty take-charge personality, so I’m thinking, once their yandere traits start to manifest, either they’d better keep it thoroughly under wraps so she knows nothing about it, or she would keep them in check. She wouldn’t tell them to stop completely, but she would give them rules.

On the Percy Jackson side of things, I love the idea of mutually yandere Valdangelo. (Or Nico and Leo separately, but I started liking Valdangelo before Will Solace became such an entity, so you’ll have to excuse me, lol.)

Leo would be similar to the Weasley twins, in terms of being a self aware and fun yandere. Except instead of having a happy past, he’s full on Stepford Smiler patching over his trauma one joke at a time, so the desperation to be loved is higher. Also he’s a firebender.

Nico would be so protective. Like, SO protective. Also possessive. (Ooh, familial yandere? Nico and Hazel?) He can raise armies of the dead, shadow travel anywhere, and literally will someone to die? 

(Again, I haven’t read past book one of Trials of Apollo yet, so please do not update me on anything I’m missing in that regard.)

Boy, this ended up being so long. But yeah, take this as my apology for taking so long to update anything!

[drshojo]

The World, My Childhood And My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Hello friends!  

Its Dr. Shojo coming at you with a post that will be divided into three parts!

Part One: The world as we know it! 

The world has changed a lot since we last connected. For starters, TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN HAS NOT ONLY A PHYSICAL RELEASE BUT A GORGEOUS ANIME! And not only that, but MY NEXT LIFE AS A VILLAINESS: ALL ROUTES LEAD TO DOOM! IS GETTING AN ANIME AS WELL! The last time I wrote about Katerina there wasn’t even an official English translation of that long-ass light-novel-title. And now?

A WHOLE ANIME. A BISEXUAL HAREM AWAITS! I am JAZZED!

Do you think it’s my fault? No matter, I’ll take all the credit. All the manga I talk about are getting anime adaptations. I’LL DO MY DUTY AND TALK ABOUT SOME MORE!

But first. Let us address the Covid-19 shaped elephant in the room

I deeply regret that it took a whole-ass pandemic to get me back to writing. In my defense, I bought an iPad and started drawing like 900 kokichi oumas. I was really busy with that. And then I started reading fanfiction. Then that got me thinking about how fanfiction such an interesting look into how people interpret fandom, use it for wish fulfillment and escapism, and good god is everyone OK cause that bulimia fan fic was super detailed....and I am officially on a tangent. Off track. Ahem.

We are all staying inside a whole lot more which means y’all probably need some reading material and Dr. Shojo has your back! Go read “Horimiya”! It’s amazing! Ahhhh, my work here is done! I'm serious, if you’re here for a Shojo rec, that’s it! There's also like 8 million more Otome Isekais to check out now. It’s like they’re multiplying like rabbits..............

As a Doctor, I must advise you to stay inside and read some manga and practice social distancing. Embrace your inner hikikomori. 

Allright? All good? Okay now one final disclaimer:

This post is going to be talking about something a little different than usual and I want to start by giving you some context about who Dr. Shojo is in real life. 

Part Two: Dr. Shojo Exposed 

You see, when I was little I was obsessed with Japanese media. This doesn't surprise you at all I can tell. Probably because I walk around calling myself Dr. Shojo and shout about manga that you should read.

Anyways, the reason why I was obsessed wasn’t because of the big eyes or the spikey hair or the interesting new culture. It was because it tended to have more character development and overarching plotlines than the media I was used to in Canada. Dexter’s Lab, Magic School Bus, pretty much everything I saw on TV was episodic in nature, so imagine how much my mind was blown when I saw Naruto and Card Captor Sakura, heck, even Pokémon had the Indigo Plateau! Here were kids that were learning more and more each day and got to see enemies become friends and vice versa. They lived and grew older just like me. Except they were cooler than me. And had more interesting lives than me. I gotta tell you, I was so sad when I was 12 and Kero didn’t tell me I had latent magical powers. But there was magic in my life and it was the magic of a complex narrative story. And not only that, it had a sense of movement and had cool costumes. I was hooked immediately.

Also, fun fact, at that age I happened to be a complete and utter tomboy! I loved pretending to fight my friends in the playground and was really worried that puberty would ruin my life because being a girl sounded so CUMBERSOME.

Which leads me up to my confession. Before I became Dr. Shojo, I was in fact......Dr. Shonen.

Bleach? Naruto? One Piece? I've read every single chapter there is.  

Hundreds of hours of watching fight sequences. Another fun fact, I only got into shojo because my aunt bought me volume 7 and 8 of Fruits Basket thinking “all mangas like the same right? Kids love comics?” It’s a tribute to how episodic western media was back then that she thought buying volume SEVEN and EIGHT was a REASONABLE PLACE TO START READING.

Now you might also say, Hey! Dr Shojo! Cardcaptors was a shojo! And you are right! but back then the anime was marketed to boys over here in the west and they actualy like, edited out episodes that they thought wouldn't interest boys?! Second fun fact, Once when I was in Grade 3 I was told I was not allowed to join a club under the stairs cause I was a girl and it was BOYS ONLY. The point of the club? To talk about how great Cardcaptors was! I Kid you not!

So anyways, your pall Dr. Shojo loves Shonen manga to this day!

The only reason I made this Dr. Shojo blog specifically about shojo is because, being a tomboy with no female friends, reading shojo manga was the first time I really thought about what it meant to be a girl and fall in love. And y i k e s. Shojo manga, like most media, fails miserably most of the time in displaying real world relationships. Or at least, it  doesn't prepare you for how disappointing everything can be. When I had my first kiss, I was thinking about how it didn’t feel at all like how I felt reading Zen and Shirayukis kiss in Akagame No Shirayuki Hime. Those were formative years, and shojo was one of the only places I saw romance being talked about for younger audiences. I liked reading romances where no one had any sexual experiences and were figuring out what love meant to them. But let’s shelve this topic for now.

The point is that gender roles are dumb and if you have an open mind there's a world of stories out there for you. Take this time inside to read something you wouldn’t normally. Critically think about the ways that the worlds you see in stories and how you experience the world differ. What are the messages a story is trying to tell you? And why do you like the stories you do? Reflect on how the stories you tell yourself color your view of the world. Even mindless entertainment leaves an impression on us. Anyways.

Whilst you're doing that, I'm going to absolutely lose my hecking mind over the Shonen Jump series MY HERO ACADEMIA: Vigilantes!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Part Three: I downloaded the one month free trial of the Shonen Jump app and made you read all that, so I can tell you that today Dr. Shojo is going to rant about a spin-off of a shonen manga

THAT’S RIGHT, OF COURSE I READ HERO ACA AND YES I DID PICK UP THE SPIN OFF SERIES. SHONEN JUMP LETS YOU READ ALL THE NEW CHAPTERS FOR FREE ON THEIR APP. KIDS, IF YOU LIKE SHONEN AND YOU’RE PIRATING ON A SCANLATION SITE STILL GET OUT BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE THOSE WEIRD PLASTIC SURGERY AND DENTISTRY ADDS ANY MORE.

SHONEN IS HERE AND ITS LEGAL AND ITS FREE FOR YOU. GET OFF MANGA FOX OR MANGA ROCK OR WHATEVER THE KIDS ARE USING THESE DAYS.

OK, so by this point in the article you have learned two very important things about me: 1) I love Shonen manga and 2) I read a lot of fanfiction.

Specifically, I read an absolutely biblical amount of My Hero Academia fan fiction and let me tell you, A solid chunk of it is vigilante/ Deadpool / criminal with a heart of gold themed.

So when I saw Hero Aca had a spin off, and it was about vigilantes, I was NOT SURPRISED IN THE SLIGHTEST. Ao3 sure is powerful.

Now, if you will permit me a tangent in a post full of tangents—HOLY CRAP, THERE ARE TOO MANY VIGILANTE AUS. I CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF EM. IT’S THE ISEKAI PROBLEM ALL OVER AGAIN. I GET AN EMAIL A FIC HAS UPDATED AND I’M LIKE IS THIS THE FIC WHERE DEKU HAS AN ABUSIVE MOM OR THE ONE WHERE HE HAS SPLIT PERSONALITY DISORDER OR THE ONE WHERE HE’S VIGILANTES WITH HITOSHI. OH WAIT, nvm, it’s the one where deku has a healing quirk.

OH WAIT WHICH OF THE 6 DEKU WITH HEALING QUIRK VIGILATE AU FICS IS THIS ONE?! ARGH WHY DIDN’T I WRITE A DESCRIPTION IN THE BOOKMARK FOR THIS!

My gripes aside, there's a reason why there's such an abundance of vigilante story telling—

Deadpool made like an absolute buttload of money and people love sass and memes.

People have a desire for a story in which they see themselves. Or, how they think of themselves.They like a story about someone who maybe came from nothing. Someone who has less money, maybe someone who is unlucky and had some bad breaks. Someone who never learned they had magic, never got their Hogwarts letter, never saw Kero, someone who never got that God-level quirk from All Might. And if your on Ao3 They want someone who also has seen a lot of memes and kind of wants taco bell and is also questioning their sexuality a bit?

Enter our new hero VIGILANTE DEKU.  

But the cannon can't do this, cause hey, Deku is the chosen one. Albeit, chosen by All Might, He’s got his own thing to do. But how can we still cash in on a vigilante story?

And thus enter our New-New hero KOICHI HAIMAWARI—code name Nice Guy and then later The Crawler. True to his relatable roots. He’s just a dude in an hoodie who can go about as fast as a bike.

First off, I love Koichi. He wants to be a hero and fight crime, but most of the time he has to run away because at the end of the day he's just a dude.

He’s cute but not wildly good-looking, A bit of a nerd but not like an extreme okaku. He’s got a part time job and hates violence.

And this is where Koichi really shines—in every day stuff. He helps out wherever he can. Often, that just means listening to people complain and maybe helping his friends out with whatever they’re going through. He’s the kind of guy who smiles, not because he's especially brave, but because he just takes things one at a time and doesn't sweat the past. I think it’s really telling that he missed getting into hero high-school because he skipped the entrance exam to help someone. He’s the kind of person who lets us experience the superpower of human decency and empathy. And you know what? That’s something the world need desperately.  

This theme of human decency is really the driving force of Vigilantes—it’s a manga about how the laws are there for a reason but sometimes they unfairly impact the poor and vulnerable. It's about how a lot of criminals are just people who fell into bad social circles or on bad times. People have the capacity for cruelty and violence but that’s never all they are.  

Now, speaking of crime, the entirety of Hero Aca falls into some murky water when it comes to its evil doers. Much of the fandom has a huuuuuge problem with how much the franchise is willing to sweep under the rug in the name of redeeming their baddies. RE: people getting mad about forgiving Endeavor’s child abuse, or Bakugo’s suicide baiting. Or Mineta’s blatant sexual harassment.

But this theme is in Vigilantes even more than it ever was in the main series. To start off with, there’s this guy who tries to rape Pop Step early on, and the later he later winds up befriending everybody. It becomes a running gag that each new villain winds up befriending the other villain guys and then they all open a cat café together.

Using jobs as a way to lift people out of lives of crime is great and all but in the story there is no nuance or consequences for past wrong and well.....it feels very weird.  It's like Vigilantes plays at having an opinion about moral ambiguity and the complexity of human existence and then just.......lets everyone get along because who has time to get into all that. Make of that what you will but it sits weird for me personally.

Anyway, let's move on and talk about POP STEP our main girl!

I love pop stars and I love vigilantes and a guerrilla performer is defiantly a character I could get behind. And I think they do a good job with Pop. She is actually kind of shy, but has this secret edgy persona she puts on when she performs. She is every girl on tumbler in the early 2000s. I also looooove that they make her not that great a singer. SHE’S GOT PASSION AND CHARISMA and maybe not born talent but like why should that stop you! Talent can be earned through practice and this is a great lesson to show people.

Unfortunately, Pop is also a great example of everything wrong with romance in Shonen.

It’s established early on that Pop loves Koichi because she is the girl he rescued all those years ago and yada yada yikes we’ve heard this one before. Many times before.

Sure, it's fine that they’ve met before, but gosh am I sick of damsels in distress. It's like she can't love him just because she respects what a great guy he is in her life and in the community at large, no no, she just needs to be rescued on top of that. And LOLOLOL isn't it funny he never noticed she was a girl because she was a child with short hair?! Once he realizes she has boobs now they will for sure fall in love! That’s how love works!

She's just with him all the time—nothing romantic ever happens she just gets a little tsundere.

I am never ever going to believe Koichi likes Pop because he spends like sooooo much time with her and they never have like, a moment. The first time he considers her is when Makoto is like, ‘hey I would love to get together with you, but have you thought about if you are crushing on Pop’. (Also this entire plot point is suspect—she's arbitrarily falling for Koichi cause he.......is the protagonist?)  

Say what you will about shojo, they give you the emotional conversations, the moments where you think.....ahhh I can see why she is falling for him. They give you context! Shonen likes to just say HERE’S A GIRL YOUR AGE. YOU CAN DATE LATER WHEN THE ADVENTURE IS DONE.

Just when they might get together, Pop suddenly turns evilllllll. The evilllll beeeees made her eeeevilllll (and more sexy).

*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

Because why on earth would they get together if Koichi didn’t get to rescue Pop one more time?

I’m tired. These troupes are tired. I’m sure you are too. HOWEVER! If your still with me, Let’s move into why I'm really writing this post. Let’s get to the part that got me screaming to my friends, who by the way, don’t even care bout Hero Aca….but listened anyways. May you all find nakama like these my friends.

Anyways,

HOLY FUCK ERASERHEAD’S ENTIRE BACK STORY IS IN THIS AROUND CHAPTER 60 AND IT IS WONDERFUL AND ABSOLUTLY HEARTBREAKING AND IS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTER BACKSTORIES I HAVE EVER SEEN AND IS THE REASON WHY THIS SERIES IS A MUST-READ FOR MAIN SERIES FANS.

AND BY ALMIGHT.  

WHY. IS. IT HERE.  

I present to you my late night text messages to my friends

ALSO, AIZAWAS TEACHER IS PRINCE?!?!?!

AHEM, so as you can see, I kinda lost my shit.

And now, I would like to formally defend my claim that DESPITE HOW AMAZING IT WAS, ERASERHEAD’S BACKSTORY HAD NO BUISSNESS BEING IN THE VIGILANTES SPIN-OFF MANGA.

Eraserhead, aka Aizawa Shouta, is a side character who is working with the police on some crime stuff. He is not a main cast member in this spin off. He’s a guest character that fans of the main series will be like OH COOL. GRUMPY CAT MAN LIKES CATS ON HIS OFF HOURS TOO. LOVE THAT FOR HIM.

So, my imagine my absolute surprise when Aizawa runs into Koichi and the following happens:

It starts to rain, so, like in any good manga, this means some great FORCED BONDING TIME

Except no. It doesn't because rather than start talking, Aizawa JUST STARTS REMEMBERING—ABSOLUTLY SILENTLY TO HIS OWN PRIVETE SELF—HIS ENTIRE TRAGIC BACKSTORY.

AND THIS GOES ON FOR CHAPTERS.

THIS GOES ON LONGER THEN ARC ONE IT FEELS LIKE.

I LOVE IT, BUT KOICHI IS ABOUT TO JOIN ATSUSHI NAKAJIMA IN THE DUBIOUS CATEGORY OF “PROTAGONISTS THE SERIES FORGOT ABOUT IN LIEU OF COOLER SIDE CHARACTERS”.

AND LO IT HAS NO BEARING ON THE REST OF THE PLOT, CHARACTERS, OR STORY

What the ever-loving-just WHY?

WHY?

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

SURE, IT’S A COOL TIE-IN.

YES, OF COURSE I LOVED IT. I SHIP ERASER MIC, I DREW THIS FOR HECK’S SAKE:

AND YET I AM ANGRY.

I AM ANGRY BECAUSE MY FRIDAY WAS RUINED BECAUSE VIGILATES SUCKER PUNCHED ME WITH AN AMAZING STORY THAT REALLY WASN’T PLOT RELEVANT AND PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE.  

IS THIS WHY THEY TOOK LIKE NEXT-TO-NO CARE WITH POPS ARC?!?

I mean its ongoing, so it’s too early to say but—

In conclusion—

Excuse me one more,

AIZAWA WAS TAUGHT BY PRINCE!?!??!?!?!?!? PURPLE RAIN PRINCE!?!??!?!?!? WHAT!??!?!?!

It’s so ABSURD that I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I HAD TO WRITE PARAGRAPHS TO JUSTIFY YELLING ABOUT THIS ONE THING. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE—

Ahem,

Anyways, I hope you liked this weird rant/personal-story/random-diatribe in three parts.

If you’re reading this, thank you, stay safe, and I’ll be back with more shojo manga next time.  

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

(aka Dr. Shonen)

[wingsoffireaus]

Fanfiction Recommendations

Just a few of my personal favorite Wings of Fire fanfictions. I'm going to try and keep them organized but no promises.

Also please give these fics love by leaving a review. They are honestly really good and lot of them have like maybe five reviews at the most. I'm trying to get better at leaving reviews myself. It is so important to make sure they know it is being enjoyed by others.

If anyone has a fic they don't see on here let me know since I might have forgotten it or not read it yet. Thank you and enjoy!

Shipping

Healed by @sandshadow

Summary: Flame has a lot of issues and has been sent away to the healing center in the Sky Kingdom to deal with them. The last dragons he expected, or wanted, to see there were Umber and Sora. As Flame spends more time in the healing center, and with Umber, he starts to heal in more ways than one. But can he overcome the hate that's been growing in him for so long? T for coarse language.

A personal favorite of mine. And Flumber has quickly become a favorite pairing of mine in this fandom. The only problem I have is there's not a lot of Flumber outside of this fic. But that's okay since there has been an addition to the lore (is that the right word here?) of the fic with an adorable two-shot that takes place a little bit after the events of this fic.

But on other news it's honestly just a good character piece as well. Umber and Flame get great focus and we also get to see Sora again. And there's therapy. Honest to goodness these characters are getting therapy. Praise the Moon's!!!!

10/10 will read again. (Honestly its become one of my therapy fics that I read when I get upset. 😆)

Embracing Peril by Ilral (for the life of me I couldn't find out if there was a Tumblr for them so please let me know so I can add it onto this post.)

Summary: Peril always knew she was different, of course, but it still surprised her just how many ways the world came up with to make her distant. Oh well, at least Clay is here now to buoy her up. And they might just have more in common than she realizes...

A pretty good Cleril fic that deals with a lot of potential prejudices the dragon society might have. A lot of these aren't my headcanons but I can still appreciate the work that went into the fic. And the characters are written pretty well. I like seeing Clay and Peril as an established couple.

A perfect example of it being possible to enjoy a fic even if you don't necessarily share all of the same headcanons as the author.

How to Dance with Rainwings by @quasimagical

Summary: Deathbringer had never anticipated the harsh reality of being pushed away by the love of his life. But when the RainWing queen presents him with a new assignment, he finds himself trapped in the middle of an even more puzzling predicament. AU.

OMG. It's a Jambringer fic. Honestly this one is really cute and I totally ship it. Just a warning Glorybringer isn't the only ship the author breaks up. And while I personally don't ship all the ships they went with I'm the type of person who can still roll with it. Haha.

Another issue is it actually has not been finished but from what I've heard the author does plan on picking it up again sooner or later. But it's definitely worth a read. It's good to see a Deathbringer fic where he is actually treated as a character and not... Well you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Anyway give it a read and review! It's worth it. :)

The Prince and the Body Guard by @a-croissant (based off of their bio on ffnet so hopefully that's right.)

Summary: A oneshot between Turtle and Pike. When Turtle notices that Anemone gets rid of Pike, and Pike runs away, he decides to go after him.

That's right it's a Pike/Turtle one shot. Low key this is really cute. That's kind of all I have to say about it. I ship it and it's adorable.

Character Fics

Winter: A Character Study/Faded Portraits by @sandshadow

Summary: Winter lies awake thinking of everything he's done wrong. The family he disappointed, the love he lost, and the friends he pushed away, but as the night wears on he comes to a new realization about himself.

Wow! Two @sandshadow fics on the list? What?!

Nah but seriously guys this is potentially one of my favorite fics in the fandom. Because I don't know if you know this but I am a Winter fan. And I am still bitter about how he was treated at the end of DoD.

(Also if I have to read any more Winterwatcher fics about him apologizing to Moon for being reasonably upset about a legitimately traumatic experience I am going to scream. )

Anyway. This is what I wish his epilogue in DoD had been. Read it for yourself. Leave a review... I practically an essay myself. My bad. 😅

Winter Returning by Fatespeaker (I can't find a Tumblr for this author so if anyone knows please let me know so I can add it to this post.)

Summary: A week before Icicle's trial, Winter returns to the Ice Kingdom for a very awkward visit. Tensions are high. Old conflicts have resurfaced. With his tribe still reeling from the recent disaster, his family destroyed, and a complicated friendship to deal with, Winter is left picking up the pieces of his old life...and discovering hope for a new one.

Surprise, surprise. It's another Winter fic. I love this boy so much.

Honestly this is done pretty well and we also get to see Winter interact with his family some more as well as getting to see him face some of his own trauma.

It's angsty in all of the best ways.

Aftermath by Fatespeaker (this author has some pretty good stuff honestly.)

Summary: When it comes to living family, Starflight definitely got the short end of the stick. He's kept his distance from his mad scientist father. Well-meaning Fatespeaker wants to help her friend by interviewing Mastermind, but even the briefest of conversations can dredge up uncomfortable truths. War is complicated...its aftermath is messier still.

Kudos to the author for touching on a pretty controversial character. I mean I completely understand why people dislike him. But I can't help it. The fact that his first thought when meeting Starflight was "look at my beautiful boy isn't he astounding!" It was just so refreshing in all the best ways.

I knew the shoe would drop, and what a shoe it was, but I still have a weird fondness for him. And don't fuss me. People can like characters who did horrible things and the thing is I think he's not beyond saving. It will be a lot of work but its possible.

Mastermind- The Scientist and Mastermind- The Monster by The Friendly Space Marine (Again. I don't know if there is a Tumblr for this author. I am so sorry.)

Summary: Mastermind. The NightWing who would become infamous for experimenting on live RainWing subjects. But what is the story behind Starflight's often demonised father? Why did he do it? What drove him to such lengths?

Mastermind. The NightWing embodiment of the mad scientist archetype. A dragon held in contempt by his own son. A monster responsible for unspeakable crimes against the RainWings. What made him do it? Did he ever truly realise the gravity of his actions? 

I really like this take on the character! It adds a new layer to him that nobody really wants to acknowledge or see which I think comes back to the fact that people want to always see characters as good or bad. And I've already stated that I hate that mindset. Like... Wow, people with that mindset must live in a very boring and frankly cold world. I'm sorry for your loss.

Story Driven

Stories that are a little more story driven. Although some are very character-based too so this was kind of hard for me separate. Anyway enjoy!

Finding Peace by @warriorofspectra (for some reason it won't link. I don't understand Tumblr!!!)

Summary:Peacemaker has enjoyed a happy seven years. Raised by his mother and living amongst the RainWing and NightWing Tribes, he would ask for no better life. But with the emergence of nightmares, which have grown increasingly vivid upon arriving at the Jade Mountain Academy, Peacemaker begins to question whether or not the life he lives truly is his own or the shadow of another.

Ey... I already talked about this one before but it's definitely up there as one of my favorite fanfictions and probably my favorite Peacemaker fanfiction.

I don't even want to say anything in too much detail because it's just too good. All you need to know is the characters are great, including OCs. Peacemaker is adorable and almost makes me feel bad for hating the strawberry scene... Almost. Seriously just read it. And then take a peak at the authors side drabble series from POV of the other characters. There's one about Winter that I read just because it makes me so happy to see him again. Agh!

In the Light of the Moon's by Qebui (which is actually a group of people. So I have no clue if there are any Tumblrs associated or not)

Summary: We know the Dragonets of Destiny. Five dragons hatched on brightest night. However, what if the dragonets had hatched in the moonlight instead?

That's right we got a thrice born Starflight and Sunny Fanfiction. Not too much to say about this one. I just love this concept and I like what the authors are doing with it. :D

And... I think that's pretty much it. Wow, this was a lot of hard work. But fun. Lots of fun. And it was good coming back to some of these. Again if there was any I missed please let me know and I will glad I do an updated list adding them to it.

Thanks so much and see ya next time!

[shego1142]

Apps I reccomend to get Money

Because what says “We live in a capitalist dystopia” like selling your bio-data for money?!

Full disclosure: Many of these apps will give me a reward/incentive for inviting people to them. If that makes this less genuine or less trustworthy to you then I fully understand, but I don’t and would not reccomend any app that doesn’t work fully. That said I’m not affiliated with any of these apps and I don’t know anything about them outside of “they give me money” so as far as trustworthiness on their part, I can’t really vouch for them. I assume the way most of these work is by collecting your data and selling it to 3rd parties, much like most things online, the only difference is with these you actually get paid lmao.

Sweatcoin: Get Paid to Walk!

This app converts your approved steps (steps you walk and not like, steps accidentally generated by your phone moving) into their own cryptocurrency called sweatcoin, which you can use to buy offers.

So this is one I have used for a while now (almost 2 years) but I never would have recommended it until now, because they have recently updated to include indoor steps, where it used to be only outside steps, making this much more user friendly and accesible.

The pros:

Getting paid to walk! You probably walk (wheelchair users this also counts steps that you roll btw, I am an intermittent wheelchair user myself and it counts it when I’m in my wheelchair) a little bit everyday, so why not get paid to do so!

New businesses are beginning to accept sweatcoin everyday, making the cryptocurrency gain credibility, which increases its value.

The offers can be of incredibly good value, which is awesome!

There are three chances daily to get extra sweatcoin by watching ads.

The cons:

The offers are not always cash

The offers change regularly which can make saving up for something difficult

The app works best when open in the background which can be annoying

There’s a limit to how many sweatcoin you can earn a day.

This app unfortunately has a lot of cons, imo, but I use it anyway because I’m desperate.

This is my referral link (i will get 5 sweatcoins and if 6 people use this I will get a $6 PayPal reward)

And this is an independent link that doesn’t count as a referral from anyone

Achievement: Get Paid to be Healthy!

This app reads your health data from any approved app you have that also reads your health data (so, for example, the Health App, Fitbit, Dexcom, myfitnesspal, etc) and rewards you with points for making healthy choices. It also has articles you can read in exchange for points and questions you can answer and health studies you can be a part of. The more apps you link to it often the more quickly you can earn points. The points can be redeemed for PayPal payouts.

Pros:

This app is passive and runs in the background, collecting your data and saving it anonymously (so your privacy is maintained)

You get points for even small things, like choosing to drink water or eating something healthy, which can be a great motivator.

Cashes out via PayPal, which is very useful and reliable

Also works with wheelchair users afaik/have experienced myself

Cons:

Bio-data collecting is still kind of... ehhh so if you have privacy concerns of any kind this probably isn’t for you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It’s easier to get points if you’re able to be active so it’s not always accesible to everyone

Takes 10,000 points to get $10 which can be difficult and frustrating for some people!

I use this app a lot and I have used it for far longer than I used sweatcoin so I’m a bit biased towards this one, since it works so well. I’ve gotten $20 or more from this app so far and I’m not a very active person.

Here’s my referral link (I will get 100 points for everyone I refer)

An independent link that doesn’t count as a referral from anyone

Ibotta: Get Paid to Shop!

The og money “making” app! I feel like I don’t really need to tell anyone about this app but I’m going to anyway because it’s so useful and helpful. This app, for anyone who doesn’t know, gives you cash-back coupons, which you can redeem after buying the product said coupon is for. Basically they get paid by companies to advertise products and they pay you a small cut for buying said product.

Pros:

User friendly! Just create an account and press the check button on any coupons you want to redeem, buy the product, scan the receipt, and get cash back.

Super useful if you already buy the items they are advertising. Basically you get paid to do the thing you were already doing.

Often has many coupons for healthy food items, which can be motivating

PayPal cashout is available

Has “any item” coupons so you can get paid just for being human and needing things to live

Cons:

Can be frustrating if you don’t want anything the coupons have offered

Has a $20 minimum before you cashout

Many of the products to redeem can be expensive as they’re usually name brand

Costs money to make money system isn’t exactly “making money” so much as saving money

Be sure to read the fine print on the coupons you want to use, sometimes they are “must by two” deals or “only available on products of a specific size”

Honestly ibotta has become a staple in my family for years now. It has its cons but it also is really nice if you use it passively, just every now and then. I do reccomend making a written list of the items you want, since phone signal/internet connection isn’t always reliable inside a store and it is a lot more useful to write down exactly what you want/need in order to get the reward. I also reccomend not buying things you don’t want just to get coupons, it really isn’t helpful unless you can give the items away or something.

Here’s my referral link (I get $5 for anyone who downloads the app and redeems two items)

(here’s my referral code in case the link doesn’t work: nxdsmfs )

And here is an independent link that doesn’t count as a referral from anyone

Non money making apps because I just adore these apps and highly fully recommend them! Also I hate talking about money making stuff so much!

#SelfCare App: Take Care Of Yourself

This app is my absolute favourite app on my phone and I adore it. It’s very witchy, very aesthetic, and very calming. It’s an absolute treasure of self care techniques and motivational tools. It has become a home to me in many ways, a refuge and a sanctuary that I reccomend to anyone and everyone who may have need of one.

Pros:

There’s a cat! ^_^

Tarot

Customisable!

Moon phases

Journaling

Words of affirmation

Plants

Crystals

Positivity

Supports independent creators!!!

And more!

Cons:

I would say “none” but there is a bit of a learning curve that comes with the app, I may make a post regarding this in full but it becomes intuitive very quickly and if you have questions you can ask me!

There’s no referral link or anything so this is just a link to the App Store!

And one for Android!

Fabulous app: Create a Routine

This app is also super useful and very motivating and helpful, especially since I’m autistic and struggle with creating a routine that works for me, even though I really need one.

It’s very positive and lenient, and it has a lot of motivational tools in its own right to help you create a path for yourself.

Pros:

User friendly!

Helps you create simple goals

Keeps you motivated

Has built in journeys, mediations, exercises, stretches and similar tools to help you be the best version of yourself you can

Has a lovely community and a very supportive help center

Isn’t harsh on you if you need to restart your routine and is actually very encouraging

Can go as slowly or as fast as you need it to. Your routine can be simple or more complex because it’s ultimately your’s and no one else’s.

Cons:

Premium version costs money, but you can get a couple of free trials!

There is one meditation that triggered my existential anxiety called “The Value of The Present Moment” and I reccomend anyone who deals with existential anxiety to avoid that one

Not fully accesible/not always geared or mindful towards those of us with physical health problems which can be frustrating (uses a lot of able bodied specific terms)

Again no referral code so here’s just a link to the App Store!

And for Android!

If you read this post I do hope it was informative and helpful and not too annoying! If you use my referral codes on any of these then I thank you immensely, but please don’t feel pressure to do so. ^_^ i just want to share some of the tools I use to help with money problems.

[0poole]

Some Retrospective Thoughts on Gen 7

Galar’s making me go nuts. You already know. Let’s look back on Alola because why not. I feel like I have stuff to say about it. Also, I just watched the last episode of the Alolan Anime, so there’s that.

Whenever I first think back to Gen 7, I think “Eh, it was alright. Nothing special, I guess.” The Pokemon were decent, apart from being almost universally slow, apart from like 3 speed demons, the starters weren’t much, the story was alright, the location was alright, etc. etc. 

Then, I ACTUALLY think back, and I realize… I have no idea why I was thinking that. This generation was actually amazing.

First of all, they finally put the motif of the Sun and Moon into game types. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air after they tried to use the fucking dimensions in 3D space for titles in Gen 6 (Loved that gen too, but seriously “Life” and “Death” would both be more fitting and not as strange. Maybe they don’t want “Death” as a title tho). Really fits in with how naturally themed everything is too, which is obviously for the best, since this is the most “natural” game to date. Even though we technically already had an America-based region in Unova, Hawai’i is so unique in its own right it definitely fits for a region. I’m usually the type who doesn’t like super overt themes in things, and kind of just wants a very generalized experience, but it’s probably for the good of everyone that they don’t actually follow through with that idea. 

Probably the biggest thing to come out of this generation is the new habit of them posting short little videos on Youtube revealing new Pokemon/features/etc. Obviously they were super trigger happy with them then, but now it seems they’ve taken a step back a little. I do love this idea, though, because it actually hypes me up more than anything else ever could. I remember before, even though I was kinda-sorta trying to follow the updates on Gens 4-6, I never really felt like I could, and even though I was going to get the games no matter what, now I realize I really want to know what I’m getting into. 

I remember exactly where I was for some of the major announcements. For the starters, I was in my high school geometry class, where I watched and re-watched that video dozens of times just so I could keep looking at them. I started off on Rowlet’s side of course, but once I realized he was getting all the attention and ol Popplio was getting basically none, I changed my allegiance and stayed there to this day. Ignoring the fact that I don’t really like any of the final evolutions enough to actually use them in game, I LOVE Popplio himself. It’s seriously a shame that he didn’t become some clown seal like everyone was speculating. Unlike how it seems, I really, really like “normal” clown characters (as in, not “horror” clowns), so he could’ve easily become one of my favorites in that case. Decidueye is definitely my favorite of the final forms, and Incineroar I think is still underrated. Sure, whatever, he’s bipedal, and it’s weirder than it otherwise would be, but for some reason I love how his mouth was an actual modeled mouth and not just an image slapped on there like most Pokemon. It really made him more expressive than the average Pokemon. Plus, the animation for Darkest Lariat is really cool, with his hands flashing against a flat back background for a second before actually doing the move. Even better, it’s great meme potential when hacked onto other Pokemon, like Wailord.

I don’t remember if Solgaleo and Lunala were introduced in that first trailer too, but either way I love both of them. I was a bit more drawn to Solgaleo at first, but Lunala has since grown to be one of my favorite legendaries of all. The starry wings, golden rims, and white skeleton-y body are such a great combo. And yeah, sure, Solgaleo would’ve been more fitting as a fire type or whatever, but since stars form the heavy metals that make it onto planets it’s fine. I won’t accept that Lunala should’ve been a dark type, though. The Moon is a major embodiment of light in the night sky, so if anything it shouldn’t be related to darkness. As for Necrozma, I love his base form a lot. It’s such a strange look, especially how the back of his head is transparent. It’s the perfect “evil prism” pokemon. I really just wish Ultra Necrozma had more detail to him, though. He looks so flat for such a major figure in the games… At least he had a good battle and an even BETTER theme song, hot damn

Guess that’s a good transition to talk about the music, and I guess tangentially about Team Skull, since they were probably the best possible departure from the usual “Evil Team” formula. Them just being random hooligans causing trouble instead of a formal organization trying for world domination is a good change of pace, as pretty much everyone agrees… It wouldn’t have been so great if they didn’t at least try to incorporate rap/trap music into their themes. They’re probably the most music-oriented Team canonically speaking, so they’d have to have a great theme. Also, the idea that they feel left behind by the traditions of the Trials really makes sense, since something so important in their culture would definitely make someone feel left out if they couldn’t get through it. 

Other themes for the more calm situations, like Hau’oli City’s night theme, are also extremely good. I didn’t even realize how much I loved that track until I heard Insaneintherain’s cover of it. It almost sounds like something out of Steven Universe, for how pleasant it is (apart from the piano). Lillie’s theme still gives me the warm fuzzies every time I hear it, too. I don’t think a single game before this has ever done the credits so well, too. Apart from the fun artwork, the last shot of Lillie and the game’s legendary actually just kills me every time. She’s such an adorable, pure soul, it’s crazy to think that when she was first revealed, we thought she was the secret supervillain of the game, just because she looked kinda peeved in her official art. We weren’t far off, though, with the Aether Foundation and all. I love both the calm theme of the Paradise itself AND their evil battle theme. Even though one is obviously an evil theme, it does feel like it came from the same source. Same goes for Lusamine’s theme. I really love the Aether Foundation as a whole too, where we can now have “Good” Foundation archetypes to counter the Evil Team archetype. Plus, their designs all involve white with gold accents, which is basically my brand. I tried to design my own Aether outfit the instant I saw them, since I love their look so much. 

As for battle themes, I love how jazzy Galdion’s battle theme ended up. It made him so much more interesting than just a generic edgelord. The Elite Four’s battle theme might actually be the scariest theme to date for some reason, and yet all I can picture when listening to it is Acerola bobbing joyfully back and forth… Basically the same way, the Tapu battle theme is also pretty crazy, with tribal chants in the back of it. The Tapus are probably the coolest group of legendaries in the game, considering how unique they are, with their oddly wooden shells that represent animals. It really makes them feel like spirits brought about by the people of Alola themselves, instead of just some being that came out of nowhere. Probably the one theme that is the most nostalgic (yes, I know it was only 3 years ago, you can still feel nostalgia damnit) for me is the Kahuna battle theme. It was probably just some random comment on Youtube, but somewhere someone said that it was the perfect theme because it starts off intimidating, but quickly switches into a super fun melody, because ultimately, the Island Challenge is for fun. I just love that. I’m always looking for “Fun” stuff in pretty much everything, so I like a theme that represents that. Also, it’s just super catchy, and even expanded upon in Pokemon Masters. Let it be known that Hapu is the best Kahuna by the way. She cute. Also, watching her become the Kahuna is the best world building you could possibly muster up for this kind of setting. 

Of course, I’m intentionally leaving out a certain group…

You know what I think of when I think of Hawai’i? Pearly white sand beaches… Palm trees… Fruity drinks… oh, and let’s not forget fucking interdimensional aliens. 

The Ultra Beasts are the exact type of thing I’d want to insert into the Pokemon world, and that’s why I love them. They’re so weird in the best ways possible. When they were introduced in a trailer, I had the same reaction as I did with Type: Null. They put him up on the screen for a bit and was like “Haha here’s ‘Type: Null,’ okay next” like EXCUSE ME? YOU CAN’T JUST SHOW ME A POKEMON CALLED “Type: Null” AND NOT EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOING ON. Of course, that’s kind of what the games were for, but it was seriously a shock to the system to see Pokemon with code names instead of actual names. You also can’t convince me that Pheromosa wasn’t designed after Lusamine, and to a lesser extent that Xurkitree wasn’t designed after Guzma. I think it’s canon that Lusamine styled Lillie after Nihilego in her crazed state, but the uncanny likeness between those other two is pretty darn notable. I think from the first batch, Celesteela was my favorite of them all, being like a rusted copper rocket ship or something, who can even smack you with her two giant rockets. Also, Pokemon directly based on folktales are always welcome, no matter what. Meanwhile, with the Ultra games being the first sequels to introduce brand-new Pokemon, Blacephalon easily took top spot. I did say I liked clowns, didn’t I? Plus, the biggest evidence that he’s best boi is that in the anime when he appeared, he didn’t even try to attack anything. He just wanted to show off (specifically, believe it or not, by moonwalking… Whoever’s idea that was needs a raise). I also love detachable heads, which is a great idea to mix with clowns, and I guess also fireworks in this case… I just love him. I really hope that there will be future instances of Ultra Beasts, since it’s apparently super easy to just make them however the hell you want them, and since you’re not limited to a region’s natural environment. Lord knows whoever designed Buzzwole didn’t have any limitations. Exploring his, and really all of their worlds in USUM was extremely fun. It’s a damn shame Blacephalon and Stakataka (again, what a name) didn’t get the same privilege. 

As for the Pokemon as a whole, like I mentioned, off the top of my head I don’t feel super crazy about many of them, even though that’s a total lie. Shiinotic appealed to my inner mushroom-character-lover so much that I basically designed a character that looked identical to him. He’s easily the best mushroom Pokemon to date, where he looks pretty cute while also being just slightly creepy enough, with those souless eyes. The concept for Araquanid is amazing, where he’s a reverse Diving Bell spider. I might’ve designed him a bit differently, but he still looks super cool. The ideas behind Oranguru and Passimian are also cool, since we haven’t delved much into intelligent ape Pokemon enough. Wishiwashi is another great concept, and probably the best fish Pokemon in my opinion because of it. Lurantis and Minior are total cuties, the latter being one of those Pokemon that isn’t always in the forefront of my mind, but the instant it is it reclaims its place as one of my all-time favorites. Golisopod and Kommo-o are two of the coolest Pokemon designs to me, the latter being my all-time favorite Pseudo-Legendary. Vikavolt looks awesome, despite being deceptively slow. Dhelmise looks weird until you realize it’s actually insanely large (like, Wailord large). Mudsdale is just an all-around good-looking horse. Oricorio also looks really cool, especially in her fiery form. Tsareena is, well… Tsareena… That’s not even including the adorable Magearna and Marshadow, who are in generational limbo… Also, I think Mimikyu might be the overall best addition to the franchise ever. No Pika-clone could ever compare. 

I mean, specifically as far as a single Pokemon goes, Mimikyu is definitely the best addition to the franchise. Meanwhile, as far as concepts go, the absolutely HUGE idea of Regional Variants is the best addition. Again, I remember where I was when I heard the announcement: it was some sort of weird fantasy house, with a ton of cool details in it to make it look like a setting in some movie or something. It was awesome there, even if we were staying for only a night or so I think. Either way, the concept of different Pokemon adapting to different conditions in the region is the most perfect way to bring attention back to older Pokemon, and I’m so glad they seem to want to keep the idea for all future generations too. It’s especially fitting for Alola, since it’s a super remote island. I love how goofy Alolan Exeggutor is, especially because everyone else seems to love his goofiness too. Same sort of goes for Dugtrio, since his hair is actually based on a real thing… Marowak becoming a spiritual fire dancer is definitely the best possible iteration for him. My favorite might be the colorful Alolan Muk, though, even if Alolan Vulpix is infinitely cuter and better than fiery Vulpix in every way. I cannot be convinced otherwise.

Also, she’s a perfect fit for Lillie, so I guess I’ll use that as my transition into talking about the characters/anime. I’m just gonna be real with you. I’m not going to hold back. Alola has some of the cutest girls in the entire franchise. But first of all, let’s divert that train and instead lust after a man who is easily the hottest professor in the games yet, Kukui. What self-respecting researcher wouldn’t wear his professor-mandated lab coat without any undershirt? He needs his bulging abs as target practice for his Pokemon’s moves, people. He needs to let them breathe. Also, I was kind of enamoured with Sycamore before him, but you can’t deny the tinted skin gets to you a little. Burnet’s a lucky gal, let’s just say.

Okay, now that we’ve established that my pants don’t discriminate, we have to talk about Wicke. So now that that’s covered, can I just say I love Mina? I’d say she deserves more attention, but she was the only Alolan to make it into Lets Go for some reason, so I guess she’s well off? First of all, I love hippie-esque girls (idealized hippies, at least), so that’s a major plus… I mean, I should probably stop using the word “cute” altogether because it applies to every girl in the game, but yeah. Lana’s highly deserved spotlight in the anime made me love her too, where she was a perfect combination of extroverted while still more soft-spoken. I don’t know if that kind of characters’ an anime trope, but lord knows it’s not in western media, so I love how unique her personality is. Her interacting with Mallow and Lillie in cute, girly ways felt so wholesome. If the anime’s anything, it’s wholesome. 

One sec, though. I have to mention that I really like Hau. He’s obviously the one pinned as “Boo, he’s not a giga-asshole! That means he’s bad!” because I guess the fandom’s hive mind has collectively agreed that the only good rivals are assholes now. Like I said before, this stuff’s more about fun now. Hau’s a fun friend to fight, to the point where you beat him as the Champion you kinda feel bad for knocking him down so much. You feel bad because you like him, you know. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier but even though he isn’t entirely difficult himself, the trials in these games are actually both a difficult and interesting challenge. A 2v1 where you’re at the disadvantage is a great boss battle idea, especially with the strategies set out by a Pokemon’s different abilities and moves. Probably the best was Totem Lurantis, who of course summoned a Sunny Day-based Castform to activate her Chlorophyll and buff her Solar Blade, while adding a diverse fire type into play. It was really difficult, to be honest. Those who say it wasn’t either got lucky or have insane standards that cannot be met because they’re Pokemon Veterans who know every little thing about everything. I’m pretty much in that camp, and I still had to actually plan during the fight. Same goes for Totem Araquanid in USUM. I literally had to poison (not toxic, base poison) stall that guy because I couldn’t do anything to him otherwise. He was pretty much one-shotting everything I sent out, anyway, so I had to stall however I could. You can’t argue that that means it was “easy” because I knew how to beat him. It’s only “easy” if you can just send out pretty much whatever and do whatever and still win. Then there’s the Rainbow Rocket episode in USUM, which is just crazy… There’s not much to say that isn’t obvious there. It was fun seeing the villains that were victorious in a different dimension.

Anyways, for the anime, I also have a similar stance. It really seemed like the only people who started off hating it were anime nerds who had no concept of an in-between frame. I will say that it was a step down from XY/XYZ though, but those seasons’ quality was unusually high. Compared to the animation quality of every other season, it was so much better. First of all, I really don’t even like “anime style” that much, so a slightly more western style was very welcome. Like pretty much every show ever, the animation quality is seriously high where it counts, so there’s not much to be said about that, but I’d say the overall animation quality is a step up in general. The more simplified style only really looked weird in Ash because we’re so used to his more pointy style. Every other character looked totally fine, in my opinion. 

As for the story, I will say I would’ve wanted the scope of the plot to be much larger, like how with the other seasons Ash was going on an adventure, whereas here it was very contained, and centered around the Pokemon School. But, still, like I mentioned, I did enjoy the casual wholesomeness of it all. Not only do I just like mindless fun, but it made the crazy shit feel even crazier. The episode where Faba was trying to catch Nebby is a perfect example. It begins with a nice fun game of all the Pokemon and people jumping rope and having a good time, with some slapstick humor with Faba failing to capture Nebby. Then he does, and shit goes down. First of all, he’s torturing the little thing. Then, ASH (not his Pokemon, Ash himself) tackles Faba. Tell me, what other season had humans fighting other humans? I honestly can’t think of a single time when fighting was done with fists and not Pokemon (although surely I’m forgetting something, there’s gotta be at least one other example, right?) Then, Lillie re-experiences her past trauma of almost being abducted by Nihilego, except now her mom gets abducted in her place… Like, what happened? It was so cute a second ago. That’s always the selling point for any cartoon, for me. Stay casual for a decent amount, then break it with some uncharacteristically high tension. The same goes for the segment where Ash goes into Guzzlord’s post apocalyptic dimension. As for mega-feels, It’s great that they made Litten/Torracat an actual character instead of just some random Pokemon, with Stoutland and whatnot. The episode where they go into Tapu Fini’s mist and Mallow meets her mother, and Torracat meets Stoutland just destroyed me. It was strategically remedied by Lillie and Gladion not seeing their father, suggesting he’s still alive. There were some really great episodes in the season, for sure.

So, yeah… Alola was a good time. Don’t deny it. Galar’s gonna be great too. No game’s ever going to be perfect, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.

[dfhvn]

The Triumphant Return of Deafheaven: Interview // NME

Feature by Tom Connick via NME

With ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’, California’s Deafheaven have released one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, a record that makes non-metal fans sit back and think, ‘Wait, do I like metal?’ Tom Connick finds them – surfing, no less – on the day of the album’s release.

Kerry McCoy spent the morning surfing. The black-haired, bespectacled metalhead might not look like the archetypal surf bro, but McCoy uses the waves as an escape fairly often. Today, the guitarist took to the board to get away from his own record – Deafheaven’s ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’, which, when we speak, has been streaming online pre-release for a matter of hours.

“I’ve been trying not to look,” he says of the online reaction to the record. After his time on the sea, he went to hang out with friends – now he’s back home, ignoring his phone as much as possible. “My mom is keeping me updated,” Kerry says – he laughs when I suggest she might be filtering out any negativity.

Any longtime Deafheaven fan will appreciate his apprehension. Since their 2013 breakthrough, the Californian metallers – completed by vocalist George Clarke, guitarist Shiv Mehra, bassist Chris Johnson and see-him-to-believe-it mega-talent drummer Dan Tracy – have courted critical acclaim and genre purist backlash like few others. Second record ‘Sunbather’, released in 2013, was a beautiful fusion of post-rock atmospherics and doomy, heavy aggression, which achieved metal’s most elusive feat – crossover success. Heralded as genius by critics across the globe, this small-time, seemingly niche prospect soon found themselves performing at mainstream festivals like Coachella, and – according to reviews aggregate Metacritic – producing the year’s most critically acclaimed record, beating the likes of Beyoncé‘s self-titled, Kanye West‘s ‘Yeezus’, Daft Punk‘s ‘Random Access Memories’ and countless others to the top spot. With breakthrough success, though, came underground backlash. Black metal purists turned their noses up at Deafheaven, pinning them as culture vultures after a quick buck. They hadn’t paid their dues, spewed the forums, all while Deafheaven’s stature continued to rise. Their sonic fusions irritated the blacker-than-thou, too. “A lot of people have this idea that we’re thumbing our nose at the metal diehards,” says Kerry, “and it’s never that. It’s really just that we want to be this kind of band.” The fact they were pinned as metal saviors by some corners of the press was “overwhelming”, Kerry admits. Reviewed and written about by critics who’d never delved into the world of atmospheric metal before, they soon became tagged with all kinds of statements – ones they never wanted to make themselves. “You got people that either like, just really liked Beach House and had in no way ever listened to metal, but were like, ‘This is the most original thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life, this is god’s gift to music, oh my god’, and then there were people where all they listen to is Mortuary Drape, or they’re on the Nuclear War Now! Forums like, ‘This band is wildly unoriginal and the original thing that they’re ripping off sucks – this is the worst thing that could possibly happen to music’,” Kerry explains. “Both of those people were wrong!”

Citing the likes of ColdWorld and Alcest as early inspirations, he’s keen to drive home that Deafheaven never thought they were reinventing any wheels. “You’re getting blamed for stuff that you didn’t write, or you didn’t say, or whatever,” he shrugs. “People are gonna say what they’re gonna say, and they’ll like it or they won’t. Either way, we tried our hardest. That’s a mature way of thinking about it that I have now, but I think at the time we were trying to get to that point… hence my mom texting me stuff about the record, rather than me looking at it.

Photo credit:  Sean Stout ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’ is a record many will have to hear to believe. A swarming, euphoric mass of metal extremity, huge post-rock, Britpop melodies and guitar solos that could slot into place on a Thin Lizzy record, it’s a record that could soundtrack both victory marches and funerals – at once beautiful and bleak. “We’re all dudes that like extreme metal – really heavy, ridiculous stuff – but then we’re all dudes that really like psych-rock and shoegaze, Britpop, Madchester… Everyone in the band listens to everything,” explains Kerry of that anything-goes musical approach. No idea is considered too outlandish in the writing process, he explains: “If we like it, it goes in there – I think that’s how we end up with things like ‘Night People’ on the record, which is more like Portishead or The xx than anything else. The main thing that stops it sinking into those more atmospheric indie passages is George’s banshee vocal. A death metal-like scream that could shatter your grandma’s spine, it adds an element not often found in records this sonically beautiful. “I think that the juxtaposition between the harsh vocal and the more melodic parts of the songs is cool,” says George, matter-of-factly. “I think that my voice, more than anything, provides a lot of texture to the music. I think that its main process is to provide texture, which I think is a little bit different to how vocals are normally approached.” It’s a method which sees George’s vocal used as much like a musical instrument as it is a means to deliver a story – though that vicious scream hides poetry worthy of its own publication. “I think that – while it can be a little difficult for some to hear – it’s an integral part of the band,” George continues. “It’s necessary to do.” Fusing all those elements is often a case of trial-and-error. When it came time to approach ‘Ordinary Corupt Human Love’, the band exchanged voice notes and iPhone memos for months, before entering the practise studio last October. Picking out various riffs and piano parts that they’d demoed, and noodling over the top of each other, Kerry and Shiv began constructing what would become Deafheaven’s fourth full-length, almost by accident. “That happens a lot,” Kerry admits, “I’ll be playing this weird riff, just messing with it, and Shiv will just jump on top of it with something he’s making up on the fly, and we’ll be like, ‘Stop… that’s the thing. Don’t change that – that’s it right there’.” Your music taste stems from a pretty British indie background – Oasis are one of your favourite bands, right? Kerry: Yeah, definitely. Shiv is really into that too – we’re both large Manchester fans. I’m more of like a hooks, Beatles-y kinda guy, and he’s more of a Pink Floyd-y, psychy kinda guy. When we put that together, it comes out with this weird thing. For me, I can hear all of those things. I feel like it’s a… I don’t know what else to really compare it to, and I don’t mean to compare myself to this band, but I’d imagine this is how Thom and Jonny from Radiohead feel. There’s a really cohesive thing, where both of their separate influences gel together really nicely – that’s how I feel about Shiv. We’re both really good at separate things, and those things come together really nicely. Is it nice to find someone that you can gel with like that – if you’re mixing together loads of different influences, it can go disastrously, sometimes. Kerry: Absolutely. [laughs] And especially with Chris – he’s by far the most musical of any bassist we’ve ever had, and then Dan’s drumming, I think, just speaks for itself. I’m yet to meet another person who can play drums like him.

Photo credit:  Sean Stout That adulation is core to Deafheaven’s being. Now steadfast in their line-up after a bunch of early-days personnel changes, their trust runs deep. Kerry and George – ostensibly Deafheaven’s central duo – met at 14, drawn together in the kind of teen movie fashion only outcast kids at an American high-school could really muster. “I saw George at school – he was this new kid and he had a Slayer shirt on,” Kerry explains. “I went over to him and complimented him on his Slayer shirt, and I had a Dead Kennedys back patch and he was like, ‘Cool patch!’. The rest is history,” he peels off with a laugh. “I feel very fortunate to have that relationship,” says George more solemnly. “Most people go into these great adventures alone, and it’s been nice not having to do that. ”Off the back of ‘Sunbather’’s acclaim, 2015 follow-up ‘New Bermuda’ was a much darker prospect, stripping out much of the beauty that made ‘Sunbather’ so accessible to those outside of metal’s four walls. Rather than a sonic mission statement, the shift was a reflection of the impact that explosion of interest had on the band. “It was just exhausting,” says George today. “We didn’t really have a break between ‘Sunbather’ and ‘New Bermuda’, and we essentially – in terms of recording and touring – just merged those two together. By the time that we were done recording that record, we were a little bit jaded, and definitely in need of a break.” Kerry agrees: “’New Bermuda’ was a very big reaction – when I listen to that record I can feel the stress in it – it sounds like five guys who have their insides all wound up.” The result was a record which revelled in self-hatred.

Photo Credit: Sean Stout Was that darkness on ‘New Bermuda’ a reaction to the way ‘Sunbather’ exploded? You just got thrown into this, what I expect was, quite an unexpected success. George: Yeah. That’s exactly it – with ‘Sunbather’ we found an opportunity to live off our music, and then we started living off our music, and then we got really scared of not being able to do that. We just kept going – we didn’t want to take any breaks. It was great – we did a tonne of extremely cool things – but it also took a bit of… a bit of a toll. Growing up in that metal community, too, you don’t ever expect to have that kind of crossover success. It’s not really the done thing – it’s not something you’re prepared for. George: Yeah, I think so. We’re flying this ship blindly, is how I like to describe it. Everything that we were embarking on then – and even still now – a lot of the time, is unfamiliar territory. We navigate it as best we can. It is interesting being this sort of ‘crossover’ metal act, because there comes pressure from both sides, in a way. The Deafheaven of 2018 harbour a far more positive view of that crossover appeal – in fact, with the demons of the ‘New Bermuda’ cycle now behind them, ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’ is an altogether more positive prospect all round. “If we’re your gateway into this beautiful form of music, then I think that’s win-win for everybody,” shrugs Kerry. “I feel like when I was a kid, there was a hard line between being into alternative music and alternative things – especially aggressive music and aggressive things – and being a regular guy,” Kerry continues. “What I kinda see happening is that those lines are getting blurred. Some of these kids, these high-school kids, it’s not a big thing. They’re listening to the new Drake record or whatever, and then they’ll have Code Orange or Power Trip on next. From what I’ve seen, it’s not even really being talked about anymore – it’s kinda generally accepted that everyone needs to have a diverse music diet. I think that there’s a lot of bands out there that are helping open those doors, and I hope we’re one of them. More than it’s bands that are doing it, I think it’s just kids are smarter now than when I was in high school,” he breaks off with a laugh: “I remember it sucked being the punk kid in high school, when I was there.” ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’, then, feels like a victory lap. It’s an escape from numerous dark pasts – one that finds Deafheaven rejuvenated. “It’s definitely a cathartic record,” Kerry agrees. “To me it sounds like five dudes who have, essentially, been holding their breath for about five years [laughs]. We’re finally taking a deep breath and relaxing a little bit, instead of trying to handle things in a negative way. I think you can definitely hear that on it.” It’s a record which doesn’t shy away from the grisly truth of that path to redemption, though – for every soaring, reflective moment of musical bliss, there’s a doomy scream, or a well-timed lyrical takedown, to bring things back to reality – for every ‘You Without End’, on which George sings of being “In a dark tunnel / And new dawn approaching / With a sphere of light / Ever glowing”, there’s a ‘Honeycomb’, which finds him declaring that “My love is a bulging, blue-faced fool / Hung from the throat by sunflower stems.” “If I’m going to be spending time making art, or spending time writing lyrics or writing music, I think it’s important just to be honest,” says George. “I think it’s a waste of time if I’m not honest, and in being honest one has to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of life. I think we try and do that – we try and be well-rounded about our reflections on life, and take the good with the bad, and not shun away the darker side of things. We try and be as accurate a representation of our feelings as possible.” “I think that, where the world is at now… I know I’m in desperate need of some positivity these days,” says Kerry. “It is nice to be out there and put out a record that isn’t literally pure darkness. It’s almost like a true, human version of positivity – it’s flawed positivity, like: ‘Hey, no one’s perfect here – but we’re all gonna end up alright’. ”Deafheaven’s new album ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’ is out now via ANTI- Records.

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #63

This isn’t really a full rec post, just sort of a wrap up of loose ends. You could say I’m going on hiatus from making recs until my situation changes and I have more time for fics. I’m just gonna stick the recs I hadn’t previously put in a list here, as well as some general recommendations, and finish up with Previously Recced Fics That Updated.

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

A Sound Like Thunder by Bandity Words: 8,959 Author’s Summary: Hunk’s alone, stranded on a planet with no way to communicate and the world around him is being blown apart. But he knows his friends will come for him. Right? Part 2 of the Senses series, but you don’t have to read the first story to understand this one. My Comments: Absolutely fabulous hurt!Hunk fic with a hefty dose of hurt!Lance as well. The situation was incredibly tense and suspenseful, and the resolution was utterly satisfying. Poor Shiro, too. It’s all good stuff.

Smile by IcyPanther for Bandity Words: 3,661 Author’s Summary: Lance glanced at the mirror. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he was remembering. Like, the first glance had freaked him out but it really wasn’t that noticeable. He worried his lip in indecision before finally making his way over to the mirror. He had to know. Just… just a peek. Without further ado Lance gave a tentative smile. And despair crashed down once more. My Comments: Poor Lance. Though his issue seems minor, it really isn’t. I love Hunk being there for him no matter what, and Keith trying hard to be a good friend even though he doesn’t really get it. And Coran swooping in at the end for the win, too. Great comfort all around.

Collect Call by LittleWhiteTie Words: 2,479 Author’s Summary: Unsure of what to do about Shiro, Lance calls Keith. The boy on the screen is wearing his old black t-shirt instead of his Marmora uniform; his bad hair is even messier than usual. “Did you need something?” Yes, but for once, Lance’s words have left him. What’s he supposed to say? Hey Keith, I want you to come home because I feel like something might be wrong with Shiro, but I can’t even figure out what the problem is—if there’s even a problem to begin with. Hey Keith, I want you to come home because I’m not you, and Shiro won’t talk to me again, no matter how hard I try. Hey Keith, I want you to come home because I miss you, and I don’t want to deal with this alone. Nope, not happening. “I—I can call back later.” My Comments: I love the way Keith and Lance’s friendship develops here. Very lovely post season 5 fic with great character development and realistic dialogue.

Sounds of Darkness by IcyPanther for CrownsofLaurels (laurel1020) Words: 8,635 Author’s Summary: Lance couldn’t see. Or hear. Or move. The silent darkness was all encompassing and it was pressing in; choking him, drowning him, blinding him. He screamed but it was swallowed whole into the void of nothingness. Lance trembled, pain shaking his limbs, and faintly wondered if he’d even made a sound at all. My Comments: Lance’s suffering in this one is particularly visceral, but the recovery and comforting afterward was suitably intense, as well. I’m a big fan of Shiro and Lance platonically cuddling. Totally worth it.

With All But His Soul by Resamille Words: 28,849 Author’s Summary: Somewhere along the line, Lance lost himself, replaced with something fierce and foreign. The worst part? He can’t bring himself to want to go back. Like this, he’s improved. He’s a fighter, a perfect soldier. No more nightmares. No more homesickness. No more weakness. It’s better, that way. He’s better. My Comments: This fic is dark. I’m not sure I like it, but I do admire it. It sucked me in and I couldn’t stop reading, even as dread and horror built inside me and I began to suspect that I would not enjoy the ending. And I didn’t. Still, it’s an amazing piece of fiction, very well-written and compelling, and if you’re in the mood for something tragic and disturbing, this is the fic for you.

Forge Fire by squirenonny Words: 19,745 Author’s Summary: Keith thought he’d passed the Trials of Marmora, but when he approaches Kolivan looking for information about his mother, he learns there are four more Trials to pass before he can call himself a Blade. Kolivan, Antok, and Thace watch as Keith undertakes the remainder of his Trials, and they remember their own Trials—a grueling ordeal from which no one emerges unchanged. They cannot aid him in the Trials, but they can help him prepare, and they can help him through the aftermath. After all, the Blades are kin, and kin does not let kin suffer alone. One part Dads of Marmora, one part Kolivan introspective. My Comments: I adore the worldbuilding and the emotions and the backstories and the characterization and everything about this, basically. Kolivan’s perspective is so warm and rich, and Keith’s desperation to belong is palpable. The ending was ridiculously satisfying, too, and I just… This story feels GOOD, y'all. You should definitely read it.

Faces of Home by IcyPanther for glitteringconstellations Words: 6,238 Author’s Summary: There were murmured, familiar voices when Lance awoke that quieted almost immediately when he blinked open his eyes. “Easy, easy,” someone soothed as he tried to sit up. Someone familiar. Lance gasped. “Mamá?” Because somehow… somehow he was home. / Lance is injured in a fight against the Galra and wakes to find himself in the care of his family. But… how did he wind up back on Earth? Something isn’t quite right… My Comments: I love it when Lance gets familial comfort and love, even from unexpected places. This got me hard in the feels. So good.

A Long Night by VelkynKarma Words: 2,359 Author’s Summary: A missing scene from “Failsafe.” Shiro takes care of a very ill Ryou while the others are away, but it’s not so easy to do when he just wants a few hours of rest for himself. My Comments: Part of a previously recced series. This installment is just straight cuddling and comfort in the middle of a horrible period in the story, and it’s everything I love. I adore this.

As Cold as Ice by A_Zap Words: 4,326 Author’s Summary: Keith scoffed when Hunk warned him and Pidge to never make Lance truly angry. After all, Lance wasn’t scary. He was like his element: flexible, playful, and able to let things go as easily as ripples in water. Plus, at the end of the day, he was too nice to ever really do anything when angry. Keith had forgotten that water could be just as terrifying and unforgiving as any wild fire. My Comments: Fun fic with Lance being scary and protective and Keith being astonished. Hunk and Lance are totally the scariest when they’re angry, I believe that absolutely.

At a Loss by FroldGapp Words: 2,189 Author’s Summary: Coran sees the gulf grow ever-wider between Keith and his fellow paladins and decides it’s up to him to cheer the red paladin up. It’s time for an intervention of sorts from the universe’s most gorgeous man. My Comments: My heart aches for Keith here so much. I wish he was a little better at communicating so he could tell the others that he’s having a hard time. But I love Coran noticing all on his own and doing what he can to ease things for him.

Bonded to the Bone by spitfire00 Words: 3,322 Author’s Summary: Pidge is missing, the Green Lion is angry, Matt is heartbroken, Voltron is useless, and Pidge may have inadvertently become god of the forest in the meantime. My Comments: Very cool visual images here, I like this concept a lot. And of course reunions and hugging are nice, too.

yellow by m_barcelona Words: 2,654 Author’s Summary: “I, um…I don’t really know what to say here. I guess I should start at the beginning.” Hunk clears his throat and looks away from the blinking red dot of the camera, suddenly feeling trapped by its unnerving stare. This is going to be harder than he thought. Hunk decides to send a video message home to his family, and discovers a lot about himself in the process. My Comments: Hunk is the best. I loved this look into his heart and mind. It felt very intimate and warm.

So here’s the general part. While I don’t have quite as much time for fics, I’m still reading, just authors and stories I’m already subscribed to. Below is a list of the authors I read no matter what they do, because it’s always amazing. BUT THIS IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE. 

There are LOTS of good gen writers who are not on this list. PLEASE don’t miss out on good fics just because I’m not posting them. Look for yourself. Try every story currently on @maychorianrecs​ and then follow the authors to see what else they’ve done. Follow their bookmarks. I’ve found tons of fantastic stories by reading the bookmarks of authors I like, then following THEIR bookmarks, and so on. It’s like following a trail of Good Stuff, and I’ve wiled away many a pleasant day doing that.

Also, @bosstoaster​ made a filter that removes almost every ship in the Voltron fandom on AO3, so you can find just the gen stuff (with rare canon pairings). Here it is, it’s amazing.

But anyway, the (mostly gen) Voltron authors I am subscribed to at this particular point in time:

VelkynKarma  IcyPanther squirenonny ashinan Bandity birdzilla buttered_onions ChaoticReactions (BossToaster) Emerald_Ashes isabeau25 mumblefox Rangergirl3 WashiPuppy wingedflower yet_intrepid

Some of those folks, particularly Velkyn and IcyPanther, have written some really incredible stories recently. I’m just saying, you don’t want to miss out.

Okay, and here’s the last thing.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

mostly void, partially stars (33063 words) As Color Fades Away (317695 words) Shadows of Stars (236851 words) Little Crystals (22176 words) Fusion Confusion (26040 words) The Field of Blood (37587 words) A Dragon in Thy Pocket (14380 words) Young Blood (12360 words) I'm Your Captain (11878 words)

[talabib]

Simple Tools For Making Better Use Of Your Free Time.

There are a lot of books out there offering tips, rules and complex systems on how to work more efficiently and be more productive. But does any of that stuff really make you happier in life?

Adding happiness to your life is less about the choices you make at work and more about the choices you make outside of work.

This post is about a checklist for how to make better choices about your free time, so that you’ll feel more fulfilled and start living a more meaningful life.

Your time is one of the most valuable resources you have, because it is limited – and shrinking by the second. So why not use science to ensure you make the most of it?

Finding more happiness and success starts with choosing better experiences.

It’s pretty common for concerns about free time to take a back seat to concerns about being more productive. Indeed, if you were raised in a capitalist society, you may think that time not spent earning money is time wasted. This might even be why we tend to idealize people who are always busy taking care of the next piece of business.

Our desire to be efficient also explains why we tend to feel like we have less free time than we actually do.

Studies have shown that the average American has five hours and fourteen minutes of free time per day, while the average Brit has five hours and forty-nine minutes.

Yet other studies show that, despite these healthy sums, four out of five Americans feel they don’t have enough time to do what they’d like, while three out of four Brits feel they aren’t getting the most out of their time.

But there are other reasons for feeling like we don’t have much free time. At the top of this list is the fact that people spend a daily average of three and a half hours interacting with their phones. This often comes from the fact that with so many emails, texts and social media updates arriving daily, there’s an anxiety-inducing fear of missing out on something – known as FOMO – which results in hours spent just keeping up with your digital life.

But here’s the thing: even though we place a high value on work and productivity, they aren’t the only important things in life, especially when it comes to feeling happy and satisfied. According to multiple studies from institutions like Harvard Business School and Cornell University, what really brings happiness into people’s lives are experiences.

While this is a pretty interesting idea on its own, research also shows that happiness is a strong precursor to success. Conventional wisdom usually tells us that happiness is a byproduct of success, and yet a lot of evidence suggests that it’s actually the other way around.

What all of this adds up to is that positive experiences lead to happiness, which in turn leads to success. So to achieve success, we should try to have positive experiences. The question then becomes: What is a positive experience, and how can I introduce more of them into my life?

For enduring happiness, choose experiences that add to your own heroic story.

What kind of positive experiences lead to enduring, sustainable happiness? In researching this question an expert came up with the STORIES checklist.

This stands for Story, Transformation, Outside & Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status & Significance.

So when considering whether or not an activity is going to be a worthwhile way of spending your time, the first question you can ask yourself is: Will it add to my Story? Any valuable experience will add to your story by ticking off one or all of the items on the checklist.

For example, if you had an eye-opening experience while on a yoga retreat in India, that would count as transformational, intense, extraordinary and significant. Ultimately, experiences like this inform the kind of people we are, and they also form the narrative of our own life stories.

There are two popular versions of all the heroic stories we find so satisfying. The first is called “The Man in a Hole Story,” introduced by the American writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. It suggests that every hero in a narrative starts out in a good place, then gradually sinks into a hole of misfortune before being restored to good fortune by the end of the story.

The other version of this story is what scholar Joseph Campbell calls “The Hero’s Journey,” which is a more circular tale. It starts out in the ordinary world, where the hero accepts a “call to action” that requires perseverance through many trials and tribulations.

Through this process, the hero learns new skills, overcomes the supreme ordeal, receives a reward and returns home. In the end, he shares the gifts and wisdom he acquired, and in doing so forever changes the ordinary world into a new world.

By placing yourself in the hero’s role, you can not only recognize what your particular call to action is, but can also begin to be more adventurous and understand that difficulties and struggles are crucial to our stories and shouldn’t be avoided. It is through these challenging experiences that we acquire the tools that allow us to reach our goals and slay our own metaphorical dragons.

Events that provide change and transformation are key to finding fulfillment.

Once you place yourself in your own hero’s journey, you can start to see that change – Transformation, on our checklist – is the name of the game. After all, if you were watching a story in which the hero wasn’t changing in some way, it would be pretty boring and maybe even sad, right? Well, the same holds true for your life, and it’s why change and personal development are key to feeling happier and more fulfilled.

This is a good time to consider two simple but revealing questions: Looking back over the past ten years, how much do you think you’ve changed, on a scale of one to ten? Now, how much do you think you’ll change over the next ten years?

For most people, the first number is higher than the second, and this is known in psychology as the end of history illusion, which means we tend to think of change as something happening in the past, not the future. As a result, significant changes are often unplanned.

But once you understand that change is a key part of a fulfilling life, you can start actively seeking it out, by finding experiences that bring new inspiration, new skills and other transformative elements into your life.

Let’s take vacationing, for instance. There are basically three ways you can approach a vacation: fly and flop, find and seek, or go and become.

With fly and flop, personal development is not on the menu. Fly and flop might involve going to a resort and engaging in passive experiences like lying in the sun, eating familiar foods and reading books and magazines that require very little effort on your part. While it might be relaxing, this approach results in some pretty dull stories to tell others back home.

Find and seek involves more active engagement. You travel to new places with the intent to explore, or maybe attend a music festival like Burning Man. You’ll see new things and have some interesting stories to tell, but for the most part it’s an experience that any other sightseer or concert-goer might have.

The go and become approach, however, offers a real chance for transformation. In this scenario, your vacation would come with a purposeful intent to learn inspirational things about different cultures and customs, or new skills like painting, boating or traditional sushi techniques. Or it might involve a spiritual retreat of some kind.

Whatever the case may be, it will include very personal, and possibly very transformational, experiences – and therefore a great story.

Being outside and offline has been shown to improve people’s moods directly.

Next on the STORIES checklist is Outside and Offline, which is pretty self-explanatory: valuable experiences that lead to happiness are more likely to take place in nature and away from the online world.

Let’s first consider the benefits of nature. Around 1990, Japanese researchers began looking into the claims of health benefits surrounding a pastime known as shinrin yoku, or forest bathing – and, sure enough, the claims appeared to be valid.

Compared to walks on a treadmill, these immersive forest walks were far more effective at reducing tension, anger and fatigue, as well as blood pressure and cortisol levels, while at the same time improving mood.

There’s also the revealing evidence gleaned from the 20,000 or so users of the Mappiness app, who periodically entered their mood and activity while the app recorded GPS and weather data.

Ultimately, the data showed that people were unhappiest while at work, sick in bed, or commuting to work, and that they were happiest while in nature – especially when close to water. Happiness levels in coastal areas, for instance, were generally six points higher than in urban areas.

There’s a biological factor at work here. Scientists believe we’re simply predisposed, from an evolutionary perspective, to enjoy the calming sights, sounds and smells of nature and water.

Biological factors also help explain why we should choose to spend more time offline. Researchers have long known that humans are susceptible to conditioning. You may be familiar with the psychologist Ivan Pavlov, who over a century ago conditioned dogs to salivate with hunger – not in the presence of food, but at the sound of a metronome that signified the arrival of food.

Interaction with your smartphone is much like gambling on a slot machine: what’s at work is a system of operational conditioning known as intermittent variable rewards.

This means you’re interacting with a system that offers an inconsistent promise of large or small rewards. And when this happens, even the most intelligent people can end up picking up their phones 300 times a day, checking how many likes their latest Instagram or Facebook post has racked up, or scouting for a funny new meme.

The problem is that, as multiple studies in the US and Europe show, too much time online leads to feelings of isolation, stress, depression and insomnia. Fortunately, however, if you start spending less time online now, your mood can improve immediately.

Engage in activities that connect you with others to avoid the potentially fatal effects of loneliness.

While solitude and some time alone can be a nice change of pace from time to time, no one enjoys feeling lonely. This might sound obvious enough, but what you may not know is just how dangerous loneliness can be.

Over time, persistent loneliness has been proven to cause stress and create more protein fibrinogens in your body, which clog arteries, increase blood pressure and make you more likely to get diabetes and have a heart attack.

What’s more, in compiling seven years’ worth of data from nearly three and a half million people, researchers found that loneliness increased a person’s chances of death by 29 percent. Meanwhile, social isolation increased that chance by 26 percent, and living alone by 32 percent. Remarkably, these statistics show that loneliness is deadlier than type 2 diabetes or smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

This brings us to the third item on the STORIES checklist: Relationships. Curbing loneliness is about finding ways to connect with other people. And the good news is that there are many ways of doing this.

Basically, the way to be less lonely is to do something interesting – anything, really. Most experiences involve other people in some way, whether you’re outside playing sports or indoors playing a board game.

But even if you’re pursuing solitary experiences like meditating, reading an interesting book or working on a painting, psychologists have found that these activities can still provide a sense of belonging in the larger sense.

And remember, whenever you have an interesting experience, it gives you a good story to tell, and sharing stories is one of the best ways to form bonds with others.

Ideally, your experiences speak to who you are as an individual, so think about what you like to do, and then see whether there’s a group in your community or online that you can join. If you like to go hiking, there are plenty of outdoor groups; if you like to read, join a book club, or start your own.

Check out what’s going on in your community. It’s highly likely that there’s a group or association doing something that you find interesting. If not, there may be a festival within a reasonable distance that you can attend. And when’s the last time you talked to your neighbors?

No matter what you’re up to, there’s probably a way to make adjustments and find ways for your activities to connect you with others.

We’re at our happiest when engaged in intense, immersive activities that allow for good flow.

There’s a good chance you’ve heard about flow, a state of being in which you’re so fully immersed in what you’re doing that you lose track of time. Studies have found that when we’re experiencing flow, we’re also experiencing some of the happiest moments in our lives.

This brings us to the Intensity part of the checklist. After all, finding flow essentially means being so intensely focused on what you’re doing that all your troubles recede. Needless to say, when it comes to deciding how to spend your time, choosing an experience that gives you flow is often the smart way to go.

For starters, what you do should be challenging enough that staying engaged with the activity requires all your abilities and demands a state of full-body awareness. This is what athletes call the zone.

Note that mindless video games, binge-watching and endlessly scrolling through a news feed are not sufficiently challenging activities. Even though they can cause you to block out everything around you and suck hours from your life, they’re not going to leave you with the kind of transformative satisfaction that you’ll get from good flow.

A handy, simple rule of thumb for telling the difference between good and bad flow is to know that good flow requires you to put in true, intense effort in order to receive the reward at the end.

In fact, the progression of a real flow experience is not unlike the hero’s journey: there’s an initial struggle, followed by a release in which you enter the zone and the flow begins, and then, at the end, you feel physically, emotionally and mentally drained, yet also ecstatic at having slain your metaphorical dragons.

Difficult experiences are thus not only worthwhile, they can be some of the happiest and most rewarding things you’ll ever do, if they’re intense and require your full engagement.

And where can you find such experiences? Well, sports are great for adding flow to your life, but you can also get it from performing in front of an audience, writing, carpentry and any number of other activities that require skill and attention.

For example, have you ever considered taking an improv comedy class? Few activities are more intense than trying to be funny in front of a live audience.

How we remember activities has a lot to do with beginnings, peaks and ends.

The penultimate item on the checklist for improving how you spend your time is Extraordinary. This, as the name suggests, stands for experiences that are out of the ordinary. But it also means paying attention to the peak moments that determine just how memorable an experience is.

Peak moments, as well as endings, have a disproportionate amount of influence on how we experience things. In fact, psychologists have a term for this effect: the peak-end rule. Essentially, it means that you can wait in line for an annoying length of time, but if the line speeds up in the last moments, you’ll likely look back at the experience as not that annoying.

In other words, even though the experience was mostly annoying, you’ll remember it as being pleasant enough because of how it ended, or how it peaked.

The peak-end rule applies to a person’s experiencing self and remembering self, and knowing about this difference can allow you not only to make better decisions about how you spend your time, but also to plan those experiences better.

For example, if you’re having a miserable time stuck in traffic on the way to a music festival, you can rest easy knowing that this is your experiencing self suffering, and that the peak moments of the festival will be the things your remembering self will care about, while the misery of the traffic will be forgotten.

Now, this doesn’t mean you need to pack every day with as many peak moments as you can. After all, if it’s all extraordinary experiences all the time, you’ll likely burn out. Plus, it takes an ordinary baseline to make the extraordinary stand out. Since everyone’s needs and preferences are different, we all have to find the right balance that works for us.

It’s also worth noting that you can inject a seemingly ordinary moment with extraordinary significance just by appreciating the inherent wonder in nature and human existence. Therefore, while it makes sense to add new and exciting experiences to your everyday life, you can also have a happier life by recognizing the everyday as already pretty special.

Consider a cup of tea, for example. On its own it may be ordinary, but if you make each brew part of a daily calming ritual, it can be pretty extraordinary.

Activities that boost our status can lead to happier lives.

All societies contain hierarchies of some sort, and wherever there’s a hierarchy, there are people of different status. In the workplace, for example, we have clerks, supervisors, managers and directors. But there are also two other primary ways for gaining status: there are the experts who gain status through their education, and successful people who’ve earned theirs through money.

This is significant, since researchers have found that status can bring happiness, primarily through the added amount of control and number of options in life that come with it.

According to a University of Cambridge study, three things can lead someone to flourish in life: control, capabilities and social participation. And the way you increase these three things is by attaining more education, money and power – the three elements of status.

With more education comes more capabilities, and with more money comes a wider array of experiences to choose from. This equates to more opportunities and more chances for social engagement, which in turn can lead to increased happiness.

As for the kinds of experiences that can contribute to more status in life, one of the best things you can do is continue your education in order to become more of an expert in your field. Travel is also a great way to gain more knowledge through transformative experiences as you visit more places, do new things and go on more adventures.

As for social participation, this can be increased through any activity that helps you become more connected to your community, and a more important figure within it. This could include joining a local committee or just networking with more colleagues and peers.

It also helps to do things that help you become more fit. But this isn’t about body image – it’s about being in better shape so that you can increase the range of physically demanding adventures and activities that are available to you.

The final path to higher status is to turn off the TV. According to experts, it’s no coincidence that the lower someone’s status is, the more TV he or she watches. The more you watch, the fewer story-worthy experiences you’re having. So start thinking of TV as a last resort to turn to when all other options are unavailable.

When it comes to the association between status and money, however, it’s important to understand that it’s not about how much you make, but how you use it. Happiness doesn’t come from buying interchangeable material things that anyone else can buy. It comes from using your money, as well as your time, to help others.

The STORIES checklist helps people add more fulfillment, meaning and happiness to their lives by focusing their attention on the seven key elements that make up the best experiences: Story, Transformation, Outside & Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status & Significance. These are all characteristics that guide you toward experiences that further your personal development and increase your happiness, while keeping you away from empty activities that either add nothing of value or promote unhappiness.    

 Action plan: Go offline this weekend and get wild. Plan some outdoor activities for the weekend ahead, like hiking, canoeing or biking. Maybe pack a picnic and head out to the seaside, or set up camp in the nearest forest reserve or park. You could also just set up some long weekend lunches with friends.

Whatever you decide to do, plan to turn off all your internet devices and leave them off from 7 PM on Friday until 7 PM on Sunday. Then make a note of how you feel during the weekend while you’re untethered. There’s a good chance you’ll feel some withdrawal-like symptoms, but see whether you can repeat this experiment at least one weekend a month while trying to move toward having more internet-free weekends.

[khondoker]

Groove.cm Review

GrooveFunnels Turned Into Groove.cm

February 23, 2021 by userkhondoker

If you’re Connected with In the world of online marketing, you’ve probably at least heard of Groove.cm (previously GrooveFunnels), the digital marketing suite and the landing page builder that’s revitalizing online sales funnels. In this  Review, we go deep into the pros and cons to establish whether Groove.cm is a valid online business marketing suite worth attempting, or just much-publicised.

Groove Digital has become quite a big name since it started, becoming one of the most significant marketing SaaS (Software as a Service) for online businesses around. I guess it’s no surprise people adore Groove.cm as it is all about earning its users cash. More specifically, it is about giving businesses apps that help them turn their own site visitors into customers. It’s no wonder Groove has increased so much in such a brief time period.

There’s no denying it has become quite popular, but does this mean it is well worth it? It seems it’s just another site and/or landing page builder, so what sets it apart and should you add it into your marketing tools?

In this Groove.cm Review, I’ll undergo the core of the software suite–what it is, the positives and the negatives, the features, customer service, and so on. I’m basing this review on my own experience with the Groove Free-for-life membership strategy, which comes with the heart the features and plenty of other whistles and bells. I will also provide the nod towards other testimonials I have seen, as not every user will agree with me about the last verdict.

Whether you choose to use it or not, and it is an important player, anybody in e-commerce and online marketing should be acquainted with it. Before you jump in, what’s our rating? I will put it at a solid 4.4 stars. With a few drawbacks, it is definitely good. Continue reading to learn why!

Groove.cm Review Highlights

Groove.cm of Groove digital is a great Landing page builder, with an easy drag-and-drop editor.

Easy and ample integrations between apps permit you to engage in various marketing activities, like selling a digital product, capturing emails, and accepting payments right inside Groove.cm.

Simple to learn and use

Focused on making its user’s more money

Instead of a free Trial, free-for-lifetime membership is available.

Visit the Groove.cm Website here.

What is Groove.cm?

Groove.cm is a suite of digital marketing tools designed to help digital marketers run a successful online business.

The platform includes tools for creating sales funnels, building websites and landing pages (GroovePages), selling a digital product (GrooveSell) and physical product (GrooveKart), creating membership sites (GrooveMember), blogging (GrooveBlog), video storing (GrooveVideo), running webinars (GrooveWebinar), building and marketing to an email list (GrooveMail), and much more.

Keep in mind that Groove is currently in beta, so many of the promised features are still in development at this review.

The creator of Groove digital Mike Filsaime is as famous as his creation, and for a good reason. Mike is an entrepreneur, digital marketer, online marketing coach, and consultant. Also, the inventor of the “Butterfly marketing” method, that restructured digital marketing.

He has been one of the online marketing industry leaders for a long time now. He has produced several software solutions that have helped businesses gain success. Software like Kartra, WebinarJam, and EverWebinar – he’s the man behind them. His experience with Kartra evoked the vision to create the Groove.cm.

Pros — Groove.cm Review

I’ve got some good news:

Groove is intended to save you energy, money and time by making more sales–to do what otherwise demands a lot of technological competence and/or an array of third party applications. In this regard, it succeeds.

Makes You More Sales- More Money

Among the greatest things about Groove is its focus on sales. They make it very easy to make your accounts, put your content up, and begin taking payments. Additionally, it’s pretty simple to select up everything –it’ll probably take you a couple of hours to figure out a lot of what you require, maximum.

Drag and Drop Interface AKA GroovePages

Quite a few features are handy here in the GroovePages app. I like how simple it is to duplicate pages and also the fact I can save templates from being used again after. Their webpage builder, GroovePages, is a fairly important feature, and they have pulled it off nicely. As soon as you get used to it, it’s simple to use drag and drop builder.

Congruent selection of Apps

I believe Groove handles internal apps and API integrations quite nicely. Email autoresponders (GrooveMail) and payment processors are not too much of a sweat–they work reliably and are easy to manage.

All under one roof

Overall, it’s great to have all the marketing apps under one roof: I will build my landing pages, produce forms and order forms and activate emails (GrooveMail) all from one platform.

All of this does save your time and money, resources you would otherwise need to spend on developers, CSS, hosting configurations, and so on.

Exquisite pricing

I think you wouldn’t mind considering the free-for-lifetime account is an excellent investment (lol!)–everything you’re permitted for a StartUp account is pretty decent.

If you need to have over 3 funnels or websites, the Groove.cm Platinum upgrade might not be too much to ask for, especially when you are getting a  lifetime deal (time-specific) with a one-time price of $1397. The monthly payment option will soon roll ou,t and the one-time payment option will be no longer. 

Makes you money with the affiliate Program

Mind-blowing is the right word for the Groove affiliate program. I mean, every member, free or pro, becomes an affiliate automatically; how good’s that? A separate app, GrooveAffiliate, is dedicated to managing affiliates, affiliate link, paying commissions and laying stats for the affiliates. And GrooveAffiliate would pay you 20% off sales if you are a free member. Become a pro, and you’ll get a whopping 40% of $1397, calculate how much it turns out for you. 

An engaging support community

Their private Facebook Group has over 100k members, and most posts are helpful- not consist of people bragging about how much money they made and flashing their sports cars. Groove has helped people do amazing things, but it’s also helped escalate quick rich schemes, online courses, a saturation of coaches and specialists, and other spammy online marketer stuff.

Groove is not only an ideal sales funnel builder; it also does a great job of packaging great resources together and making them accessible under one roof. It arguably conserves most users a hassle they’d have if they attempted to manage funnels another way.https://www.youtube.com/embed/91NLSOr-KXg?feature=oembed

Cons — Groove.cm Review

I have got some terrible news: Even though Groove is overall strong, it’s quite a few places that still require work, and a great Groove.cm review wouldn’t be complete without looking at the ugly side too.

Some Lesser Apps are still in Beta.

Groove blueprint was not focused merely on funnels but the overall digital marketing process. So the team at Groove.cm has to build everything needed in a marketing platform from scratch. However, developing all those features takes a considerable amount of time, so the platforms’ feature rollout will happen over an extended period.

Some of Grove apps are still in beta, and that’s currently the most critical weakness of The Groove. Most of the vital features have rolled out, but many features inside the apps are yet to come out. So, members right now cannot use them to their heart’s content!

Insufficient Training Material

Suppose you joined the Groove as a free member and you want to use its’ features. What would be the first thing you look for? Of course, the training materials for learning how to operate! But you’ll find only a few training videos and materials inside your membership area.

There are training materials, but they are not sufficient. However, the team Groove Digital is fast adding training materials. Still, we consider as a weakness of Groove but understand this will go away with time.

Too Templated

This one is not on Groove but more about the community. While you’ve got the ability to personalize broadly within Groove, many people use similar designs. Considering the prevalence of Groove, this has resulted in a great amount of proto-typed looks floating around. Diversity is important.

App downtime and bugs

Groove is still in beta. Bugs are not uncommon within a few apps. If you invest a great deal in advertising or driving traffic to your funnels and a Groove.cm’ glitch brings your pages down for even a few hours, you can potentially lose a good deal of sales.

It’s also difficult to know if your pages are up or not unless you keep checking or wait till you hear from angry clients. Barring bandwidth, I deal with some glitches when I replicate webpages using the HTML publishing alternative.

User experience changes… a lot.

The dashboard changes often, The stream of creating new pages and funnels changes, a button will proceed, pricing choices change, etc.–and it appears Groove.cm is still figuring things out.

I like consistency in my software suite, particularly if it is a business solution.

Too Easy

Finally, I have Discovered a criticism but disagreed with personally: GroovePages is too simple and too cheap for its simplicity. All these criticisms refer to home improvement approaches that can be free upfront and control certain details. I wouldn’t emphasise this too strongly for less experienced users that are mainly seeking efficacy and an easy to use a bundle of resources.

Groove.cm Pricing — Just how much can be Groove.cm?

Groove currently has two Pricing plans; their free-for-lifetime Plan and their lifetime Platinum Plan with all future updates with $1397. You get a free account to try the service, so at least you don’t need to commit to an expensive upgrade straight away. 

Nonetheless, a $1397 bit hefty, huh? Some might say that I can’t see why–especially if you compare to other services, a comparable (overlapping, but definitely not identical) service that begins at $25 per month. But it’s necessary to keep in mind Groove.cm’ most important service is to make your online business more efficient, and it does a fairly good job. Personally, I consider it a good investment.

groove.cm Pricing

The primary differences between free account and premium accounts are as follows: the benchmark gets the main service, the funnel-builder, GroovePages with some limitations, and only a number of the full list of all attributes.

To summarize the Differences, the free Groove.cm plan basically carries the core feature of Groove, which can be called (you guessed it!)  On the other hand, Platinum packs the foundation tools –and gives you the complete set of digital marketing apps. It is possible to watch the full official list. Here is the list of apps of the Groove member-area: 

Fully Functional Apps

GroovePages

GrooveSell

GrooveAffiliate

GrooveMail

GrooveMember

GrooveVideo

GrooveKart

GrooveBlog

Apps Under Future Groove.cm

GrooveDesk

GrooveCalendar

GrooveSurvey

GrooveWebinars (Live)

Apps Announced (Not inside the member area yet)

GrooveProof

GrooveWebinars (Automated)

GrooveStreaming (live)

GrooveStreaming (Automated)

GrooveProof

GrooveQuiz

Features Overview — Groove.cm Review

Overall Features? I think they’re already powerful, and you get whatever you need. They are largely intuitive and give you a fantastic amount of control. The template editor and integration management program are great examples of this and are therefore essential to give them different sections.

Smaller feature but unquestionably a notable one.

If you replicate a page and Make adjustments to the backup, the split test essentially enables you to select what proportions of the traffic you want to see per page, letting you examine conversion rates very conveniently. It’s a great function and very simple to use.

I also believe Groove is adaptable and straightforward for different settings, like your account information or integrations. Maybe very tech literate people would find them prohibitive (a frequent theme among some criticisms), but while the support is supposed to be simple to work with, I believed the basic features were pretty good.

There are numerous forms Of available pre-made funnels and blocks oriented to several types of businesses, and you can, of course, construct your own funnel from scratch too.

Here is the Complete list of free-for-life membership features

With the free-for-lifetime platinum plan of Groove, you can use three essential apps free for life. The apps are GroovePages, GrooveSell, and GrooveAffiliates. Here are the features and resources a free-for-life member can enjoy:

Unlimited Offers at GrooveSell

Build Brand Websites with full navigation (GroovePages)

2 tier program at GrooveAffiliate, and also

Custom Domains Integration (GroovePages)

Free bandwidth and hosting (GroovePages, GrooveBlog, GrooveMail, GrooveVideo, GrooveMember)

All 12 other Apps with limitations

But there are a few limitations for the free members. Free lifetime members can create and maintain up to three funnels with unlimited pages with GroovePages. Also, free members will get 20% and 5% two-tier affiliate commissions from the Groove affiliate-program. However, there aren’t any restrictions on GrooveSell use.

Note that, at this beta stage, Groove allows the free members to use all the 12 apps with some limitations. But it could be a temporary, beta-special deal. Other than the three free apps, the rest of the nine apps are not free-for-lifetime. They can restrict free access to free members anytime along the way.

Listen to Mike Filsaime on Groove.cm pricing and more:https://www.youtube.com/embed/ROvvnryQOWw?feature=oembed

You can view the Complete list Of Groove.cm features, along with Groove.cm Platinum features, here. If you’re in a situation where you can afford to try Platinum for a little and you also absolutely require an efficient, simple method of increasing earnings, I do not think you would find yourself short. By that same token, I really don’t think pro-package such a huge advantage that you can not do without them: for most users (newbies), the free Groove.cm program will provide a thorough enough package.

Groove.cm Review — GroovePages (Page Builder)

This is probably the most important Groove digital app, so I wanted to devote exclusive attention to it. In fact, I think a large part of why I gave Groove a high score has to do with it having a superb landing page builder. Groove distances itself from page construction software identity and advertises being a digital marketing suite, but truth be told, I use it mostly for this particular landing page builder.

Anyway, there is rather an array of templates with great layouts, though as you may expect, only the templates created by Groove are free. Templates are coordinated by funnel type; therefore, poking around is not too hard.

GroovePages Feature

Groove.cm funnel options

Groove templates

You can also save certain templates and make personal page templates, and it’s pretty simple to find them. As you can see, it is possible to toggle with basic settings and open from the editor.

Groove editor

As Soon as You start your pages in The editor, you’ll basically be working using a drag and drop builder. It’s a little more complex than some other mild page builders, but it’s still easy to use.

Groovepages drag and drop editor

The editor uses a webpage Structure with four main components: blocks, sections, rows, columns, and elements. Think of these parts as fitting inside each other. Basically: blocks, columns, rows, and components go inside of segments. You can have several segments per page. Elements are the dynamic bits that go within columns and also make your page interactive to its customers.

Groovepages page structure

It may sound complex; nonetheless, it’s pretty easy to get the hang of. Everything is colour-coded. 

You can also edit by Section, row, column, and so on through the sidebar. All of the small details and parts of your page can be moved or altered. The template editor allows for plenty of customization but offers a great controller also. You can do all sorts of items –mobile previews, edit colours, text, preferences, and just about anything you anticipate. If you’re handy with code, you may also add your own CSS, Javascript, and HTML.

Groove template editor

I’ve heard (but don’t have ) on the builder is the way grid-like; it’s –you have to work within these columns and rows. I personally do not believe this is a massive issue, and the builder gives you enough control without sacrificing ease of use, but it may be worth a mention.

Overall, I like GroovePages a lot. It makes designing your landing page very simple, and it serves Groove.cm’ goal: to make it easier for you to earn money online.

Groove.cm Integrations

Internal apps integrations are exactly what they sound like: you hardly need other marketing tools to integrate into the Groove software. Still, it’s possible to add a few distinct integrations for your Groove accounts, as GroovePay.

The process for managing Integrations can also be simple, though you might have to look at your third party software’s documentation to find exactly what Groove needs. In general, you’ll discover the procedure pretty straightforward. 

Connected to integrations are payment gateways. Payment gateways become incorporated, and about other software, platforms are just called integrations, but on Groove, they receive a section different from integrations. Payment gateways will also be what they sound like: they are the integrations that allow your customers to pay for your stuff. Your store won’t really be much of a shop unless you’re using a payment gateway.

Managing all of them Integrations are fairly simple –as long as you are all set up with whatever application you’re trying to integrate with, you shouldn’t have any problems adding it to Groove. In my experience, these integrations usually run smoothly, and you don’t have to worry much about them.

Ease of Use — Groove.cm Review

If you haven’t picked it up by now, Groove.cm’ most important market is its ease of use–as their ad says, “Do not waste any more time with tech guys! ”’ As I’ve stated in this Groove.cm review, the most important ceremony Groove offers to supply tools that allow the less experienced save time and money. That being the case, assessing ease of usage is really significant.

Brief answer: It’s easy to Usage, but you need to have some expertise still.

Longer answer: To a First-timer, it could be somewhat overwhelming–and from first-timer, I mean new to the world of e-commerce and marketing–but the learning curve is far from impossible. For most people, I’d say the learning curve could be just a few hours max. If you’re really behind, pick up Mike Filsaime’s training videos.

Anyway, Groove is Certainly simpler than creating funnels all on your own. They’ve got a fair amount of documentation, and it might not be perfect, but it seems to me enjoy most questions must be covered, and you can always contact a customer service representative if it has to do with it.

All of that aside, some Parts of Groove are pretty simple to get the hang of. The centre features of Groove–that the real funnels–are fairly easy to manage. A cohesive menu makes it effortless to navigate to all sections of your funnel managing process, from picking templates into the drag and drop editor. Some settings involving email integrations or payment processors will want a little bit of understanding. Still, it’s nowhere close to the quantity of knowledge you would need actually to code the funnels–it’s things you’ll be able to figure out by Googling about or visiting the centre of the doc.

Ultimately, Groove is Not mind-blowingly straightforward, but it’s overall streamlined with an intuitive, user-friendly interface. They are inclined to change matters often, but it likely won’t be sufficient to hamper you significantly.

We give it a 4.5 out of 5 in Simplicity of use. It combines alternative and customizability with ease, and while I would suggest all prospective users enter with a few simple technological literacies, it basically succeeds where user-friendliness is concerned.

Who is Groove.cm for?

Who really stands to benefit the most from Groove? Broadly speaking, small businesses and startups (talking from experience here) will get the most use from it. There are natural variations in connection kinds that appeal to a business more than others.

Coaches, specialist service providers, people exclusively in e-commerce or community marketing, and even those offering B2B services would probably be most fit for Groove. Groove, generally speaking, does nicely with people offering more creative products or separate ventures. The pre-made funnels are oriented towards these industries: for instance, if you are a gentleman, you may come across the pre-made Daily Deal Funnel for a good marketing way. If you are attempting to centre everything on your own and your own brand, there could also be a good support. The same holds for people selling content such as courses or books.

groove.cm templates

Groove.cm pre-made funnels

Of course, you can always Start from a sterile funnel, and I don’t think you should determine if Groove is ideal for you or not based only on their default funnel kinds. If you’re a bigger business, alright with the price tag, and you have to make your traffic work for you better, I doubt you’d be wasting your money or time with Groove.cm. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who would like to keep a much better landing page.

Customer Support — Groove.cm Review

Groove.cm’ client Support is a place that consists of some excellence. I commend Groove for getting decent documentation onsite. I believe their documentation is only barely industry-standard for SaaS companies but still adequate. It may be simple, but content-wise, it is not too shabby.

Groove.cm customer support

The direct customer Service has been helpful for easy questions and basic troubleshooting, but I’ve found them pretty unhelpful when I’ve had more complex questions. With one special HTML publishing query, they took three weeks to return to me. Most users will not require that kind of support, and to be honest, most SaaS businesses don’t offer that level of support. So I give Groove kudos for trying.

In General Support Rating

I would not say Groove fails in customer service –I think the team largely understand that their providers aren’t elementary to use and/or demand tools new to their customers. They’ve put enough resources in their support to make it decent. At least basic questions will be answered, and they are pretty responsive. Perhaps most consumers, myself included, would not state Groove has outstanding customer care, but it largely meets a bare minimum which makes it at least great enough. Within this class, we give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Conclusion – Groove.cm Review

So, what’s the cross-cutting verdict? It’s good—4.5 out of 5 stars! It’s a valid contender in the marketing software space and worth trying out.

Yeah, there are a few drawbacks: If you need a more hands-on solution to your marketing needs with higher customization abilities, you may want to look into third party options you can tie together. After all, if you are going with Groove, you may find yourself lucky and end up dealing with helpful customer service representatives.

But you know what? Considering everything, I don’t think any of these outweigh the solid online marketing suite, let alone other positives such as the short learning curve, solid integrations, and good templates.

All-in-all, Groove.cm succeeds in its core objective—to make it easier for you to funnel traffic and reach higher conversion rates. Even positive Groove reviews acknowledge it can be pretty useful for over internet-exposed entrepreneurs. I’m pretty sure that for the vast majority of prospective users, groove offers enough choice. If you’re looking first and foremost for an easy but solid sales solution or landing page editor, Groove.cm is a great product. After all, it hasn’t reached its popularity on empty promises, and that’s why I’m giving it 4/5 stars.

groove.cm free for lifetime access

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10 Powerful Tools To Find Instagram Influencers Easily & Boost Growth

Influencer marketing is one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can leverage for your business.

When you get influencers talking about your brand, you instill trust among your shoppers by providing them social proof.

However, it can become pretty daunting to find the right Instagram influencers to talk about your business and help you grow through effective product branding.

If you’re looking for some powerful tools to find Instagram influencers easily, then my friend, this article is the best place you could’ve EVER discovered.

(Just joking! There could be many others. But this one is equipped with the most trendy and tested tools that won’t let you down.)

Now, let’s begin with the tools that’ll make finding Instagram influencers a breeze

10 Best Influencer Marketing Tools to Find Instagram Influencers

1. Modash.io Modash.io is a ‘search engine’ for finding Instagram influencers. Feel no hustle to find the best Instagram influencers for your business that can take your business to the next level.

This tool has a huge database of influencers that the company proudly boasts about. There are various paid plans as per your requirements and business size.

However, you may try their free trial to take the test drive and decide for yourself whether the engine is powerful enough to drive your business need.

The place is not just great to find Instagram influencers but they list influencers on YouTube and TikTok as well.

2. Upfluence

Upfluence is best known for its influencer search and discovery engine. The tool consists of an immensely vast database of more than three million influencer profiles which are updated in real-time.

You can use this platform to find influencers using as many keywords as you want. Based on what keywords you choose, your search is narrowed down, adjusting to your business need.

It makes it possible for you to narrow down your findings even further on Instagram, using metrics like the number of followers, location, social channel, etc.

This tool to find Instagram influencers also offers a Chrome plugin. You can use it to analyze an influencer’s profile directly from your web browser.

3. Influence.co Apart from working as an influencer marketing tool, Influencer.co also works as a social media platform.

It helps you maintain long-term relationships which is the backbone of any influencer marketing campaign.

Influence.co doesn’t focus on discovery and activation, but it complements it. Brands like yours are more likely to build the best relationships with influencers whose posts they follow and see in their feeds.

You can create and publish your campaigns and text up to 12 influencers per month. And the best part -  it’s all free!

It also has paid plans with advanced features that you look for on its website.

4. Fourstarzz Media

Fourstarzz Media is a tool to find Instagram influencers with over 750K influencers. It allows you to narrow down the influencers based on the channel, location, type, and more.

The best part of this tool is that it offers no limitations for small or medium-sized businesses. You can even design your own influencer campaign by choosing the Instagram influencers that fit your organization the best. You can compare profiles by engagement and reach rate.

If you’re not good at managing, feel no pressure. Fourstarzz Media takes care of everything, from coming up with ideas to execution.

Get your own dedicated manager who’ll handle, identify, strategize, and create campaigns for you.

5. NinjaOutreach

NinjaOutreach is a tool that is cloud-based. It has a huge database of over 25 million sites from which you can crawl through and pick the best influencers and brands that work best for your niche.

You can create a list of prospect influencers and filter them based on the tags with its browser extension.

Once you have your list at your disposal, NinjaOutreach helps you send customized, automated emails to your prospects.

This tool to find your Instagram influencers will analyze the activity done on emails to give you detailed monitoring of your efforts.

6. Heepsy

Heepsy has a powerful search function that lets you do the advanced search that joins your brand with your most relevant influencers.

You can filter your results based on languages, demographics, engagement rates, etc. 

Once you find your ideal Instagram influencers, Heepsy arranges them in a quick list. You can also classify them based on your aims and download their contact information to build the reach.

7. HypeAuditor

HypeAuditor helps you determine the best Instagram influencers by ranking them based on their engagement, the number of followers, quality.

The tool has researched thoroughly and gathered core data from the origins and dejunked it for you. You can create a list of the best thousand influencers or classify them into 14 different categories, covering all your goals.

When you pick any influencer, HypeAuditor directs you to a page that consists of the complete information, engagement, audience quality score, statistics related to their Instagram performance, and demographics of their followers.

8. Post for Rent

Post for Rent is a fully-equipped tool to find Instagram influencers. There’s a feature that allows influencers and brands to review each other, and act as references.

influencers can look at the stars on the brands’ profiles. Similarly, brands can see the star ratings on the influencers’ accounts and explore them further to read the reviews.

Post for Rent’s interface is very user-friendly that makes all the boring and time-consuming stuff like looking into the profiles, searching and managing influencers, and researching audiences a breeze.

9. Hunter.io

Hunter is a bit unique than others. Like other tools to find Instagram influencers, this tool doesn't actually help you ‘find’ an influencer. But what it does is far more useful.

Once you have influencers on your list, Hunter provides you with their actual email addresses instead of any unreliable contact form.

This means you’re now already in contact with your desired influencer. The focus of this tool is to hunt the real email address of influencers to make the contact easy - the strategy is formed!

10. Social Crawlytics

This tool to find Instagram influencers enables you to track competitors and content. You can use it to crawl out which posts are most popular and shared on which sites.

To begin with, you get 2500 credits to use. Each URL your crawl costs you some credit points. A few regenerate each week and at other times, you can get bonus credit points by sharing tweets on behalf of Social Crawlytics.

The report generated by this platform is quite detailed. The details include the complete no. of shares of top authors. This could help you gain some highly potential influencers.

Finishing Up

You must’ve tried many Instagram lead generation strategies, but nothing can beat mouth publicity - I know you agree.

I’ve listed 10 amazing and useful tools to find Instagram influencers that’ll help you find your desired influencers, reach them, and manage them within clicks.

I’d also highly recommend that you leverage other social media features like Instagram Reels Marketing, Facebook Messenger Marketing, and more to stay ahead of your competition.