#Although I don’t think it’ll be too difficult to figure out what I’m uploading

[itsamenickname]

Stay tuned for a special little surprise I have planned for y'all this weekend. :)

[ri-translates]

Translation: Itaru Chigasaki R [taruchi Channel] - Viewer Count Goddess Part 1

Itaru wants more subscribers! Why not ask the other residents in the MANKAI apartment?

NOTE: This story’s setting is based in the AU event MAnkai ApArtment! Izumi is their landlady, not their director. Although they are still actors, the boys have different occupations, so please be aware!

Part 2

Itaru: Hmmm…..

Izumi: What’s the matter?

Itaru: Landlady-san…. The truth is….

Yuki: No doubt it’s about content for your videos, huh.

Banri: That’s the only thing it’d be about.

Citron: It’s muted attention [1] between Itaru and his videos.

Tsuzuru: I think you meant, “mutual affection.”

Itaru: But I haven’t said anything yet.

Chikage: Oh...? But are we wrong?

Itaru: …..You’re not wrong.

Izumi: Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of Itaru-san’s videos….What kind of videos are they?

Itaru: Primarily, they’re videos centered on reviews for new games, but there’s lots of videos on games for enthusiasts and retro games too. And then there are videos showcasing game merch.

Banri: You’re totally sponsored by game companies, huh.

Itaru: Yep. Thanks to that, I get new games and merch.

Izumi: Wow, that’s amazing.

Itaru: But lately I feel like I’m stuck in a rut, so my views and the number of subscribers to my channel haven’t gone up….

That’s why I’m looking for something interesting to use as content for my videos.

Tenma: Couldn’t you just show your face, then?

Yuki: That’s your only good point after all.

Kazunari: For real! Your subscriber count will explode☆

Itaru: Sure I could use that method, but...If I show my face, it’d be a pain in the ass in a lot of ways so I want to avoid that.

Please give me some kind of content that can get me more subscribers. Since I’ve gathered a wide variety of people here, I figured someone’s gotta have something, right?

Izumi: Video content, huh……

Tenma: How about reviewing bonsai plants? No two are alike, and I think it can be enlightening.

Chikage: The average age range of the viewers will rise in an instant instead of views and subscribers. 

Tsuzuru: That’s too niche....

Tsumugi: If you did flower arranging, you could do a gorgeous display on screen maybe?

Yuki: What about coordinating fashion? Your style’s decently passing, and it’d be amusing if you wore different kinds of outfits.

Chikage: What if you tried eating spicy things from different countries? Especially a secret, super spicy hot sauce. I’ll supply you with some.

Izumi: I see, it might also be a good idea to try eating curry from different countries too!

Tsumugi: That’s….not much different from usual…. 

Banri: Go do your Curry Club somewhere else.

Citron: Do a skit a day! A huge flame war armageddon against what is popular! [2]

Tsuzuru: Don’t use flaming for publicity! [3]

Itaru: Hmmm…. Those all seem different from my usual content, but it’s worth a try if it’ll get me views.

~~~

Itaru: The videos on coordinating fashion and on bonsai are finished...Next is the review on the super spicy curry….Can I even do that? I’d have to be an idiot without a tongue if I did.

~~~

Itaru: …I feel like it’s missing something, like there’s too much going on with all this miscellaneous content. It’s difficult to judge what will be popular or not, especially with the skits since I don’t have an audience.

….Whatevs, I’ll just upload it...

TL Notes and Comments:

[1] Citron says  掃除相談 which translates literally to “cleaning consultation.” I played off Tsuzuru’s correction “mutual affection” because it sounds similar, and because the idea of Citron unintentionally but lowkey roasting Itaru gives me life LOL

[2] Citron says 人気が大炎上アルマゲドン, basically suggesting Itaru mass flame popular things online for attention.

[3] Tsuzuru says 炎上商法はダメ! This is a marketing tactic used where you purposely flame things/talk shit about things in order to garner attention. Basically bad publicity is still publicity, and Tsuzuru is telling them not to do that.

~~~

A huge thank you to @crying-potato-jpeg​ for providing me with the story and @brainwashingdetective​ for proofreading/helping me with some tls!! If you can, please check them out! I had this mostly done a while ago but I got distracted by the other Itaru stories I got + I-chu etoile stage teehee

Part 2

[s-trawberryv-eins]

We’ll Keep You Safe

NOT MY GIF

We’ll Keep You Safe

Vals 400 writing challenge – prompt: “If you pass out I’m not going to catch you.”

Summary: Sibling bonding in the workshop takes a turn when Caroline gets sick.

Please read here before reading!

Stark!OC x Peter Parker x Morgan Stark

Warnings: Illness, super minor angst, FLUFF

Word count: 1755

A/N: This is my questionable entry for @valkyriesryde​s writing challengeE!!! Thanks for letting me enter about two minutes ago, I love stress. Huge thanks to @crushedbyhyperbole​ for fixing my mistakes ;) I was tempted to write this as a reader insert but I decided to keep it within the Caroline Stark Series. Hope that’s okay with all my 3 fans! Enjoy :)

 AVENGERS COMPOUND

THE STARK WORKSHOP

Caroline remembers the day she met Peter as if it was yesterday. The day she really met him; as Tony's daughter, not as a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee. It’d surprised her how upset Parker had been upon discovering Caroline was Tony’s. Pepper had explained their relationship after in incident in Berlin, but she couldn't really understand it then. At 18, she thought it unfair that whilst she lived under a fake name, hiding in the shadows, her father was all but publicly claiming the boy he'd known for two minutes.

An uncharacteristic bitterness ran through her veins, and she'd refused to meet him. Tony confessed that he would’ve told Peter of her true parentage, had she been willing, but the doctor took her frustrations out on the boy despite it being obvious her upset was really with her father.

It’d had taken some time for Caroline and Tony to actually talk about the problem. Pepper had forced the two to sit down and talk it through.

“I know what I sound like Dad, okay? I know that I'm kept a secret for a reason, I get it. But it hurts! To see you out there, like father and son, with a kid you've known for 2 minutes! I can’t even post a picture of us on my Instagram, yet you two are the headline of every newspaper in New York."

He'd been speechless at first, kicking himself for not understanding what his daughter struggled to say. Taking his hands in hers, he promised to fix the problem. 

If only he’d had the time.

-

“We could add an override? Like, in case she's in real trouble?”

“I toyed around with the idea, but if it fell into the wrong hands? I don’t think she needs it. I’ll control the suit, she’ll have basic autonomy, but it'll be myself and FRIDAY doing the work.” 

Peter and Caroline were playing with the idea of an in-case-of-emergencies suit for Morgan. It was armour more than anything, a way to keep her safe if she ever found herself in danger.

“I wanna shoot bad guys.” Peter ruffled the young girl’s hair with a laugh, crouching down to her height.

 “What’s your superhero name gonna be? You’ll need to think of one.” Upon realising that she had an important task, Morgan raced over to her desk - the one Caroline had created for her one day after a fall from a stool resulted in a trip to the med bay for stitches. Morgan had slept in her little workshop that very first night, sat on her chair with her head resting on her desk amongst her stationary and Morgan-friendly tools. Even now, it was difficult to pull her away.

“What's your superhero name Caroline?” Morgan appeared distracted as she asked, but Peter seemed interested by her answer.

“I don’t really know, actually. The Doctor seems to have stuck with the media; the team call me Doc, I guess they got it from that? I’m not…” Pausing mid-sentence, Caroline pressed her fingers to her temples, wincing as she did. Having woken with a small headache, she’d taken some paracetamol and forgotten about it. It seemed to be worsening, an ever-present thumping pain at the forefront of her head.

“You good, Care?” Parker’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she nodded quickly.

“FRIDAY, do you have Mo’s measurements?” The holographic screen the AI produced displayed a digital scan of the smallest Stark and allowed them to run the first mark of her suit.

“Baby come here a minute please?" Caroline summoned Morgan with a wince, the pain in her head almost unbearable.

Peter began to attach the nano-sensors to the girls skin. One on each temple, one on her back, and one on each hand. Sticky and cold, Morgan squealed playfully at the sensation. Once the sensors were attached, the doctor would be able to have the nanotech suit form around Morgan's frame, allowing her and Peter to adapt it and configure it as they saw fit. 

“It tickles!” The little girl giggled as the suit formed around her, but Caroline didn't hear her sister. Turned away from the younger Stark and Spider-Man with her head in her hands, she struggled to concentrate on her surroundings. Peter watched over Morgan, as did the AI who continued to monitor her vitals and the nanotech itself.

“Care?” Peter’s voice was soft as he spoke, excitement lacing his tone due to the progression of their project. When he didn't receive an answer, he turned to face her. "Caroline? Hey!” Still nothing.

Bouncing round to face her, he placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to gain a response.

“HEY! You need to lie down or something?” Snapping her head up at the sudden closeness of his voice, she forced a laugh and shook her head.

“No! Just a little headache.” The lie came easily; the 'little headache’ she was experiencing felt more like what one would expect to feel if they’d been hit in the head with Mjolnir. 

“If you pass out I’m not catching you." Though Peter’s words were playful, the look in his eyes was one of concern. After the two had cleared the air regarding her identity, they'd quickly formed a sibling-like relationship. In truth, he'd found a sister in both Stark girls. There was a sadness that lurked sometimes, knowing that they didn't come together as the family they were until after Tony died. Peter and Caroline visited him sometimes, together. They’d sit, leave flowers, and tell stories of their recent adventures. The team knew of their visits and would always know what they needed when they returned home. Caroline liked tea and quiet company, usually in the form of Bucky or Wanda. Peter tended to seek Morgan out straight away, needing the distraction minding a child would bring.

“Whatever, Parker.” Smiling at him despite the pain, she couldn’t help but bite at his words.

“Mo? How ya feeling?” The metal that covered the girls body was grey; they'd style it later, they'd been provided with very specific instructions in that department.

“I like it! Do I get lasers? And blasters? Or webs?!" The older Stark sister had thought of keeping the whole project a secret but figured it'd be something fun to do with Morgan. How she wished she’d kept it under wraps.

“I can do lasers. That's it.” Peter’s eyes grew wide at her words, the wink he received not doing a great deal for his nerves.

"Peter, can you help her out of the suit and upload the mark?” Caroline headed to the other side of the room where she’d been assembling a bracelet to store the sensors in. Morgan would wear it at all times, and whenever FRIDAY was alerted, she'd activate the bracelet, thus rendering Morgan a little safer.

Maximoff had designed the bracelet. With an eye for pretty things, she was far better suited for the task. All Caroline had to do was weave the sensors into the piece of jewellery and have Morgan promise not to take it off. Peter removed the sensor pads from Morgan's’s skin and handed them to Caroline to extract them. 

“What colours do you want?” Peter sat down with Morgan and let the girl play around with the colour features, allowing the doctor to concentrate.

Grabbing a pair of tweezers, Caroline squinted as she tried to remove the tiny pieces of tech. The pounding in her head seemed to worsen, her vision suddenly blurring. Reaching out to the desk in front of her, she grabbed on to try and steady herself, the room spinning around her.

“FRI?”

“Mr Parker, Miss Stark is in need of assistance.” It barely took him a second to leap to his feet.

“Contact Dr Cho, tell her to meet me in the med bay now.”

The colour had drained from Caroline’s face and her eyes were screwed shut by the time Peter reached her. 

“I’ve got you, you’re okay.”

She turned to Peter weakly and was about to respond when her vision blurred further, and her knees gave way. Unable to even brace herself for impact, she whimpered as fear shot through her. 

Peter never let her hit the ground, of course. Scooping the doctor into his arms, he scolded her softly for her refusal to take care of herself.

“C’mon, Care. Why’d you lie? Is it your head?” Peter fussed, but her only reply was a mumbled apology and a grimace.

“FRIDAY? Get Barnes there too? He’ll wanna see her. Come on Morgan, Caroline’s kinda sick so we need to take her to the med bay.” Morgan ran alongside the Avenger, giving her sister a once over before running off to find Helen.

“Doctor Cho! Caroline fell over!” Her voice echoed quietly through the halls as she ran off, Peter laughing at her childlike view of the situation. 

"You can't do this. I know it’s just a migraine or something, but we need you, ya know? An- and-“ sighing as he tripped over his words, the Parker boy grew frustrated "-and you can’t do this! Me and Morgan need you!” 

Cho was waiting, the med bay doors open for their arrival. Peter followed Helen's directions, laying her down where he was told to. Bucky was there, requesting a grown-up explanation of the situation; Morgan’s version not quite cutting it (although he'd never tell her that). The boy was visibly shaken but calmed significantly when Barnes sat with him a while, talking him down from his anxiety-ridden state.

Caroline whimpered in pain as Helen inserted a needle into the crook of her arm, but she quietened as the pain meds entered her bloodstream. Consciousness gave way to sleep as her brain grew heavier, and she didn’t fight it.

-

Eyes fluttered open but shut tightly when greeted with a bright light. A squeeze to her hand brought her attention to her right, where Bucky sat with a gentle smile on his face. No words were spoken, he simply kept his grip on her hand and returned to the book that lay in his lap.

“Caroline?” Parker's voice came from the left, her attention drifting there instead. “I’m glad you’re okay. I‘m sorry for snapping at you.” His words seemed to be filled with guilt, a guilt she didn't deem at all necessary.

With bright eyes - a little hazy from the medication - and a lazy smile, she reached out for his hand.

“I passed out and you caught me.”

[ladylb]

To Cry

Chapter 11 Uh- Oh

ironically I forgot to update the rest of this story to tumblr, I’ll try to finish uploading it over the next week or two lol. Prepare for salt and some Lukanette sweetness... 

This chapter can be found here on AO3 

To start at the beginning, chapter 1 is here on AO3 or here on tumblr

Summary for chapter 11

Luka has just finished impressing Marinette's parents during brunch and the teenagers are now in her room so that he could play a song for her and to return his Miraculous to her.

Luka also tells her what he has learned about Chat Noir...

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Luka had nodded with approval a few minutes later as he began to strum a calming tune with his guitar for Marinette. He played for her for several minutes and Marinette just sighed and listened, clasping her hand to her chest as she relaxed to the melody that he played.

The song came to an end and then Luka began another as he calmly told her, “your partner was worried about you, you know.” He paused before he added, “and so was I.”

She sighed, knowing that she couldn’t avoid this conversation. “I know, and I’m sorry about worrying you both. I’ll have to have a talk with him sometime and apologize.” Marinette sniffed as she remembered last night and imagined how difficult it was for Chat to see her like that. She knew he liked her, but she had always put her crush on Adrien and their duty to Paris first. She may be working on growing past her crush, but she wasn’t sure how that would make her feel about him in the future, but she also knew that was likely a dead end, knowing how he felt about Marinette and how they still had to protect Paris.

Still, she had to ask Luka, “h-how much does he know?”

“Hmm.” Luka hummed as he weighed what to say, certain that Marinette would be able to figure out Chat’s identity if he said too much. He settled with as much of the truth that he could share as he stopped playing and put his guitar down.

Then Luka took off his miraculous and handed it back to her. “I’ve already said goodbye, for now, to Sass I mean.”

Marinette nodded as she put the Snake miraculous in her purse before she began to worry about why Luka was stalling. “Luka?”

“I know.” Luka admitted with a sigh and then went right into it. “Well, to be blunt, Chat Noir wasn’t happy that you asked me to help you instead of him. I did admit that I knew you and who you were. He…he really did not like that.”

She sighed as she answered with a sigh, “I can only imagine.”

“Although I’ll admit that he accepted it eventually once I told him about the Snake’s power and why you needed to have a good cry, and how you didn’t tell me yourself.” He swallowed and nodded to himself as he nervously added, “we uh, had quite the talk. He’s not very observant, or… or careful.”

Marinette laughed, “I could have told you that.”

“Well, that’s the thing.” He gave her a cautious look, “I may have figured out his identity too.”

That was when she shrieked, “WHAT?!”

…

“Wait, wait… wait.” Marinette held out her hands to stop Luka, as if she could stop him from telling her the truth by doing so, “you’re telling me that not only you figured out WHO Chat Noir is but now you know who he is and who I am?”

Luka nodded yes hesitantly, unaccustomed to her freak outs.

“Oh, this is bad, so bad!” Marinette got up and began to pace around the room, “what if Hawkmoth figured out who you are and that you knew! It’d put a target on your back! And… and what about our families? Our parents and Juleka?!”

Tikki flew out and around Marinette’s head, “Marinette! It’ll be alright, we’ll figure something out.”

Luka got up and stopped Marinette from pacing, placing his hands on her shoulders as she began to cry, “look at me Marinette! Please.”

“I really messed up here, I failed you, our parents and, and Paris!” She wiped her eyes as the tears began to flow.

“What? No! Marinette, you did nothing wrong, something like this was bound to happen anyway, secrets aren’t good for teams. This way, if something happened to either of you, I would likely hear about it and at least be able to tell the other one of you about whether or not you’re coming.”

“Yes!” Tikki quickly agreed, “he does have a point and since Hawkmoth doesn’t know who he is and since Viperion rarely helps out, he should be safe!”

“But… but what are we going to do?” Marinette asked in desperation as Luka drew her into a hug to comfort her as she sniffed, “we can’t go back and change things, we don’t have Bunnix around yet after all.”

“Bunnix?” Luka asked.

Tikki explained, “the rabbit kwami, she can help her chosen to travel through time, but only in the most serious of circumstances.”

“Is it really so bad that I know?” Luka asked, “I’ve been doing my best to not get akumatized again.”

Marinette shivered in his arms and he held her tighter. “Is there someone we can talk to about this?” He carefully asked.

“Oh! Yes!” Tikki exclaimed as she went and found Marinette’s phone, nudging Marinette’s arm with it until she took it.

Luka led Marinette over to the chaise and he sat down with her beside him.

Marinette leaned onto his shoulder for support as she swallowed and began to explain, “there’s a Guardian, a Guardian of the Miraculous. He’s kind of hiding from Hawkmoth right now, but I can call him and maybe he can give us some a-advice?”

Luka nodded appreciatively, “please do.”

He watched her enter in her passcode to unlock her phone, then he grinned when he saw that her background picture was of her and Kitty Section, with him at her side. “Love the picture.”

Marinette giggled once, elbowing him slightly before pulling up her contacts and tapped on the Turtle icon for the Guardian.

It rang four times before it was picked up by a near breathless Master Fu, “I’m sorry I couldn’t answer immediately Marinette, I haven’t had to dart into a closet for some privacy in a long time. Did you need something?”

Marinette and Tikki giggled before Tikki spoke, “Master, we have a bit of a problem. Viperion has figured out Marinette’s and Chat Noir’s identities.”

“Has he told her who Chat Noir is?” Master Fu replied.

“I didn’t think that I had the right to do that, especially when I knew that Marinette didn’t want me to reveal her identity to anyone. I just couldn’t help it, if you know what I mean.” Luka told them vaguely.

“Ah, I do understand. Well, that is something to go off of then.” Master Fu replied thoughtfully. “We will need to be more cautious now.”

“How can we do that Master?” Marinette asked. “I know we brought on Viperion to help me feel better and to get through, well, that, and I am feeling better now about that situation already. To- to an extent. Sh-should we call on Bunnix?” Marinette bit her lip before adding, “b-but I’m afraid that things might be worse if we do.”

Master Fu hummed, “well he seems to be a responsible individual and changing the past is not ideal, if something went wrong again, the outcome could be much worse.”

Marinette looked crestfallen, “this is all my fault.”

“No Marinette.” Luka told her, “you needed this. Paris needed this, it’s not your fault that I figured out what I did and I’m not going to tell anyone, I can keep a secret, especially for you.”

Marinette looked up at him and nodded once but then shook her head, “but what if you get akumatized again?”

“Well, you’ve managed to hold off akumas, I’m sure you could teach me a thing or two there.”

“That she could.” You could almost hear Master Fu stroking his beard thoughtfully. “However, she cannot protect you at all times in case your identity or what you know becomes known. I have been considering this for a time, but I think that the situation has made the decision for us.”

“What is that Master?” Marinette asked.

“I think it is time to set up some semi-permanent heroes.”

[loquaciousquark]

Hey, all, I’m probably not going to be around much for a few months aside from queues & TM posts.

Work stress has taken over my life in a way it never has before. A very long story short, my closest coworker (both friend-wise and workload-wise) took another job that began at the end of April. While she knew from November she was going to take this job, she did not inform administration until the very final contractual required moment of 30 days out. This means there has been no chance for admin to be looking for long-term qualified candidates to replace her position, since to get hired on at the school even on a temporary faculty basis takes about six-eight weeks.

(She told me about this job in November, but made me promise at the time not to tell anyone because she was going to tell them soon. Then, as schedules were being planned out for this summer and her time was being allotted under the assumption she would be there, she deliberately said nothing and made me answer the emails so she wouldn’t be “lying.” I have known this hell has been coming for me for five months and haven’t been able to do anything about it because I gave her my word.)

In addition, while not her fault, three other administrative support employees and two other faculty members have left/will be leaving in less than a month as well. One employee’s family member died unexpectedly, one employee was grossly incompetent (although I can’t remember the last time we actually fired someone for that), and the other faculty members are leaving for really good jobs elsewhere. Just very unfortunate timing that means we are all spread excruciatingly thin for now.

This all comes at a time where I am actively beginning that Service Director position for the primary care clinic on top of everything else. This position, while I think a great fit for me, what else I teach in the school, and how I plan/organize/relate to the students, has come at a terrible time because it in and of itself is a massive amount of work, especially getting it off the ground. If I’m going to implement all these new policies and changes I’ve been dreaming of for years, I need to do it at the beginning of my tenure--to try and keep everything going the way it has been and change later once everything calms down would be infinitely more work at that time & have a bunch more pushback from both the students and the faculty I now lead as part of this clinic, many of which have decades of seniority on me.

I’m doing the work of two-and-a-half full-time faculty right now. I do still really love this job, but right now I can’t handle it.

I’m grinding my teeth at night and clenching my jaw during the day. My dentist suddenly wants me to get a bite plate when before a few months ago, I’d never ground my teeth in my life. I’m getting excruciating stress/tension headaches almost every other day from how tight every muscle of my face and neck is. I’ve gained over ten pounds in the last two months from eating like crap because anything that requires more than two steps of prep is mentally, physically, and emotionally impossible, which has the added effect of making me want to cry every time I look in a mirror and see my stomach so far away from my mental “normal,” because I was already seven pounds or so more than I wanted to be. I’m only getting three or four hours of sleep a night despite melatonin because my mind is just reciting checklist after checklist of things I need to do to keep all my sudden responsibilities on track.

I saw my psychiatrist today (which in and of itself was overwhelming--I thought until I was leaving for the appointment that today was my annual physical, and it wasn’t until I was checking the auto-filled address that I realized it was in the wrong building for that. Turns out I’d independently scheduled both the psych follow-up & the physical within a few days of each other, and I’d missed the text appointment reminders for the physical because the psych ones were more recent. I have never straight up no-showed an appointment in my life before this.)

I only had about thirty minutes with her, but part of the problem is that I haven’t taken my meds regularly in over a month because even such a little thing was too difficult. I’m going to try to start back on that, but...

I told her it doesn’t feel like I’m trying to keep plates spinning in the air. It feels like I have them all under control at the moment, they’re just excruciatingly heavy. The only way I’ve been handling this sudden pressure of doing basically two and a half jobs with no margin for error in any of them is being ruthlessly, relentlessly organized. Which is fine, except that I can feel how that changes my personality when I have to go so hard and regimented, and I hate how it feels to have both no margin and no grace.

I had a student the other day email me about a flight she booked for a Memorial Day vacation at 6pm on a Friday, not thinking about how clinic does not always end on the dot at 5pm. We (both students and faculty) are required to stay until the patient’s exam is complete. Sometimes that’s at five. Sometimes that’s at 6:30. On rare occasions I’ve stayed until 9pm in clinical care because that’s what was needed at the time for that patient.

She wanted to get out of clinic with an excused absence. We require three weeks’ minimum notice because when a student leaves without coverage, we have to reschedule all the patients they were meant to see. Her schedule was fully booked, and I had to say no, because right now I have nothing left to try to find an alternative for her. I hate saying no to students, especially when it’s something I truly could help them solve with some investment on my part, but right now--I’m sorry, but I can’t. Why on earth did you schedule a flight for 6pm on a day you have clinic until 5, especially when the airport is a 20-minute drive from the school even without traffic? I can’t fix this for you, not right now. You have to show up to clinic or find your own coverage. I don’t care how you do it, but someone has to be there, and I don’t have anything left in me to help you figure out how to do it.

My mom listens to a guy who sometimes talks about how you have to have a margin in your life to manage your stress. A margin in your work helps you enjoy your leisure time; if you don’t have that margin, even scheduled play feels stressful because you have work playing through your head the whole time.

I’m out of margin. I’m ten feet over the line in every direction I’m so out of margin, and I am constantly being asked by students and other faculty, “How are you doing now that the person who you shared 90% of your work life with is gone? Who’s going to help take over [year-long highly-intensive Methods course] now that Dr. So-and-So is gone? Who’s going to help you teach it since we all know what a gigantic course it is and how it’s always required two people to run full-time, and now you’re down to one who’s also taken on a bunch of other responsibilities at the exact same time?”

and they’re laughing when they say it. and i’m laughing when i tell them the truth, which is “no one.” and we all laugh together and inside my head i am ripping apart under the pressure.

Even if they hire someone by August, it’s not going to mean any relief until September due to onboarding, and even then it won’t be what I really need. This woman I worked with and I had both taught this course together for years, and before that we’d both taken it as students. We knew how it ran inside and out. We knew what the responsibilities were. We had the workload divided evenly and didn’t have to consult over every decision that was made--it just got done. Even if they do hire someone at lightning speed, I still have to train them. I have to show them where the group drive is on the faculty intranet. I have to teach them how it’s organized. I have to show them how to upload quizzes and how to grade them and how to edit the Excel practical documents and the timeframe we expect the grades back and why our grading standards are the way they are and what to say to guest graders and guest lab instructors and show them where the file folders are kept and where the .docx’s are kept and the way things are sorted and how the tests are written and how to extensively edit a PDF file and give them the contact information for faculty IT support (which still ends up being me half the time) and the manual printer and the woman who orders office supplies and the woman who orders clinical equipment and the man who orders building maintenance supplies and when you go to one and not the other and how electronic testing works and how to grade it and how to upload a document with all the specific little requirements the program wants to make sure it imports correctly and how to deal with the errors this program will inevitably throw back because it’s niche software for a niche school and that means it’ll never be user friendly.

It took me almost two years to really feel comfortable being co-coursemaster for this course because it is so unbelievably massive. Even if they hire someone by August, I still won’t have a full-time coursemaster pulling their weight until 2021.

The other metaphor I used with my psychiatrist is that I’m holding on to a cliff’s edge with my fingertips. Right now, I’ve got a pretty decent grip, but that doesn’t change the fact that if you put another pound on my back it might pull me right off the rock.

I don’t see practical relief coming any time soon. “What can we do to help? We want you to know you are very supported right now. You let us know what you need.” What can you do? Hire someone tomorrow who already knows how our computer system works, who can troubleshoot their own IT, who can look at a list of tasks that need to happen to get this Methods course fully ready every single semester of every single year and do them without any handholding from me. Hire someone with as much attention to detail as I’ve had to have because it’s the right way to do the damn job. Hire someone I won’t have to clean up after because to them “the cart in the closet” is the same thing as “the specific place on the labeled closet shelf where the equipment belongs.”

I’m clenching my teeth so hard they’re hurting, so I guess I have to stop. If you see me in-game somewhere, believe me, it’s not because I’ve caught up. It’s because I haven’t and I can’t bear thinking about how much I still have to do.

[niansue]

How I Learned How to Draw The Human Body

This is just my take on how I learn how to construct the body. I’m still learning everyday so please take this advice with a grain of salt since these are just my opinions and thoughts. The advice is not listed in any particular order it’s more just what I do whenever I feel like it. That being said the advice/activities help and correlate with each other so doing them should help you no matter what order you do them in.  

First off make a folder on your computer for anatomy refs/tips so you don’t have to look them up constantly. Keep it to the images and tutorials that you think help you the most. This has saved me so much time. Make sure to keep things organized, so in the anatomy folder have folders for like photo refs, leg anatomy, torso anatomy, etc. however you wanna organize it. 

Helpful Resources I use are at the bottom of this post

Study the Form of the Muscles and Body Shape as a Whole

- Now when I say this I don't mean ya gotta know all the names to the muscles, although that doesn’t hurt to know. Get yourself some ref photos like below and get familiar with what the muscles look like in a general sense and how they connect to each other. Make sure to just focus on the big forms at first so you don’t get overwhelmed by the details. 

P.S. Pinterest is a great place for finding art refs and I have a great link for one in the resource section ;3 

- Start simple and just look at the muscles in groups. For example, I group by legs, arms, front torso, and back torso. With the torso just keep in mind that the front and back connect to each other whenever studying it. 

- Now I don’t do this for like too long since the other activities are a lot more fun and interactive but this is just like a helpful thing to do to refresh your mind on anatomy and to also build up your anatomy folder. 

- Main reason to do this is so when you watch videos of other artists showing how they draw the body you’ll hopefully understand why they make the choices they do. It’ll also help you to see the connections as to how the body interacts with itself which that in turn will help you find the natural rhythms of the body.

Figure Drawing

- There’s plenty of Youtube videos about this topic that could explain it better but my favorites are by Sycra (great art videos in general) and Proko (lots of in-depth videos about anatomy for artists). 

- The biggest thing that helped me from this was gesture drawing. You wanna be able to get the energy of the entire pose in simple lines. I would draw small for this since it’s easier to draw a whole body this way and also you’ll be able to do many of them quickly. A simple session would be to try to get the gesture of a pose in under 30 secs. The time is short cause it trains you to focus really hard in a short amount of time which is helpful for speed and saving time. Really I can not emphasize how important gesture is! It’s what adds life and energy to the pose and without it, no matter how good the anatomy is, it’ll appear stiff and lifeless. Another reason why gesture drawing is great is it helps to find the rhythms of the body. Finding out how the body naturally curves and learning to emphasize it is super helpful. 

- Learning the proportions and landmarks of the body this way is also helpful because no matter how diverse a body is the proportions of it aren’t that different. Like how our elbows will almost always be around the middle of our waist or how the wrist, when it’s at our side, starts near the crotch area. 

- Remember when doing figure drawing you’re drawing the pose not the person so don’t worry about details. Also think in 3D! 

Draw Guidelines Over Real Photos 

- I recommend doing this traditionally with either magazines or print out pictures from the internet cause, and this might be just me, I feel like I retain information better when I draw traditionally rather than digitally. That being said if you wanna do it digitally go ahead since it’s definitely easier to just upload photos and go over it! I do it too sometimes and while I still like doing it traditionally it might be different for you so experiment with it.

- When I say guidelines I mean make up your own guidelines as to how to construct the body. Really look at the forms of the body in their most simplistic form and shape. Do you like making the torso a bean then do it on a bunch of bodies and see how the shape changes forms with different poses. You can incorporate the guidelines of artists that you like as a start. Remember that guidelines are about what suits you best so experiment with all sorts of constructions. Each guideline you make should have a purpose though.

- When doing this remember you aren’t tracing the picture you’re constructing it’s form out of guides. I suggest after you go over an image you then draw it again on another piece of paper so then you don't have the photo under it to guide you anymore and you have to go on your own guidelines. After that it’s just a rinse and repeat.  

(quick example but hopefully it shows what I mean)

- Start with simple poses like a person standing. It’s easier to tackle how to draw a full body when the pose is straightforward and simple. Once you get used to how to construct the body that’s when drawing it in different poses gets fun!

- Know that this process is always growing and changing. My guidelines have changed since the first time I drew them so no worries if your guidelines morph and/or change depending on different poses and body types. 

Study Artists

- Now I know a lot of artists would probably disagree on this since we’re all growing and only learning anatomy from someone’s art alone will hurt you. However, If you study the anatomy basics before then hopefully you won’t get bad anatomy habits and will be able to instead study how a certain artist draws the human body the way they do and why it looks so appealing. 

- I think this is important because a lot of the time I see plenty of artists drawing the human body in such unique and interesting ways that I never would have thought of doing if I just looked at real life photos. Artists show great ways to exaggerate the body in very appealing ways and studying why and how they do so can be super helpful. 

- This is kind of how style comes out too since you’ll obviously gravitate more towards artists whose art you enjoy hence you’ll then take influence from them.

- For example I like studying artists that draw porn/nsfw that I enjoy since drawing good porn takes a great deal of anatomy knowledge and the ability to draw the body in appealing ways in such difficult poses is quite a feat so I respect a lot of those artists. Also it’s fairly easy to tell when something is wrong in this kind of art so I learn what not to do fairly quickly. You don’t have to study artists that draw nsfw stuff if you don't want to tho it’s just what I like to do sometimes. 

Understand that you’re always learning and being patient and kind with yourself is a must~<3 Also remember that your eyes are always growing so while art that you made in the past might be ugly to you now know that not everyone has your eyes so they could still be seeing the image as the great piece you once thought it was. Lastly, remember that we’re all in this together and if you ever feel frustrated or down about your art know that we all experience this and that you are not alone. There will be tough bumps in the road but at the end of the day you’ll get through them~ 

Resources:

These are the sites I love for help with anatomy and other stuff so I hope they help you as much as they help me~ 

Coquis Cafe: This site has lots of figure drawing reference photos and they also have a Youtube for figure drawing sessions which I would recommend. 

SenshiStock(DeviantArt): Another great site for photo references.

0033 (Artist on Pixiv): I love their art and breakdowns of anatomy. It is in Japanese but the images still help. 

Character Design References on Pinterest: The boards on this site are amazing and there’s so many different kinds of references you can find. Definitely the biggest and one of the most helpful resources I use. 

[arieleboy]

One Shot: Markus x Male!Reader

(First story I do of Markus, more being BL, You should also know that I think Markus is Bisexual, so I'll use my beautiful headcannon to justify the attraction to a human man) (PS: I'm writing this while I'm drinking mate, so it'll be great)

September 28, 2040

POV Narrator

Things in Detroit had improved, the android revolution brought advantages to the community, but there were still things to fix.

On the streets were propaganda of acceptance towards the androids. And from time to time, on the screens, the speech of Markus was reproduced at the last United Nations summit. There were still people who hated the androids, but luckily they did not get older.

But let's talk about something else. In this week, Markus forced himself to take a break from so much paperwork and politics. Being a public figure, he had to go as unnoticed as possible to avoid causing a stir. He had heard about a coffee shop that catered to Androids and Humans, long before the revolution happened. He thought and said "Why not see what the place is like?" He took his coat and left for the address of the cafe.

On another side, not far from that cafe, a boy was taking pictures of the landscapes. I was trying to find something that would convey a message. But what? I was really nervous, without those photographs, I would not get the title of professional photographer. I kept going from here to there, maybe looking for a good point to take pictures or to relax a bit.

"Maybe something sweet would not hurt me, I need something to keep my head cold." She put her camera in her bag and went into the cafe. I really loved that place, it conveyed an aura of freedom and peace, which did not seem real.

POV Reader

I really was stressed, I did not want to miss this opportunity to have that title. Photography is my life, I can show reality in only one image, but it can also be manipulated ... I did not like that side of photography.

The coffee "Esthétique" was my favorite. Apart from accepting Androids before the whole revolution happened, I had a very ... Very "Tumblr" theme To put it one word. All colors, real estate, and even the menu had a relationship that made you feel satisfied. I sat down at the bar and, while waiting for them to take care of me, I took my notebook so I could write down what pictures I could take here. He had good friendship with the owner of this place. He is the father of my best friend, he gave me work when I became independent and he lets me use the coffee for when I need an assignment of emergency photos.

While I was writing, a girl took my order, a strawberry shake with extra cream and two Waffles, it's my favorite when I'm nervous. I was relaxing a lot, without pressure, no time limit ... I felt free. I stopped thinking about the photos, the photos that I must take at the press conference for next week, I stopped thinking about the world ... So much so, that I did not feel that someone sat next to me.

POV Markus

The coffee looked very good, I could spot several androids drinking or eating with other humans. I felt that the days and days of struggle were useful. I went to the bar and sat next to a boy who seemed immersed in his thoughts while drinking a smoothie. I could not help noticing the sketches he had in his notebook, surely he came to find inspiration and relax. Simon told me that I should start making friends that are not androids, that it would be good to not be so immersed in the work. I decided to follow his advice, but I did not know how to start a conversation. Although, it seems that I was not going to start it, since it seems that the boy wanted to talk too.

-Perdon for asking but ... Are you new in the city? It's that, it's weird to see someone I do not know over here. He seemed nervous when he spoke, it showed in his voice. - Actually, I live here for a long time, but I have never come to this place ... I know him thanks to some friends who told me about him. -Well, it's a pretty popular place now with this androids revolution, I never saw so many people celebrating in this place ... Forgive me for not presenting myself, I am (Y / N) Winchester, student of photography- I held out my hand to greet him, which I accepted. -Curious last name, I'm ... I'm Markus Manfred- His eyes widened in amazement, I did not expect that answer- But do not say I told you, I try not to be so notorious with all this politics and some that still do not accept to the androids. -Don't worry, my mouth is sealed ... And, I knew that you will give a press conference in this week. -Yes, it is part of a project so that they know what will happen to the rights for the androids ... For example that CyberLife serves as a hospital for Androids, paid work and its protection laws -God, this reminds me when it came out of the law of equal marriage and rights to trans ...- I heard him laugh with irony -humans are afraid of the unknown, some act with hatred, and others with curiosity ... For me it's pure curiosity. In my school they are all indoctrinated by those fascist ideologies and many more, they seem from the 19th century -They will know at some point that they are doing wrong ...Would you like to speak in another place? It would not be good to change the quiet atmosphere of the cafeteria. -I would love, I know a quiet place where we could talk about anything, just ... - (Y / N) took out his wallet and paid what he was taking, after that he grabbed his things and went to the door - Come on, it'll be late if we do not walk now.

POV Narrator.

The two were talking about trivial things until they reached a square. The autumn leaves covered everything, leaving it in a perfect panorama. Without hesitation, (Y / N) he took out the camera and started taking pictures. He had never seen anything like this in his life, never an orange so alive.

-You look pretty happy taking pictures -It's my vocation, I love doing this kind of thing. Having a test of how beautiful the world can be is something that encourages me to continue ... But unfortunately I do not find inspiration to take pictures or the day does not help me, like today. I blocked myself and went to the cafe - You have not thought about exposing the photos in a place so that the people look at them? Because they seem worthy to be in an explosion. -I would like to, but I do not know if I have the talent. Also, I upload them on a page that I have and it's enough for me ... Does it bother you if I ask you some questions? -For nothing, only if you give me the address of your page. -Clear! Let's see where do I start? ... I know! How did you come up with that speech? It is something that really fills with pride and makes you want to do something for society. -Only, I said what I felt at the time. I had nothing prepared and wanted to convey what we wanted. But it seems that it worked, more people are listening to us outside the country. -That is a great feat, I would like to do it when I was in school. I was never good at speaking to the public, I start to tremble and I do not articulate the words, it's horrible. -You'll learn to talk to so many people, it's difficult at first, but then you get used to it.

Markus went to a railing to look at the horizon, instead, the photographer boy was watching from behind. Before his eyes was the photo he was looking for, the sun to see Markus as something magistral, something unattainable ... Something that made the boy jump heart. Without Markus noticing, (Y / N) took the picture. On the screen of the camera was the most beautiful picture he ever created, he did not know whether to show it or not. He felt embarrassed because he had not asked for permission for the photo.

-Hey! Are you okay? - The dark haired voice pulled the boy out of his thoughts. -Yes, just ... I was adjusting something in the camera, nothing more. It will sound hasty, but could I make a transfer of photos with you? It's that, maybe we can help each other. You will expand your ideals, and I will be able to have the honor of taking pictures of the most important public figure in the world. -I'll see if I have time, papers have me busy and I have to prepare things for the press conference. -Oh, in that case, you can tell me when you're free ... I think it's time to go back to my apartment, I need to edit some pictures of today and in the way I can use for photography- he took out his notebook and began to write on a sheet and then give it to Markus. - So early do you have to go? - He saw the sheet and then see the boy. - There is my number and my page, whenever you want you can see it. See you soon take care.

And without saying more, he left while laughing softly. Markus, on the other hand, kept looking at where the boy was going, he was really curious about it.

October 31, 2040

The press conference happened. Everything was according to the plan, the doubts were resolved and he proposed his new adoption project for androids. But something was happening. A week ago he did not talk to (Y / N), it's not that he does not want to, it's that he did not answer or said he was busy and he was nervous when they talked on the phone. I was worried, but I would see him again today because of the transfer of photos, I was excited. Was he feeling something for his friend? In the photography studio, (Y / N) was trying not to die of nerves, since he started talking to Markus he felt different. He loved to tell him about his works of art, to talk about music and about the projects he had for the future. First he thought it was friendship, then admiration, and finally he realized that he was in love. It was a pity to admit it, not because he was an android, but because he knew that if he admitted it, he would lose a good friendship, one he would never have again. The study was prepared for a halloween theme by date. Markus had the idea of ​​making the transfer of photos and then go to take something somewhere, which made the boy more nervous.

I was finishing putting some decorations until the studio bell was heard. You quickly opened the door and saw Markus well dressed. It looked like the balance of a Vouge magazine in his suit and black shoes. And that was exactly what he liked (Y / N), the elegance and style of Markus.

-You came before ... Come, are you going to use that? In that case we will use another fund, perhaps a white one to contrast with the suit ... - We did not speak a week ago and the first thing you say is "you came before"? I was waiting for a "Hello Markus, how are you?" maybe... -Oh, sorry ... I had many things these days, cessions of photos, university tests and many orders ... I did not intend to walk away. -Don't worry, I understand you, I was with important paperwork ... Will we do those photos or not? I do not want it to be late for the bar. -If yes, whatever it is, follow me ...The place where the transfer of photos was made had as its background an impeccable white cloth and many lights gave a good illumination. Where the photographer would be found there were several things in boxes, including some accessories for the photos such as hats, masks and more interesting things. The (Y / N) laptop was on top of a desk next to a photo printer. Everything was impeccable, just as Markus imagined it.-Well, where do you want to start? - The younger placed the camera on the tripod and began to calibrate the lens-Have you ever seen the cessions of photos of Gucci and Louis Vuitton? -Only Gucci, I prefer that brand more than LV ... How do you know so much about that kind of thing? - I have a small title of fashion consultant, I know each brand and its advantages. My favorite is also Gucci, I'm trying to get a bag that I saw a long time ago ... Stop talking, be a good model and pose for me.The transfer of photos was spent laughing and some compliments from Markus to (Y / N) for the photos I showed him. Something that called attention to Markus, was that at all times, his friend tried not to make eye contact, had red cheeks and something told him that he was nervous just by his presence.-The photos will take time to print, we could go now to that place you said- He took his coat and before doing anything else, I grab the keys to the studio- I did not know you were drinking, in fact, I did not know that the Androids could take -We can, but we do not have the need to do it ... It will be fun to go and have fun for a while, we both have to clear our minds. -Of course, I'm ready. I hope it is not too far because I do not feel like walking.And indeed, it was not very long. The place where he took his friend was, so to speak, a bar with a restaurant mix. (Y / N) I was really excited and nervous, I did not know whether to put this as a date or just a way out of friends, but he was willing to say what I felt, whether it was corresponded or not. They went to sit at a table for two, next to a window and with the dance floor a few meters away. Markus asked for both something soft, that does not rise too fast to have fun.

- Do you know the rumors that run about me? - Markus broke the, not so uncomfortable, silence. - What rumors? I do not like those things, moreover, I hate them ... I still do not know how it is that the sensationalism continues to exist these days. -I do not like them either, but in this case it's good to know- Markus took from his pocket a sheet of a magazine of the moment.

The header said "Markus Manfred is dating a human?" And in all the pictures that were appreciated on the sheet were of him next to Markus in the different times that they left as friends. The face of (Y / N) turned red from one moment to the next, I really did not know what to say.

POV Reader

I was perplexed ... I really did not expect these things. I did not mind making myself look like Markus' partner, but I did not like it to be something to make yellow. I was between shame, grief, nerves and some hope. But I knew that Markus previously dated a female android ... I did not have many opportunities to say.

-This is really... -Rare? - Markus helped me finish -Strange... -At least they do not say another bad thing ...

They brought us the drinks, we took them, Markus decided to go to the dance floor and I went, but from one moment to the next, I was separated from the wall of admirers of him. I tried to pass, but I could not. I felt helpless, many asked him if he was alone, with friends or some date. He only said that he came with a friend, that made several girls try to take advantage. That's what poured my patience. I paid for my drink and went to my favorite place to sit on a bench. I hated being jealous, I feel toxic to be the ... But with someone I do not even date. Ten minutes passed until I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, it was Markus.

"You were ..." He heard something in his voice of confusion, or perhaps of sadness. -Yes, I forgot that tomorrow I have things to do, besides I hate the crowds- But I hate to lie to you. -You could tell me before going there- He sat next to me, he seemed worried. -No, it was my mistake in not saying it ... - Can I ask you a question? - I nodded - Why did you avoid me week poll? I understand you have a job, but I feel like you do not want to be my friend anymore -It's not that Markus, I ... I really feel something else ... Have you ever had the feeling of jealousy towards someone you do not even have the right to feel? Well, I really feel that- I saw several of my tears fall to the floor, I did not want Markus to worry -Markus, I like you ... I like you, that's why I did not want to see you in the week, I wanted to know if it was that or something else. .. Unfortunately it is love.

I did not hear an answer from him, which hurt me. It gave me an idea of ​​the answer.

-At least I took a weight off my back ... It was a pleasure to meet you and be for your friend Markus Manfred, tomorrow look for the photos I made ... Our friendship lasted what it had to last, see you tomorrow.

And I left.

Pov Markus

I was surprised, I was in Shock. I could not talk, I could not say something, I could not stop it.

November 1, 2040

I got up early in the morning to go to the (Y / N) apartment. I wanted to talk to him, I was worried about the meaning of my silence yesterday. Her farewell felt it as a sign that she did not want to see me anymore, but I could not afford that. Yes, I started to feel something, but I did not think that he did too. When he told me everything, I felt relief and joy, but it did not last long when he heard how he said goodbye.

I knocked on the door one, two, three and even four times. When I was going to play the fifth time, he opened me. He was untidy, still wearing pajamas, his hair was disheveled and his eyes were swollen and red, he cried all night. When he saw me, his face brightened for a moment and then turned off again.

-Now I bring the photos, wait in the room, yes? I will not be long

Before he left, I grabbed his arm

-I do not want the photos, I just came to see how you were and to talk about yesterday. Really sorry for not saying anything, I was completely blocked ...- I saw him in the eyes and I could see that he was crying again -You could have told me ... I do not know, that you were not looking for another person, that you are not prepared for this ... Anything, least of all keep quiet. In addition, it is surely just admiration, that always confuses people ...- He let go and went to a room and then come back with an envelope -The photos are there, yesterday I uploaded them to my page ... I ...

Before I could say anything else, I hugged him, I knew we both needed him. Luckily, he also hugged me, I felt like I was unloading all his sadness. I really did not know how to react, I wanted to protect him, to tell him that everything will be fine, that he should not be scared since I will be with him. Time passed, ten, twenty minutes ... I do not know, but I liked being like that with him.

-Markus ... Can we start again? ... I tell you that I like you and then you tell me what you think is right. -I think it's the best option... -In that case- He separated from me and saw me in the eyes -I like Markus ... I do not know how or when, but I feel I can not hide it anymore. I will understand if it is not accepted, but I feel better knowing that I said it - Under the look something ashamed.

By inertia I smiled to him later to accommodate him the hair ... I really felt something for him, and it was authentic.

"Do you know something?" I raised my head to look at him and sigh slightly "Tomorrow, you and I, a date in a better place, do you think? And this time there will be no one to take us away like yesterday ... -I like the idea...

[marrincostello]

How to Make Videos People Will Watch on Social Media : Social Media Examiner

Want your videos to make a bigger impact on social platforms? Wondering how to create videos that grab and hold people’s attention?

In this article, you’ll discover three techniques to produce video people will watch on social media.

Note: This article assumes you have the basics in place for filming and producing social media video. To learn more about looking better on camera, improving production quality, and more, click here.

#1: Hook Social Media Video Viewers and Incite a Shopper’s Pivot

There are all kinds of stats online about how long viewers will stick around to watch a video on social media. Some claim 15 seconds, some claim 3 seconds, and others 5 seconds.

I don’t like these stats. They fill video creators with fear and dread. Viewers won’t sit with a stopwatch in hand waiting for you to impress them and then leave after 5 seconds if you haven’t.

What’s important is to hook them as quickly as you can and then unpack that hook. This introduction could take 60 seconds, but if you get the hook right at the very start, it’ll be impossible for them to look away.

Script Social Media Videos for a Shopper’s Pivot

Imagine you’re walking through a busy shopping center exhausted from a long day, and as you push through the crowd of people in your way, you notice something out of the corner of your eye inside a shop. You walk past it, stop, do a double-take, and then walk back toward it and check it out.

That’s a shopper’s pivot.

In video, you can achieve a similar effect to pull people into your content.

The majority of films you’ve seen start like this: You begin watching and think to yourself, “What’s going on here?” Then a few minutes into the film, things start to make sense. The very fact that you’re thinking about the point of the intro makes the content more engaging and leads you to want to know more. The rest of the film unfolds from there.

It’s almost like you missed the first part of the story so you scramble to keep up and try to work out what’s going on. This in turn creates the engagement required to keep viewers engrossed.

The good news is that several techniques will help you mimic this effect in your social media videos.

To start, you need to give people context. This happens in the thumbnail image and the written post. People don’t tend to click play on a video if they have no idea what it’s about so this is where you set up your video’s content.

Tell a story. Stories create engagement and pull people in. People can’t help but picture what’s being described. In my earlier story about walking past a shop window, you probably pictured the shopping center in your mind, which made you pay attention. Then I unpacked the point I was trying to make. Intros like this are attention gold.

Use metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech that implies a comparison. You take information someone might not understand and relate it to something they’ve likely experienced. Again, this forces people to engage. I used this technique earlier when talking about the shop window.

Get straight to it. Lots of videos start with introductions. The person on the screen says who they are and what they plan to talk about. But viewers are selfish; they only want the information they came for—what was promised to them in the post.

If your video is called “5 Tips to Sell More Shoes” and you start with, “Number one: Price” and then hit viewers with your best point to start with, they’ll be shocked by your efficiency and hang on longer. You might even get comments thanking you for not wasting their time.

Remember, people don’t want to get to know you online at first; that comes over time and through multiple videos.

Share a surprising stat. Stats get thrown around all the time but if you have one that will surprise people, lead with it and let the rest of the video go on from there.

The key to all of this is to remember you’re not just competing against other people in your niche for attention on social media; you’re competing with everyone. A creative and well-planned intro is a must.

When you’ve hooked your viewer, the battle isn’t won, although you’ve made a better start than most. There’s one thing that can (even with an amazing shopper’s pivot) destroy your engagement, and that’s delivery.

#2: Captivate Social Media Video Viewers With Panto Mode and Chunking

You could have the best video content in the world but if it’s delivered in a dull, nervous, monotonous tone, you’ll lose the viewer’s attention, and worse, damage your credibility. People are attracted to confidence and charisma. Even if you don’t have either (although I’m sure you do), here’s how you can fake it.

How to Use Panto Mode for a More Engaging Presentation

The moment you stand in front of a camera, something strange will happen to you. Even if you’re a professional who’s used to public speaking, you’ll struggle to think, let alone talk, and you’ll lose a ton of energy. This means the social connection you need on camera will sink.

In fact, the camera alone will suck out about 20% of your energy. This means you need to overcompensate and put it back. Here’s how.

Start by filming a line or two as a test; 20 seconds or so should work.

Then watch it back. You won’t like the sound of your voice and you’ll probably think you look awkward and wonder what you should be doing with your hands. Don’t worry; that’s normal.

Now film the same section again, but this time, use an over-the-top delivery like a pantomime performer. (In the UK, these are theatrical events for children and the performers in them are always very over the top.) Your delivery needs to be ridiculous. Remember, no one is going to see it so have fun!

That’s panto mode.

When you’re done, watch it back and compare it to your original take. You should find that the version of you with 120% energy works!

If you think your delivery is too over the top, dial it down and try again. Not enough energy? Add some.

It will feel uncomfortable to start. However, once you see how confident and credible you appear on camera when you find the right level of energy, presenting on camera will become an enjoyable experience for you and your viewers.

How to Shoot and Edit With Video Chunks

Trying to create a video in one long take is difficult and you want to make the process as easy as possible to ensure your content works. This is where chunking comes in. It’s a technique that makes presenting easier and video content more visually stimulating. It involves recording your video in segments (or chunks) and then piecing those segments together.

Start by filming a few sentences. Stop when there’s a natural pause or change in information. You might want to do a few versions of this take. Or if you think you nailed it, move on to the next chunk.

Before you start recording the next section of content, zoom in or move the camera a little closer so you appear about 20% larger on the screen. Film the next few sentences and stop. Then move the camera back and shoot again.

Become the Social Media Marketing Rockstar for Your Business

Meet your secret team that makes you look like a social media genius and empowers you to embrace change! We’re a genuine community of marketers from your friends at Social Media Examiner. And we’re here to support you. Think of us as your career insurance policy. We keep you focused on what matters. We make sure you won’t be left behind as the changes keep coming. Join the Social Media Marketing Society. Get access to monthly online training, expert support, and a thriving community of marketers who will empower you to succeed.

Pro Tip: Make sure you move the camera rather than yourself; otherwise, the background will stay the same size and it’ll look odd. It would take another article to explain why so you’ll have to trust me on this one.

See how the frame size changes in these images each time we cut and move the camera?

When you finish filming your video, put each chunk into your editing timeline and piece them together.

Every time the viewer sees one of these cuts, it’s another visual prod that keeps their attention focused on you. It also gives your video more energy and instills confidence. The viewer won’t even notice it’s happening.

#3: Publish Social Media Video With a Scroll-Stopping Thumbnail

If you film a video and nobody hits play on it, did you even make a video? Getting your video noticed and clicked is the initial battle on social media. Forget the content right now; this is all about first impressions and sticking out on timelines.

No matter what social media platform you’re using, the written post with your video plays an important role in persuading your audience to watch (as we discussed earlier). But the image or thumbnail that comes with that post is what people will notice and it needs to grab their attention.

This is an example of a bad thumbnail image:

Here’s why it doesn’t work:

Now let’s look at an example of a good thumbnail image:

Here’s why it works:

Prada doesn’t cover their store windows with cheap stickers. Instead, their window displays convey pure quality to potential shoppers. Your video thumbnail needs to do the same.

If you can include a person’s face (preferably conveying emotion) and some text in your thumbnail, you’re more likely to get clicks (based on findings from YouTube). It makes sense—people love interacting with human beings, especially on social media.

If you’re not able to include an image of a person on your thumbnail, make sure you use quality stock images. Tell a story that hints at what the video is about.

Once you have an eye-catching image, here’s how to share it when posting your video.

Load Thumbnail Images to LinkedIn, Facebook, and IGTV

To choose the thumbnail for your LinkedIn video post, click Start a Post and select the Video icon.

Navigate to the video you want to share and then click Edit.

Now click Select File and choose your image.

To upload a thumbnail with your Facebook video post, click Create Post and select Photo/Video.

Click Thumbnail on the right side of the screen and then click Add Image on the left. Now select the image you want to use.

To select a thumbnail for an IGTV post, upload your video to Instagram and select IGTV.

Then tap Add From Gallery and choose your image.

Embed a Thumbnail Image in Your Video

Alternatively, you can add the thumbnail image you want to show up on social feeds as the first frame in your video. It will then display as the video starts to autoplay.

When someone hits play, they won’t notice it flash for a split second if the video starts from the beginning again.

Note: For Instagram videos, this is the best way to show a thumbnail image because you can only choose a frame from the video.

Video Thumbnails for Paid Ads on Social Media

If you’re creating thumbnails for paid ads on Facebook and Instagram, avoid using too much text in them to ensure optimum reach and results. The text should not take up more than 20% of your image. Otherwise, it will either be rejected or the reach will be impacted significantly.

Here’s an example of a thumbnail for a YouTube video that contains too much text for Facebook.

To reuse this thumbnail in a Facebook ad, you’d have to simplify it with less text, as in the example below.

Pro Tip: If you’re not a designer, Canva has some high-quality free and paid templates you can use to create thumbnails for your social media videos or you can turn to a platform like Fiverr or OnlineJobs.Ph to hire a designer to do it for you.

For too long, video has been touted as the answer to all of a marketer’s problems. It’s not. While video once had a novelty factor, now it’s expected as part of your regular communication.

But it’s not something you’ll be good at right away. You’ll often hear people say “done is better than perfect.” While that’s generally correct, “done” still needs to be good. If you review your video and don’t think it’s any good, you’ll need to put in some more work.

I’ve used all of the techniques above on thousands of occasions and I’m confident that if you trust in the system, you’ll make highly engaging videos you’ll be proud of.

What do you think? Are you inspired to try any of these techniques to improve your next video? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Join thousands of fellow marketers. Receive the training and support you need to accomplish your marketing objectives!

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This content was originally published here.

[you-can-call-me-verge]

Delivery (Lonely Chapter 2)

I was asked anonymously to continue my first fic, here, Lonely. I'm a people pleaser and I am so flattered by anyone's who's supported me turning this into my first chaptered fic. 

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: Ash was a great idea, but how do we get them to be more than an idea? 

Warnings: My terrible OC that I can't believe anybody wants to know more about (seriously thank y'all so much) 

It was dinner time, a few nights after Roman had presented Thomas with his imaginary friend. Nobody was saying anything, but they were all slowly giving up hope that the idea would work. As Logan had said a few days earlier, in theory Ash should've shown up soon after Thomas knew about them. And yet, there was no sign of them. Everyone was handling Thomas's growing loneliness differently. Virgil was shutting himself away from everyone, Patton on the other hand was feeling more clingy. Roman was sulking and Logan was trying desperately to explain why there was no sign of Ash.

"I have a theory!" Logan blurted out in the middle of the otherwise silent meal.

"It's hopeless, Logan. Give up." Virgil replied. He didn't sound cruel, more defeated than anything else.

"This one makes sense, I promise."

"Logan-"

"I think maybe because we're sides and Ash is not, maybe we take up different parts of the mindscape!"

"Logan?"

We're facets of Thomas's personality and Ash is an idea, doesn't it make sense that we'd be-"

"Logan!" Patton was yelling now, not trying to scare Logan, but to quiet him down. Logan looked behind him.

"Hello?"

It was like Roman's drawing had come to life. There Ash was, standing, real. Their chin length hair was dyed royal blue (oh Roman, never could resist royalty) over a slightly sloppy bleach job. They wore a red flannel which hung off their thin frame. Their face was round and a little rosy, with freckles and acne scars dotting their olive skin. They seemed to be a little shorter than Thomas, and they pushed back their bangs so they were off their face.

"I'm Ash. I'd like to meet all of you, but first I'd just like to know… where I am?" They spoke quietly and politely, looking like a deer in the headlights.

Patton immediately stepped in to answer the question and comfort them. "Hiya kiddo! Okay, this could be just a little difficult to grasp, so take your time, alright? You're in Thomas's mindscape. We're all parts of his personality, or as he's come to call them, 'sides.' I'm Patton, Thomas's morality. That's Virgil, Thomas's Anxiety. Logan is Thomas's logic, and that's-"

Roman was shellshocked. He stared unabashedly at Ash, but snapped out of it when it was his turn to be introduced, he cut Patton off, saying "I'm Prince Roman! Or just Roman- It's so amazing to meet you! I can't- I can't believe you're real! You're- you! I'm sorry, i'm definitely coming off as weird, it's just that I created you! I wrote you down and drew you and you're real- like Pinocchio!" Roman was going a mile a minute. "I thought it didn't work! I thought maybe I was too inconsistent or your character just didn't work but I was so wrong! I was so wrong-" He stopped when he felt Virgil's hand on his shoulder.

"You're overwhelming them," Virgil said simply.

"Right- of course. I created your personality, I should've realized you were shy, and an introduction like that would be too much. Are you okay?"

Ash was still standing, eyes wide and posture stiff. They tried to come off amiable and chill as they told the sides, "I'm fine, I guess. I'm just frazzled.” They paused, considering, before continuing, “It's like- one second I didn't exist and then the next I did, but like I still have a childhood, and like a life before now? It's really weird. And now I'm here with you, and I barely know all of your names or who you are, and you all look kinda the same, no offense, and it's just really weird."

"That's understandable. But I must say, when Virgil and Roman came into existence, they acted much different than you." Logan was thinking out loud. "You're handling this much better than they did. Of course, I can't speak for Patton, he was here before me. They were both very scared, and as I remember, I was terrified. I took days trying to figure out what was going on. You, however, seem to be comparatively fine."

Ash considered for a moment. "I was scared, but you all seem very nice. I can't quite say I’m feeling entirely unguarded just yet, but you seem… trustworthy. Not that I have a choice. The fog is kinda lifting, too."

Virgil stepped in, deciding to try being welcoming. "Well then, welcome to the club, Ash."

It had been about three days since Ash came into existence. Everything was going well. They got along great with just about everyone. They helped Patton with cooking, although they weren't very good at it. They did know what tasted good. They took time to draw with Roman (Roman regrets making them better at art than he is, but he would never admit that.) When they hung out with Virgil they seemed more resistant to the effects of his room. Additionally, they seemed to help calm him down a little. Logan enjoyed deep philosophical talks with them, seeming to be enthralled with the new point of view on life they had as a person, as opposed to a side.

However, Thomas had not yet called them up yet. The sides agreed that it was weird that he hadn't even tried to communicate with them or with Ash. Meanwhile, Thomas was growing lonelier and lonelier.

But three days of silence went by before he called up each of the sides by name, with no mention of Ash. After they'd all said hello to Thomas, he told them why he'd gathered them.

"Roman, I'm sorry but I don't think the imaginary friend thing is working."

The sides exchanged a panicked look.

"W-what do you mean?" Roman asked, face powder-white.

"I've been concentrating so hard for a week now, and nothing has changed. Ash still feels like a concept. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Oh! I know why it isn't working!" Patton said to him excitedly. "They already came into existence!" He called out, "Ash! Come on up here!"

Suddenly, Ash appeared in Patton's space. "Woah, what was that? Where am I?" They looked around excitedly. "Hey guys! You must be Thomas, I'm Ash." They walked over to his space and stuck out their hand for a handshake.

Thomas, eyes wide, shook Ash's hand. Words seemed to be lost on him as he looked at Ash. Patton noticed and asked playfully, "Cat got your tongue, kiddo?"

That effectively broke the ice, as Thomas said to them, "You're so cool! Oh my god- I love your hair! You look just like Roman's drawing too- you're so cool, oh my goodness... How did you get from Patton's space to mine? How long have you been real? Have you been making friends? Oh my gosh!"

Ash was evidently made hesitant from Thomas's reaction, but met it with nervous enthusiasm, saying "Thank you about my hair! Um- I guess I do look like Roman's drawing, and going from space to space just sorta happens, sorry for the lack of an answer... It's been about three days now, and yeah! All of these guys are super sweet and they've really been making me feel at home, too."

"That's so great! You guys, why didn't you tell me?"

"We kinda thought that you knew already," Virgil responded.

"Aw man, if I knew already I would've called you guys up!" He put his arm around Ash, who smiled and looked at him as he spoke. "Well gee, Ash, I'm just so glad to have you here with us. How've you been? What've you been doing?"

"I've just been with all of these guys. We've been doing our own thing, I guess."

"I've found they have a particularly interesting personality." The other sides could tell Logan was about to ramble. "I've rather enjoyed my philosophical talks and debates with them, and I do believe that if you consult them on issues in the same way you do with us, you'll get interesting and new perspectives."

"Logan says that I'm more reserved, but more belligerent than you." Ash interjected.

"Precisely. They come off as very shy but as they come out of their shell, I think they could help you get over your desire to be hospitable and to stand up for yourself."

"They're really fun, too!" Patton smiled. "They've been helping me out with cooking a lot. You really do like to try new things, huh?"

"Oh yeah, I've always wanted to cook! Well, I've only been real for three days-” they started to address Thomas, “but before then… I don't know how to explain it, I’m sorry."

Roman cut them off, smiling warmly. "I understand what you mean. I wrote your entire self, including your desire to cook." He laughed. "Virgil?"

"They're pretty cool, I guess." Virgil mumbled, clearly trying to keep up his aloof persona while still complimenting his new friend. Everyone was able to see through the mask, even Thomas could tell that Ash and Virgil were going to be close friends.

"Well, as long as I have all of you here with me, I may as well ask for your advice. I'm not filming today for a couple reasons, mostly I don't want to promise too much to our viewers with this dilemma. I've been thinking about making another song, but I'm afraid of the negative feedback I might get. I want to upload a song, but it feels too risky for me."

"Don't do it. It's too much effort, and everyone will hate it anyway."

"Now Virgil, we talked about being such a negative Nancy all the time."

"It's my job, Patton. Plus, it doesn't mean I'm not right."

"You should do it! Let your showmanship flourish, people will love it!"

"Roman could be right. Plus, I'm sure if you just engaged with those who are hateful towards you you'd uncover the underlying reason for it."

"Logan, while I'm so proud that you're agreeing with Princey and supporting Thomas, I can't say talking to the hateful people is the best idea."

“Why, Patton? I’m sure-”

"I still think it'll just be a huge failure."

"Virgil, it's highly unlikely that we won't get any positive reactions at all. Plus, Roman can help a lot with the writing and production of the song. Perhaps we should get some fresh eyes. Ash?"

Ash looked at Logan, surprised that he asked their opinion. "Oh. Well, I think, I guess... I guess we should just do what makes us happy! If anybody decides they don't like it, then it's not your problem or your fault. You can never please everybody, and even though Logan is right that there's an underlying reason for their hate, maybe it's better to do something for yourselves and to forget about other people for once."

"But our success is dependent on the opinions of other people!" Roman said as Virgil nodded along. "How are we supposed to just ignore it?"

"I can help when the time comes. Plus, your success really isn't entirely dependent on other people. One video that is poorly reviewed isn't going to make you come crashing down. Also, everybody loved your first song, and so many other people have been requesting a second. I think the pros outweigh the cons."

Logan was fascinated. "This is incredible! We wouldn't have come up with something like this on our own without you. At least, certainly not this fast. Roman, this is incredible. By creating them, you've created a way for us to see issues from a separate perspective." He adjusted his glasses, staring intently at Ash.

"That's... a little weird." They said, squirming under Logan's gaze.

"What is, sport?" Patton asked them.

"I don't know, being referred to as something that was created. I know that to you I'm only three days old, but to me... I've had an entire life and everything. I don't know, it's just weirdly... existential, I guess."

"Hmm. Well we wouldn't want to send you into some sort of existential crisis," Logan speculated.

"No kidding. Those suck, please come to me if you ever have one." Virgil added.

"I think it's better that we try to think of you as the person I created you as, rather than a concept." Roman supplied.

"Anything to keep you safe, champ," Patton said warmly.

After a brief, happy, silence, Thomas clapped his hands. "Alright! Ash, it's been so great getting to know you, and I can't wait to learn even more. I want to thank you for the feedback on the song." He went in and hugged Ash, who smiled and hugged him back.

"Same to you, man. I can't wait to see you again." They said, and sunk out with the rest of the sides.

[breeeliss]

[Miraculous Ladybug]: It’s All Hype!

lol i’ve stopped being anxious about these prompts being late, they’ll happen eventually

--

[Day 4: Common Interests]

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

--

Title: It’s All Hype! Pairings: Ladynoir (Ladybug x Chat Noir), Adrienette (Adrien x Marinette) Summary: Alya accidentally gets the Internet in a frenzy after announcing that Ladybug and Chat Noir are dating, but the two heroes are adamant about correcting the error and making sure the world knows that they’re just friends. So Alya proposes a staged public break up to set everything right.

In hindsight, she really underestimated how utterly freaking difficult that would be.

Day 5: Right-Hook

Chat Noir used the twenty euros that Ladybug had reluctantly handed over to buy himself a plate of crepes and waffles, and after that the Egg Discourse™ had thankfully ended. They finished their brunch together while Alya started checking all of the likes and hits racking up on the video that she had posted of the two of them arguing rather vehemently about food of all things. Figures that they couldn’t dare to argue with each other about something serious but the moment you brought up irrelevant discourse about breakfast foods, they were both at each other’s necks and attracting the attention of an entire restaurant with their antics. Alya thought about telling them that they acted exactly like an old married couple who loved to bicker about the little things and didn’t sweat the big ones, but she figured it would sound odd considering they were trying to convince the world of the exact opposite.

The three of them ended up on top of an apartment building near the café with Alya leaning against the chimney and moderating all the comments that were steadily pouring onto the end of the video. She must have been at it for longer than she realized because at some point Ladybug and Chat Noir discarded their weapons next to her and started killing time in that way they usually did whenever people randomly caught footage of them on their patrols at night. They’d switched from a crunching competition to doing handstands on the edge of the roof to some light hand-to-hand practice by the time Alya was sure she’d gotten all of the inappropriate comments off.

“Sorry about this,” Alya told them as Chat Noir knocked Ladybug onto her back and declared himself the winner of their second round. “My friend Nino usually helps mod this stuff for me when I’m busy but he’s got a family thing right now and I don’t want to let the comments get too cluttered.”

“Take your time, we don’t have much to do today anyway,” Ladybug said, sounding slightly out of breath. She nodded at Chat Noir. “Again.”

“Don’t stay so flat footed by the way,” Chat Noir told her. “Stay bouncing on your toes and you can move quicker. When you’re ready.”

Ladybug lunged at him first while Chat Noir quickly blocked her punch, and Alya cleared her throat as she pulled up a few comments. “Alright. So the results of that little show during brunch are turning out to be interesting.”

“I can’t believe you actually uploaded all of that,” Chat Noir called over, ducking underneath Ladybug’s kick and coming up behind her.

“It was the closest thing to a fight I was going to get out of you two, of course I posted it. We’ve been at this for like two days, I’ve gotta take what I can get.”

Ladybug landed a kick in Chat Noir’s abdomen but he stepped back with the momentum of the blow and stayed steady on his feet. “Well, is the video helping?”

Alya sighed. “So a few things are happening. Good news is that there are actually a few people who are theorizing that your non-existent relationship is looking a little rocky.”

“Oh sweet!” Chat Noir grinned. “That’s good!”

“Alright. So. LadynoirXOXO229 said ‘if they’re fighting about something as silly as eggs I can only imagine what their really bad fights must look like. I’m worried.’ Frowny face, frowny face, sobbing emoji.”

Ladybug snorted. “Our really bad fights involve akumas flinging us halfway across the city.” She hissed when her arm collided with Chat’s steel-toed boots as she blocked one of his kicks. “If you can deal with that, you can deal with anything.”

“Uh, ChatNoirIsMySon said, ‘jesus I never expected them to get so uppity about something as simple as eggs. Are they okay?’”

Chat Noir paused for a moment and sighed forlornly. “No, unfortunately. I feel horribly betrayed.”

“Oh get over it,” Ladybug said with an eyeroll. “If you feel so betrayed why don’t you try knocking me over again?”

“So demanding! ”

“And then ItsCalledChatBug — um yeah, sure buddy, like I didn’t totally coin Ladynoir from like day one — they said ‘Ladybug looked about two seconds from punching Chat Noir in the face.’ You’ve got a few more comments that all read something like that so I’d say that the seed is planted.”

“Well that’s a good sign I g —!!” His sentence was cut off as Ladybug took advantage of his distraction and swiped his feet out from under him with her leg and left him sprawling on his back. He grunted when Ladybug playfully planted her foot in the middle of his chest and waved sweetly at him. Chat scowled at her and held his hand out so that she could help him up. “Stop looking so self-satisfied,” he muttered. “I’m still winning.”

“For now.”

“Now for the bad news,” Alya continued, ignoring their back and forth. “Which is what I was admittedly afraid of when I posted the thing. It kind of just encouraged people. Like a lot of people. Like they think you guys are such a cute and adorable couple and that this is proof of how close the two of you are.”

“Well I guess they’re not wrong ,” Ladybug reasoned. “At least not completely.”

“So HawkmothGetBent said , ‘this is literally how me and my boyfriend are all the time this is the single most adorable thing I’ve ever seen the two of them do.’ LBBeauty said ‘this is the greatest thing to ever happen to the Internet hands down everyone else go home.’ OhMyWhiskers said ‘I’d pay money to see the two of them do stuff like this on a daily basis. Relationship goals tbh.’ So essentially we took two steps forward and then took two steps backwards. Meaning we didn’t go anywhere. Although, I will say you two got me a ridiculous amount of followers this weekend so thank you very much for that.”

“Dude, who is OhMyWhiskers I want that username,” Chat Noir laughed.

Ladybug stopped for a moment, gently smacked his arm, and pointed to her eyes. “Focus before I accidentally punch you somewhere important.”

“Sorry, sorry. Come at me, I’m ready.”

Alya started laughing. “Oh man, okay, get this. Because I’m a little asshole, I pinned a poll at the top of the blog asking people what they thought about eggs. So far it’s 60% yay and 40% nay.”

“Ha!” Ladybug cheered as they kept on fighting. “What did I tell you?”

“You are not changing my mind, they’re still gross, and we are not reopening this discussion.”

Alya stuffed her phone in her jacket and pillowed her arms behind her head as she laid down flat on the roof. Out of the corner of her eyes she could still see that they were sparring but she decided to think out loud anyway. “I think we need to just screw it and do something dramatic. Like we’ve been doing things by the books this entire time. I think we just need something super crazy and out there you know? Just sucker punch everyone with the news.”

They were caught in a really intense moment of rapid blows and blocks, but when they briefly pushed away from each other to catch their breaths Ladybug answered, “How crazy are we talking?”

Alya shrugged and started fiddling with the ends of her jacket sleeves. “What if you both faked your deaths?”

Chat Noir wiped his forehead. “Then Paris would be doomed because Hawkmoth would have a field day.”

“Oh right, I forgot about that part,” Alya mumbled. “What if only Ladybug faked her death?”

“Then there would be no one to purify akumas and Chat would have to fight by himself.”

“Okay, so we kill Chat Noir.”

Chat Noir frowned. “I think we’ll run into a similar problem.”

“Fine!” she said, throwing up her arms. “Then I’ll fake my death.”

Ladybug snorted. “I don’t see how that’ll help us. Or you for that matter.”

“Well I don’t know what else to come up with,” Alya complained. “I’m totally out of ideas. I honestly didn’t mean to make you both uncomfortable. And I know how I can get with the fan theories and stuff and I need to remember that you guys are real people and I have to be careful about all that stuff. I get it. Trust me. So I thought I could like make up for it by helping you and fixing my mistake, but I’m hitting a block. And it doesn’t help that you two are literally impossible to work with! Always gotta make things complicated!”

Chat Noir laughed and walked over to gently pat her on the head. “I can’t tell if you’re mad at us or mad at yourself, but don’t worry about it. We know you weren’t trying to be mean about it. And you realized your mistakes. We’re not mad, we promise.”

“Not even about these rumors running around?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I mean, I won’t lie, I’d prefer if they weren’t out there. Like I said, it’s just….weird to have everyone wishing for you to get together with another guy when you’ve got a boyfriend you love very much. But we’re not going to hate you if it turns out we can’t squash them. We’ll just have to deal.”

Alya bit her lip. “I can still take those pictures down, you know. It’s a little late in the game, but at least it’ll help. Or at least delete the shippy caption. It’ll only take a second.”

“There’s still hope of this blowing over eventually though, right?” Ladybug asked.

Alya and Chat Noir laughed simultaneously. “Not likely, my Lady,” Chat Noir said regretfully. “Like I said. Our fans are really intense.”

Alya chewed on the nail of her thumb and kept her gaze up at the overcast sky. “Hey, I know we’re not like…. super close friends or anything. And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but totally off the record: did this shipping stuff bother you before you started dating your partners? I know you kinda said it didn’t, but why?”

Chat Noir hummed and sat cross legged next to Alya’s head. “I mean, to be honest, we didn’t realize that we had an official fandom until recently. I mean, we’ve been following your blog for ages, but now it’s like the center for everything having to do with us. At first when we found out about it, we were kind of too surprised to really have an opinion. It wasn’t something we ever expected to happen to us.”

“Everyone loves you two,” Alya explained. “No one would bother with being this extra if they didn’t really care about you and what you do for us.”

Ladybug leaned against the chimney and stared down at Alya and Chat. “We know,” she smiled. “It’s just this whole superhero thing got sprung on us really unexpectedly. All we knew was that we had these powers and there were people who needed us. We do this because it’s necessary, because we’re the only people who can do what we do. We sort of didn’t think about everything else. Like the fanfare and the publicity and standing up for something bigger. So it took us a while to react.”

“And when you finally did?”

Chat Noir shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know we sort of just ignored it. People sometimes got really crazy with it when they asked personal questions or were inappropriate or something like that. Most of the time, though, it was just stuff on the Internet and gossip and it’s easy to just not take that stuff seriously. But it’s different when you have someone you really care about — someone that makes you happy and someone that knows you so well — and you’re hearing everyone just talk about how much they say you’re the perfect match for a completely different girl.”

“We care about each other so much,” Ladybug said. “Honestly. I can’t imagine not having Chat Noir around. We act the way we do because we’re important to each other, and he’s one of my closest friends. But it’s just not like that, you know? We’re both in relationships that make us so happy, so it’s just not gonna happen with the two of us. It’s weird having the Internet think otherwise.”

“I see what you’re saying, but I also understand why people think the way they do,” Alya said. “ I thought that until you told me you weren’t together. You just have this chemistry with each other. It’s not something you see all the time, you know? So it’s easy for people to assume it’s something romantic.”

Ladybug reached down and fiddled with the ends of Chat Noir’s hair. “We kind of have to have that chemistry.”

Alya frowned. “What do you mean?

“When you do what we do and have a partner doing it along with you, have to learn how to put your whole trust into that person,” Ladybug replied. “I wouldn’t be able to defeat akumas if I didn’t have total faith in Chat to keep me safe or distract an enemy or agree to a really last minute plan. We have to be close. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be able to work as well as we do. And doing our job would be impossible.”

“So you guys got close really quickly because you had to?”

“Eh, yes and no,” Chat Noir decided. “Don’t get me wrong, we had to really get used to each other and spend a lot of time together at first once we realized this was our job now. But it also happened kind of naturally. Even in our first battle when we were strangers, we worked really well together. We don’t clash on the important stuff and that lets us work together without much tension. It’s almost too good to be true sometimes, but I’ve learned not to question it.”

Ladybug laughed when Chat Noir smiled happily and nuzzled against her hand. “The two of us lucked out. I couldn’t possibly ask for anyone better. And I guess maybe from the outside looking in it does come off a certain way to some people.”

“Plus it also helps that we are both very good looking. Especially me.”

Ladybug frowned and reached over to punch him in the shoulder, but he rolled to the side and hopped up on his feet before she could touch him. He winked and stuck his tongue out. “Ah, you gotta be quicker than that.”

“Oh square up, you loser. You’re just waiting for me to get a good hit in aren’t you?”

“It wouldn’t be a full day otherwise.”

“God,” Alya laughed. “If you’re this nauseating with each other I can only imagine you two with the people you’re dating. Chat’s girlfriend must get sick of you very quickly.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Oh man, I can only imagine.”

“Excuse the both of you, I am a gentleman,” Chat said, sounding affronted. “I regale her with my love, affection, and quality puns on a daily basis just like every self respecting man ought to do. And I make her laugh. That’s important in a relationship.”

“You sure she’s not laughing out of pity?”

“You know what? Just for that? I’m not going to feel bad when I punch you. Let’s go.”

“Don’t test me. I’ll deck you in the face and then your girlfriend is gonna wonder why a little girl beat you up.”

“First of all rude. Second of all, everyone knows you’re a certified badass so stop acting humble and kick my ass already.”

Alya cupped her hands around her mouth. “You’re killing me with all of this banter, go get a room!” she laughed.

They both made silly faces at her and continued on with their sparring, and Alya was comfortable to enjoy the weather, watch the sky, and occasionally look over at the two of them taking advantage of each other’s company without the dramatics of an akuma getting involved. As exhausting as dealing with both of them was, Alya was in a way grateful for what little time she got to spend with them. Sure she’d snagged interviews with them before, but those had always been business first. This was just Ladybug and Chat Noir acting their age, being dorks, and taking advantage of an opportunity to have some fun. It was a charming look into their relationship that Alya only ever got to see literal snapshots of, and, all this dating-not dating drama aside, it made her realize how precious it seemed. These weren’t jobs they asked for, but they made do and gained each other out of the deal. It wasn’t until then that she felt bad for trying to publicly smear their relationship, even if it was fake and only for the sake of diffusing rumors that she started.

It wasn’t just that she was out of ideas. It was also that it wasn’t fair to make the world think that Ladybug and Chat Noir were anything other than what they were right now — two people who meant the world to each other even through the worst of times. Two people who shared something special.

She let out a huge sigh. Looks like she was back to square one — doing this the hard way. Buzz about their supposed relationship was going to be ridiculously difficult to kill and it was going to take forever . But editing her original post and killing the rumor on her blog was probably a good place to start with. After that, it was just squashing all of the dissents to the correction in the comments sections. Maybe she could get help. Alya would cover the Ladyblog, Nino would cover Facebook, Marinette would deal with Instagram, and Adrien would snoop around on Tumblr. Hell, maybe she could bribe Chloe to yell at people on Twitter. She was no doubt pissed to hear that Ladybug was dating Chat Noir instead of her and would probably enjoy dashing everyone’s hopes. There were no guarantees that any of it would actually help put a dent in things, but at least it was something.

God this was going to suck. Lesson learned. Marinette was going to be reminding her about this slip up for months.

Although, even as she was thinking this, her reporter instincts were bringing up one last question to niggle in the back of her mind as she kept watching the heroes. She wasn’t sure when she’d be able to speak with them this candidly again in the future and — off the record of course — there was just something she had to know for herself.

“Can I ask one more question?” she said.

“Sure,” Ladybug struggled out in between ducks and blows. “What’s up?”

“Did you have any feelings for each other before you both started seeing other people?”

Chat Noir froze and snapped his head towards Alya. “Wait, what??”

But he picked the wrong moment to get distracted because right when Chat Noir stopped, it was already too late for Ladybug to stop the right-hook she had aimed straight for his face. Instead of dodging, he felt the full force of her fist to his cheek and went sprawling back a couple of feet before landing on his butt and howling at the searing pain that was spreading all over the left side of his face.

“Oh my God!!!” Ladybug screamed. “I’m so sorry!! Oh no, oh no, I didn’t expect you to just stop, I’m so sorry.”

“Ah, Jesus,” Chat Noir said, working his sore jaw. “When you said you wanted to deck me in the face I thought you were kidding.”

Ladybug gently cupped his injured cheek and turned his head. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Chat Noir laughed. “Nah, you’re good. Might just bruise a bit, that’s all. I deserved it for not paying attention.”

Ladybug bit her lip and pressed a quick apology kiss to his cheek. “I’m still sorry.”

“It’s fine, honest. Crap you hit hard though!”

Alya came over and winced at his cheek. “Dude, you’re gonna wanna ice that. She really clocked you good.”

“Yeah, my bad, I was, uh….trying to hear your question and I got distracted. What was it again?”

Alya bit her lip, opened her mouth, but decided against it. “Never mind. It’s honestly nothing, don’t worry about it. Besides, I’ve gotta get going anyways.” She pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. “My little sisters are going to be back from their sleepover soon and I need to look after them until Maman comes home.”

“Need help getting down?” Ladybug asked. “I could give you a lift back home if you want.”

“Don’t worry about it. If I biked all the way here just to try some eggs, I can bike home.”

Ladybug let Alya hang onto her yoyo while she gently lowered her down to the sidewalk. Chat Noir crawled over, huffing and whining in pain while holding his cheek, and called down to her while she unchained her bike. “What are we going to do about this whole dating rumors thing?”

Alya shrugged. “Eh, I’m all out of ideas at the moment. I’m gonna sleep on it and probably do some damage control on social media in the meantime so at least it feels like I’m doing something. You know where to find me if you’ve got a way to make this blow over quicker. I’ll do some thinking too.”

“We trust you,” Ladybug smiled. “And thanks for everything. Even though it really didn’t go the way we planned.”

“Oh, that’s an understatement,” she chuckled. Alya straddled her bike and saluted the two heroes. “Welp. It’s been a blast, you crazy kids. And pay better attention so pretty girls don’t beat the crap out of you, Chat. Okay?”

He rolled his eyes and gave her a thumbs up, still holding his face. “Yeah. Sure. Will do.”

Ladybug pouted. “You want some ice, kitty? I’ll run to the bakery across the street.”

Chat sniffled and nodded. “Yes please.”

Alya shook her head in amusement and pushed off from her bike waving over her shoulder as she dipped into the street and headed home. Yup. These two were definitely special, alright.

[lostgypsygurl-blog]

KPop-ing In Seoul

Hello everyone! If you are reading this right now it only means that you have read the Part 1 of my blog all about my trip to Seoul last year. I originally planned for it to have two parts which is the pre-planning and another one for the trip itself. But alas! Sloth that I am, I keep pushing back the days for writing the part 2 and so here we are, 4 months after the trip and I haven’t finished writing the rest of part 2. Although, I did start on writing about the Day 1 of that trip which is mainly about visiting Kpop entertainment company buildings and just Kpop-ing all day. So instead of writing all of my 9-day trip (which can be suuuuppper long) in one entry, I’ll upload them one at a time. I originally planned for this to be super detailed however aside from I think you guys wouldn’t want to read all of my blabber it’ll also take me longer to finish a detailed one. So, I decided to just talk about all the places we went to with a bit of instructions on how to get there, where to find places and tips and maybe trivia as well about these places. I will also be adding links of the blogs and sites that we used as guide especially for directions in going to places. Our itinerary was planned “thematically” which means that in each day we went to places which seemed similar or close to each other. I’m not saying you follow the same thing. You can plan your trip however you want.  I will be including links of other blogs that we referred to for this trip so go and check them out and I hope you find it as helpful as much as I did.

Kpop Entertainment Companies Day

The day after we arrived in Korea, visiting entertainment companies was the first thing we did. We decided to do this first because we the week that we went to Korea was the Chuseok season. Chuseok is usually celebrated for 3 days; pre-chuseok, chuseok day, post chuseok. During these days most establishments will be closed and for those that are open regular working hours does not apply. And we thought that maybe idols and artist would go to their hometowns with these 3 days and we might not catch a glimpse of them if we go on those days. We went to 6 company buildings that day; JYP, Cube (old building), FNC, SM, J.Tune Camp (old building) and Jellyfish Entertainment. All of these places are in Gangnam area so you can just walk around or take the bus to find them. Links of addresses and directions are below:

JYP, Cube (old building), FNC, SM Training center https://kpoptourguide.wordpress.com/k-pop-entertainment-company-headquarters/

Jellyfish Entertainment  http://managerhyung.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-to-get-to-jellyfish entertainment.html

SM Town at COEX Artium https://koreancodex.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/how-to-get-to-sm-town-artiumwhere-is-the-sm-town-artium

Experience:

JYP & Encounter with Day6 

This is the first place we went to. We got a bit lost along the way cause we got confused of the landmarks but with the help of a few locals we we’re able to get there before lunch time. The building was smaller than I thought it would be although it’s very easy to spot because of the huge ass JYP sign and all the faces of JYP artists on it. There was a construction going on in front of the building, apparently it was the popular Dunkin Donuts store that Cube and JYP artists like to go to. After taking pictures in front of the building my friend and I decided to stay there for about 15 minutes just to see if we’ll spot any idol. We sat outside this clothing store right in front of the building and not more than about 5 minutes I noticed this guy wearing a black cap and black mask. He looked suspicious because duh, why would you wear a cap and a mask unless you are someone who wants to conceal your identity right? The guy turned his head in our direction right before entering the building and then it hit me, it was Day6’s drummer Dowoon. I totally freaked out as I am a fan of Day6. Since we didn’t actually see Dowoon’s face I asked my friend to stay a little longer on where we we’re because I wanted to make sure that it was Dowoon and maybe we’d have a chance to see the rest of Day6. After about 10 minutes the guy who I thought was Dowoon came back out carrying a pair of drumsticks but still wearing the same mask and cap. It confirmed my suspicion that it was him because as far as I know JYP only has 2 bands right now, Wonder Girls and Day6, unless that guy was a trainee. We followed where he went to and tried to low-key spazz and we saw him enter this basement room on the same building. There was a glass door and it has words JYP Entertainment written on it so it’s probably a practice room for their artists. My friend and I didn’t get to take photos of Dowoon cause everything happened too fast. After that my friend and I got hungry so we ate lunch at this salad bar just right in front of JYP building. Their salads are good! We recommend it. While we we’re eating we spotted another member of Day6! It was my bias, YoungK. He had red hair that time and he went to the same basement room Dowoon went too. After we finished eating we spotted a van stop in front of the basement room and viola came out 3/5 Day6 members and got into the car. We saw Dowoon, YoungK and Jae. Before getting on the van, YoungK suddenly came half-running into our direction and for a second there I seriously thought he was heading to the same salad bar  and I was just sitting there looking at him panicked, not knowing what to do LOL. Apparently he was heading to the convenience store right beside the salad bar. We waited for him to come out and had our camera phones ready when he came out I called his name and he turned to me, smiled and bowed a bit. We also made a friend while hanging around JYP. She’s Chinese and she doesn’t know how or where to go to find other Kpop company buildings so she tagged along with us.

CUBE Entertainment 

Unfortunately, it seems like CUBE moved to a different building which we didn’t know the address off. The old building they used to occupy is just really close to JYP’s they are practically neighbors. Since my friend and I don’t really stan anyone from CUBE we didn’t bother to look up their new address.

FNC Entertainment 

FNC’s building is just a matter of a walking distance from where JYP and CUBE is. They have two buildings in between a tiny road. It’s easy to spot but we didn’t hang around too long because like what I said the road’s pretty tiny so it can feel make you feel a little claustrophobic to be there. Although there’s a convenience store in front of their main building and if you wanna hang around to spot an artist from FNC you can stay there.

SM Training Center– SM’s building is very close to where FNC is. Unfortunately, that day the building was closed. That’s what it said when we looked up their address on Google maps that day. I guess it meant that there will be no office for staffs and management? I’m not really sure. We just got our pictures taken outside the building and decided to leave cause it didn’t seem like anyone was inside the building. However if you do decide to hang around the area to wait for your fave SM artist there’s a park right in front of the building. You can find a good spot there and wait.

Actually, SM has two buildings. This is the old one (I guess) and there’s another one which bigger and has a coffee shop at the ground floor. We we’re quite confused about this one and wondered if this is the building that their artists regularly visit. Although, when I watched that episode of My SM TV with NCT Dream as guests and this building as shown for a bit. For this building it is difficult to spot the artists though because they have an underground parking area and I think they have an entrance/exit there too so I bet that’s how the artists enter the building.

SM Town at COEX Artium

The SM Town is part of the COEX Mall located at Gangnam-gu area. It’s easy to find because it’s a huge establishment. We took a cab going there cause our Chinese friend got tired of walking and she offered to pay for the cab fee which was just 3,000 Won. You can use your T-Card to pay for it. If you are an SM stan then this is THE place to be aside from the SME company buildings. The atrium has 6 floors. Check out the photo below for what each floor has to offer.

Let me just warn you ahead of time that this place will have you throwing your money all over the place cause it practically has all the merch of your fave SM artist, from albums, clothes, posters and even cosmetics. They also got a coffee shop that offers treats and drinks so you can lounge there and rest a bit. By the way, their baristas and staff have on point visuals so yeah, you might want to feast over that too. LOL. I got a crush on one of their staff who wasn’t just good-looking but super sweet too. He helped us by giving us directions for our next destination. That was a K-Drama moment for me right there. Hahaha.

JTune Camp 

 My friend is a huge MBLAQ fan so she wanted to visit Jtune camp. At this point there’s just the two of us cause our Chinese friend decided to go back to her hotel. When you look up Jtune’s office online the result would be the address Seoul Metropolis Gangnam-gu Samseong-dong Office 44-10 Soam Building #501. This building was very difficult to find and we spent a long time trying to figure out where it is. When we got to Samseong-dong we had to depend on Google Maps to get us to this building but we didn’t find any building with a Jtune Camp sign on it. We ended up asking the locals around and the building ended up to be this ordinary looking building. My friend and I we’re really doubtful it if was the right building at first but we decided to enter the building and find out for ourselves. The main door was closed cause it was already around 7 pm when we got there. We saw that there was a back door which was open and we decided to enter through that and got on the elevator. I WOULDN’T SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME IF YOU’RE GOING TO LOOK FOR YOUR FAVE IDOLS CAUSE THIS CAN BE QUITE DANGEROUS. Remember that you’re in a foreign land so always think of your safety and I have to admit our action can come off a bit of sasaeng-ish. However, my friend was desperate cause we spent so much time looking for it. So we went to the 5th floor of the building cause online that’s what says where Jtune is but there was no one there and it looked creepy af. We decided to just give up and went back down. When we left the building there was this ahjussi that greeted us, it seemed like he worked at the building and he then asked us “MBLAQ?” he figured we we’re there for them. He didn’t speak English so I had to use up all of the Korean I know to talk to him LOL. Anyway, according to him, Jtune isn’t in that building anymore for a long time. It seems like there are still fans that go there though so he wasn’t surprised about us being there. The problem is that he also doesn’t know where their new building is and we told him that the only address found online for Jtune is that building’s address. So if you are a fan of MBLAQ and Madtown, you have to look up their new address.

Jellyfish Entertainment & Encounter with VIXX’s Ravi – Our last stop was Jellyfish Entertainment. From Samseong-dong we followed the address and directions from the blog I found online. Since it was already late in the evening and Jellyfish’s building is a bit difficult to find. When we got there the area was really quite. The building’s main door was made of glass so we can see from outside that the light was one but it didn’t seem like anyone was inside. We just took photos and sat in front of the building to catch our breath before leaving. Our bodies we’re tired from all the walking that day and we haven’t eaten anything since lunch so we sat there talking about where to eat dinner. Every now and then and employee would enter or exit the building. Suddenly I noticed that there was a tall guy inside the building heading for the door. I can’t see his face cause the glass door was a bit tinted so I can only make out his silhouette. I can make out that he’s tall and he’s wearing baggy clothes. My fangirl instincts kicked in and as he got closer to the door I saw that it was VIXX’s Ravi. I shook my friend’s arm and told her that it’s Ravi. When the door finally opened it was indeed Ravi. Once again I was too stunned to do anything so I just sat there calling his name while my friend grabbed her phone and tried to take a photo of him. Ravi was about to go to the parking area when he spotted my friend taking a photo he immediately turned around and went back inside the building. I think we caught him off guard or something and he was probably as surprised as we we’re thus his reaction. A few minutes after that a staff came out of the building and got into this jeep type car. He parked the car right in front of the building and went back inside the building without turning the car off. My friend and I figured out that Ravi doesn’t want to be bothered so we decided so walk away from the building so that he won’t feel uncomfortable. We then saw Ravi come out of the building together with the same staff and got on the car.

Whew! That’s 5 pages of Microsoft word right there. Hahaha. Anyway, there you go. That’s Day 1 of our 9-day trip. I guess this one will be the most helpful (?) too and what most KPop fans will be needing when Kpop-ing in Seoul. I hope I can write about the rest of our trip soon. Once they’re done I’ll just update them and hope it helps you on your own trip! Thanks for reading.

[thegentjimmy]

A shitload of unnecessary music.

Being a DJ is easy right? You just press play on whatever record is next and stand there looking cool drinking champagne. Right? Right? 

But what record is next? Panicking blindly, you stumble through your collection, scratched old CD’s, dusty vinyl, iTunes full of rubbish your friends tell you is going to be great and a collection of your parents favourite records from that time you agreed to make a playlist for some kind of family function. Running out of time, you bat away requests and bored looking punters, to sling on what is surely about to become the biggest record of the year, only to clear the dance floor completely. They don’t know this one yet. 

Building a collection of music takes more than a lifetime of work. And it’s difficult too, I remember my indie phase, my dubstep phase, my underground hip-hop phase, I go through spats of stumbling upon a particular sound which I really like and then digging around within the parameters of that particular song to find others similar. Other DJ’s will disagree and argue that they are far more specific, but generally, I’d say a great DJ will have a thirst for all kinds of great sounds, and great rhythms. And a really great DJ will also understand their crowds and realise that half or more of DJing is encouraging other people to have a good time - and realising what the crowds want to hear from you is a big part of that. 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Currently, you’re sat in your bedroom in your pants. You’ve decided to become a DJ. You’ve not touched any decks, or bought a kangol flatcap or developed the facial expressions of a thousand dying souls as you stand grumpily haunched over in a dark sweaty club corner somewhere yet, you’re fresh faced, excited - and you know a shitload about music. Or so you might think. Here’s a little guide to help you build your music collection, based mostly on my own experiences and some bits of advice I’ve been given along the way. 

The first thing to understand when it comes to building your music library is, no matter how much you think you know or understand about all kinds of music, understand willingly there is always more to be learned, always someone that knows more than you - and always new music being made, as well as millions of hours of unheard “old music” that you’d do well to discover. The best way to discover this music? Talk to people. Talk to your friends. Talk to their friends. Talk to your parents and your parents friends. Strangers on the bus, on the tube or in the pub. Be as open minded as you can, but remember that there’s guaranteed to be a lot of bad suggestions to sift through, simply because not everyones taste buds will be aligned with yours when it comes to music - not because the music is necessarily bad, you might later come to enjoy the sounds they are recommending! (it’s happened to me many, many times) 

Word of mouth is a great way of figuring out what people are into and finding the odd rare track that you might not have heard before - but from the first beat it changes your life. 

So now, you’ve begun to build a library based on music you know, music that has been suggested to you by friends and family and the scary woman with the neck tattoo and no teeth on the 92 bus. You’ve hand picked your favourites, songs you think will encourage people to have a good time and a dance, made some playlists, arranged your charity shop vinyl collection (more on this later) but you’re still hungry for more music? 

The next resource I would suggest for finding great music is DJ mixes and new music radio shows. BBC Radio 1 for example has some particularly good late night programs for all sorts of new music and their listen again function is a marvellous invention. Mixcloud houses a tonne of your favourite DJ’s and their mixes, as does Soundcloud, YouTube, Mixcrate and other platforms such as Beatport - here’s a great article from Fact about alternative places to find and host your own DJ mixes in a world where Soundcloud became complicated! These all have apps, so you can listen on the go - you can become as anti social to the general public as you want, lost in the best or worst mixes you’ve ever heard.

http://www.factmag.com/2015/05/16/six-alternatives-soundcloud-dj-mixes-uploads/

There are also plenty of smaller online radio stations that play great new music. I listen to these far less than I should, I’m a pretty avid night time Radio One guy personally, but here’s a list of some “cool ones” to get you started. 

http://londonist.com/london/music/a-guide-to-london-s-internet-radio-scene

It’s also well worth your time checking DJ and music magazines, either online or in print, perusing suitable online blogs for your favourite kinds of music - Google is your friend here, following the Twitter, Instagram and Facebook profiles for your favourite music press and DJ’s - and also, looking up who your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ’s are - because a DJ’s favourite DJ are tastemakers unlike any other, there’s hours and hours worth of digging you can do here (if you have the time!)

Another great source of new music is promo companies. I use several, which I was unaware of early on in my DJ years, YourArmy is a great starter promo service, Hear This is incredible - there’s many other free sites out there you can sign up to, a lot of them you have to evidence the fact that you’re a DJ and play in clubs, so maybe not ideal if you’re just starting out - but you can join DJ pools such as DJ City - probably one of the most useful tools I’ve discovered in my legal music downloading years, for a small cost and have access to thousands of tracks and remixes. It’s best to shop around and check which options are most inline with your tastes music wise, but record pools and promo services often send me some of my favourite music. 

Here comes an old mans suggestion - go to a record shop (if you’ve got one close by that is any good) Independent stores are usually better than chains, but don’t be afraid to pore over the overpriced ABBA re-issues in HMV either, make notes of bands, artists or albums/singles that look interesting - I usually take some headphones with me and sit on YouTube listening through to songs or artists I think I might like to see if it’s worth buying the album or single. If you ask the owner of these shops, they too are like treasure troves of knowledge, you can suggest particular genres or artists you might like and they will no doubt pluck out 800 more artists you’ve never heard of (I’ve lost a lot of money on records I didn’t really need but simply had to have after hearing one song from them in record shops because of this) 

As well as record shops, check out charity shops, pound shops and car boots, market stalls and any secondhand stores - You can pick up some serious bargains for next to nothing, again, it requires a lot of sifting through rubbish, but I’ve found some gold in Oxfam’s around the country. If you’re a vinyl collector and see re-issues in HMV of albums from the 70′s and 80′s, it’s always worth checking a charity shop before parting with £30 for ABBA’s greatest hits, it’ll probably be sat collecting dust in a chazza shop for a couple of quid.

Check your mates, your family members, strangers and your parents music collections (which they probably don’t use or need in this day and age) too - There’s another gold mine to save you spending hundreds of pounds on buying albums your parents have had for years. They might even have some old vinyl knocking about that they no longer require, if you’re really lucky and ask nicely. I was blown away at how cool my Dad’s record collection was when I first pilfered through it in my teenage years. There’s lots of discs that went missing from his CD rack that are still to this day in my possession. Poor Andy. 

Finally, getting back to digital, check out all the online stores and streaming services. My personal preferred streaming service is Spotify as I enjoy the suggested artist options and the user interface - the playlists are also excellent and there’s lots of well curated new music featured every week. Apple music is also good, as is Soundcloud, Napster, Google Play, Deezer - et all. Streaming has changed the way people access music and now more people can listen to more music than ever before, but as a DJ, you’re going to want to own music too, so probably better to pick your favourite platform and save your pennies on the others, you only need one streaming service, pick a good one for you! 

Another incredible resource for finding great new music is YouTube. This may seem like an obvious thing to say, but finding some decent channels on YouTube can change your life. I usually begin with following record labels that I like, for example Domino, Rough Trade and XL (my personal favourites) then from that, artists that I like, then YouTube’s algorithms work their bizarre magic to find you more new bits that you like. Also worth checking out radio stations channels, as there’s often unique content on there and interviews with artists you like. 

A Bandcamp account is always worth having. There’s lots of re-edits, remixes and other stuff up there for free download - or pay as you feel downloads, the same used to be true of Soundcloud, although unfortunately increasingly less so in more recent times. Bandcamp also gives you a great platform to host your own music on for sale for free, should you be looking to get into production. 

Finally, my favourite way of discovering music - reading copious books about the history of music, artist autobiographies, band biographies, tour diaries, interviews, photo books... I often compile spotify playlists to listen to as I read books about specific artists, eras or sounds - which I’ll listen and add to as I’m reading. 

Also, I’m personally a huge fan of music documentaries, as they give you a feel of how the music was initially received, if you weren’t around to remember it, interviews that reveal more about the artist, and a whole heap of interesting footage often from behind the scenes of performing. 

I’ll sign off with suggesting you spend as much time going out to listen to DJs and live music performance as possible in these library building times. I still do, even though I’ve had my library kind of established for a while now, there’s still loads of new and unheard music for me to discover.

[spacecrimecrimespace]

Isabelle

?The ship has a dedicated VR bay, which means enough space to let Robert out of my head. He paces around the bay, flicking the surrounding area through soothing backgrounds- beach, lake, snow-capped mountain, grassy park, beach again. 

“I like this one,” I say, choosing one at random- the lake- just so he’ll stop cycling. It gives me a headache. The lake takes a few seconds to form up properly. He sits down on the floor next to my chair, staring at the water.

“It’s better. When can I meet your crew?”

“Not yet. I don’t trust them. Do you have a new job for us?”

“I do. Stay with me for a little while. Talk to me. Keep me company.”

“Can I see the job specs?”

“Isabelle I’m so alone.”?

My eyes prickle. “I’m sorry. We should talk to Theo about...”

“No. I don’t want other AI friends or the infinite libraries of the net. I love you two. I want you two. And you both miss me so much and I’m right here. I’m not alive anymore, but that’s not my fault. How do you think it makes me feel to see you go around moping for me?”

“It’s...”

“I know, darling. I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just hard.”

“I know. What do you want to do?”

“Tell me about your work.”

“Well, you’re going to have to tell me about my work, because you have the job.”

“Tell me about your coworkers.”

“They don’t trust me yet. I think they’re playing cards right now. Marlee has a little son, maybe five? She showed me pictures. I don’t know much about the others yet. They don’t talk much. Jess and Rivkie speak to each other in Hebrew.”

He reaches up to rub my shoulders. “Let me touch you. That’s the only time I have your undivided attention.”

“What are you talking about? I’m right here.”

“That’s the only time I see you smile.” 

I smile. He turns his face away from me. 

“That’s fake. You think I don’t know you. We’ve been married for almost twenty years and you think just because I’m dead.”

“No, babe, I’m just... it’s hard for me. Adjusting to this. Your death.”

“It’s not like I’m gone.”

“You’re.... of course not.”

“So I’m a little different. You would be too, if Theo uploaded you.”

‘It’s different for me, too. I lost my whole life.”

“Figuratively.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shows me the mark eventually. Tau Ceti. Not a place I’d ever thought I’d visit. Then again, this, my life, a lot of things I never thought. 

The girls are playing cards in the new, expanded lounge. I knock lightly on Jess’s door. He comes out right away, shuts his door behind him.

“Sorry to bother you. All the girls are busy and I need someone to watch a computer for thirty minutes.”

The boy has an unsettling stare. “Sure. I can watch a computer.” 

He follows me into the medical bay, where I have set up what I need to set up. I sit down in the big chair.

“See the computer screen over there? That’s the screen I’m going to need you to watch. Ariadne here,” I show him the monitor bug, with its butt end plugged into the computer on a long cord “is going to do her job and all I need you to do is watch the monitor. There will be a counter on the bottom showing numbers up to a hundred- it’ll probably hang out in the thirties to the sixties- but if the number on the screen drops below a sixteen, you just need to call for Ariadne to disconnect, and she will, and then you can go, or when the program stops running and the screen goes dark you can go.”

“What do the numbers mean?”

“It’s just a brain function scan. My wiring is a little on the older side, so I like to check on it once in a while.”

He doesn’t say anything else, just fixes me with his odd stare. I set up the IV anesthetic, perch Ariadne on my head, and slide the needle into my own arm, let the heavy sleep of the drugged carry me off. 

I come to what should be about forty-five minutes later, but Jess is still there, squinting at something on his tablet. 

“Jess? Since you’re here could you get me some water?”

“Sure, uh. The number went down to twenty-seven, is that bad?”

Extremely. “Not really. It’s old wiring. But it’s nice to have the data, thank you.” I take the proffered cup of water, drink it, shift myself back into my chair, and start writing a list on my tablet. Medicines, chemicals, test subjects, lab equipment, various wiring and implant parts, et cetera. 

I review the data when he leaves. Topped out at forty-six, bottomed out at twenty-seven. Not great. 

When I come back to the lounge, Nadia has wandered off and Jess has taken her seat at the card table. He’s saying something to Rivkie in Hebrew. 

“Do you have a minute Rivkie? I have a shopping list and I’m told you’re an expert in procuring the difficult to procure.”

“Yeah, sure, what you got?” she asks. I send my list to her tablet.

“Mice? Mice aren’t illegal, I can just buy those.”

“Do then. I don’t know if anything on that list is illegal, although some of those chemicals you might need security clearance and a membership with an approved research organization to buy legally. What they all are is heavily regulated and closely tracked. Nemo will be looking for someone purchasing supplies like these, and I trust you to ensure they don’t find us.”

“Right. I can do that. There’s a black market for medical stuff,” she says. 

“Some of this isn’t used in traditional medicine yet.”

“Someone’s still selling it, or willing to steal it. It might get a little expensive.”

“Just let me know. Money isn’t a big concern here.” 

“That’ll help. Okay. No problem,” she says, and offers me a smile. Jess continues to stare. 

“We’ll go over the next job tomorrow after breakfast,” I say.