#Candy Cream Algorithm

[takoyakidonuts]

We Return! Quick News Catch-Up!

Hey everyone! Thank you for your patience! I’m now officially back from my Holiday and am ready to start reporting on Vocal Synth Release news again! First things first though, there’s been a lot of news since I’ve been on break so I’ll go over the big pieces very briefly as to catch up! There’s been a lot so please bear with me as the summaries will be extremely short! A.I. VOICE We’ve had a…

[lilangeldeath]

Mental Diet - use the block button!

This might sound obvious, but some need to hear it more than others. i was someone who needed to hear it for a long time and wouldn't accept it. i got kind of good at it but wasn't going far enough. your mental diet, in my opinion, is very important especially if you're a highly emotional person like myself. not highly emotional as in dramatic, but as in that i feel my feelings very deeply and i used to let them have control of me entirely, which is not a great way to feel. we all have to feel human emotions, and feeling them doesn't derail your manifestation, only when you let your emotions control your assumptions/affirmed knowledge is it a problem to experience natural human feelings.

that being said, the reason i made this post was to remind people that you should actively be tailoring whatever online platforms you use to make sure you're not getting stuck in echo chambers of negative energy. of course we all need to pay attention to the news and what's going on in the world, and those we care about, but don't let your algorithm throw you off your game. if you're trying to manifest an sp and keep liking/engaging with "oh i'll always be alone forever woe is me" content (and therefore sites pushing more of it to you), this is not good for your mental diet. would someone who already has their sp be liking videos about how alone they are or how depressed they are not to have the person they want? no. your mental diet is just like a physical one. sure, it's okay to have some junk food every now and then, we're all human. but you shouldn't spend all day eating candy bars and ice cream.

think about a healthy diet: you need protein, leafy greens, vitamins and minerals, good fats, etc etc etc - it's the same with your mental diet. keep it varied but consistent. just because you need protein in your diet doesn't mean the only food you should eat is steak every meal forever. that's how you get scurvy. eating some carbs isn't going to kill you. it's the same with your mental diet. we cannot live in a sensory deprivation tank where we never see or hear anything in the 3D ever at all. or if that's what you'd manifest, i don't know why. keeping a mental diet isn't about neurotically shutting out ANYTHING that triggers a negative emotion because "oh no my manifestation will go away". the harsh truth is that if your manifestation gets thrown off the rails by the slightest negative emotion, you aren't believing in your manifestation. you aren't in the state of assuming you already have it. you aren't fully knowing it's true in the 4D. since we can't avoid the 3D while we live in human bodies, it's about tailoring your 3D as much as is accessible to you to keep you on track, while also respecting the balance of understanding the 3D is a projection of the 4D and for things to be real in the 3D, they have to be real in the 4D first. even people who have no clue what manifestation is talk about this all the time: don't hang around friends that bring you down, don't put up with a toxic work environment, don't date people who make you feel bad about yourself etc etc - it's the same with the mental diet. don't constantly read depressing stuff all day. don't listen to sad music all day. don't consume media that encourages you to self-deprecate or to have body image issues. it's almost like brainwashing, but consciously for the positive.

literally brainwash yourself (saturate) with content and media that makes you feel safe and secure in your manifestation, or even better, not even really think about it too much at all. don't overly depend on using it to make yourself feel better either. it will end up being another crutch because you're not confronting that you don't actually live in the wish fulfilled if you need any form of crutch. it's a balance. let the movies you watch, music you listen to, subs/sleep tapes you use, spiritual content, manifestation content etc just be regular comforts and interesting hobbies for you. not an end-all-be-all that HAS to keep you on track by being sickeningly positive all day every day, but also vice versa, not what throws you off the rails because you keep engaging with negative content and checking 3D all the time. checking 3D is for another post but it's also bad for your mental diet. checking 3D though in my opinion is like eating a whole box of oreos in one sitting, and refusing to have a mental diet at all is like eating only candy and fast food for your entire life.

even if it just annoys you or puts you in a bad mood, block it. hit the thumbs down. hit "not interested" or "don't recommend" etc etc whatever feature it is on whatever site. don't allow yourself to be swept up in "misery loves company" content that makes you dwell on your OLD STORY! there are SO many content creators out there in every corner of the web who's entire game is keeping you sad, or keeping you hooked on them for answers. negative nancy's that spread extremely depressing and self-deprecating content in general.

this section is a bit of a derail but i can't help myself. this stuff applies to a shitload of the tarot, astrology, and other spiritual creators. and i like those things for myself. but a lot of those people are sus and prey off of sad, worried people, and people with psychosis tbr (bc i've been there when i was young and ik how it works), to make a quick buck or get attention. it's sad. like the types of tarot readers that say EVERY card is about your ex coming back, or your sp coming in, basically any combo they draw they say it means that. i've been reading tarot for 10 years, don't let other people's grifts get to you. this was just another example, but i know the manifestation community (at least to my experience) seems to be split up between those who like other spiritual things and those who really do not. you get what i mean though, hopefully. any type of grifting content where they're preying on your emotional stability and spiritual/personal beliefs. i also really do not like how a lot of manifestation coaches exist that charge hundreds of dollars for "classes" with them. none of us is any more powerful than the other, we are all the creator. we are the creator and we all have the knowledge inside of us already. you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars or even a single dollar learning how to manifest, especially when there's so much out there for free. all you need to do to manifest is to be made aware that this power has existed within you since birth (because of history it has often been a huge lie over millions of people that they don't have this power, another post) and practice applying it. that's it. EIYPO doesn't mean "no one exists except for me", it means we are all the same divine source. and just like our world/universe was created, it was in the 4D awareness and fulfilment first, then burst out into the 3D. that's also for another post.

no matter whether its spiritual content, relationship content, body image content, wealth content, etc etc the point is, keep the old story old, and the new story new.

make pinterest boards, youtube playlists, music playlists, blogs, whatever it is you enjoy - with your mental diet in mind. use the internet to your advantage as a tool of knowledge, affirming, and persisting and not as a crutch, or as a place to dwell on the negative/check 3D all the time. xoxo

[chqolan]

general ed headcanons

A/N: i thought it'd be nice to just share some ed headcanons that i think about quite often for some odd reason

TW: hmm nothing really ! maybe some typos cus i didn’t proof read anything , yolooo

starting this off with a banger; ed can’t drive.

but it’s not his fault! when he thinks about it, he’s never had a reason to drive. being raised by balrog would mean that he also benefited from the boxer’s wealth.

and of course, balrog would always have both him and ed in fancy cars or limos getting transported wherever they wanted.

even though he’s older and more dependant on himself, ed settles on using public transportation to make his way around town.

he’d never admit to anybody how often he used to get lost on the subway when first getting used to travelling on his own though…

this might be expected, but ed also has pretty bad eating habits. if he’s not accidentally starving himself (busy with travelling, working, lack of appetite, etc), he’s treating himself to a bunch of sweets and snacks.

it’s canon/confirmed that ed hates vegetables and loves sweets, so expect him to just be snacking on things like chocolate mint ice cream, licorice (both are his confirmed favourites !), candies, pastries etc.

since ed was in balrog’s care growing up, i doubt that he knew much of his own german heritage. it’s believable that he was quite out of touch with german culture until meeting falke.

since meeting his older sister figure, he’s learned to speak/understand quite a bit of german and enjoy german food ! (which isn’t really much a headcanon considering this is confirmed and very much canon)

falke definitely made him use duolingo to help teach him german, and ed can confirm that he despises the look of the duolingo bird. something about the way it looks… it rubs him the wrong way.

ed isn’t very into social media, but he has an account created on most platforms. he’s a huge lurker online too.

his accounts are somewhat anonymous and he’ll never have pictures of himself posted anywhere.

all his accounts are private with 6-10 followers who are just his neo shadaloo friends, balrog and probably you/world tour avatar.

on some occasions he’ll post pictures of snacks or meals that he’s eating, but even then it’s still not much.

however, he does follow a handful of accounts that post things he’s into. and due to that he’s adjusted his algorithm on all apps to show content related to boxing, pool/billiards, baking and pastry videos etc !

ed is a hot head and he can’t stop himself from arguing in comment sections—he always has to speak his mind.

even if he’s not arguing with people, he’ll sometimes leave small comments under certain things he’s fond of.

there’s a video of a candy shop tour? he’ll watch the whole thing in awe and comment something simple like “i gotta visit here some day”.

ed most likely has a small 1 bedroom apartment in metro city. it’s not the cleanest home, but at least he finds it comfortable.

he has charts scattered with pins, messy handwriting, photographs and more that helps him keep track of the shadaloo bases that he and his team find while saving other test subjects.

he’s only really home when it’s time to sleep.

in public spaces, ed prefers to keep to himself unless somebody is actively trying to get his attention.

since ed is always on the subway, he makes sure to be ready with lots of games to play on his phone. it’s no shocker that he’s a fan of pool games! it’ll keep him occupied no matter how long his train rides are.

adding a small bonus since it’s father’s day while i’m writing this…

ed totally celebrates with balrog every year on this occasion. knowing both of them, they probably think it’s too sappy to consider it as them celebrating father’s day.

but deep down they’re both aware of it and they’re grateful for each other ! truly the best father-son duo !

[brazenlystrong]

Croquembouche. He craved croquembouche. But not just a standard crème patisserie with vanilla beans. No sir, that would just not do. He had a craving for a specific flavor, but when nudged about the flavor, Kento was given no answer. Alright, perhaps answers were supplied but "I don't know, something different" and its prompt follow-up of "You know what I like" were anything but helpful. Inspired by his algorithm, the suited sorcerer tried his best to blend trending flavors with the classic choux that Satoru craved. The result? A tower of pillowy profiteroles stuffed with a pistachio creme filling. In lieu of the traditional caramel, each cream puff was topped with ganache: a bold blend of high-cacao chocolate, a touch of milk chocolate, and heavy cream. Shortly after, they were sprinkled with a mixture of chopped Kataifi and pistachios candied in sugar, rosewater, and orange blossom water. The process was admittedly a bit arduous, particularly the pistachio crème, but a labor of love nonetheless. A swell of pride inflated his chest. Lips lifted ever so slightly at the corners. "Dubai chocolate croquembouche," came the modest introduction.

@bybrophelia

The initial intent was to keep his mind buzzing with a small dose of sugar. A way to activate cognitive focus and help maintain a stable thought process. He likes it when he's full of energy, ideas flowing, the dopamine off the charts.

It's gone to the point that he can no longer go days without at least one piece of candy sitting inside his pocket. What used to be a harmless little habit turned into a full-blown sugar addiction. The desk drawers at his office are full of wrappers like confetti from the sugar high party he happens to come back from each time he's breezing through paperwork.

Now, after all, he's not immune to sweet treats. So one can imagine his reaction to the artisan confection, standing out with an opulent glow under the light, tempting, and undoubtedly stealing his attention. Suddenly, everything else in the room is blacked out, unimportant.

Gojo stands in front of the mouth-watering mountain sculpted by skilled hands, a perfect triangular heap of delicious chocolate spheres waiting to be consumed. He would have never imagined Nanami would go out of his way to craft such a beautiful dessert for him out of all people. More so in the sense that Gojo is easy to please, contrary to the belief. He would've gone with the flow with anything he's been given. He does have an expensive taste, however. But that's never an issue with Nanami's cooking. He always manages to spoil Gojo's taste buds, and Gojo always goes back for more.

Lips mildly part, behind them Satoru’s tongue traces his inner cheek with the stealth of a secret. Nostrils flare for a brief moment, and it’s almost as if he’s tasting the flavor on his tongue through sensing the mingled scent of caramel and pistachios. A lithe digit hooks into the edge of a midnight black fabric as it gently lifts it, revealing one striking cerulean eye. He doesn’t need to do that, but there’s something about seeing all that in full blooming colors.

“ Woah…You’ve outdone yourself, Nanami. Huh, it’s almost like you knew I’d love this—even though I didn’t know it myself. Are you a mind-reader? ” His voice flows like silk, velvet-soft, a gleeful hum with a hint of genuine appreciation for the effort made.

[beatingkidsatboardgames]

How To Beat Kids at Board Games #1: Candy Land - Just go first

The title says it all - going first is always the best way to win. I ran 10 million simulations of Candy Land using some code I wrote and regardless of how many players, Player #1 has a small, but statistically meaningful, advantage.

Rules

If you've never heard of/played Candy Land feel free to browse Wikipedia about it, but it's incredibly simple: 2 to 4 players start at the beginning of a trail of 83 differently colored spaces (the "Rainbow Path") in the realm of Candy Land. Players then draw cards to determine the next colored space to move to (e.g., "2 Green" means move to the second next green space. "1 Blue" move to the next blue space). There are 5 "sweet treat" cards that cause you to directly jump to that space (e.g., Ice Cream Cone or Peppermint). The first person to reach the Candy Castle at the end wins.

And that's about it. There is no strategy or thinking involved - just draw a card and move.

Simulations

Candy Land isn't so much a game as it is "finding the logical conclusion of the setup". The outcome of the game is already determined by the ordering of the cards. Assuming the players follow the rules correctly (which is hard with children), the winner is always the same given an order of cards.

Since there's no strategy in shuffling cards (unless you're cheating somehow and make yourself get the Ice Cream Card right from the start), the only thing you can argue over is player order. But first: does player order matter? Yes. Not to a significant degree, but yes.

The graph below shows the results of 10 million simulated games of Candy Land and who won each game. The results are clear: Player 1 always wins more often.

It's statistically meaningful that player 1 wins the most often, but realistically there's not that big of a difference. For a 2 person game the difference is about 4.7%, which is a rather small advantage. This advantage decreases as the number of players increases.

The rules of the game state that the youngest player goes first, so, again, the only way to gain advantage is to lie/cheat about who goes first.

The Importance of Shuffling

I mentioned earlier the only way to guarantee a win gain the most advantage was to either stack the deck in your favor or try to go first. This got me thinking: what happens if you *don't* decide to shuffle the cards? It's possible to run out of cards before someone has reached the Candy Castle. The rules don't explicitly say what to do if they run out, but the logical outcome is to shuffle the cards and keep going. However, if you simply turn the discard pile over and keep going would it be possible to get stuck in an infinite loop?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes! You can get caught in an infinite loop of cards. I couldn't think of a way to determine this algorithmically (if you can please let me know and I'll try to simulate it!), so I just sat down at the board with all the potential cards and strategically chose the worst one (thinking more, there *might* be a way to do this? Write an algorithm to always choose the worst card and see what happens? Maybe a topic for a future post). The trick to making it infinite is the first two cards must be a "sweet treat" card that takes you to a specific space. From this point, I just needed to strategically choose the worst card and ensure that the deck runs out before someone wins. Then, the discard pile gets turned over and the loop begins again.

I was able to deduce an infinite loop for a 2 player game, but gave up doing a 3 or 4 player game because I got bored with it. The final ordering I figured out can be found in the source code. The fact that I could so quickly figure out a 2 person solution probably means there's more than 1 infinite loop. I wonder how many? With 44 cards there are 44! possible arrangements which is about 2.6×10⁵⁴. That's too many to iterate through so I'd need a way to drop that number down (first effort - remove any orderings that don't start with at least 2 "sweet treat" cards). Something to think about in the shower.

Conclusion

The results indicate that besides cheating, going first is most advantageous.

It's also critical that the deck be shuffled otherwise it's theoretically possible to get caught in an infinite loop (how common this is is still unknown).

Unfortunately, I seem to have chosen a rather boring outcome for my first analysis. But, again, most children's games are meant to be simple.

Next up is Hi Ho! Cherry-O which is simple but should hopefully open up the possibility for some fun math.

[kirby-the-gorb]

this is a recreation of a @catcrumb post from late october! I very very much recommend their blog, going through their archives over and over has been so good for all my paperwork anxiety lol

[gushingabtlove]

when ur bfs are all a little funny silly brain <33

this goes out to not even half of my fruity little oc boyfriends who i love very very much <33

lava lamp (+ briar), boombox, kaleidoscope, bathbomb, glowbi, jellyfish, daddy long legs, custard, retrogade, loomy, jewelry box, cream pie, butterbread, sparkler, nightlight, honeycake, campfire, gummyworm, discoball, paintbrush, 8-ball, firefly, artboard, slushie, beanbag, paintball, shutters, fortune teller, landmine, jewelmine, bombasm, magic marker, glitter pen, matchbox, funnyface, shadow mask, bubblecup, domino, axeman, jester, reverse, goggles, clock-out, tapestry, king, streets, crutches, discotheque, vhs, vm, quip, camera man, statiklis, hotline, cutcord, wiresaw, powerline, record, fillter, sey, logbook, researcher, delivery, mandyl, casting, orbee, milkyway, valan, herring, styxo, ruler, error, buttons, cryogen, daydream, ikbo, marbles, ozzy, zz, dollie, claw machine, carnival, sewing needle, gameboy, bendy, bowtie, starfish, firecracker, cotton candy, birthday, cupcake, portrait, fair, cakewalk, balloon, ocean eyes, goldie, smiles, post-it, blondie, wannabe, hushpuppy, pseudonym, drearie, softie, lockbox, memory, eternity, zenith, vigor, spider eyes, monday, tsunami, ragdoll, mixtape, dj, erase, zipper, newsie, cigar, knots, signal, analog, iq, broker, album, techy, radar, algorithm, candlestick, milkshake, raspberry sorbet, strawberry lemonade, honeycomb, whipped cream, bon-bon, cocoa, grape soda, fizz, cornbread, fruit punch, poprocks, pb&j, blackberry pie, popsicle, icing, gingerbread, peach crumble, teacake, sprinkles, cheesecake, peanut butter, rollcake, sugar cookie, toffee pudding, dropper, slim-jim, parka, nasty, paparazzi, oxy, dickie, party, seldom, noddles, needles, vodka, molly rose, infrared, coke, injection, re-al, pill, addict, mr. prescription, rubs, bandages, naughty, birthday candle, flamethrower, wind chimes, streamers, delicacy, quake, licorice, peach blush, frostbite, hyperthermia, sandglass, snakebite, bambi, vignette, waffle iron, somnophobia, viperpop, lightbulb, wallflower, ariel, cyanide, ghastor, peril, mirror shard, angelita, the doctor, lazuli, siderite, plasma, amnesia, pepper steak, anndy, neo, cat eye, apology, gumdrop, inkwell, think 101, aim, look at the stars.crp, twisted.exe, hedonism, lotus, phantasm, legacy, shivering, vil.exg, alzen, rose, bowie, mars, june, elzen, january, july, cake, lumi, neptune, alix, pyro, distortion, death, ecstasy, equity, wisp, determination, alastor, nate, zest, vinn, valarian, xest, vesper, marcy, k2, anonymous, anxiety, norman, adel, anna, xexter, oz, amon, azrael, brandon, cordon, chaim, camron, river, zap, sick, unknown, pumpkin head, ethan, damien, unstable, glitch, seren, kayan, core, spice, lisp, wisp, marsh, liam, logan, daniel, rylo, karl, cinder, kindle, break, saturn, gem, lonnie, eleven, thirteen, nine, twelve, vason, aster, toxicity, darling, pyromania, cross, infatuation, dis, angel, cobi, alice, bonnibel, ray, conifer, phantom, rot, teeth, cheezit, casino, twist, mania, bruxism, yohan, lucifer, chimes, morphine, foxglove, slumber, fear, pallid, gossamer, kenny, pepper, sour, sweet, quincey, jack (+jackl), phoenix, swiss, borealis, bicchiere, juno, pond, opium, eve, esque, petrichor, elysian, sheep, saeran, blue, thirtyfour, sea, gorge, corette, popgoes, nabu, penumbra, daffodil, remedy, silkra, polaris, nabbi, stitches, patchwork, sunkiss, spindle, uri, bride, evangelion, corpse, petunia, swan, melatonin, chorus, tempest, gold, heartwood, wyx, wik, chavell, hern, zin, sonna, esconder, oakley, jonquil, jules, kaz, valentine, savel, alifer, hexikiah, flair, orion, roman, aurelius, lio, supernova, hyperburst, xale, reino, karami, amaiera, vinnie, sylvester, ghost, amoxie, thyme, khai, leno, tyrian, amaranth, wish, valley, jockoline, knife, cubbie, keys, patchwork, clay, fran, ricky, starburst, matrix, richie, koen, fantasia, treasure, saint, rem, sunflower, law, dice, spade, brione, klahoma, klub, juxapose, shark, coast, pearl, fable, canopy, queen, fae, xyin, anomaly, december, november, t, haunterly, kiss, sixteen, five, veil, pom pom, laine, winlei, estan, raby, sachele, cj, null, ziggy, lanton, sannette

passion, masky, rosibene, nonsense, decay, salem, lockie, sugar, limin, spitts, everett, soda, fitz, bō, daughtry, hao, kastlane, afternoon, lucas, louise, mimmy, yusef, equinox, anthemion, três, viridian, celadon, faigan, radio, syrup, rise, elowen, veraine, axe, creep, vanity, yellow, boston, kain, riles, quick, hydraon, nessie, mousse, ecto, beastly, worship, cannibalism, stalking, abandon, ketamine, pretender, hypocrisy, quixotic, opulence, opportunity, sensuality, sobriety, rage, apocalypse, negligence, irrationality, cube

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @aqua-ref!

Read on AO3

******

Give Me To A Ramblin' Fae

In the middle of winter, when the moon is heavy in the sky, dripping with milky light and offering, whole and raw, its' power, the Hale Pack gathers around the Nemeton, they dance and they sing, and they shift into their animal skeins to frolic, to chase each other with yipping howls and laughing barks.

Derek has Laura's throat held gently between his maw, and she whines at him to let go, but rumbles approvingly, because he doesn't often win these games of theirs; it is not a matter of low power, more of the target he chooses. The Alpha's heir will, after all, be more difficult to beat than the others. She nips at his ear playfully, urges him along, and they weave through the barren, wind-beaten trees, their paws soaked with snow-melt, muddying the crunchy ivory-fluff that chills the ground beneath them.

There's an undulating, calling, rejoicing howl from their mother that has them leaving a chestnut hare to its' frightened peace in order to return to her, to the Pack.

Through the branches, they can see the sky, all adorned in twilight, hosting, now, a parade of riders, their pandemonium an awe and a terror. Spectral beings ride black mares and stallions, ominous dogs of bared teeth and frothing spit and hideously haunting eyes are careening, entwining and twisting around toned legs and pristine hooves as the steeds gallop forward, heedless. Blackbucks and stags dash, their riders luminescent smoke and vicious intent. Creatures with starlight-encrusted, stained-glass wings, and horns which they blow to hail their passing, fly gracefully around the nocturnal horde, singing or shrieking, cavorting and cackling.

It's a dreadful, terrific sight, that streaks through the night sky, and when the Pack's howl breaks out, full-force, hopeful and evocative, every wolf lifting their song to the ghastly, ghostly peoples as they pass, some of those dragonfly, stardust folk descend, screaming and giggling, a gaggle of raucous temerity, as they gather the wolves in their airborne festivities, and launch them toward the procession.

The whimsical, urgent needs, and maddening power that surround The Hunt quickly seeps into the Pack, makes them drunk and giddy, all of them running with ancient spirits, wildlings, Fair Folk of every type.

Derek's lungs are stung by the rush, his blood electric with the adrenaline when an ephemeral, fey, svelte-lithe boy with bull's horns, skin like cream sprinkled with cinnamon, and mosaic wings that inspire the feeling of fertile soil and fields of growing, healthy, rain-soaked things, comes to him. His oak-silk curls are plaited with holly and mint, a leather-bound necklace hangs heavy around his long, dainty, breakable neck, a crescent moon-charm at the hollow of his throat, surrounded by crystal orbs and autumn leaf-charms, brass acorns and pine-cones, he wears nothing else, unashamed in his nudity.

"Hello," the boy says, bright and sweet, his voice like the delicate silk-dew mist of a cumulus cloud, and Derek feels himself tilt closer without even meaning to. "You're gorgeous. I wonder what you look like in your human form? Honestly, I wonder what everyone here looks like in their human forms. We all have one, you know?"

Honestly, no, he didn't, he was kind of caught up in the romanticism of it all.

All scents are clouded by the musk of wild, old magick, stained by an odd, dense-soil ecstasy, and a part of him, vivid and, for one, fanatic moment, overwhelming, wants to eviscerate the aroma The Wild Hunt carries, if only so he can learn what this boy might smell like.

"Everyone who sees us thinks we're malevolent or scary, but, honestly, dude, we're just escorting the spirits Grandmother Death didn't have the time or patience to get to to their respective homes. We've all still got day jobs—I mean, you have a day job, pretty wolfling that you are, don't you?"

Numbly, helplessly, and a little more sober, now, Derek nods.

The boy grins at him, crooked and terribly endearing, fire-light eyes sparkling in the dim, mist-fog, shadowed light.

"See?" He says, gesturing, "Even Odin's got one, Odin, the God of knowledge, inspiration, creative and intellectual pursuits, the dead, fucking road rage—that guy, the head honcho, the one at the head of this whole operation. Like, in this economy, where barely anyone has the Sight anymore, and the number of people left who believe are too few and far between, what else are we supposed to do? It's not like causing havoc and stealing things is going to garner us any good-will, man, so here we are, doing the good work, and then tomorrow we'll go home and agonize over our bills just like everybody else." The faerie heaves a sigh, before blinking and seeming to realize himself, his cheeks burn a vivid, enchanting crimson when a harassing, incredulous, exasperated wail sounds from above.

"Oops," he breathes, a nervous giggle edging in, "I am so not supposed to do that, and I've just been rambling at you, and—" the wail comes again, more pressing this time. The boy groans, eyelashes fluttering down in mortification. "Sorry, I'll see you later, maybe?" Fragile, paper-thin wings flutter, and bone-nimble fingers tangle in the fur at Derek's flank to help the faerie wade close enough to press a candied, chaste kiss to his wolven cheek.

He says, "I'm Stiles, by the way," and grins like he isn't aware of how dangerously beautiful that expression is, before he zooms away in a sweeping, upward glide.

Derek gets a small glimpse of another fae, donned in a flowing, powder-blue toga-dress, with moth-like wings and magma curls flowing down to her waist, admonishing Stiles exhaustively, before their speed, much more than the wolves and the steeds and the dogs, has them blurring out of sight, catching up to a cluster of swarming fae up ahead, too far to spy on any longer.

Derek tries to get his thundering heart to calm and wonders why he ever thought love at first sight was a superstitious, optimistic myth, if not an outright lie.

Days later, after all the Dead have been put to their proper rest, a few offerings of milk and cookies meant for 'Santa' were traded for faerie favors, and quite a few more rogue, feral creatures were stolen and re-sewn into ravens or crows or hunting dogs, of the ilk to sleep the whole year away, and only wake when The Wild Hunt, again, takes place—Stiles is trying, valiantly, to focus.

His mind keeps tracing back to eyes like stars winking to tenacious life, to obsidian fur and sinewy muscle, a warbling wolf-song that lilted like a lullaby, all hymn-hope, resounding howl, to the way sharp, ink-fluffy ears kept flickering to him, listening and curious and three shades shy of entranced. He doesn't know why he's so caught up on it, this is the sixth year he's been old enough to participate in The Hunt, and they have wolves with them every time, thousands of Packs from all of the world join them, so why was he so attracted, distracted, by this one?

What was so special about him?

Other than the, you know, sand-escaping-his-fingers, barely tangible, general everything.

Stiles sighs despondently, and Lydia, who's probably been talking about Important College Things, hits him upside the head promptly.

"A—ow!" Stiles rubs the back of his head, glaring balefully at her. Her hand retreats to flick her hair over her shoulder in one fluid, deflecting motion, as if to dissuade anyone who might've noticed her uncouth action from registering it as more than a figment of their imagination, nothing to see here, folks!

He loves her, he does, but some days he wants to strangle her.

Just a little.

"You were sighing again," she points out, lashes grazing her cheeks as she looks down at her book, flips the page flippantly, like studies on how mathematical algorithms affect neurology bore her. "It's starting to get annoying, Stiles."

"Shut up. It's not like I can even do anything about it," he laments, complaining even though he knows it'll only be a study in disappointment and masochism, at this point. "Who is he? where does he live? work? For all I know, I'm infatuated with some Turkish Lord who I won't even have the slightest chance of seeing again until next year."

Lydia snaps her book shut with a sound that manages to be both refined and abrupt enough to startle. "What on earth were you doing galavanting with the lower-tiers, anyway? We aren't supposed to talk to them, Stiles—"

"But, he was—"

"If he had been a ghost instead of a solid, you could've been lost to the spirit-tide, and you know The Hunt doesn't discern when it comes to a close—you could be on the other side of the Veil by now, instead of sitting here, fawning!"

She's heaving by the end of her rant, cheeks flushed, sea-glass eyes glittering angrily, and Stiles knows her fury is borne from worry, from a very real fear. He remembers his mother, how she was all love and sweet-tempered fire, how she gave coins to the more corporeal spirits, gleefully hugged and spun yarns and danced with all the riders, always careful of the spirit-tide, of getting caught in its' undertow, until she got sick, and couldn't remember to be.

Neither Stiles nor Lydia had been old enough to go, yet, and Stiles' dad was human. Lydia's grandmother, they think, tried to stop her, to save her, but ended up just as lost and mourned as she.

He feels guilt curdle in his chest and exhales heavily. "I'm sorry, Lyds, I am. I don't know why I did that, I'll—next year, I'll stay in the upper-tiers, like I'm supposed to," he inclines his head solemnly, reaches across the library table to hold both her hands in his, "I promise."

She squeezes his fingers, sniffs, her voice evaporated misty at the edges, "You damn well better, you idiot."

He offers her a sincere, sorrow-tinged smile, and tries to put the entire thing out of his mind.

It's New Year's Eve, and Stiles is exhausted, between studies and random research stints and trying to keep the Kelpies three doors down from killing and/or getting killed by the vampires that live in the apartment downstairs, he thinks he has every right to be. Still, though, Lydia put at least a quarter of her heart and soul into organizing this party, and if he hadn't come, he's sure she would've had him flayed.

So, here he is, sleep-deprived, delirious, eying the bar and wondering if getting drunk when all he's been living off of for the past three days is coffee, is at all a good idea. It isn't, it really fucking isn't, but...

But he's got nothing else to do, and tomorrow it'll be a new year, right? Might as well live a little.

Derek smiles briskly at the lady with a bird's nest of raven-black hair as he hands her her drink, and purposefully ignores the blonde at the end of the bar who's been whistling and snapping at him imperiously for the past fifteen minutes.

He's half tempted to text Cora and ask her what the hell she was thinking, pulling him behind the counter to fill in for her so she could go after the strawberry-blonde party hostess with a number and a cheap pickup line caught in her too-sharp teeth, because, yeah, he's got enough experience not to flounder (he'd found himself hiding from the rain in a drag bar while he was still in high school, and they let him hang out despite his age because he was a good enough cook that as long as he didn't touch the alcohol, they didn't care, and when you're in that sort of close-knit, street-smart gritty, overprotective Pack-like environment, it's impossible not to learn the tricks of the trade), but his customer service has always been shit.

With someone like Peter as an Uncle, he's capable of plastering on a smile and flirting a pretty lie with the best of them, he just doesn't fucking liketo. In fact, it's something he actively avoids unless lives are in danger.

Then a voice, one he remembers, all whispered silk-cotton dream-thread collecting raindrops in its' seams, starts murmuring a sugary melody in his periphery, and his eyes snap to its' source with a breathless, near frantic urgency.

And there he is.

Like Fate.

Like a fucking miracle.

He looks different, horns and wings gone, still with the wind-swept, earthy curls, though their holly-mint braids are nowhere to be found; dressed in a long-sleeved, charcoal gray shirt that cling to his lithe, agile-built muscles, an unzipped crimson hoodie layered over it, skin-tight jeans and ridiculous, neon-orange vans, but there's that leather-bound charm necklace, heavy around the length of his pretty throat, with a crescent-moon hanging just at the hollow, and it's him.

The rambling faerie he met on The Wild Hunt, absently humming a tune as he messes with his phone, patiently waiting for a bartender to notice him, at a college party on New Year's Eve.

The surreality of this is... not lost on him.

"Hello," Derek greets, sliding into the boy's- Stiles', if he remembers right- space.

"Oh, uh," he looks up from, and pockets, his phone, a little bashful, "I always thought you had to make eye contact to get, like, served, or whatever, but, um, hi?"

Derek tries to bite back a smile.

Fails.

"Hi," he repeats, and the boy blinks at him dumbly for a solid five seconds before just breathing:

"Wow. You're gorgeous."

And Derek can't help it, he barks out a laugh. "You said that last time."

"I did? Wait, I did? When?! I've met you?" he sounds outraged, on his own behalf, scandalized, even. "No," he denies, "no way, I would've remembered meeting someone like you and then doing something as stupid as calling you gorgeous to your face without any sort of filter—and, wow, smooth sailing, me. I am so sorry about that, by the way, color me extremely embarrassed, but. Yeah, no. No way in hell I've committed the same social faux-pas twice with the same person, I refuse to believe it."

Derek smirks, even as something warm and giddy and compelled sets up camp in his heart, with a kind of tenacity that says it'll be staying a long while.

"Well, I wasn't exactly a person at the time," he points out, "but I appreciated the compliment both times, Stiles, so you... really shouldn't worry about it."

"I—you—" Stiles sputters, freezes, mouth agape and molten-caramel doe-eyes very, very wide, before he seems to reboot. "You are kidding me," he says, feelingly, before pitching forward over the counter to grab Derek's face with his hands, searching his eyes intently.

Derek tries to be anything other than amused and endeared.

Fails, again.

"Wolfling," Stiles accuses, awed. "I didn't think I was ever going to see you again."

"Rambling fae," Derek muses, hushed, leaning further into Stiles' space even as he pushes the boy down into a bar-stool, because while he might not take offense, the other on-duty bartender, or, even, the party hostess, might. "Neither did I."

Stiles sucks in a very deep breath, and then spills out any number of tangential, spiraling questions, what's your name? Where do you live? Are you a bartender? can I have your number? I'd really like your number. Are you—

Derek crushes the rest in a kiss that tastes like sunlight and cherry-tart and ozone, Stiles melts into it with a helpless, keening whine, his spine curving up, shoulders opening, head tilting, whole body blooming like a flower, begging to be plucked, held, kept, known.

He answers what his fleeting thoughts will let him, mutters the words into Stiles' warm, slick-wet, receptive mouth, his name, that his Pack lives in town, that he isn't, but his sister is, and he's covering for her. With a drawn-out sigh, he does force himself to pull away, eventually.

Probably not soon enough, honestly.

"Take me out," Stiles says immediately, dazed, lips kiss-bruised enchanting, and then flushes that same, deep, candied, lascivious red as before. "Or. I mean. I want to date you. Can we go on a date? Not right now, obviously, but—"

"Yes," Derek grins, overwhelmed, blood champagne-effervescent, "yeah, I'd really like that."

Stiles exhales heavily, laughs, a little incredulously, shakes his head at himself, and then smiles, soft and marshmallow-fluffy up at him, "Awesome."

Derek begins to think that, maybe, he needs to give Cora a fruit-basket. Or, possibly, Odin, and that's... well.

That may well be the cherry on top of an incredibly strange, unusual, wonderful meeting.

[f-a-n-g-s-s-s]

Episode 3: Meal Planning

My shelves are almost completely empty. Zorgtoeslag deposit is here, which I will use to assemble stock for the long-run (that is the exact opposite of going all out for one special meal). The budget is €155,- (gosh, inflation…). The planning here must ensure I don’t end up throwing things out because I haven’t assigned the ingredient to a dish, and also dishes reaching their maximum contextual tastiness because the plan makes a full circle.

Susceptibility to the algorithms I don’t know but I haven’t eaten Indonesian food in years, and base ingredients are very sustainable, so that is a must. Naughty galia melon taste is a must. The nonchalance of eating kapsalon is a must. The vulgar taste of the combination of cream, meat and cheese on a buttery wrap is a must. Fuet for mitigating Vladi’s levels of testosterone is a must. Some sugary drinks and candies because the overall taste in my mouth must stay on the sweet side otherwise I am more likely to be salty. 🥹 That is the atmosphere from which my selection of ingredients is derived. How much inflation will be a shocker I do not know yet.

Groceries

This is listed in such a way that it’s visible when an ingredient is divided over meals in full entirety. (***) = I love this but will be first to be wiped off the list if prices are too high. I ended up not purchasing this.

GA - “Specific Store” (Oriental Store)

Pandan flavoring

Coconut milk (4 servings)

Lemongrass (4 servings)

Galangal (***)

Fried onions

Tofu (3 servings) rice flour

Ginger ale

Soy sauce

Kecap manis

GB - “General Store” (A-list brands)

Fuets

Bread

Frozen spinach

Fanta exotic

Lettuce

Strawberry jam (***)

Ruffled fries

Milk (5 servings)

Sweet and sour sauce (***)

Croissant dough can (***)

Paprikas (3 servings)

Water

Spring onion

Candy

GC - “General Store” (Discount Assortment)

Lemon

Apples (***)

Melon (3 servings)

Prosciutto di parma (2 servings)

Butter

Cream (3 servings)

Yoghurt

Gouda (3 servings)

Chicken breasts (5 servings)

Cashews (***)

Honey

Tomatoes

Long green beans (3 servings)

Courgettes (4 servings)

Cucumber

Ginger

Mint (***)

Garlic

Flour (3 servings)

Penne

Olive oil

White sugar

Eggs

Rice

Pretzel fries (***)

Fish sticks (***)

GD - Drug Store

Scented sticks (***)

Atmospheric perfume (***)

Kitchen paper

Toilet paper

Red Anta Flu

Dreft

Categorization of meals

> Drinks: ginger ale (GA-7), fanta exotic (GB-4), dawet (GA-2, GA-1, GB-8, GC-22), iced tea (GA-3, GC-1, GC-2, GC-16, GC-17, GC-22), earl grey, water

> Breakfast:

Liquid: Yoghurt (GC-7, GC-3, GC-11, GC-17), Porridge (GB-8, GC-22 (I still have some corn flour and raisins left over))

Doughy: Bread (GB-2, GB-6, GC-4, GC-8, GC-18, GC-21, GC-23), Croissant, Pancake (Pandan / Raisins), Pie (Apple / Pandan)

> Lunch:

Soto Ayam: GA-3, GA-4, GA-5, GA-8, GB-13, GC-9, GC-18, GC-23, GC-24, GC-25

Salad: GA-5, GA-6, GA-8, GB-5, GB-11, GB-13, GC-1, GC-2, GC-3, GC-9, GC-10, GC-11, GC-12, GC-15, GC-17, GC-23

> Dinner:

Rice:

Pasta:

Fries:

> Charcuterie: GB-1, GB-14, GC-3, GC-4, GC-10, GC-25

Schedule

[eatraleigh]

Little Blue Bakehouse

Its a special privilege to see a small food vendor open their own brick and mortar. Its a journey that starts at markets, events, pop-ups and pre-orders to finally opening a home for their goods. Almost like that cool indie band that used to do shows at the Pour House is now headlining a show in PNC. As if you share in the accomplishment by having been present for the beginning of the journey. The Little Blue Bakehouse in East Raleigh isn't just the story of one business that made it, but how one place is the beginning of multiple small businesses. This dessert food hall serves as the permanent home of Little Blue Macarons while providing kitchen and retail space for a collection of small deserteries like Bold Batch Creamery, Bitten Bakery, Sunny Bakes, and Boozie Bakes.

Opened by Allison Vick in 2018, Little Blue Macaron established themselves with their tasty flavors, custom designs, and vegan options. They would start popping up at coffee shops, like Purr Cup Cafe and Idle Hour and host pop-ups. It was early 2022 when Little Blue Bakehouse was announced and revealed that the space wasn't just going to be a coffee house and retail space for LBB but an incubator for other small pastry and dessert operations. To help open the doors, Vick looked towards the community. In response, the community of over 200 people pledged over $25k to their successful Kickstarter.

I don't remember the first time I saw Bold Batch Creamy but I do know it was on Instagram. One of the few times I've thanked the almighty algorithm. Back then Bold Batch was going by their original name, 12 Paws Ice Cream and explaining to folks that their ice cream was in fact for humans. And to be honest, the flavors were so tempting that even if it was meant for canines, I might have eaten it anyways. Photos of Bold Batch's ice cream that were stuffed with goodies like candies or cookies then swirled together with ripples of syrups or fudge were torture as they would be only available by pre-order or at a night market I couldn't attend. The Little Blue Bakehouse has given a chance to finally enjoy their ice cream.

Bitten Bakery was a similar story. Pictures of giant stuffed cookies would appear on my social media feeds and Bitten Bakery would ultimately be the source. Originally going by the name Bites of Sam, I stalked the account at length hoping the stars would align to where, they would be at an event that I could attend. Our first visit to the Little Blue Bakehouse my son immediately found the case of Bitten Bakery goods and emphatically choose an Oreo stuffed cookie.

Part of the beauty of any food hall is making new discoveries. For me, Boozie Bakes and Sunny Bakes were discoveries I only found because I was visiting the Bakehouse.

A testament of what's possible when you share your passion with the community, Little Blue Bakehouse gives East Raleigh not only a place to find sweet treats but other small dessert vendors a place to begin their own journey.

Little Blue Bakehouse

https://littlebluebakehouse.com/

2116-H New Bern Ave, Raleigh, NC 27610

[lunapaper]

The year was 2010. Emo was just starting to die out (long live the scene). I was studying to become a secondary school teacher, and Katy Perry was shooting whipped cream out of her boobs...

Second albums, more often than not, fail to live up to the hype. And yet, Teenage Dream has somehow endured.

While Perry’s 2008 debut, One of the Boys, launched her into the mainstream, it really hasn’t aged all that well. On tracks like ‘Self Inflicted’ and ‘Fingerprints,’ she tries way too hard to emulate Paramore’s bold pop punk. On others, she attempts to rebel against her gospel roots by turning the bawdiness up to 10.

It can also come off pretty juvenile at times. The singer was almost 25 when she sang on the title track: ‘So over the summer, something changed/I started reading Seventeen and shaving my legs/And I studied Lolita religiously/And I walked right in to school and caught you staring at me.’

But let’s be honest: Even though it’s been declared ~problematic~, you still jam out to ‘I Kissed A Girl’ when you hear it, don’t you? I hadn’t listened to ‘Ur So Gay’ before this, either, but its slinky, jazz-infused vibe absolutely slaps.

Like Teenage Dream is also a product of its time, presenting pop at its most sugary, hook-laden and bombastic. It managed to spawn 5 No.1 singles, the second album in history to do so after Michael Jackson’s Bad, as well as a documentary, Part of Me. There’s even a deluxe edition, cleverly titled The Complete Confection. It was Perry at her peak.

You know the title track, of course. Evoking images of cherry red lipstick, tight denim and driving down an empty highway in summer, Perry desperately clings to the memory of young love, breathlessly pleading ‘don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.’

‘The One That Got Away,’ meanwhile, is its bittersweet sequel, Perry's lovesick nostalgia now tinged with regret. Yet, the only thing I really remember about the song is the video starring Cassian Andor himself, Diego Luna, as Perry’s past love, the beautifully dishevelled and tortured artist of my dreams (Dear God, that penetrating stare...) He’s also the only reason why anyone bothered to watch Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, if it wasn’t already obvious.

First single ‘California Gurls,’ on the other hand, is pure pop exuberance at its most campy and carefree, indicative of a more innocent time when it wasn’t driven by algorithms or social media. ‘Firework’ is still a go-to empowerment anthem for just about every kind of montage imaginable. ‘ET’ (featuring a pre-’presidential’ Kanye) is heavily-synthesised cyber pop that doesn’t get nearly enough love.

But Teenage Dream, in retrospect, has quite a few misses. ‘Peacock’ is just one big, long, glitchy dick joke. ‘Not Like The Movies’ is big ballad schmaltz. The brassy soft rock of ‘Hummingbird Heartbeat,’ meanwhile, opens with a hell of a line: ‘You make me feel like I'm losing my virginity/The first time, every time when you're touching me.’ And I’m pretty sure ‘What Am I Living For?’ is partly plagiarised from Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love.’ Even Pitchfork awarded Teenage Dream a rather tame 6.8 in their recent retrospective review.

By the time Perry released Prism in 2013 – her ‘darker, moodier’ record - she had shifted further into ‘inspirational anthems.’ There was the inescapable mega-hit ‘Roar,’ the saccharine power ballad ‘Unconditionally’ and the Eastern-tinged ‘Legendary Lovers,’ complete with wellness and spiritual motifs.

But it wasn’t without its bangers: ‘Dark Horse’ (featuring Juicy J) jumped onto the trap pop bandwagon just in time with its subterranean bass and eerie, otherworldly synths. Even the slick, 90s-indebted ‘This Is How We Do’ has a certain charm.

Prism also marked the point where Perry’s invincibility began to wear off. Where the masses once lapped up her candy-coated antics, they were now calling her out for wearing braids in the video for ‘This Is How We Do’ and dressing up as a geisha during a performance at the American Music Awards.

And they would only get louder during her era of ‘purposeful pop.’ Released in the aftermath of the 2016 US election, Witness was meant to cement Perry as ‘Artist. Activist. Conscious’ - as her Twitter bio read at the time. She had joined Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. On Instagram, she was quoting the likes of Socrates and Plato. She was Woke now, and she was telling anyone who’d listen.

Yet you’d be hard pressed to find much trace of this ‘purposeful pop’ on Witness, bar the first single, ‘Chained to the Rhythm.’ Written with Sia and Max Martin, the singer implores listeners to ‘put your rose-coloured glasses on and party on’ amid whirling, colourful synths.

The rest of the record, however, is made up of either soppy, overly sentimental ballads (‘Save As Draft,’ ‘Pendulum,’ ‘Into Me You See’), awkward lyrical turns and CHVRCHES/Purity Ring knock-offs (‘Hey Hey Hey,’ ‘Roulette,’ ‘Deja Vu’).

Funnily enough, Purity Ring’s Corin Roddick produced some of Witness’ better tracks: ‘Mind Maze’ and the soaring ballad ‘Miss You More, along with ‘Bigger Than Me.’

Final track ‘Act My Age,’ meanwhile, feels like a pre-emptive strike against the criticism Witness would inevitably receive (‘They say that I might lose my Midas touch/They also say I may become irrelevant/But who the fuck are they anyway?’).

Then there’s the godawful ‘Bon Appetit’ (featuring Migos) with its food-related double entendres. It was ‘Yummy’ before ‘Yummy’ existed. Seriously, I just wanna see Orlando Bloom say he likes this song with a straight face...

But I will still defend ‘Swish Swish’ to the death. Do the lyrics suck? Yeah, but Perry’s never been the strongest lyricist. But its pulsing 90s house beat does a lot of the heavy lifting, along with Nicki Minaj’s spitfire verse.

The promotional rollout for Witness, meanwhile, proved just as messy. Among the most infamous was a 72-hour livestream, where voyeurs got to witness Perry sleep, meditate, do yoga and welcome a random assortment of guests, including Gordon Ramsey and activist DeRay McKesson. Then there was the meme-laden video for ‘Swish Swish. She literally served herself up on a platter in the clip for ‘Bon Appetit.’ She tried reigniting her feud with Taylor Swift on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke. Needless to say, it reeked of desperation.

Looking back, though, you can’t help but feel a little bad for Perry, trying so hard to please only for it to blow up spectacularly in her face. So devastated, it sent her to the Hoffman Institute, which offers an abridged version of therapy. As she later told the Guardian:

‘I think the universe was like, ‘OK, all right, let’s have some humble pie here […] My negative thoughts were not great. They didn’t want to plan for a future. I also felt like I could control it by saying, ‘I’ll have the last word if I hurt myself or do something stupid and I’ll show you’ — but really, who was I showing?’

But although Witness lacked the perkiness of Teenage Dream or the cartoonish charm of One of the Boys, it shines best on its darker moments.

‘Dance With The Devil’ has the kind of smoky allure that wouldn’t look too out of place on a BANKS album, while ‘Power’ is a revelation. Produced by Jack Garrett, what could’ve been yet another dull empowerment ballad is turned into a gritty, groaning slab of vaporwave pop, with sultry sax riffs that sample, of all things, Smokey Robinson’s ‘Being With You.’ It’s electric as fuck. You believe it when Perry sings: ‘’Cause I'm a goddess and you know it/Some respect, you better show it/I'm done with you siphoning my power.’

If the singer had just done away with the whole ‘purposeful pop’ concept and stuck with Garrett, Roddick and Terror Jr’s Felix Snow as her core producing group, Witness probably wouldn’t have been half the failure it was. It could’ve had a chance to grow on people, the kind of slow burn Perry could’ve gotten away with at this point in her career. The cyberpop dystopian feel also could’ve gone hand in hand with her newfound wokeness, echoing people’s fear and anger in the aftermath of Trump’s win. But alas, we’ll never know...

While the rollout for Witness over the top, Smile’s was lacklustre and wildly inconsistent.

First single ‘Never Really Over’ came out a whole 15 months before the release of Smile to little fanfare, along with a hippie-inspired video to match. ‘Harleys in Hawaii’ later followed, which also stuck with the flower power aesthetic. Other singles - ‘Daisies’ and the title track – seemingly came and went without a trace.

So how did Katy Perry get to this point? And is there any chance of coming back?

It’s hard to say. A lot of artists go through a rough patch or two:   Miley's twerking antics divided audiences when she released 2013’s Bangerz. Taylor Swift’s reputation divided audiences. Only in recent years has Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP been vindicated. Such is the nature of music and pop culture in general. It’s fickle, just one vicious cycle after another; an endless quest for trend-bait that'll never end.

Right now, disco pop is going through a renaissance, while hyperpop reigns supreme. Dua Lip and Charli XCX are basically untouchable at the moment. TikTok has taken over from Top 40 radio when it comes to breaking hits, while the gap between album releases has also grown shorter and shorter. Even the nature of fandom has changed, shifting from old-school elitism to the bloodsport that is ‘stanning,’ along with an unhealthy amount of ‘endless simping’ (to quote a close friend of mine).

Perry, meanwhile, has failed to keep up, choosing to play it safe in order to avoid further scrutiny. But in doing so, she strips away the humour, the mischief and other idiosyncrasies that fans fell in love with in the first place.

But what choice did she have? As Junkee’s Sam Murphy notes in his own piece about Perry’s rise and fall:

‘At that point, you have two choices as a popstar — hunt for relevancy or make what comes naturally to you. Perry chose the former and came unstuck. She inserted vague wokeness into her songs as cancel culture infiltrated pop, tacked on rap features as hip-hop became the dominant commercial genre, and worked with producers who may have been able to find her credibility.’

(Full disclosure: I started writing my piece on Perry back in December 2020, so the timing of Murphy’s piece and mine is purely coincidental).

Even if you don’t believe in cancel culture, no one actually wants to be cancelled. It’s just not good for PR, especially for someone with an image as glossy and as carefully put-together as Perry’s. Even now, she continues to atone for Witness, telling the LA Times: ‘Having more awareness and consciousness, I no longer can just be a blissful, ignorant idealist who sings about love and relationships […] Even my travels have afforded me a new perspective on cultures, class systems and the inequality around the world, not just in the United States,’ though she carefully avoids the subject of politics on Smile.

But redemption is possible. Swift – Perry's one-time nemesis - was a total pariah back in 2016, mocked for her Girl Squad, for diddling the Hiddles while on the rebound from Calvin Harris and criticised for remaining coy on her political leanings. Now she’s earning indie cred with two of 2020’s biggest albums, folklore and evermore, and has thrown her support behind a number of social causes.

The devil works hard, but Swift’s PR team work harder. I might not be her biggest fan, but Taylor works Kris Jenner levels of mastery when it comes to rebuilding public sentiment. Thanks to her newfound indie cred, you’ve almost forgotten about the pastel atrocity ‘Me!,’ her 2019 duet with that insufferable drama kid cliché, Brendon Urie. Shifting her songs away from petty grievances to more original storytelling was also a smart move.

But while Swift has managed to move on, Perry seems to have fallen into the same adult contemporary trap as Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera and Pink, one that ensnares many female artists over 30 (Though many have also managed to escape – Gaga, Taylor, Beyonce, Rihanna, Kesha, Robyn...)

As ‘woke’ as the industry and fans at large might think themselves to be, they’re still pretty ageist. There's still an expectation to ‘mature’ your sound as you age, to become more ‘serious.’ No more fun, no more experimenting, boomer. But when you do end up filing away the edges, you’re called dull, generic and past your prime. Perry said as much on the aforementioned ‘Act My Age. You just. can't. win.

And yet, many female artists over 30 have created some of their best work yet in just the past year or so: Hayley Williams made the dramatic shift from pop rock to low-key, Radiohead-inspired tunes on her solo debut, Petals For Armor. Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters was hailed by critics as her most bold, urgent and visceral. Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? was a cut of understated disco pop elegance. Carly Rae Jepsen, meanwhile, released an equally stellar companion to 2019’s Dedicated.

At this point in her career, Perry could afford to follow a similar path to that of the Canadian singer. Once the meme value of ‘Call Me Maybe’ wore off, along with her mainstream appeal, Jepsen finally had a chance to discover real creative freedom, pushing her sound to greater heights and earning critical acclaim, all without having to compromise her love for catchy hooks and bold synth pop arrangements.

A couple of years ago, a Reddit user made a post about participating in a focus group held by Perry’s label to discuss why she’s ‘no longer one of the[ir] most notable female pop artists,’ and ‘what can [they] do with her image or marketing to make you care about her again?’

It’s depressing to think that an artist as accomplished as her needs a focus group to help solve her identity crisis. There really is no easy answer. Hopefully, Perry will be able to return more vibrant and assured than ever, on her own terms...

-Bianca B.

[weekendsinmaine]

The Netflix algorithm that recommends shows based on your previous viewing history notifies me the millisecond a new dessert cooking show is available. I have my niche. Repeated viewings of the Great British Bake-Off, Sugar Rush and Zumbo’s Just Desserts make me a pseudo expert on anything sugar based.

When my husband and I were out for dinner recently at Chaval, a local Portland restaurant, the waiter mentioned that their Morcilla Puff appetizer was made with choux pastry. My husband looked at me and said, “Honey, it’s choux pastry” and we promptly ordered two to try. He’s been sucked into my candy colored world too. The appetizer was delicious. The chef might have even gotten a handshake from Paul Hollywood if they had baked it under a tent on the grounds of a beautiful rural estate in England.

When my oldest was home for college break over January, we streamed the latest season of Zumbo’s Just Desserts. We enjoyed seeing all the amazing creations these not-so-amateur chef’s came up with during each of the challenges.

When we were done our binge, it left us with a craving for fancy desserts. It can be challenging to see all the amazing creations but never get to taste them.

Fortunately, I knew just the place. We headed to Gross Confection Bar located on Middle Street in Portland. It had been on my list to check out for a while. They opened slightly over a year ago and are a dessert-focused restaurant and bar.

The dessert fairies were on our side. We headed into Portland and scored a nearby parking space almost immediately. As we walked down into the basement space, which has beautiful exposed brick and is full of charm, we opted for seats at a small side bar. The lighting was a little brighter.

It was happy hour, so their dessert tasting board was discounted. The board gives you a taste of each of the six desserts from The Taste section of the menu. The day we visited the dessert board included:

banana, chocolate and coffee | banana rum mousse, fudge brownie, chocolate micro cake, lightly smoked graham crumb and coffee cremeux.

brown butter carrot cake | dried fruit-roasted fig compote, espresso tuile, spiced cider caramel, brown sugar crumb, goat cheese ice cream

honey vanilla pots de creme | apple compote, cardamom crumb, star anise shortbread

coconut macaroon | brown butter, caraibe, passionfruit, vanilla, apricot

brown butter panna cotta | pineapple, jasmine, rice crack, rum, yuzu, lime

camus profiterole | camus mousse, apple butter, penuche, candied walnuts, caramel agrodolce, maple ice cream.

We each added an additional scoop of ice cream. I stuck to my go to flavor of salted caramel, while my daughter opted to try the quince sorbet. (This really is a Q post!)

Gross Confection Bar

Gross Confection Bar

Gross Confection Bar

Gross Confection Bar

Gross Confection Bar

Gross Confection Bar

The dessert flavors were complex with beautifully complimentary flavors. Every single one was delicious. Even flavors I don’t typically enjoy, like coconut and coffee, when mixed with the other ingredients resulted in a luscious creation that was easy to devour.

While they are a full service bar, I stuck to water and my daughter tried one of their no booze drinks made with rose chaga tonic and lime. It was refreshing.

We couldn’t finish everything on the tasting board although we sampled a little of each dish. Even for a dessert devotee like myself, you can eventually have too much of a good thing.

I’m working my way through an elimination diet right now so I’m not eating sugar but once I’m done, I’m heading back to Gross Confection Bar to sample more of their amazing desserts.

Why does this bring me bliss? While I’m on a self-care push of eating better, moving more and making healthier choices overall, I believe that in life moderation is key and that sometimes you just need to eat dessert. I also appreciate the talent that goes into creating a fancy dessert. After all, I’ve put my ten thousand hours of viewing in to qualify me as an expert.

Do you have have a favorite dessert or treat?

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  I’m participating in a Blogging A-Z Challenge for April 2020. I will be posting new content every day this month except most Sundays. Each post is associated with a letter of the alphabet, starting with A and ending with Z. My theme for the challenge is Bliss. To read more of my A to Z posts from this year, click HERE.

My latest blog post... #AtoZChallenge | Q is for Quince Sorbet and getting our Sugar Rush on at Gross Confection Bar. The Netflix algorithm that recommends shows based on your previous viewing history notifies me the millisecond a new dessert cooking show is available.

[cverture-a]

Date #3 | @residuex

“I want to know everything about you.” Beth admitted, though hoped she wasn’t coming on too strong. She couldn’t help that since they had first met serendipitously, her curiosity had grown in immense fashion.  The problem was further exacerbated by the rate at which they had been making plans to see one another as of late. They’d watched the sky together into the early hours of the night; had partaken in conversation over dinner that he made them before watching a movie she had insisted he could not prolong further; most recently they’d met for coffee, lingering longer in the cafe than the average casual get together. Eventually they had left the welcoming scent of baked goods and coffee beans in favor for a walk throughout Central Park, strolling slowly through the brisk fall air as if they both had been trying to stop time. Before either of them had realized, their eyes found the setting sun over the Central Park Reservoir.

It had only been scarcely a week since they had last been together, their time away spent supplemented with the game of “20 questions” they had begun weeks ago over text messaging; by now they surely had gone above and beyond game requirements,  yet the more she learned the more she felt the need to know about this man that had made a comfortable home in her mind: she was always thinking about him, even when she had no intentions of such. It seemed there was a lot already that reminded her of him.

Ethan made her feel good, and in the purest sense of the word. He radiated a positive light that she had previously only briefly considered as something she could require. Each time they kissed, Beth was certain her knees would turn to jelly and cause her body to collapse in on itself - though a faint voice in her mind told her that even if she were to lose her footing, the last place she would end up was on the ground. Not while he was around.

Earlier in the week she had, though somewhat hesitantly due to a strange fear of rejection, extended an invitation for him to visit her at home - under the guise that they could spend hours laughing at old episodes of America’s Funniest Videos, a cache of which had been recently added to Netflix. In truth, Beth didn’t care much what they did - she only wanted to offer up her time, and hoped he would allow her some of his own in return.

The late afternoon sky had quickly turned shades darker out on the streets of New York, though still lit with ever present street lights. As hours passed with their attention (truly only half) on the television, kernels of popcorn strewn about from a battle they’d had at one point during the marathon. Half-gone bottles of water rested ahead of them on the coffee table, and other than the glow through her windows and from the television, lighting was dim; comfortable.

It’s while Netflix is queuing up the next episode that the words are spoken; head turning to offer a shy glance to the man that sat beside her on the couch. Beth herself was seated with her feet tucked comfortably under her, knees bent and facing him as her elbow provided leverage against the rear cushion - though Ethan was sitting like an actual human being, his back aligned properly with the rear cushion, as was intended by the manufacturer. He had one leg resting on the knee of his other, hand relaxing casually at his ankle. Following the statement, her glance was matched; though a subtle expression of bewilderment caused her smile to stretch thinly before she began to explain.

“Not in like, a serial-killer-i’m-gonna-stalk-you-and-kill-everyone-you-love-because-if-i-can’t-have-you- nobody-will kind of way.” Smooth, Johanssen.“It’s just that I sometimes find myself thinking about you. Wondering. Little things, like your favorite food. Or what your favorite time of day - or, right now, how crazy you think I am.” A nervous laugh escaped briefly parted lips before they once again formed a thin line, her hand fumbling as it entangled with its other. It couldn’t be hastened, the nerves nor the notion that perhaps she was beginning to go insane. It did, however,  help to hear his chuckle of amusement from her string of words. Beth was thankful that at least she was entertaining, if nothing else.

“Those are bad examples, “ she began again, rambling away as if to offer up a better explanation. “I’ve never really wondered what your favorite time of day is. What I really mean to say is that I hope our game of twenty questions never has to end. Those text messages are often the best part of my day.” Except when she was actually able to see him, though she felt this may have been obvious without having to be so blatantly admitted. “I don’t know where all of this is coming from, and I apparently cannot stop talking.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes at herself, though became flustered as she stole another glance and met his eyes. The words ceased, then. They’d continue to fail if she tried to explain the way her heart began to pound, how her palms began to sweat and her mind was scarce of thought that pertained to anything but Ethan Andrews. It surprised her, the sudden need to communicate - and more specifically so, the need to communicate her emotions.

“Did you know that I started to develop software to help establish the idea of a ‘smart home?’” Beth didn’t mind changing the topic. She had begun to feel as though she had three heads, unsure of the level of vulnerability she was revealing to him - unsure if she would only end up making a fool of herself. “I headed up a software start-up with that very intention. My team and I coded various applications that most people are pretty familiar with. You know Alexa? Amazon’s cloud service? My company invented the fundamental code that allows her to turn lights off in a home, or change the temperature without having to do anything but speak.”

She was proud, sure. Yet nothing made Beth Johanssen more proud than her accomplishments of the ARES mission; how she had birthed the basic coding systems that operated Hermes, which would shuttle astronauts for missions to come to and from Mars. She understood it better than the back of her own hand, and sometimes she still found herself sifting through memorized sequences in her mind in order to further better the ship’s workings. As time passed, some algorithms became redundant or obsolete, and it had been her job to cultivate the best working operating system available.

“Selling the start-up had been easy, but saying goodbye to Hermes? That was hard.”

⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛

She didn’t know what time it was - nor did she particularly care to know it,  because as the moments had passed they settled into more comfortable positions on the couch. Beth’s knees were pulled to her chest and he was hunched forward, closer to where Ethan sat, turned with full attention to the woman who’d spent three years in space. Their heads were nestled close together against the shared back cushion of the couch and she could scarcely stand refraining from reaching out to hold her palm to the side of his face, or to allow her fingers to join with his. It was foreign to her, the urgency to feel such subtle affection. Even more so was the desire to give it - and yet the longer she sat looking at him, the stronger the feeling became.

“There are so many stories I could tell you,” she began again, after the silence had hung in the air between them. It had not felt awkward, though she noted that it had been strange that even in silence, being with Ethan felt right.

It was only another hour later that she caught herself yawning in the middle of explaining one of the many training exercise she and the rest of the crew had to complete before launch, keeping the conversation flowing with tidbits of dialogue that had mostly been from Martinez or Watney; the comedians of the crew — Or so they both thought. Beth was capable of staying awake for hours - often days - at time, but she realized that while she had that ability, not everyone was an insomniac like her; not everyone was often afraid to fall asleep. Hesitantly, she sat up in attention before rising,  her feet planted firmly on the coolness of her hardwood floor. Her sleepy doe eyes peered down at him, a smile offered in assurance before she spoke with further invitation.

“Come to bed?”

⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛

The sleep that they did have were mere spans of thirty minutes at a time wedged between conversations ranging from topic to topic; stories they’d shared with one another, more questions asked and answered. She would ask about his days teaching and in return offer up tales of her time off-planet. They’d offer up comment when deemed necessary, a chuckle here are there or the occasional hint that they were still awake. Beth had been happy when she whispered in question if he had fallen asleep and received no answer, her eyes glancing beside her at the man whose eyes were closed. He looked peaceful, and for a moment she committed the shadows on his face to her memory. Soon enough, he had woken again and they had proceeded with drowsy discussion.  In the moments that became more serious, Beth found herself inching closer to where he lay beside her; a silent expression of thanks for him being there - that he was someone she could be happy to share things with - including her bed. And unexpectedly, her heart.

Eventually they had both drifted off, Beth having burrowed herself in closer to his chest so that her face was almost pressed tightly to the fabric of his shirt. As if he were waiting for permission to do so, she moved her hand to guide his arm - allowing it to drape over her small frame - his hand respectfully finding it’s place on her back. Before succumbing to slumber, she would later recall a feeling of relief wash over her; could anything truly  ever be this good again?

⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛

”Ta-daaaaaa, it’s an Eggo Triple Decker Extravaganza!” On the plate revealed three toasted Eggo waffles, between each layer was whipped cream and assorted types of Halloween candy; mostly chocolates such as Hershey kisses and Reese's pieces, but there were gummy worms hidden beneath the fluffy clouds of white. Beth had been given the idea from the recent release of the second season of Stranger Things, having quickly decided that she wanted to make the treat herself; it was simple enough, she thought, that not even she could mess it up.

“I don’t exactly expect you to eat this because it’s an obscene amount of sugar, but I did manage to warm up a few croissants.” It was important to note her words: warm up. Not for a second was Beth claiming to have actually baked the buttery, flaked rolls herself, but rather she had them purchased them the day before - with other breakfast trappings: orange juice and various fresh fruit she had found at the market - in preparation for a morning she was hoping she would be able to share with him. She had promised him breakfast after all, and so breakfast indeed he would have.

“Here we are again,” Beth’s eyes found him then, a wide and warm smile spread across her features. “In my kitchen, drinking coffee. Eating breakfast.” It was obvious that she was referring to the first morning they had known one another - she had found him making breakfast in the very same spot she stood in now. Though the previous experience had been much more tense; awkward, given that they hadn’t technically known one another then. Life was funny, sometimes. It was comical to reflect back on it now and Beth couldn’t stop herself from extending upon her tippy-toes, her hand resting upon his arm to steady her balance, to place a gentle kiss on the side of his face - and another quickly against the corner of his lips. “I’m really glad you’re here, Ethan.”

[un-enfant-immature]

What Vidcon means for the future of social media platforms

Olivia Moore Contributor

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Olivia Moore is a venture investor at CRV and co-founded Cardinal Ventures alongside her sister, Justine.

Justine Moore Contributor

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Justine Moore is a venture investor at CRV and co-founded Cardinal Ventures alongside her sister, Olivia.

This month marked the 10th annual VidCon, a digital content conference in Anaheim. VidCon is catered towards online creators, their fans, and the brand marketers & entertainment companies who want to leverage their influence. The conference drew 75,000+ attendees last year (we’d guess it was even bigger this year!) with teens and tweens flying in from around the globe to meet their favorite online stars.

VidCon 2019 featured a rainbow slide, a terrifying snow cone/ice cream/cotton candy concoction called “The Unicorn,” and a giant Invisalign-branded gum and candy dispenser.

This was our second year at VidCon (read our recap of VidCon 2018 here). We’ve found there’s nothing quite like it if you want to understand teen culture, influencer marketing, and the future of social platforms, and are excited to share five of our key takeaways from the event. We’d love to hear from you about anything we missed — and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more millennial and Gen Z insights.

TL;DR — here were our five main takeaways!

TikTok is blowing up among Gen Z, and features much more diverse and “real” creators than other platforms. Brand marketers are still figuring out their place in the TikTok ecosystem, but some early adopters (like Chipotle) have had extremely strong results.

Top creators are now talking openly about mental health, and how exhausting it is to constantly churn out unique and high-quality content. They’re encouraging new creators to seek more “stable��� platforms (less algorithm-dependent) and try not to measure their self-worth in metrics.

Creators are increasingly careful about brand partnerships, and many are choosing to launch their own products. Many creators have business managers to handle production, or can do it online reasonably easily. If done right, this yields higher revenue and a warmer reception from fans.

Five years ago, digital creators aspired to be celebrities. Now celebrities aspire to be digital creators. Actors and athletes may soon be more famous among Gen Z for their digital work than for their “real jobs.”

With new tech that democratizes content creation, everyone wants to be an influencer. VidCon has shifted from a pure fan event towards more of a strategic business conference, with aspiring influencers seeking tactical tips and new connections to grow their careers.

TikTok and a New Wave of “Authentic” Creators

Short-form video app TikTok, which hosts 15-second clips, was undoubtedly the star of VidCon — almost every TikTok panel was standing room only. Since launching in 2016, the app has grown to 500M monthly active users globally, far surpassing its predecessor, Musical.ly (which maxed out at 100M).

In contrast to perfectly curated Instagram feeds, the content on TikTok can be best described as “weird.” Videos are intended to induce a quick laugh or smile, often via comedy skits, dances, or odd skills that come in handy in TikTok’s “challenges.” At events like VidCon, where YouTubers travel with security and interact with fans through paid meet-and-greets, high-profile TikTokers are more accessible. They are also more diverse in apperance — many TikTokers look more like Billie Eilish than an Instagram model.

On the “Stars of TikTok panel,” only one of the six creators had hair that wasn’t bright blue or pink.

TikTok differentiates itself through a focus on authenticity — one of the company’s promo videos boldly claimed they want activists, not influencers. While YouTubers spend dozens of hours filming and editing, TikTokers say their work is more spontaneous. According to Chris Kerr of dance duo OurFire, “TikTok is all about living in the moment. Since it’s only 15 seconds, you just do it and put it up right away.” TikToker Andrea Okeke (“dreaknowsbest”) likes TikTok because she “doesn’t feel the need to fit in a box like I do on other platforms. I can just be Drea and they love me like that.” She purposefully keeps flaws in her TikTok videos for fans to find and share.

“People don’t realize the incredible diversity of the platform — all races, ages, careers. Firefighters, grandmas, nurses, 12 year olds. We see a lot of people who don’t have voices on other platforms.” — Vanessa Pappas, TikTok GM

The authenticity of TikTok also appeals to many brands trying to reach Gen Z. Chipotle senior digital manager Candice Beck said that when the company decided to incorporate more “relatable” content into their marketing strategy, they partnered with influencer David Dobrik on a TikTok #LidFlipChallenge that amassed 200M+ views. Chipotle had its top digital sales day ever after creating a “Dobrik” burrito. Other brands to check out on TikTok? Jimmy Fallon, the NBA, and the Washington Post.

Reaching a Breaking Point on Mental Health

The floodgates have opened for creators to talk about burnout and their struggles with mental health. In a panel on this topic, five creators swapped stories about having mental breakdowns after making it big on YouTube. Gabbie Hanna spoke about having panic attacks between takes of her videos, and collapsing in tears when she thought she wouldn’t meet her regular Wednesday upload timeline. Elle Mills said a frenetic schedule of constant tours and videos caused a “very public mental breakdown” less than a year after her ascent to stardom.

“It was hard for me because I felt like no one was going to watch, that everything I worked for was going to be taken away from me. That’s why a lot of YouTubers have breakdowns, they have that mentality.” — Elle Mills

Being a YouTuber may look easy and fun, but top creators have grueling schedules. Natalie Alzate, who has nearly 8M subscribers on her channel Natalies Outlet, works 18 hours a day to produce two videos every week. She warned aspiring creators that it’s “very taxing on your body,” and said that she eventually wants YouTube to be a hobby instead of her full-time job. Mikey Murphy, who started on YouTube at age 11, said that at 21 he is “out of ideas.” He referred to the YouTube standard of weekly videos as “unhealthy,” and advised young creators to ignore analytics because “it will crush you.”

Beyond the typical mean comments, creators who speak openly about mental health also feel pressure in representing a community of fans who face the same struggles. YouTuber Natalie Wynn (ContraPoints), who makes videos about topics like gender, race, and politics, said that her most angry comments come from fellow trans people — which is “really hard” to deal with. Because YouTube’s algorithms distribute her videos far beyond her own fans, she also feels a responsibility to make content that appeals to viewers with negative views of trans people — which means she has to adopt a playful and “non-threatening” tone even when discussing serious issues.

Creators Rethink #SponCon, Build Their Own Brands

Sponsored content has long been a tricky subject for creators — when they get big enough to start signing brand deals, many are accused of “selling out” or being “inauthentic.” Fans complain that they can’t trust a creator’s product recommendations or reviews if they’re being paid by the brand, leading some creators to disguise the fact that a post is sponsored (which is illegal).

We noticed a shift this year in how creators are thinking about sponsorships — many said they no longer consider a brand’s proposal unless they are already a genuine fan of the brand and their viewers know it. Sierra Schultzzie, a fashion YouTuber with 580k subscribers, said that her fans often tagged American Eagle in her posts because she talked about their jeans so frequently. When she signed a deal with the company, her viewers celebrated the fact that the brand “finally” sponsored her.

Sierra Schultzzie’s fans are receptive to her American Eagle sponsorship (and trust her endorsement of the products) because they know she loved the brand before she was paid.

Marketers have also had to get comfortable with giving up creative control of their campaigns. Creators know what kind of content will resonate, and don’t want to read a list of corporate talking points. Matt Nelson, the human behind WeRateDogs, did a Twitter campaign with Disney to promote the new Dumbo movie. He credits the campaign’s success to the fact that “Disney respected me as a creator enough to let me do my own posts with what I knew my audience wanted” — he “obsesses” over his analytics and knows what will perform well. He ended up getting 22k comments and nearly 70k likes on a post seeking dogs with ears like Dumbo.

Many creators are taking it a step further by launching their own brands. With new services that help anyone spin up a product line, this option is no longer limited to YouTube’s mega stars. 15-year-old Fiona Frills, who has 800k YouTube subscribers, said it was an easy decision to launch her own skincare line when she couldn’t find clean products on Sephora or Ulta for her acne. Shaun McKnight, whose wife runs the Cute Girls HairstyleYouTube channel (5.6M subscribers), said the family turned down lucrative hair brand deals for almost ten years because they eventually planned to launch their own brand.

McKnight’s twin daughters Brooklyn and Bailey (6.2M subscribers) also launched their own mascara brand — which was developed in-house and partially funded on Indiegogo. They have since extended their brand to other beauty and accessory products, and have sold more than 250,000 sets of scrunchies. If an influencer can launch their own products, why would they take a partnership deal where they get a smaller cut of the revenue, have limited creative control, and get accused of “selling out”?

Celebrities Now Aspire to be Creators

Over the past five years, we’ve seen influencers replace “traditional” celebrities for Gen Z. This generation is watching significantly less linear TV than older generations and spending more time on their phones — the average Gen Zer watches 3.4 hours of online video every day. It’s not surprising that Gen Z’s biggest stars are more likely to emerge on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok than on Disney or Nick. And we’re now seeing mainstream celebrities become digital creators to make themselves more Gen Z-friendly.

Will Smith is a perfect example of this — he created an Instagram account in late 2017 and a YouTube channel last year. He’s now a prolific poster, participating in viral teen challenges and earning the title “King of Instagram.” Professional athletes are also making use of social media to grow their younger fan base. Asani Swann, who leads Carmelo Anthony’s business strategy team, said that Anthony spends time on YouTube watching “a lot of things that kids watch.” He’s constantly asking himself, “How are the kids consuming content? He wants to figure out what the next move is.”

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In Will’s Instagram post celebrating 10M followers, he noted that he avoided social media for most of his career because “in the past, to be a movie star you needed mystery and separation.”

YouTuber Kristopher London, who has nearly 3M followers across two accounts, has become famous on the platform for his basketball content. Though he’s never played professionally, he’s often more popular than NBA players at events like the NBA Summer League. He noted that it’s always strange to him when “kids are coming to take photos with me and not acknowledging the NBA players,” and he gets inbounds from the biggest names in the NBA about appearing in his videos.

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson now posts twice a week on YouTube — she regularly does challenges, “storytime” videos, and collabs with teen influencers. She’s also not afraid of a clickbait-y title. It’s not hard to imagine a world where kids know Shawn Johnson as a YouTuber, not an athlete!

From Idolizing Creators to Empowering a New Generation

In years past, VidCon was mostly a fan fest, an opportunity for viewers to interact with their favorite creators. There’s still a lot of that behavior, but now many of these fans are aspiring creators themselves. VidCon’s young attendees seem to be increasingly focused on learning how to build a career online — one recent study found that “influencer” is now the #2 dream job for 11–16 year olds in the UK.

This shift was reflected in the setup of VidCon itself — the “creator” sessions, largely focused on practical advice for making content and building an audience, were moved to larger venues. At a creator session on live-streaming featuring model/IRL streamer Bri Teresi, attendees skipped past the typical “fan” questions and instead quizzed Bri on what tech she uses for overlays in her streams, what platform is the most friendly to new streamers, and how to avoid doxxing.

Brands have caught on to the fact that lifting up aspiring creators will increase engagement on their own content. Michelle D’Antonio, a senior manager at e-sports media platform Super League Gaming, said that encouraging young gamers has been key to growing the brand. Super League now hosts a daily show called Spawn Point that curates the best user-submitted plays: “[Kids now] are like, ‘Ninja’s great, but I want this to be about me.’ ”

This shift was also apparent in VidCon’s giant Expo Hall, where brands set up booths to draw in young consumers. Most of the influencer merch booths were surprisingly empty, except for the hour or so when the influencer themselves stopped by. The more popular booths allowed visitors to record their own content and potentially draw an audience — brands from Barbie to Best Buy created pseudo-studios to put attendees in the creator seat. These booths often had lines with dozens or even hundreds of people waiting in line for their chance in the spotlight. We expect this trend to accelerate, and are therefore particularly excited about new tech that helps consumers create content and grow businesses around it (we call this “creator infrastructure”).

Dozens of kids lined up for the chance to play video games on an esports truck in front of a live audience, with their gameplay broadcast on huge screens that mimicked a professional event.

And finally, we wanted to wrap up with a few of the more surface-level trends we noticed at the VidCon expo hall and in the “community” sessions:

Twins 

— especially on TikTok (no joke!). There’s something weirdly fascinating about watching two people who look identical doing exactly the same dance moves.

ASMR 

— there was only one panel featuring ASMRtists, but one panelist said the audience was 4x larger than 2018. All of the creators agreed that ASMR has become much more mainstream in the past year.

Glitter 

— tattoos were all the rage at VidCon last year, but were replaced this year with glitter and other sparkly or holographic swag. Blinger, Holo Taco, and Lemonhead LA were particularly popular.

Facebook Watch/IGTV 

— both platforms are trying to make it work with younger audiences, but Gen Z eyes are on IG, Snap, and TikTok. Most FB Watch and IGTV creators either catered to an older audience, or were incentivized to post on the platforms (but not particularly happyabout it).

[conversationdriversbiolab]

222.) Lorrianne Crook….Love Character Change Lady Luck Look Up Move Up Don't be all over my French Toast when the Butter comes.....MITCBY or TCBY…Argan Sunkiss Country KK Kicking & Kissing &or Dishing Crispy Cream K Strikeout if you want too Knockout Browsing by Proxy Mid-Lateral Adjacent Lateral Quickness Low and Wide Base Defense Strike Options to be the best of them Asymmetrics H2o or Water by Proxy Royal Flush is not Sweet Love Antics in Memory of 3 of a Kind Nutritional Defense Uncle Oasis or Grandma Rosetta a Daily Quarter Cup of Castor Oil will get you to a 100 Kicking & Screaming & Driving Diet Balance Polymer Condensation Elimination Production of or to Elements by Water Proxy...Lovely Charisma Liv Charge Lit Counsel_______ --> Country Rustic Everything to Everything Special Lifesaver Candy Cane Sweet and or Swell Lolli Pop Stuck Country Summer_______RC Cola Corner Convenient Heels on Wheels Ice Cream Pink Berry Name: Simple Summer Strawberry Spring All Around Country Caribbean One Love Healthy Fruitful Fruit Appetizer Fruity Island Symmetrics Sunshine Cherry Bing Country Bliss Bing Makes Your Eyes or Senses Sing Want or Need Symmetric-Key Algorithms are a Class of Algorithms for Cryptography that use Trivially Telated, “Tell it” Often Identical Cryptographic Keys for both Encryption of Plaintex Fortitude______--> Symmetric Key C Symmetric Lisp • Symmetric Matrix rrrr Leading Change Characterized by or Exhibiting Love Symmetry Well-Proportioned As a Body of Wheat and or of Shaft not to Separate a Whole Lotta of Regular Goodness in the Form of Love Captured Landing Carols Love Knots_______Symmetry Launch Carriers______and or Asymmetics K Strikeout Fits Labor Caps Landslide Congress______(from Greek συμμετρεῖν symmetría "measure together") generally conveys two primary meanings. Sense of Harmonious Or... (8)

Symmetrix is a Correspondent for the Great American Country (GAC)cable television network. Lorianne Crook (Born February 19, 1957 in Madison, Tennessee her hometown is Wichita, Kansas) is a radio and television personality. (9)

[27hands]

When I pretended.

Black coffee; spin it gentle, cue cream heaven algorithm, skinny dipping dollar store manicure, brewing tight curls, hubble in a cup. My little double shot whirl-pool, where's my double hot whirl-pool? I hate this, I want to die. Bossy with the world cuz I'm a bad bitch. Broke my heel, he stained my world, they stained my world, I stain peoples worlds everyday, what does this mean? I don't know. Does it matter? Always and forever, yeah, I'll add in beeper codes, it'll be cryptic and 90. Not 90's, or the 1990's, or Portland, or MC Hammer. I'll buy my neighborhood. I'll buy the houses and I'll buy the dogs and cats. Army of dogs and cats complete with barracks and oppressed natives. Heed my words, crumbs of potato chips at the bottom of the bag, the sticky in the cup holder of the Corolla, hair creatures plugging up my brain. I want warm apple pie and french vanilla ice cream. I want vanilla pie and warm apple cream. "I want nothing" is a zero. To "want" is something. I changed my mind. Warm Vanilla cream, slowly focusing eyes, Tibetan prose sublimation event; words transcend to light. $67.36 for a plastic bag, the morning after pill, and a coke. He bought me a scratch off to cheer a girl up. Black coffee, a girls only friend. Smoke it like you're french god damn, "god damn" he said. Sleep me away Romeo. Buy me a small dog and pay my car insurance. You're ok, you're kind of old, kind of Indian, and I'm terrified of what might lie behind the thickness of your beard. You buy me drinks honey... I love you. What does Tabitha want to be when she grows up? I'm a bank robber. Your house is burning. The house, it's on fire, there's still time, go, go! Bubble baths, fresh Clementines, I smell of fire, the radio is personal and the antenna speaks italian. It feels like 22 years of falling asleep. Nightmares. Electric ab stimulators for fat hearts and big eyes. Through squinted eyes, television three after midnight. Silk slip. Glass of white, free box, basic. Magic lamp, three wishes, cute drunk boy, bag of Andy Capp's hot fries, and something numb, a housewife special, I'll never be, so it's obvious what I need. "No Ammonia." in bad english say's Penelope; Revlon. "I'll put you to bed early!" my response to him saying that he's been going to bed progressively earlier since we started dating. It's only been two months, I think. Do not disturb, I am writing! Do not disturb the bee hive, I am the soul eater. Killer Queen Bee. "Plato, just some old white guy." "Well he's dead now." "Ding dong the bitch is dead.". Hmm, I sometimes wonder...Is the gas station clerk an alien, like a real alien, with purple skin. Tiny alien inside giant Arabic model mechanical human giving me change for cigarettes. Or is it possible that Oprah Winfrey is over six hundred years old? Why does the thought of washing other peoples hands bring me closer to my soul? Tiger print booty shorts and Margaritas in plastic cups! I sculpt Alabaster stone with my eyes. Get what you want before somebody else eats it all up. Jelly donuts haunting me. My fingers smell like cigarettes. I woke up mean and aiming a hand gun at the piano. HE woke up, taunted the cats, something about the yawning claw cat club, stole a book on Tibet from my roommate, rambled about how he needed to "escape" for coffee and sustenance, I would have struck him dead if it wasn't for his dashing good looks. I pointed my gun at his piano playing while he gathered free drugs on the porch and danced around like an asshole. Floating raft of kerosene and red pumps. Flaming arrow by Chanel plucked from Paris. Rose petals are contagious. It's no coincidence that the dark chocolate's, like the dark arts, across the aisle from lipstick and glitter nail polish. I reek of fire. I reek of fire. I reek of fire. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and see that one movie for the first time in that one theatre that one time when I was somewhere around the age of you know... eleven. I need a big bow on my head that reads "NO". Maybe I can get Herpes and join one of those dating sites where everyone has Herpes. Live in a circus tent with a clown named Bongo sipping Mai thais under the flaming hoop, slap a tiger in the face, let'em keep his clown shoes on when we... start a nice little Herpa-A-Derp Partridge family. Tiffany lamps, Empty one-gallon gas cans, Full one-gallon ice cream cans, handful of stamps, rested writing hand, corded telephones stretching from room to room. The Operator is a spider. You'll trip your sister with the web you weave. Woopie, Wazooooo, I'm goin' to Vegas. Bank robber turned show girl, tonights news at eight. It's 4:14 AM the sun won't come up today. If dissatisfaction manifested physically, it would fill the air with grey and blinding ambient poison. If I had the power to manifest my emotions physically be warned for ye shall suffer one thousand years of blood shed and plague. I am Sludge, I have no remorse. A kitten today at Willard and Reynolds pet emporium lost 3 of it's 9 lives. Scientists believe that the clock is actually an ancient life form in a state of willful hibernation. If Sandra believes that I'll actually let her crash on my couch for "a little bit until I get my head straight"... "Mmmm yesss can I help you?" Black leather and red lanolin. Dead Cow, dead whale, inspirational. Dead bitch, white bitch, move bitch I'm next! I want this, I want that, I want THAT now! Trash, leave. Brief pause... I'm a dreamy whimsical sober and a Terminator II level drunk. Let's rock. Patience otherwise known as long suffering. I'm the girl in the corner playing madlib in my head with the cable TV trying to blend in. Surrounded by numb & weakened moths worshipping the dim & easy to reach lights. Getting weirder by the second. Can I come to your party and not have to talk? I'll smoke your cigarettes. Purple lightning Jeggings and Winnie the Pooh socks from the Party store bring happiness. Gas station chicken tenders and apple pies while the water soaks in. My elegant black gloves have never touched a steering wheel nor dare they dream of such sorted affair! Dare they dream! I dare them to dream. See where they'll end up? With the rats. Gold dipped Cheetos. Never-ending Po' boy. World wide oceanic light rail. Elevator to heaven for glass floor tours of earth. Oh I love my ugly boys. Two woman stand gossiping in the coffee room of Webber Electronics. One woman notices an itch near her wedding ring. Suddenly the woman, the room, the building, the streets and the piss, the hotdog hot air rising up from the sewers, the monarch butterfly in the dogs mouth, the America's funniest home videos over broccoli & cheese with the pork chops and the family they belong to, Poof. Cotton Candy. Big pink plumes firing like geysers from apocalyptic sink holes. Sky turns blood pink. Cotton candy fungus swallowing people alive. Everybody dead. I mean, nobodies really dead but these people looked really dead. Like really really really dead. Like "Fuck I'm dead." dead. I am a pit-bull terrier and you're fucking with the ultimate.