#Im doing this same joke on twitter in the form of the thread

[sparta369]

Hey yall! In the spirit of having a safe and stress-free April Fools day, today I've curated a list of 18 different relatively harmless pranks that you can pull on your friends today! I thought of all of these myself, so please enjoy! :o)

1: You can send them a message saying something like "Hey! I bet you thought this notification was gonna be an april fools joke, but in reality, I just wanted to let you know that I love and appreciate you, and that I hope you have a nice day!"

2: Obtain a small, but noticeably out-of-place object (rubber duck, kazoo, etc.) and leave it somewhere you know your friend will see it, just to confuse them a little bit. Optionally, you could attach a little message to the object, letting them know it was you :)

3: Understandably, hiding your friend's belongings can be very distressing for them. Instead, hide one of your own belongings and ask them to help you look! Let them find the object. For bonus points, leave a kind message attached to the object for them to find.

4: Just simply hand them a random object. Don't hide whatever is in your hands, make it clear what you're handing them. Just ask them "hey, can you hold this for a sec?" and when they take it, just walk away.

5: Underneath everything they post on social media that day, leave a reply saying something along the lines of "I love and appreciate you" or some other nice thing. Do not stop. Be relentless.

6: Stop them when you're walking near/past each other. pretend to pull a hair/fuzzy/etc out of their hair, off their shirt, etc. Do this slightly more frequently that it normally happens. Don't make a huge deal out of it. Admit it if pressed or at the end of the day.

7: To expand on the previous one, you could instead pretend to pull a fuzzy/hair/etc off of them... and then pretend to eat it.

8: Leave out pieces of their favorite candy or other small, packaged snack in any place you believe they'll run into it throughout the day.

9: Order a pizza with them. Make the pizza half something they like, half something you like. When it gets here, pretend to get huffy about the toppings being on the wrong sides. (X should be on the left, Y should be on the right, etc.)

10: Spontaneously pretend that you have lost something. When your friend asks what you lost & if they can help you search, point at them, sigh in relief, and say something along the lines of "oh good, you're right there, I thought I'd lost my whole world."

11: Tell them that you're going to the store to get something mundane and uninteresting. Instead, go out and purchase your friend a surprise gift. This can be an object, food, anything. Pray they don't ask you to pick something up for them.

12: Take a photo of yourself and print it out. tape up behind a door that you know they will close, such as their bedroom door or a bathroom door. For bonus points, leave a nice message with it.

13: Hang a worm on a string or other silly item from the blades of their ceiling fan. Don't tie them on too well, make sure they're easy to remove.

14: Every time they sneeze, cough, or anything like that, pretend to be disproportionately worried about them. Use this as an excuse to do nice things for them throughout the day.

15: Gearing up to go out somewhere with them? ask if you can borrow one of their shoes. That's right, only one.

16: Ask them if they can leave you alone in the kitchen for a while. Make it clear that you are preparing an April Fools prank for them. The prank is, instead of making anything weird, you just made completely normal food for them. Comply with their requests for proof.

17: Make a paper sign that says something incredibly nice, like "I appreciate you." Keep it with you. Whenever your friend looks away from you, try to quietly extract the sign and show it off in their general direction. Try not to get caught until the end of the night.

18: Ending our list, you could show this list to your friend, and then make them put together the first letter of each prank that I've just listed for you.

I hope you all have a nice, safe, and stress-free April Fools Day!

;o)

[redcrowz]

dystrack/rubacava is a TERF

The overall “new name”: TBrainrot under the name “Terry”

LAST UPDATED 8/10/2022

Updates are added with the proof, under the read more.

TWs: Transphobia, suicide, cissexism, incest, pedophilia, antisemitism

SUMMARY: Dez (@/dystrack / @/rubacava / @/butchstan / @/superjayld) is a transphobic TERF by admitting it alongside sending a video of trans people committing suicide, deadnamed someone, and lied about not being transphobic to a group of mostly trans people. She has been unapologetic about her actions. 

Recently, she has shown to be someone who indulges in incestuous, pedophilic, and other ships of the same immoral nature being a self-proclaimed “lolicon fujoshi extraordinaire”.

Block, avoid her, and do not give her a platform whatsoever.

Proof + more handles are under the read more. 

Discord: dystrack#3302 -> jpp#3302

Instagram: @ dystrrack, @ slugfunnie

Twitter: @ rubacava3, @ dystrackarts

@ frenchcest [2/10]

@ tentativebreath [2/10]

@ TBrainrot [2/10]

Tumblr: @ wickerkingdom, @ dystrack, @ rubacava, @ butchstan, @ superjayld, @ rubacava2

Dez accidentally deleted her entire blog, but remade under @ rubacava. [12/4]

Dez remade @ dystrack [7/23 update]

Dez made an alt @ wickerkingdom [8/29]

Dez made an alt @ rubacava2 [8/10/2022]

Art Fight: @ dystrack

YouTube: dystrack

DeviantArt [INACTIVE]: @ dystrack

Mastodon: @ Tbrainrot @ baraag.net [2/10]

---

9/2/2022

Another thread + document has been made, primarily focusing on her transphobia alongside proof that Dez is the holder of all accounts listed. 

As a disclaimer, the writer of the document is a proshipper / part of the proship community.

Evidence that TBrainrot is Rubacava/Dystrack

8/10/2022

12/4/2020

Dez (accidentally) deleted all of her tumblr blogs at one point but remade under @ rubacava.

Another instance of her transphobic behavior is shown through her posting a white supremacist / antisemetic wojak meme with a transgender person hanging just off screen, captioned “Though for everyone who may check this blog yes i hate trannies <3” 

A screenshot is linked here. Proceed with caution.

She has also liked a post from a TERF blog.

[Transcript: A blog from “iloveradfems”, saying

“No plastic surgery or any form of aesthetical body alteration brings the person subjected to it one concrete benefit other than the consciousness of looking pleasant to others, "for myself’ is a capitalist/patriarchal facade to stimulate femininity by giving it a false, fabricated sense of autonomy.

A certain feature is only perceived as unadequate when it is compared to upheld adequate, nothing is fundamentally aesthetically unadequade in the human body; beauty is cultural.”]

---

12/2/2020

J (trans male) confronted Dez (cis female) on this cissexist remark in a server.

[Transcript: A Discord screenshot of Dez, saying “Tfw im gonna have to draw an ugly musty penis during the first class of lockdown since october” proceeded with a reaction image of CallMeCarson crying.]

This was brought up in DMs.

[Transcript: A Discord screenshot of a conversation between Dez and J.

Dez: I'm sorry but I don't see how my comments were cissexist? I just find penises gross and unattractive, whether theyre attached to a cis man or not.

I dont get how its cissexist because i didnt assume anyone was cis? I didnt make fun of cis men i made fun of penises which i think are gross

And not all men have penises and some trans women/amab nbs don't have penises either

J: It's more so blanket statements like that that make people uncomfortable even if you didn't have trans people in mind 

even if you personally find penises gross it's kind of Ehh to joke about especially since there are some transfem people in chat 

Dez: Oh.

Well they can go 41% about it.

J: What? 

Dez, why would you make a joke like that.]

[Transcript continued.

J: Dez, we’ve been friends for years, what would even motivate you to make a comment so horrible? What the hell is going on with you?

Dez: I’ve been transphobic the whole time (DEADNAME)

J: I’m extremely disappointed in you Dez. I had nothing but good things to say to you and I really don’t know why you would change, especially since we've known each other for a long time. You're going to hurt a lot of people who looked up to you.

we all loved you a lot and i have no idea why you'd suddenly turn around on years of friendship to be like this but hey, I can’t control your life. If you want to be transphobic, fine. But I don’t think anyone is going to want to associate with you anymore especially not in this friend circle.

Dez: I understand that.

Hope you can find someone else to draw your homophobic fujobait porn OCs this christmas.]

J brought this up with T, and this proceeded.

[TW SUICIDE]

[Transcript: A Discord screenshot of a conversation between Dez and T.

T: hey J just showed me what you said, and before i block you, i need to know: why? Why were you friends with us for so long and made trans friendly content in the past and then you suddenly turn like this? what was the point??? What the fuck were you gaining from being friends with people you hate? What the FUCK?

Dez proceeds to send a video.]

Content of the video: “phase 1 being someone questioning if theyre a woman, phase 2 being that they say theyre a woman, and it cuts to a loud gunshot and a ms paint stick man having shot themselves on a table”

[Transcript continued.

Dez: I was transphobic long before 4chan

I mean transphobia isn't even real

T: don’t tell me to calm down!!! what the fuck was the point of any of this?? WHY WERE YOU EVEN OUR FRIEND

What did you get out of any of this???!]

A link of a google doc will be in the replies.

[words-for-holland]

Always Yours

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Sometimes dating a celebrity is hard...but Tom & Y/N have always said no matter what happens they could get through anything. Some angst but a lot of fluff.

A/N: So sorry for leaving yall hanging! Life is just crazy right now and this blog needs a lot of TLC tbh!! Also ehh I def dont think this was my best work but enjoy?

“Oof” Y/N lets out as she plops on to her boyfriend who was lying comfortable on the couch. Tom groaned at the impact with a cheeky smile on his face, his arms instantly wrapping around Y/N’s frame.

“Y’know..there are empty seats right there.” The soft brown-eyed boy gestured with the flick of his thick head as Y/N raises her eyes looking down at him, pretending to be slightly offended.

“Oh I see how it is then. It’s cool...Ill just cuddle with Tessa instead. I know she would welcome me with open arms instead of—” As she slowly starts getting off his chest, Tom is quick to pull her back in, securing her with his strong arms. “No baby, I was just kidding. I want you right here, and Im never letting you go.” he pleas.

The only thing Y/N could manage was letting out a fit of giggles into his chest, a sound that Tom adored and would do absolutely anything to hear every minute of every day. They stay like this for a while enjoying the feeling of each other as they both run their hands into each others hair, the feeling of their chests moving up and down, the subtle thumps of their heartbeats, and the little slips of adoration that came out of their mouths. It was peaceful. A moment that nobody could really take a way because it was theirs.

Y/N casually pulls up her phone, and scrolls through Twitter when she noticed a particular tweet on her timeline. Her eyebrows furrow, as she read the 160 character message.

Why Tom Holland Should Be With Aaliyah Cole and Dump Y/N: A Thread.

She knew it wasnt a good idea to open up the thread. She knew very well that everything within the shallow string of tweets would be a complete waste of her time because it was made up by fans who just wanted to satisfy their fantasy of shipping Tom with his co-star. Who can blame them? They always had great chemistry, but it was part of the job and thats all it would ever be.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Tom murmurs, as he places soft kisses at the crown of her head. “Whats going on?” She was lucky her phone was facing away from Tom, quickly closing the app and pretending to be on one of her many tabs in Safari.

“Mmm..nothing.” Y/N lies softly, a tight-lipped smiled plastered on her face.

“Absolute bullocks. Youre not a very good liar.” He chuckles. “Tell me darling. Whats on your mind?”

Y/N rolls her eyes in response. She’s heard that comment one too many times in her life from everyone shes known. After not giving it much thought, she gives in, sighing heavily. “Dont judge me for what Im about to say.”

“Mmm...I think it might depend on wha— Ow” Tom reacts as he playfully rubs the side of his chest that Y/N hit. “Okay too soon for jokes. Go on.”

Again, Y/N sighs as she props herself up. “Its just ... well a lot of your fans keeps talking about wanting you to get with Aaliyah.” She looks down trying not to make eye contact with Tom, who she’d imagine was looking at her with annoyance.

Tom rolls his eyes at the ridiculousness. Not so much at Y/N but the fact that some of his fans just didnt want to accept the fact that he was happy with Y/N. If it had to come from his mouth to stop the stupid rumors and give his girlfriend peace, then hed gladly yell it from the rooftops for everyone to hear. “Thats it Im making a statement about it.”

Y/N’s eyes widen in fear, scrambling to prevent him from grabbing his phone on the table next him. “No no no no.” She repeatedly declines. “You’ll only make it worse.”

“Darling, Im not going to stand here and watch you get all insecure because of their delusional ship.”

“Yeah well Im not gonna be the reason your fans hate me because Im getting in the way of your friendship with Aaliyah Cole.” She fires back.

Tom was ready to open his mouth only to be cut off once again. “And you know better. That is how your fans will always see it.”

“Okay, are you done?” He calmly asked, cautiously observing her. Rarely did Y/N ever get worked up about anything, but when she had her tangents, Tom always made sure she got off everything she needed to say before he becomes her voice of reason.

“Yeah, I guess.” she says feeling defeated. “Look its whatever and Im tired, can we just let this go and forget this whole conversation even happened?”

Tom was unconvinced, but didnt want to push her further. So reluctantly, he gave in and wrapped his arms around Y/N as they both tried to lull themselves to sleep.

***

Y/N wasnt sure how she ended up in the Tube. It was strange how the lights flickered off the rusted tile floor. The train was no where to be seen, but off to the side of the railroads was pitch black, she could hardly see beyond. To her right she noticed herself standing in the corner of the room, and to her surprise Aaliyah was there. Her milk chocolate kissed skin, and fashionably long frizzy hair dropped down past her shoulders. Her figure long and poised, as she wore a rain jacket and sweats. An outfit only she could pull off and make it look like she was a model for Vogue. Aasliyah smiles brightly at Y/N.

“Hey Y/N.” She says cheerfully as a genuine friend would.

To Y/N’s surprise she greeted her back in the same tone. “Hey Aaliyah...uhh whats going on?” Y/N wasnt sure if she wanted the answer of how they both ended up in the Tube or if she truly wanted to know how her day went.

“Well Im getting ready to present at the Oscars.” She replies, a smile plastered as if she was so excited about it, almost too excited like she was keeping a secret.

“Really? Oh my god, that’s amazing! Im so proud of you Aaliyah! Who are you taking?”

Aaliyah pauses for a few moment looking back and forth, making sure no one else was around. “Okay can you keep a secret?” She whispered.

Y/N nods her head slowly, not having the slightest clue of what was going on. “Im taking Tom. I think he really likes me, and well...I like him too! Do you think maybe I should ask him when we go?” Aaliyah asked genuinely. It was almost like she had no recollection of Y/N and Tom being a couple. “I think we would look good together. Everyone is already making rumors and ships about us.”

Y/N backs aways lowly only to bump into a broad figure. As she turns around she sees Tom, emotionless and almost sad. “Y/N.” He speaks out. “I dont think this is going to work out. Im leaving you.”

Y/N’s heart quickens, and her breaths become shorter as she tries to find a way to run. Running and running into the darkness, until all she could hear was Tom’s faint voice calling out her name.

***

“Y/N! Y/N! Baby wake up please.” Tom cries as he gently shakes his girlfriend from her disturbed sleep.

Quickly Y/N opens her eyes and clutches on to Toms hoodie firmly. Back home, and in Toms arms. It was a dream was all she thought. A sigh of relief escaping from her mouth.

“Darling...” he speaks softly, worried about his girlfriend. “Are you okay?”

Y/N looks up at him and nods frantically. “Mmm..bad dream.”

“Yeah it seemed like it. You were so frightened...I was scared. What happened?” He’s looking at her, trying to read her saddened eyes, wanting to desperately understand what scared her so he could make it all go away for her.

Y/N looks down at her fiddling hands, as she sits on the couch. “I uhh...” she lets out a chuckle, thinking of the ridiculousness of it all. “I uhh...dreamed about Aaliyah going to the oscars and saying how she loved you and how you two are perfect for each other. When I turned around I saw you but you werent happy and said you were leaving me.”

Tom doesnt say a word, all he could think about was how sorry he felt to put Y/N in this position. Though both of them knew, It wasnt Toms fault, or anyone’s for that matter. Feelings are feelings and that was okay. No human being was ever born perfect and without insecurities.

Y/N always tried to be a good sport with situations like this knowing every shippers theory and evidence were hardly ever true, but at some point there was only so much she could take before it all came out like an oil spill. Maybe it was a sign that she wasnt good enough to be with Tom if half of his fanbase thought this way as well.

Tom cradled her into his arms again, holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head. “Darling, I know youre still doubting yourself about all of this, but please believe me when I tell you that I love you so so much and no matter what happens...Im always yours.” He whispers gently in her ear. “It was only a dream and these ridiculous rumors and theories are just that. No one woman in the world could ever make me feel the way I feel for you.”

Y/N blinks softly, as she stares into space. Afraid and in a weird way ashamed, its funny how something so small and so minimal could affect her self-esteem so greatly. Tom gently brings her head up, so her eyes can meet his. He rolls his thumb on the bottom of her soft lips. “Hey, I love you.” Tom smiles.

Time stopped for the both of them the moment Y/N looked into his eyes, she felt safe. All the bad words and thoughts slowly disappear. Tom was right, none of the things that anyone said about their relationship mattered. She knew Tom loved her, and how much she truly loved him. Isnt that enough? Of course not. It was more than enough. A smile slowly forming on Y/N’s face. “Theres that smile I love so much.” He comments.

“Im sorry, for being such a —”

“No. Its okay. You have a right to feel the way you did.” He picks up her hand and leaves a gentle kiss.

“I love you so much Tom.” She says pressing her lips to his. “I dont deserve you.”

“Darling, its me that doesnt deserve you. Im always yours.” Tom proclaims as he kisses her back.

[teaveetamer]

im curious, were are all of these crazy edelgard fans that are talked about so much? on twitter the el fans I see are chill and make fun of her all of the time. in fact "edelgard did nothing wrong" is treated as a meme. the only place I rarely see these crazy fans is one r/edelgard but I mean..why go to a subreddit about a character you don't like? im very confused as people make a big deal about edelgard fans but I never see said fans act the way they are portrayed as.

Reddit.

And not just r/Edelgard. I have not gone to r/Edelgard even once unless someone has directed me to a post from there via a direct link.

Around the game’s release there were at least 3-5 really aggressive Edelstans that would go into every single thread and write several thousand word comments responding to anyone that dared criticize Edelgard. Like I wish I were joking but there’s a reason why one of the mods of the sub literally had to step down as mod. There was an absolutely insane amount of Edelgard discourse, and absolutely all of it was toxic as hell.

r/Edelgard exists in the form that it does now because people on the main sub got so sick of putting up with Edelstan bullshit that the ringleaders were all either blocked by a good chunk of the userbase or their shit-stirring parent posts were downvoted on sight. And I wish I could say they just stayed to r/Edelgard but my very very brief ventures back into Reddit indicate that there’s a second wave of obnoxious Edelstans doing the same damn shit.

There’s probably some on Twitter too I imagine, I’ve been sent a few links to their crazy but I can’t speak to most of that since I don’t really use Twitter. I seem to recall a lot of salt from Edeleth fans over Rhea getting to have a duo alt with Byleth.

[all-hail-the-witcher]

cats the movie was created by the mafia and here's why

so since one (1) person said that they still wanna hear this theory imma post it

first, the reviews of cats are so mixed, it's confusing. im not even sure if everyone is talking about the same movie. lets look at some of the more wild ones:

but then i found these two:

both of these reviews (the second one especially) explicitly mention celebrities, which, made me think of a conspiracy theory

i once watched a video (i think it was a shane dawson one) where he discussed how people believe that it could be a possibility that the government uses celebrities and their scandals to distract the population from their wrongdoing and general mishaps. that being said, lets unpack what we know about cats:

-cats themselves (as in the animal) are generally very cute and people find them funny. it is commonly perceived by some that the internet - youtube specifically - is “that place with the cat videos” and people are very entertained by them (think about tik toks, twitter and tumblr threads, vines, and ig accounts) and even interact with cats if they happen to be allergic to them. it is safe to say that the human population has somewhat of an obsession with cats. 

-cats the musical is generally misunderstood by a lot of people. i have never actually seen it but from what i understand its a musical about cats competing to see who will die and theres one good song (memory). the internet has gone about about “what the heck is cats even about” for many years before the movie came out in the form of memes and other random internet jokes.

and now lets address the us government. right now most people agree that its plenty shitty for various reasons. even people in other countries Dont Get It. (im not going to get too into it because chances are if you have an internet connection you've heard about the shit the us government has done recently)

now. onto the movie itself. (hang onto your hats this is where it gets wild)

according to google, cats is a british american film. it is a well known fact that america was originally colonized by the british and we gained our freedom in 1776 (i really hope thats not news to you) but the war didnt end until the british surrendered at yorktown in 1781 and the treaty of paris wasn't signed until 1783. the british were notoriously salty afterwards, continuing to pirate american ships and do other generally annoying things which resulted in the war of 1812. it was not until after the war of 1812 (which officially ended in 1815) that the british recognized america was independent and actually started respecting them. britain and america were also allies and have famously teamed up to stop people from taking over the world (ie ww2 amongst others).

youre probably wondering what the hell this has to do with cats. stick with mw, we’re getting there.

in the weeks after the 2016 election, there were many memes circulating the internet along the lines of this:

needless to say, it was a wild time for america. 

now, admittedly, britain was Also in the midst of their own wild time because of brexit, but somehow the election results managed to kind of overshadow that (at least in america). 

so lets review some Important Dates:

-june 23, 2016 -> brexit is proposed

-november 8, 2016 -> 2016 election

-march 2017-> britain formally announces leaving the eu

additionally, in 2016 the worlds biggest superpowers were (in order) the us, russia, china, india, and the uk.

now, onto my theory.

the mafia has always notoriously been trying to be stopped by the government for their crime and is a strange organization with a lot of money. the mafia Does still exist although mostly in new england. since 2016 there has been a disconnect between the government and the people due to the staggering amounts that do not support the current president. the mafia may have seen this as an opportunity to overthrow the current government/president and cabinet and place their own person there so that they wouldn't get as much shit from the government. 

this theory does get a little bit complicated regarding the presidents suspected ties to the mafia. however, the mafia is very powerful and i have no doubt that they could have somehow blackmailed trump or implemented false records in order to depict the president falsely. or they could have tricked the president into working with them in order to gain secrets to help them overthrow him. the possibilities are endless. 

so in the time between the 2016 election and when britain formally announced leaving the eu, the mafia probably had some time to scheme a little, thinking up possible ways for them to overthrow the government. 

after britain announced leaving the eu, someone in the government must have realized that it was making britain widely unpopular and they should do something to clean up their image. so they take a peek around and happen to notice that america is royally fucked cause of the president and there are people threatening to move to canada cause of it.

but why is any of this of importance to britain?

well, britain used to be the top world superpower before ww2, but then were beat out by america both after the war and when they announced nsc 68, a plan to make amerias military stronger and provide aid to american allies being threatened by communism. although britain and america stayed allies, it is likely that britain may have been a bit salty about this. and, if they could somehow get rid of trump and weaken the country this may bump the us from the lead world superpower and (if they were lucky) also russia and china who the president was more or less involved with.

low and behold who has the same desires? the mafia.

so the mafia and britain team up to defeat the us government. but how will they do it?

my friends, that is where cats comes in. 

as stated, the government has previously used celebrity scandals to cover up and distract from their own. the mafia and britain would not have wanted to make this seem like anything out of the ordinary, so they decided to implement this form of distraction, but twisted it into grotesque exposure. but they needed a vehicle in which to use this

if you refer to my information on cats from before, american people love cats and cats the musical is a somewhat loved classic that makes little to no sense. additionally, theater fans have recently been calling for screen filmed shows so they dont have to spend lots of money on tickets (see newsies live and bandstand) so in order to pass this off as normal they chose to use cats.

howmst ever, they needed to make the american people not like cats anymore so that they wouldn't be easily distracted by them. how to accomplish this? make the cats in the movie cgi celebrities. 

the celebrity lineup of the movie is quite impressive, containing the following:

james corden, judi dench, jason derulo, idris elba, jennifer husdon, ian mckellan, taylor swift, and rebel wilson. 

these celebrities were all chosen for the type of audience they would draw in so that it would be as vast as possible. (old people, young people, middle aged people, etc).

the mafia paid these celebrities handsomely and coerced them into being in the movie. 

now, lets discuss the timeline. 

the movie itself premiered on december 20th and the mafia and britain would have begun creating it as soon as march of 2017. scripts take up to 12 weeks to write, putting them at june of 2017. pre production takes 10 weeks, putting them at about halfway through september 2017. it takes about an average of 10 weeks to film, putting them at december 2017. and, according to pixar, animating a movie can take between 4 and 7 years, however, the reviews have stated that cats only took about a year to animate the movie, putting it at about december 2018. this would give the mafia about 7 extra months for any needed editing or fixing between when they could have hypothetically started and ended the movie itself because the trailer came out in july of 2019.

they would have wanted to release the movie just before 2020 because that is when the next election takes place and they would need everyone to be immune to propaganda. 

the mafia and britain creating cats explains a lot of things such as:

-why james corden has not gone to see the movie

-why the animation is so horrifying

-why the movie was made in such little time

-why the celebrities in the movie are actually in the movie

-why the budget was able to be so large if it was an epic flop

-peoples general confusion as to why the movie was even made

see, they would have known that even if not a lot of people saw the movie, it would have made headlines just because of how bad it is, terrifying people of both the celebrities in it (remember this includes james corden, a prominent talk show host and taylor swift, one of the top song writers) and of cats themselves.

in conclusion, cats was filmed by the mafia and great britain in an attempt to overthrow the us government.

be careful who you vote for in 2020.

[flamewyrmz]

a late night rant from twitter im putting in one place, because its a trainwreck of several threads there. mostly copy/paste and still not proofread, but a collection of thoughts on gender, sexuality, personal identity, and love and support within the lgbtq community. i do really lay myself bare here so id like to ask that if you disagree or have criticism you do so respectfully and with that in mind, thank you <3 and if this means something to you itd mean the world to me if you shared it

dunno if ive said this here before but like. if you think you might be bi/pan but youre on the fence cos maybe youve never had a crush on a nonfictional guy or get more crushes on guys than on girls and you find yourself tied up in knots like "well im gay but im also attracted to nonbinary people unless theyre mostly woman-aligned but i dont wanna say im bi/pan because then people will think i like girls and like i like them theoretically but--" let go. just say fuck it! im bi/pan! 

try it out and if it doesnt feel right it doesnt feel right and thats fine and in the end no matter what youll have learned a little about yourself. this is actually my advice on any gender/sexuality dilemmas you might be having. go wild. try it out. see how it feels. dont feel like you have to confine yourself to something just because youve stuck with it for some amount of time. 

if youre questioning dive right into the deep end! no matter how it goes youll be a better swimmer in the end. its all not quite rigid and a little fluid anyways (for some more than others obv) so if youre unsure, man... go for it. its ok to backpedal

--

this is important advice to me because ive struggled with it multiple times in the past and this has only recently clicked and i really wish it had sooner. first it was with being... not straight in general. like i was actively dating someone of the same gender and i never considered that that meant, uh, im not straight. always "do you like boys or girl?" "uhhhhhhhhh. uh. UH" 

then with being in the range of aro/ace spect. then with being nonbinary! then with being nb but primarily male. and then goddammit im just a boy. accepting that God I Love Men And Only Men (and with it that i *wasnt* aro or ace in ANY capacity) and then, very recently (like up until a couple months ago. like im p sure this year. not 2017), going back on that and admitting i was bi. it is so so freeing to just say "fuck it" and test those waters!

hell, you find something you resonate with but looks a little silly? go for it! use those bun/buns/bunself pronouns. go with stargender! ace-flux demibiromantic? hell yeah rock that shit! it can always change and you can always decide its not right and go back! h4y dudes

--

all of that especially goes for teens who dont know what the fuck theyre doing. im only 20 yea and barely 20 at that but man i wish id heard this sooner

and please dont take that as me saying "well if youre a lesbian sexuality is fluid and maybe youre actually bi"! hell no. if youre a lesbian and you KNOW youre and lesbian and couldnt ever be anything else then rock on you funky little lesbian! but if you id as a lesbian but are teetering on something like "well im attracted to some fictional and theoretical men but not any real ones and maybe its just compulsory heterosexuality but im not sure and--" dont be afraid to try a different label. its all what feels right to you and theres absolutely no harm

--

people bash on like. """mogai genders""" and nounself pronouns and the split attraction model and all that and like. yeah! those things can hurt people! personally i struggled with the split attraction bit combined with how broadly people define the ace spectrum. it can be used to hurt. and it is used to hurt. sometimes its deliberate, sometimes its not. but the hurt is there. but its not inherently good or bad. 

and yeah, some of it sounds silly. hell, it sounds silly to me sometimes! but to some people hearing that label makes everything click into place, even if just for a little bit, and i take that very seriously. it is one of the best feelings in the world and i want as many lgbtq people (of any age) to experience it. 

for some people it feels right to zoom waaaaaaay in and section it into lots of little bits and for others its "fuck it! i dont know shit! im just queer!" and those are both equally valid (that words been thru 12 garbage disposals but i cant think of a better one) maybe you go back n forth and thats fine too! as long as youre open to it changing or being wrong it cant hurt and, like i said, its one of the best possible feelings to have it click like that

--

as an aside: being bi can *totally* mean "im attracted to men and nonbinary people are long are they arent primarily woman-aligned" or it can mean "im attracted to everyone fuck it" personally? i use bi over pan because i feel like it better encapsulates that i *do* have preferences (i say this all the time but God I Love Men) but ultimately gender doesnt really matter to me cos everyones cute and hot and generally attractive and im not leaving anyone out because im just a little more inclined to kissing boys. but thats me!

--

as Another aside: i do still to some degree identify with uhh this is gonna sound contradictory but agender boy? or more like boy agender? boygender with left none? i just dont personally feel like its worth taking the time to explain over n over. but it used to be, for me, n i dont regret that a single bit! i wouldnt regret that even if i *didnt* still feel that way in any capacity. honestly? 

i dont regret any of the ways ive identified in the past even though feeling stuck and cornered into some got a little harmful to me (and if youve gone through somethin similar and DO regret it and wish youd never heard whatever term you used thats good too. im very strongly advocating for "use whatever labels you want and if it dont fit it dont fit" here but if they did hurt you and youre still hurting about it i understand 100% just dont use it to pull others down. if it concerns you say your piece and let them decide)

--

this is personally a little hard to admit so bear with me here 

honestly? ANY sort of strong identity didnt start developing in me until i was.... 14 or so? and very slowly at that. like gender evened out around 18 and sexuality just a few months ago LMAO. but up until i was a teenager i didnt really feel much of anything re: gender or attraction (and the attraction thing is pretty normal for kids and even teens tbqh!) 

and i just.... didnt really think about it! i had This Name and apparently was a girl and i didnt really get what it was like to BE a girl but thats what people said and i didnt know there were other options so i went with it! the name didnt bother me either (except for when people made jokes about a Certain Historical Figure with the same one. just thinking about that i get tired) 

and when it came time to actually grapple with the whole concept of being *into* people i just kinda... slunk away! no joke until like 10th grade if someone started a rumor that i was dating x or y had a crush on me i would start to avoid them entirely. lost a friend in 4th grade that way but then in hs hed turned into a TOTAL DICK so no loss there. i think part of that was also people making the assumption that i was straight though? big shrug! 

i didnt even realize attraction was a thing i had until i got asked out and just kind of "oh wow??? that sounds so nice??? i feel the same??? yes??" and thats WHY i went thru varying aro/ace labels. cos it unfolded slowly (which again is totally normal if youre a teenager, so dont worry about it if youre going thru that. roll with the punches. and if youre a teen and youve got it figured out? thats totally normal too!) 

and the gender thing was similar once i learned that it was an actual possibility (especially being nb, and ESPECIALLY especially being agender) i slowly just... poked at it until i figured something out (fun fact: what set me off to finally go "fuck it im not a girl at all" was being stuck in an awful hair salon chair while my mom got a haircut that took FOREVERRRRRRRRR and i was having godawful period cramps. like i knew not being a girl wouldnt DO anything about them but i made that decision then n there n didnt look back!) 

and then i kept pokin at it and watching it like the seed id planted finally started to sprout and i realized i didnt actually know what kind of seed it WAS. i guess ive always been very nebulous in those aspects and its just now forming into something solid. like i said, its a little hard to admit and i... dont think ive actually talked about this in this depth before to, like, anyone? 

because the "oh ive always known" narrative is the only one you ever see in popular media and sometimes even from the community itself! and theres nothing wrong with having always known! but theres also nothing wrong with being like me! but i still feel a little anxious talking about it like it somehow means im a sham. 

hell, id even go so far as to say i WAS a girl as a kid! i WAS varying shades of agender and nonbinary and ???? as a teen, and i AM, like, 95% a guy right now! maybe in a few years ill be something else. none of those things contradict each other. things like that can change! its not set in stone (but like i said: for some people it is! or, like, set in slime that you left out for 5 years so now its pretty much a rock but if you really try it still squishes into something else?? none of these things invalidate the others! were all unique). 

i wouldnt say that at any point ive been cis or straight, cos even when i just went with being a girl and stuff it was always a little ??? but, yknow. even if i HAD been those things at some point it wouldnt matter to me? things just are the way they are and were the way they were

--

im making myself really vulnerable here and my thought process is a mess and i ramble and repeat myself and my memory and attention span is like 2 seconds and i dont proofread but. its important i think. i dont have a lot of followers and fewer still thatre active but... that really doesnt matter. 

maybe someone will retweet at least one of these messy, messy threads. maybe link it to a friend. maybe screenshot it and post it on tumblr [note: LMAO YEAH AND ITS YOU DUMBASS], or to keep for themself. if any of my words help anyone out even a little then it matters and honestly? then its the most important thing in the whole danged world. if even one person sees any of the things ive said tonight and it means *anything* to them, even if just "oh, im not alone in this" then ive succeeded here. 

i dont want any of us to ever feel trapped or alone because shit! lifes too fuckin short for that! its goddamn hard being anything but cisgender and straight! sometimes it sucks! like really sucks! there have been so many times ive broken down completely over being trans and felt like, for myself, its the most awful thing in the world. its why prides so important. its why community is so important. 

because even when the pressure of the world brings you down so low you think youll never escape theres something or someone there to take your hand and pull you back up, put you on your feet, and say "i know its hard. and itll get hard again. but i believe in you, and youre strong enough for this, and im here with you through every step". that goes for anyone but especially goes for us. and im not just talking about lgbtq youth here. all of us. which is *why* im laying myself completely bare here. 

most of this stuff? ive either never talked about or only vaguely mentioned. but im putting it out there. because there was a point where i needed it but didnt have it, and even if its just one person, i want to give someone this advice so at least they dont have to deal with the same stuff i did. and if youre reading this? i love you. im here for you. im my dms are always open and if for some reason they arent its almost definitely an accident and if you say something ill reopen them. 

and if youre someone who hates me? maybe even mutually? if it came down to it id let you come to me at your lowest moment, no questions asked, no judgement held, and at the end of it still be the same kind of enemies we were before and never speak again. there are some exceptions of course but honestly ill forgive a lot for someone who needs that kind of support. and if youre one of the people this applies to, i know youll probably never take me up on it. i dont expect you to. i dont expect you to even for a second be comfortable with that idea. thats fine. but if for some reason you ever need it, its there. 

i can count on one hand the ex friends that i wouldnt give that to and thats ONLY because theyve legitimately hurt me and left lasting damage (and for some of them? its mutual. and im sorry for that, regardless of how i feel about your treatment of me im truly sorry for my actions. that probably sounds fake and anyway i digress) 

and if youre a complete stranger? someone who follows me but has never interacted with anything ive posted? a mutual i havent spoken to yet? im here. and im bumbling, and awkward, and not the best at comfort but you can always come to me if you need someone. im only one man and im under a lot of stress but i swear ill do the best i can, even if its only reading and replying 3 days later and even then just listening and offer whatever gentle comfort or reassurance youll accept. 

because thats important to me. thats the impact i want to leave on this world. i dont ever want anyone to feel as small, as scared, as worthless, as alone as i have. im no fighter. im not going to lead any revolutions and hell im too anxious to even go to protests but im here for support. im here to help and heal. and thats important too

--

and if you listened to that? thank you. if you just skimmed? thank you for that too. if you shared it with someone? thank you (so much). and if you dont? thank you anyways, just for the time

just know this: i love you. i dont care who you are, if youre reading this i love you and im behind you 100%. im here if you need it. stay strong, do something that makes you smile if only for a moment. take that leap of faith. dont restrict yourself for even a second

i meant to go to bed at least two hours ago so goodnight <3 be safe, drink some water, if you have any kind of pet give it some love. take care of yourself. youre the most important person in your own world and never forget that, even if you dont think you are. even if theres something or someone you treasure above everything else. dont diminish your own worth! you are alive, and you are here, and theres nothing more important than that, really. the things you love matter more than anything else. hold them close

[dragonogon]

possible connection between the barrier and dark fountains in undertale and deltarune

Okay so, like, this is just me copy and pasting my thoughts from a twitter thread i made (link to it here) with some added thoughts that couldn’t fit in the tweets on my twitter. so i apologize in advance if my train of thought here seems a bit messy. this isn’t really a theory, moreso outloud brainstorming. if anyone wants to add onto this or sees a connection that i dont, feel free to add onto this. this is also meant to be food for thought as well. 

Start of the brainstorming below the line

=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

honestly i think there's a connection between the barrier in undertale and the dark fountains in deltarune but idk what it could be and the only evidence i have to back it up is the power of the human soul either destroys or weakens them

the barrier, you need 7 human souls to break it, or 1 human, 1 monster soul to go through to the other side

dark fountains: one human soul to seal/destroy them (idk if they're implied to be destroyed or not)

so i do feel there's a connection there. whether its just a callback or an important lore thing, i genuinely have no idea.

my crackpot theory was the underground is a pseudo dark world of sorts and due to the barrier not being sealed but rather destroyed, that could mean several things???? i have no idea really as that would mean everyone is in their dark world forms when that makes no sense.

though i dont think we've seen any of the characters first introduced in undertale go into the dark world yet, so if their dark world designs are at all similar to their undertale designs it could strengthen the connection. the only hole i can think of is sans. just simply because well, he's sans.

part of my pseudo dark world underground theory is that when the barrier was destroyed, it didnt seal dark energy, but rather spread it and let it creep out thus explaining why their designs are the same but that feels like a huge stretch.

though i am curious, how many times is the word "seal" used in deltarune and undertale, and in what context? because the only other time i can think of it being used is in the intro when it says the humans sealed the monsters underground???

and if we bring in the theory of flowey knowing about darkners (him saying "monsters, humans, everyone" with "everyone" being symbolized by him turning his face into 3 circles ala seam's eye) then it also adds a whole other layer onto that.

and im not really sure if the same rules from undertale apply in deltarune, at least in regards to the power of the soul. i feel like the end of a monster's life is the same (enemies turning into dust if you use snowgrave, and the "fallen down" comatose-esque state).

so that could be evidence to point towards the rules being the same thus the barrier is a form of dark fountain due to it reacting to soul energy in a different way. but again we don't have much to go off of at the moment so it's really hard to know for sure.

personally i do feel like there's a connection between the barrier, the dark fountains, and the dark world in some way. especially since papyrus describes sans' room as like "a whole other world".

but then again who knows if that should be taken literally as papyrus calls toriel a female clone of asgore. i forget the exact quote, but the reason i bring that up is because it feels like papyrus is either cracking a lot of jokes or just doesn't know what's going on and tries to ralationize it in his head by saying that type of stuff. but there is evidence he could mean it literally, the light under sans' door is the same one thats under the warp doors in deltarune.

so there could be a parallel there and thus could explain why flowey knows about darkners when he reasonably shouldnt, as if this crackpot of a theory is true then we could assume that sans' door leads to both his room and a different location in the underground.

which would give more strength to the barrier being a dark fountain.

god i sound like a conspiracy theorist here and i have no idea if i'm making any sense at all, im just trying to explain how i even thought of that in the first place tbh lol

[minnievirizarry]

15 Tips to Building a Better Social Media Presence

If you’re a brand today, there’s a non-zero chance you’re on social media in some way, shape or form.

But many brands have an active, thriving social media presence?

And how much of them are just sort of there?

Reality check: you can’t expect much from social when you post random links, @mention a few folks and call it a day.

You need some structure. You need a strategy.

After all, you don’t reach the level of Wendy’s on Twitter totally by accident.

Remember when you were like 7 and thought changing your name to Thunder BearSword would be super cool? Like that, but our cheeseburgers are still better.

— Wendy's (@Wendys) June 11, 2018

And likewise, there’s a reason why GoPro’s Instagram posts get “likes” by the tens of thousands.

Photo of the Day: Not knowing where the path leads is what #TravelTuesday is all about. 🗺 @brymza explores the wetlands of Costa Rica while on vacation with his wife. 🛩 Share your #GoProTravel with us at gopro.com/awards. • • • #GoPro #CostaRica #LandscapePhotography #Exploring

A post shared by GoPro (@gopro) on Jun 12, 2018 at 9:50am PDT

And although some of these brands might have blockbuster budgets, the principles they use to create an awesome social presence can be replicated by businesses of all sizes.

Struggling for followers? Stuck on what to do with your social accounts? We’ve all been there.

That’s why we’ve broken the bite-sized tips any brand can follow to get their social media presence off the ground.

Now, let’s dive in!

1. Set SMART Goals

Pop quiz: why are you on social media in the first place?

If your answer is resounding “Uhh…” or “Everyone else is on it,” you might have a problem.

The concept of SMART goals has been around for decades, but they are so important to your social media presence today.

In short, brands should set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

An example of a good SMART goal for social media marketing would be something like “Well increase our Twitter response rate by 25% by the end of the first quarter.”

Specific: “We’ve specifically identified the social channel (Twitter) and a metric (response rate).”

Measurable: “The response rate can be measured from the Sprout Social dashboard.”

Achievable: “We didn’t make an outlandish goal of say, a 100% increase in 10 days.”

Relevant: “Our goal will have an impact on our overall social media presence, making it very relevant.”

Time-bound: “The goal has to be met by the end of the first quarter.”

Assigning your social media efforts a concrete purpose helps you avoid the trap of posting aimlessly.

2. Identify Your Audience

After you’ve outlined your goals, you need to outline your target audience.

Pro-tip: “everyone” is not an audience.

Maybe it’s prospective customers. Perhaps it’s industry players and influencers. Either way, breaking down your audience will help you figure out the following:

Which social media sites you’re active on

Your posting schedule

The type of content you publish

Your brand’s voice

The information in your profiles

Many brands spin their wheels because they don’t post content that speaks to a defined audience. Spend some time looking at your audience personas, understanding what their challenges are and what brands they already love via social. This sort of competitive analysis can help you understand how your own social media presence can stand out from the crowd.

3. Be Human

This is a big one.

One of the worst mistakes to make on social media is coming off as the faceless corporation with zero personality. In the modern age of transparency, people want to get to know your company on a more personal level.

Many brands today crack jokes and aren’t afraid to talk to their followers like they would their friends. Whereas brands were once lambasted for coming off like robots, a human social media presence has become an expectation among many followers.

We got you 👀 https://t.co/Rw1tf3geVr

— Warby Parker (@WarbyParker) June 14, 2018

Similarly, showing off the human side of your brand means showing off the faces behind your social feeds. Whether it’s office photos or snapshots of your team “in the wild,” getting personal with your followers can help you form a much-needed connection.

Yesterday, #TeamModCloth took the day off to give back to Los Angeles Mission @thelamission, PATH West LA @hopeforla, Golden Gate National Parks @goldengatenps, Larkin Street Youth Services @larkinstreetyouth, SF Public Library's #SFPride Programming @sfpubliclibrary, The Garment Project @thegarmentproject, Free Store 15104 @freestore15104, Heritage Community Initiatives @heritageserves, Raphael House SF @raphaelhousesf, Venice Beach cleanup, and #PittsburghPride cleanup. Watch our IG Story for more highlights from the day. #ModClothGiving #ModCloth ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Regram: @shibby_15 So proud to work at a company that takes time to give back. #TeamModCloth went clean the beach today. Also, our design team made us these super cute shirts. ❤️

A post shared by ModCloth (@modcloth) on Jun 13, 2018 at 4:45pm PDT

And hey, that leads us directly to our next point!

4. Seek Relationships, Not Just Followers

We can debate all day whether or not your follower count is a vanity metric.

That said, having 100 followers who regularly engage with you and your content are infinitely more valuable than 10,000 that ignore you.

It might be cliche to say, but don’t leave the “social” out of your social media presence. The beauty of social is that you can form relationships in an instant with followers from just about anywhere.

For example, Sprout Social’s own #SproutChat gives us the opportunity to regularly connect with our lovely followers who are likewise stoked to get in touch with us.

Got my jams going for #sproutchat with sprout-stagram famous @sproutdarryl!! My desk dance isn't as good as his data dance but whatevs… pic.twitter.com/p9Any0zmVZ

— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) June 13, 2018

If you’re not exactly sure where to start when it comes to relationship-building, here are some quick ideas:

Always @mention people you reference in your social media posts

Answer questions people ask

Reply when people @mention you or share your content

Don’t just Retweet and Like other people’s content; reply with a comment to start a conversation

5. Create an Editorial Calendar

Spoiler alert: sticking to a content schedule isn’t just something “extra” that brands do.

If there’s a common thread between the biggest brands on social, it’s that they post on a consistent basis.

Chances are you’re juggling multiple social channels and are trying to make sure you tick a lot of boxes in terms of descriptions and when to post, right? Consider how a content calendar can make the process much easier by…

Allowing you to fine-tune each of your posts for each platform without having to jump between sites.

Timing your posts to maximize engagement, keeping you from having to constantly post in real-time.

Avoid repeating the same content over and over again, ensuring each of your articles or pictures gets the most love possible.

In short, taking the time to make a schedule does double duty of keeping your social media presence organized while also maximizing your contents’ reach.

6. Automate the Right Way

Automation is all the rage in marketing right now, and for good reason.

However, you can’t expect to successfully put your social presence on autopilot and walk away.

For example, mass auto-replying has gone the way of the dinosaur as it typically comes across as insincere. This now-classic tweet from Bank of America is a good example of how to turn your social followers off via improper automation.

Fast-forward to present day and it’s clear that customer care is a piece of social media that should be personalized, not autmoated.

That said, automation in the form of scheduling or curating content is totally fair game. Just avoid it when you’re dealing with actual customers or followers’ questions.

This is why brands rely on social tools to help curate pieces of content already approved by marketing leaders. Bambu by Sprout Social, is in fact, just that piece of software needed to turn your employees into brand advocates. Tap into your workforce to help build your presence!

7. Focus on Helping Over Selling

Although social selling is indeed on the rise, rarely should your social media presence be about the “hard sell.”

Sure, if you’re in ecommerce it makes sense to push offers and deals to your followers. What’s more important, though, is answering the questions of followers whether through replies or content marketing.

Thanks for reaching out! For information on where savings for Prime members are available, see https://t.co/tx5kV2YYCf

— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) June 14, 2018

If your followers ask a question, you should respond in a timely manner.

And if your followers seem to be buzzing about a particular problem, you should craft content that speaks directly to it.

By offering solutions to problems instead of just pitching your products all the time, you’re proving your company is an authority and potentially earning a lifelong customer.

8. Optimize Your Accounts for Engagement

First thing’s first: don’t let the word “optimization” freak you out.

Unlike SEO, social media optimization isn’t particularly technical. That said, profiles can be optimized through imagery, keywords and fully filling out your account information.

For example, brands can use their Instagram bio to link to promotions, advertise their hashtag and let their brand’s voice be heard.

Similarly, a well-crafted Twitter profile with the right @mentions and HD imagery can signal your authority, helping you attract more followers.

And as noted in our guide for conducting a Facebook audit, a fully optimized page with complete business info can actually help your page rank better in Google.

Some quick ways to optimize your social media presence across your various accounts include:

Adding relevant keywords in your profile (hint: but not stuffing them)

Sharing content related to your industry—including keywords and hashtags in your posts

Connecting with popular accounts in your industry to additional exposure (hint: don’t be afraid to follow others)

9. When in Doubt, Get Visual

No matter where you’re posting, photo and video content are totally killing it right now.

Instagram’s image-based platform is exploding.

Facebook notes that Live videos get six times the engagement versus any other type of content.

And for those looking for more Twitter followers, graphics and videos get way more shares than text-based posts.

The highest exposure of fake news:https://t.co/9uerk7wZBI pic.twitter.com/QX2ZhoVUzL

— Forbes (@Forbes) June 15, 2018

The good news is that getting visual doesn’t mean you need any sort of insane equipment or a full-blown production budget. Instead, consider imagery such as:

Team photos or videos

Photos of customers

Photos of events

Behind-the-scenes photos and videos

Quote photos

Infographics

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Juantastico: Break the Trend

It's easy to get stuck in a routine, but creativity lives outside the lines. Take it from Juantastico, grab a #Sharpie and Break the Trend! #SharpieSquad

Posted by Sharpie on Friday, December 1, 2017

And with so many tools to create social images and videos already out there, it’s easier than ever to get visual with your audience.

10. Make Your Presence Known

If you’ve gone through the legwork of establishing your social media presence, you need to let the world know.

From homepage feeds to icons on your site footer or email signature, anyone who comes in contact with your brand should only be a click away from becoming a long-term follower.

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram feeds can all be easily integrated into your site with little more than a copy-paste code. Check out how ThinkGeek makes their social feeds a must-see on-site.

Cross-promotion on your website and through other social channels is a proactive way to grow your following over time.

11. Stay Active

Inactive social feeds are a bad look for brands, plain and simple. Rather than let your Facebook or Instagram gather cobwebs, you need to “show up” day after day with fresh content.

Some quick tips to help you stay active include:

Incorporating social scheduling and automation to save time and energy.

Picking and prioritizing your social networks based on your audience location.

Finding ways to repurpose content so you’d not always trying to reinvent the wheel.

Staying active on social doesn’t have to be a total time-suck. Through scheduling or simply blocking out 10-15 minute chunks throughout, you can post content and respond to customer concerns without wasting time. Also, you can try to base your activity around best times to post on social media to maximize engagement.

12. Piggyback on What’s Trending

Between breaking news, trending hashtags or whatever the latest meme might be, brands always have room to get topical with their content. This is a great opportunity not only to build off of buzz of an existing trend, but also show off your brand’s personality.

Oreo came through with a jelly donut flavor just in time for #NationalDonutDay. Would you try it? https://t.co/IjPsqB1Uhc pic.twitter.com/xIrvEb8pxQ

— Complex (@Complex) June 2, 2017

For example, understanding the in’s and out’s of hashtags can help you brainstorm time-sensitive topics you can piggyback on. Of course, tread lightly with anything overtly political or controversial that could isolate your audience.

13. Don’t Be Afraid to Pay

Like it or not, social media at large isn’t the totally “free” channel it once was. While there’s still plenty that can be done organically, Facebook’s updated algorithm and new business features being rolled out Instagram signal a clear need for businesses to experiment with ads.

It’s not just ads that deserve your attention, though. Looking at the recent boom of influencer marketing, paid relationships among social movers and shakers is becoming more and more common.

The good news is that both social ads and influencer marketing can have an insane ROI. Between laser-targeting on Facebook or tapping into hyper-engaged influencer audiences, a paid strategy certainly has its time and place depending on your business’ social goals.

14. Use Tools to Monitor Your Activity

When people complain about the lack of ROI they’re seeing from social, there’s a good chance they aren’t taking social seriously.

Just like we’re often knee-deep in Google Analytics data, marketers need to treat social with the same sort of scrutiny. There are tons of analytics tools out there to help you identify your top-performing content, performance trends and essential break down your social media presence by the numbers. These data points can help you treat social media less like a guessing game and more like a science.

15. Create Content People Actually Want to See

If you want to stand out on social media, you can’t just parrot the content everyone else is posting.

In short, you need to create.

Whether you’re trying to build yourself up as a thought leader or want to stand apart from your competitors, original content is exactly how you’re going to make it happen.

Perhaps it’s your original blog posts, research or infographics.

Maybe it’s an eye-popping snapshot you took during your last vacation.

Or hey, it might be an opinionated rant on the state of your industry.

Either way, you should strive to post content that forces your followers to stop in their tracks. There’s a lot of noise out here on social media: make it a goal to break through it.

@ronnaldong takes creativity to new heights 🦒. This month we're sharing images that are out of the ordinary. Share your eye-catching work using #Adobe_Unexpected for a chance to be featured.

A post shared by Adobe (@adobe) on May 1, 2018 at 3:28pm PDT

What Does Your Business’ Social Media Presence Look Like?

Listen: there is no “secret” or turnkey solution for a better social media presence.

Instead, there are small tactics and strategies that can help you build toward social accounts that prime for engagement.

And yeah, fifteen tips might seem like a lot on the surface. That said, these principles are staples of brands killing it on social right now. If you can follow them yourself, you’re already way ahead of the game.

We want to hear from you, though. What’s something you struggle with when it comes to your social media presence? Any tips or tactics that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

This post 15 Tips to Building a Better Social Media Presence originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/building-social-media-presence/