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theartofwoompwoomps · 2 months ago

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Doubts wouldn’t stop us anyway

Wheeljack x human! reader

Summary: He thinks his crush on you will gross you out

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Now, scientists were beings who are very calculative and logical. But we already know Wheeljack is no normal scientist.

Usually many his inventions end up exploding, but that never stops him. The data and results could be against him, but he’d try again and again until he sees through it.

But this was something out of his expertise.

He was never to interested in getting close to the humans. to many cons against the pros, one of them being that humans are extremely fragile and he is a literally a walking hazard.

But, the friendship he had with you just sorta happened.

Something the neither of you planned but it was there, and even if he never said it out loud, he truly appreciates you.

And again life decided to throw at him another variable. Though this one wasn’t as simple as the last.

He hadn’t realized at first, but one day you just became everything he could think of.

As he worked on machines, he thought about your reaction. When someone spoke about humans, he was suddenly very interested in the conversation. Always imagining what are doing, if you’re eating, resting, or on your way.

So many details that were whispered only got louder with the time.

He loves you. He loves you romantically.

Shock at not reading the signs sooner he began to worry. His mind rushing up a storm, all kinds of thoughts invading his mind.

The signs, worry, love, fear, acceptance, rejection, and… your reaction.

Throughout the whole time he was subconsciously in delulu land he never once thought about what you’d think of his feelings.

He’s heard the topic being spoken before by other humans and autobots, but many found the idea uncomfortable and not possible.

Would you feel that way too?

Would you also think he’s gross for feeling this was? For wanting more with you? Was it truly wrong for him to experience these emotions?

He didn’t know.

This had never occurred before. Scientists usually are very determined to deal with the unknown. But this type of problem was harder for him to tackle.

And when he saw your face, the way your smile stretched and your eyes crinkled from joy, he couldn’t help want to cherish you even more.

But,… just thinking about your precious smile straining in discomfort if you ever found out the truth always held him back. The fear of losing you as friend and colleague hurting him and preventing him from revealing anything.

But he should have known You knew him well. As a matter of fact, you knew him too well.

You noticed for awhile now that he seemed more distant and stressed. Which is why you convinced him to at least let you cheer him up.

Doing your best to converse with him happy memories and topics that interested him, you saw that it worked for a bit, but then, his gaze left yours and his face was a bit more serious.

You see, you were currently sitting on his thigh almost at the edge pf his knee. It’s been awhile since he let you be so close. Worried that if you were, his own body would betray him and the truth would slip through.

He had to look away. Everything was a bit much overwhelming at the moment. Many emotions rushing through him.

But when he felt your small hands caressing his thigh in comfort, he felt his walls start to crack.

Beating you from asking he decided to ask you something instead. “Usually, when you, let’s say want find a partner, romantically. What do you usually look for.”

Real subtle chump.

His question was a bit unexpected for you. Wondering if he was just trying to change the topic again. “Well,. Usually for someone who would truly love me the way it should be. Someone who thinks of a relationship as something long term and not just a moment.”

He was following along to every word you said. Focus on all the details, checking to see if any he needed to obtain. But you didn’t know this. Not sure why he wanted to know, you decided to see if he opened up a bit on the topic as well. Interested to know if they had something similar.

“Though that’s a pretty basic and simple response. Regardless of that, why’d you want to know? Do cybertronian have something similar?”

His optics widen at your intrigue but his own spark aching to have you fully understand the length his love has reach. “Um, well guess curiosity. I heard someone mention something the other day,” now that surprise you. Usually nothing affects the mech, especially not when it came to this topic. “we also have something similar to human partnerships. There called conjunx endura.”

You’ve heard that word before, but from what you’ve heard it wasn��t something really done anymore. “Oh that’s interesting. How would you describe it? Maybe the emotions are similar.”

His gaze not leaving you, he wondered if he could answer this question without giving anything away. “Hmm, I never had one before. But I know the emotions for your conjunx are intense. It makes you feel all sorts of emotions for them.” “Yeah it does doesn’t it.”

You said that so softly. But what threw him off was your eyes. They were different from before. He’s never seen make that face at him it did things to him and his spark.

Caught of guard you could tell he got a bit nervous. “Ye-yeah, that’s right. I assume it’s the same for you?” Changing the topic he worried you might catch on.

“Oh definitely, but you know, I think that makes it even more special.” Raising his brow at that, “cause if you think about it, not just anyone can do that. Only that person. Or well, being. It makes the effort to treat them right all worth it.”

“It does.” His breath shaky and his body trembling a bit, he wondered if you’d still think that way if he followed what you said. If he made the effort to show you his feelings.

And honestly you wanted to know what was going on with him.

His reaction wasn’t normal.

He’s never been so different around you before. But it’s strange, it doesn’t feel like the change is necessarily bad. You might be imagining it, but you’re pretty sure his optics are dilated.

And if it’s anything like human biology you might have an idea of his problem. You kinda hope so, you had a thing for the mech yourself.

“Wheeljack,” oh primus he loves it when you say his name. Leaning his head towards you to listen you seem to hesitate a bit, “would you ever date a human?”

What…did he hear that right?…

Now his optics were blown wide open as you felt your face flush a bit. “Don’t answer that it was an impulsive question.”

But how could he ignore it? Especially when your reaction let on more than what you thought. Maybe you wouldn’t push him away after all.

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Masterlist

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vikochub · 2 months ago

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actuallyidontgiveadamn · 2 years ago

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i've never been vocal about bnha before but chapter 382 leaks depiction of AFO and Hawks as equal opposites got me so good I will explode if I don't rant about it and Hawks character development in general

If you want to read about the chapter 382 only, skip to the part with the manga pages

But I think it's necessary to start from the beginning so here are my quick thoughts

Given his late introduction, sparse appearances and mostly support role in any given situation Hawks can be narratively classified as a side character even to side characters (pro-heroes, with students being the main heroes). Within the narrative he himself insists on being a support to other heroes, from cheering them up (mostly through manipulating emotions and lying, but that's a topic for another rant) to gathering information on the enemy, and assisting in fights.

What I think we the readers and he himself has been failing to see is that he's not just supporting, he's actually leading. He was initially shown as an arrogant hero who works alone and ignores his sidekicks and interns because he couldn't bother with them being slow, but the moment a given situation gets more serious we can see that he's actually good at working with others. He's good at reading people and circumstances, bending any given situation even as it actively unfolds, manipulating people and coordinating fights.

When we first see him, he successfully pulls an 'ignorant brat' stunt on both public and heroes, which manipulates public opinion on Endeavor and Endeavor's opinion on him, both to his desired outcomes.

The High-End fight was basically staged by him, and when it happens in the middle of a city very much not according to plan he still manages to ensure that it ends with no casualties.

Operation against the PLF is once again his doing and I personally would've very much loved to see him coordinating it instead of being incapacitated at the very start.

Then again, the moment he gets up from the hospital bed, he's taking everything in his hands. He encourages Endeavor to keep fighting by walking in on his family meeting just at the right time (absolutely not a coincidence) and saying just the right words. He's the one to come up with heroes' public speech. He appears to support Deku and other heroes politely suggesting what they should do and how they should behave when basically he's giving orders right and left to three most experienced and proper adult heroes. All while being a crippled 23yo who never had a normal life. He's two days out of Comissions control, he's injured beyond recognition, and he opts to leading others, which he still views as just supporting them.

And now the final fight against the final Big Bad of the entire series. Hawks enters it yet again considering himself an Endeavor's sidekick. After all, the final battle should be between the Worst Villain and the Top Hero, right? And then this rapidly changes to show us who is actually carrying that fight. Even while Endeavor is still fighting, we see how Hawks is the one coordinating the fight and keeping Endeavor focused.

When Endeavor falls, Hawk's role as the leader shines to its fullest. He is still crippled and so he understands he's no match to AFO and yet he's succesfull in fighting, stalling, manipulating, and annoying the main villain.

He denies AFO leaving, denies him proceeding with his plans, gets support from other heroes and supports them in return, he's now successfully leading a team effort. And even though Hawks doesn't know who may or may not come to his aid, he's fast to adapt to the changes. He's relentless and AFO is noticing it.

Enters chapter 382 and its composition.

Hawks is now actually mirrored to AFO. Through art and panels and phrases.

First of all notice how they are being simultaneously addressed to as "2人の男" - "Two men". Their panels are obviously mirrored despite them not actually facing each other since Hawks is standing behind Tokoyami's back at the moment and AFO is in the air. This mirror is getting even better in the page below. They now have a same sentence for both of them with a one word difference.

For AFO it's "The situation still isn't the best" and for Hawks "The situation still isn't the worst", with 'best' and 'worst' written on their respective sides.

Then we get main focus of this chapter on Toga, but in the end we're brought full circle to AFO and Hawks, with the same mirror panels and almost the exact same sentence again.

Once again 'two men' and once again 'the situation' sentence starts being written for both characters but then it changes.

First of all 'still' (まだ) changes to 'already' (もう), and continues for AFO as 'The situation is already becoming the best'. But then suddenly it starts over and has 'still' in it as in the beginning. As if Hawks is refusing to recognise the change of circumstances in AFO's favor. For Hawks it's 'The situation is still' - and then even continued by Hawks himself speaking it out loud - "not the worst"'. Hawks insists on saying 'still' though he too clearly sees that things just got worse for the heroes. (And I have a feeling that this sentence and Hawks' response is a big nod to his "I'm an optimist" line).

So in this chapter Hawks is obviously shown as an equal opposite to AFO. He's finally acknowledged having the same role as the mastermind and the leader but on the heroes' side. Throughout the battle (and the whole previous manga) he's been shown as smart, quick-thinking, both parts supportive and leading, and most of all unyielding despite all the circumstances. Getting him finally recognised for these qualities is a huge development and an acknowledgement for a 'side character'.

Insane part is that he himself still doesn't seem to get it. At that moment he's supporting Tokoyami and feeling unworthy of it.

#bnha #bnha hawks #mha #mha hawks #bnha 381 #bnha 382 #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers

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rocorambles · 5 years ago

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Redemption

Pairing: Ushijima x Reader

Genre: NSFW, Fluff and Smut

Warnings: Slight Size Kink

Summary: When you find out Ushijima is a virgin, you offer to be his first and help him out. But in reality, you might be the one who needs some help.

Requested by Anon

There’s a comfortable quiet atmosphere between the two of you as Ushijima hands you a clean towel while you pant for breath. Technically speaking, there’s no reason why the two of you need to be together today on one of the few days the Schweiden Adlers had off, but you had a soft spot for the pro-athlete, so when he had asked if you wanted to go workout together at the team training gym, you agreed. You couldn’t deny you needed some exercise. Being a team manager didn’t mean you worked out much yourself, so you looked forward to sweating some extra calories. But you really should have known better than to expect just a normal workout with Ushijima sternly overseeing your routine.

“Ushijima, you do realize I’m not a pro-athlete like you, right? You can’t expect me to keep up with you.”

“Anyone can do anything if they set their minds on it and work hard enough.”

You roll your eyes before fondly looking at the tall man beside you. Was he a little dense and a little too blunt? Sure. But you saw the heart of gold and genuineness within him. You’d always wondered why the man was still single. You know he’s sometimes an idiot when it comes to social cues and can’t hold small talk to save his life, but you’d seen far worse and less deserving men end up tricking some poor damsel into their spider webs. Surely you’re not the only one who sees the diamond in the rough that Ushijima really is?

You don’t realize you’re intensely staring at him until he uncomfortably shifts. “It’s rude to stare.” You blush and quickly turn away from him, opting to chug your water as a distraction. Checking your phone, you gasp when you realize how late it is. “Shit, sorry, I really need to run…” You trail off and Ushijima narrows his eyes at you as a mischievous grin spreads across your face. He’s all too aware that the look doesn’t mean anything good for him.

“What are you doing tonight?”

There’s a long pause before he grunts out “nothing” and you suddenly seem more intimidating than any opponent he’s faced across the net when your eyes light up and your head moves until it’s only inches away from his own.

“Cool! So you’re going to a party with me then.”

He blinks once at you before completely shutting you down with a resounding no. But really, after knowing you and working in such close proximity with you almost every day, he should realize how relentless you are once your mind is made up.

“When’s the last time you talked to anyone outside of the team, coaches, trainers, and managers? And Tendou doesn’t count since he’s still technically volleyball related.”

Ok, so maybe you had a point there.

“We don’t even have practice for the next few days! So you’ll have time to rest up and recover and be totally back to 100% for the next practice.”

You smile when you see his determined look slip a bit, but your jaw drops at his next words. “I’m not going to a party where you’re just going to ditch me to have sex with someone and then either complain or brag about it to me the next day.”

You frantically cover his mouth with your hands as you nervously look around to make sure no one around had heard him. “USHIJIMA! I tell you these things because I expect you to keep quiet about them. Not just blabber it out for everyone to hear.”

He impassively stares at you and you sigh as you remove your hands from his face before determinedly looking at him again. “But actually since you’ve already brought it up, I noticed you never have any spicy stories to tell me! It’s not fair if I’m the one who’s always sharing. When’s the last time you even had sex? It has to be stressful to not let off some steam in a more enjoyable way than volleyball.” (Although you secretly wonder if Ushijima finds volleyball more pleasurable than sex. You wouldn’t doubt it.) But you squint as he suddenly seems less stoic than usual and...are his cheeks pink?

“Ushijima, are you embarrassed? I literally tell you about all my sex exploits and you’re embarrassed by me just asking you when the last time you did it was?” Your voice trails off when a suspicion begins to form and your eyes soften as you more gently nudge him. “It’s okay if it’s been a long time. I know how busy you are. It’s not a reflection of you, I promise. But isn’t that more reason to come out with me tonight?” He mumbles something and you lean in, unable to make out the words, but when he repeats them, you freeze.

A virgin? Ushijima was a virgin?

You know you should say something instead of just staring at him like an idiot, but shock numbs you and only when he makes a move to get up and leave do you hastily grab his arm. Your mouth flounders as you try to come up with a response, but when you observe how vulnerable and sensitive the topic seems to be for him, your heart goes out to your friend and you shake the lingering surprise from you.

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. I think it’s kind of sweet actually. Your first time should be special, with someone you really care about. You shouldn’t ever feel ashamed about the fact that you haven’t done it. Hell, I wish I hadn’t been so quick to lose my virginity to some asshole in college.”

You smile when you see his shoulders straighten and maybe it’s the slight upturned twitch of his lips or maybe it’s the way dark olive eyes glow when they look at you, but you don’t even register the words that come tumbling from your lips until they hang heavy in the air.

“I could be your first if you wanted.”

You are a fucking idiot. You scramble to figure out a way to take back those words, already preparing for Ushijima to angrily end any friendship the two of you had, already dreading how you’re going to manage a team when one of the starters hates you. Your mind is reeling so hard from the dark future you’ve painted for yourself in your head that you almost miss what Ushijima says.

“Okay.”

Suffice to say, all plans to go to your party fly out the window and you send an apologetic text to your friend. Ushijima and you go to your respective locker rooms to wash up and freshen up before trekking back to your apartment. The walk isn’t uncomfortable per se, but there’s an electric energy radiating between the two of you as you walk silently next to each other. And shit, you’re not the virgin, but why is your heart beating so hard and so fast that you think it might literally explode from your chest? You scowl at yourself as your hands tremble when you unlock and open your front door and when Ushijima’s back is turned to you as he removes his shoes, you mentally slap yourself to get it together.

With renewed confidence, you firmly grasp his larger wrist and tug him along to your bedroom where you gently push him onto the bed. You take a moment to revel in the power you feel from being in charge of the stronger, larger man underneath you and arousal stirs within you from Ushijima’s submission and willingness to let you have your way with him. It’s the most vulnerable you’ve ever seen him and your heart warms as you lean down to softly kiss him, smiling against his lips when you feel him tentatively reciprocate. Kissing Ushijima feels like what you imagine completing a satisfying day's work on the farm feels like. You can almost taste the sturdiness, the comforting warmth of a fireplace burning as you return from the fields, and the authentic, humble roots on his lips. There’s no frills, no pretenses. It’s purely Ushijima and you love it.

You think you could spend all night just kissing him if you wanted to, but you remind yourself of tonight’s mission. You trail your fingers down his chest until you reach the hem of his shirt which you begin to roll up until it reaches the top of his torso and he helps you fully remove it. Sitting upright on his thighs, you can feel yourself salivate as you take in the broad expanse of his upper body on display for you. You’ve seen it before, but in the dim light of your bedroom and splayed across your bedsheets, it’s mesmerizing and you can’t help the way you unconsciously run your hands across every inch of taut muscle and kiss random lines across chiseled lines. You smirk when you feel Ushijima’s groin thrust up when you coyly flick a nipple with your tongue and you stare at him as you begin to suck on the hardening bud, drinking in the sight of the usually reserved man letting out breathy moans as you continue your ministrations.

You want to tease him more, coax more sounds out of him, but the feeling of something hard prodding your stomach keeps you moving on and you pointedly tug on the waistband of his pants until he gets the memo and raises his hips to allow you to remove everything until he’s completely bare before you. And any confidence you had built up shatters.

If you’re entirely honest, you’d had your fair share of wet dreams imagining what Ushijima was hiding underneath his shorts, but when faced with reality that’s somehow even larger than anything you had even dreamt of, you bite your bottom nervously as your pussy clenches at the thought of trying to fit him inside of you. You’re not sure if it’s lust or nerves that has your stomach twisting as you wrap a hand around his impressive girth. Probably both, you think, as your throat goes dry and your thighs squeeze together when you see how your entire fist barely covers less than half of him.

Your attention is brought back to the man underneath you when you hear a low groan as you stroke your fist up and down his shaft, giving some extra attention to the leaking slit at the tip. Your other hand reaches underneath your panties and circles your clit. You’ll need to be absolutely drenched before you can even think of trying to take him. But it’s not hard for your cunt to become a sopping mess when you stare in awe at the way Ushijima writhes underneath you, releasing low breathy pants and grunts that you can feel rumbling throughout his body. Already feeling a wet spot seeping through your clothes, you affectionately kiss him once more before briefly getting up to quickly strip down. His eyes hungrily devour the sight of your naked figure as you crawl back above him and adjust your position until you feel his tip nudging at your entrance.

You close your eyes and moan as you slowly lower yourself onto him, but even as wet as you are, you can barely take half of him inside you as he stretches you far beyond any person or any toy has. Yet, despite the discomfort and borderline pain of the stretch, you feel even more of your arousal dripping down your thigh as you continuously lift and lower yourself, always pushing slightly harder, slightly further than where you’d been before. Your eyes roll back from the feeling of being so full and your nails dig into Ushijima’s shoulders as you desperately continue to work his entire length into you. But you reach your limit and you swear you can feel him inside of your womb even though there’s still about a quarter more of his cock waiting to penetrate you. You take a deep breath and exhale as you try to sink further down, but you let out a broken moan when fingers twist and tug your nipples.

Ushijima intensely observes you as he kneads your fleshy mounds, playing with your hardened nubs until he sees the tiny furrow on your forehead smooth out. He sits up and bends his neck to soothingly kiss you. A primal instinct in him had been entranced at the sight of your much smaller figure struggling to take just a part of him and he had to use every bit of will power he had to not instantly cum at the feeling of your warm and wet walls squeezing around him. But when he saw the hints of pain you tried to push past written all over your face, a desire to make you feel only pleasure had overtaken him.

He continues running his fingers across your chest as your tongues twist and turn against each other and you moan into his mouth as you reach a hand down to furiously rub against your clit until you feel another surge of arousal and more fluids run down your inner thigh. You guide his hands to your waist before continuing to rub your clit and you urge him to help you as you clash your lips against his once more. But you tear away from his mouth in a silent scream as he grabs you and forcefully pushes you down and down until your lower bodies press tightly against each other, any space between them removed. Ushijima’s eyes are glued to your face and he takes in the way your eyes widen and your jaw drops open as you claw at his arms, leaving angry red trails as your body tries to adjust to literally being stuffed full. He patiently waits until your nails stop their frantic clawing and he drops his forehead to your shoulder with a groan as you begin to rock your hips up and down.

He can feel the sloppy mess you’re making as you continue to flood the sheets underneath with your seemingly never ending arousal, but he can’t bring himself to care as your pace speeds up until you’re practically bouncing in his lap as you desperately chase your end. You scream when he tightens his grip on your waist and assists you, slamming you down and easily picking you up before slamming you down again, perfectly matching your rhythm until everything blends together and you don’t even know who’s doing what anymore. All you know is the feeling of Ushijima’s cock sliding and pressing against every inch and every crevice of your pussy, filling you so well you wonder if you’ll ever be satisfied with anything else inside of you after this.

You can’t even bring yourself to feel ashamed by the wanton wail you let out as you reach a higher peak than you’ve ever reached before and your entire body shakes with pleasure as Ushijima continues to lift and lower your body even without any support from you until he harshly pushes you down one last time and holds you still as he releases thick spurts deep inside of you, so deep that even in the haze of your orgasm you’re grateful you’re on birth control because you’re sure he’s coating your actual womb with how far inside he seems to reach. You slump into his chest and let yourself be maneuvered by him until the two of you are lying side by side, facing each other, your lower bodies still intimately connected.

The two of you lay there for a while and you instinctively nuzzle your face into his chest as his arms tenderly wrap around you, pulling you even closer to him and you both take quiet comfort in the sounds of your heavy breaths filling the air. But when your heart beats slow and your breathing evens out, you cringe in embarrassment.

“Ushijima, I’m so sorry. This was your first time. I should have been the one taking care of you, but you ended up needing to step in and take charge.” There’s a stretch of silence before you feel one of his arms move and a hand lightly nudges your head up to look at him. Your heart flutters when you see the most gentle smile you’ve ever seen on his face.

“Wakatoshi. Call me Wakatoshi.”

You see a flash of uncertainty in his usually confident eyes as he hesitantly inches his face closer to yours, but you grin as you meet him halfway and your lips slot against each other like two puzzle pieces perfectly connecting. You close your eyes and relish the peaceful moment for a bit before using the element of surprise and pushing against him until he’s on his back underneath you once more. You playfully clench your pussy walls and smirk at the way he throws his head back and hisses at the feeling. You can feel him begin to harden once more inside of you and when he looks back at you, you shoot a wink his way.

“Let me redeem myself, Wakatoshi.”

#haikyuu smut #ushijima x reader #ushijima #haikyuu fic #haikyuu #haikyuu writing #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios

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lovestrucked-again · 5 years ago

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Fond | J.Jaehyun

NCT m.list Summary: Just heavy smut with your professor..

Genre: smuT Pairing: Professor X female reader Word count: 2.2k

Warning: SMUT, non-consent sex, fingering, oral sex, explicit content, unprotected sex, yandere like personality, 18+

NOT OKAY IN REAL LIFE, please avoid this if you’re uncomfortable. _______

You pack your things as fast as you can, ready with the plan to rush out of the building as quickly as possible. You were late to the gathering your friends had planned earlier in the week. Being the last one out, you collide with your professor at the door, mumbling out an incoherent string of apologies.

“What’s the rush?” He asks.

“I’m running late to a gathering with some friends.” You explain, picking up your books from the floor.

“I can give you a lift if you’d like.” He offers, motioning to the luxury sedan parked in view.

“Oh no, it’s alright.” You smile, blushing at the offer.

“Let me, it’s my fault your late.” He pushes.

You decide to accept it, “Thank you.” You were feeling bad about being late but the possibility of spending some time with the new professor excited you.

As he drives, you chat about the college, the other professors, his previous college and all your current classes. The topic of dating is thrown around briefly before he smoothly changes the topic. He was charming, making you laugh instantly, giggling at the little comments. Jaehyun was young for a professor and he was a popular choice within the females. Your eyes skimmed over his long, lean figure as you conversed, occasionally glancing a little too low. A significant bulge was visible. Damn

You think back to your current actions, noticing your left hand playing with your hair, your right hand placed along the lines of your exposed thigh in a skirt. Omg I’m flirting with him right now.

A few minutes later and Jaehyun pulls up to the curb at the café where your meeting your friends. It was almost noon so most of the tables were full, your friends standing around an outdoor table. Jaehyun pulls up closer to them and you wave at them smiling. Your friends look over in awe, pointing towards you, but they don't wave.

“Ahh the windows heavily tinted so I don't think they’ll see you.” Jaehyun tells you. “It’s also soundproof.” He comments, smirking very slightly at the mention.

“I see, thanks for the ride professor.” You smile innocently at him, pausing with your hand against the door handle. Is he going to give me a sign he’s interested? But he just smiles at you in silence.

You nod your head in curt and turn around to open the door, but it doesn't budge. Jaehyun reaches across you towards the handle but instead of opening the door, he pushes your seat down, causing you to fall back in surprise.

“Wh-what,” Before your able to react, he jumps across the seats and leans on top of you, pinning you down.

You struggle against his weight pressing against you, his strong grip bringing your wrists above your head, leaving you powerless. After a few moments of intense fighting, you were exhausted and defeated. With cool efficiency, Jaehyun loosens his tie, bringing it over his head and using it as a strap to tie your hands to the headrest. He quickly unbuttons your blouse in a matter of seconds before unclipping your bra and letting it hang.

Moving his fingers lower, he begins to tenderly fondle your breasts, gently kneading your left nipple between his two fingers. The effect it has on you is immediate, a loud gasp of shock followed by a stifled moan coming out of your mouth.

“You like that, don't you baby?” He whispers, his breath hot against your ear.

He runs his free hand up and down your body, caressing the curves of your hip and stroking your other breast. He pulls down your skirt easily and you help him involuntarily. His touch is calm and confident and as much as you hated what was happening, you were becoming aware of the warmth and wetness growing between your legs. You continue moaning and Jaehyun chuckles, leaning forward to kiss you.

You begin to panic again, but you’re not afraid of him, your afraid of the pleasure he was offering you. You push against his body though it’s useless. He doesn't budge, instead he moves down, trailing kisses against your collar, down to your breast. He kisses and licks around the edges, careful to avoid your sensitive area and your body arches, pushing your breast closer to his lips.

“Desperate aren’t we?” He laughs, flicking a tongue over your nipple. His right hand slides possessively around your waist, holding you still, while his left hand moves down. Almost like its tiptoeing downward between your hips and towards the hood of your clit. Just as his finger tip brushes, he pulls back, causing a mewl sound to escape from you while you attempt to squeeze your legs together for some friction.

“Jaeh-,”

“That’s professor to you.” He growls, pinching at your nipple with more pressure than before. You scream at the sudden pain and the corner of your eyes prick with tears. “Do you understand?”

“Yes pro-professor,” you whimper.

“Good,” He hums in content.

Through the window, you see one of your friends picking up their phone and making a call. You can hear the vibration of your phone in your bag on the floor starting to ring. You try to kick into the bag, hoping to hit the answer key on your phone so you can shout to your friend. However, Jaehyun realises what you’re doing and pins your legs up to your chest. While the phone rings, he takes advantage of the improved access to your pussy, sliding his fingers into you with ease and targeting your spot.

Your moans come out in continuous sounds, unable to hide the involuntary pump of your hips rising as he presses into your rough spot against your insides. As you feel yourself building up, he releases you, letting your legs go free as you sit there panting. The phone has stopped vibrating and you look outside to see your friends have called the waiter over and are now ordering, oblivious to the fact you were right there, being fucked by your professor.

Jaehyun took the time to unzip his pants, pulling them down and letting free his cock.

“Fuck.” The voice breaks you out of your trance and you can’t help but look to see what was going on. As his pants cleared his hips, his cock received more freedom, standing straight out. The long thick shaft with bulging veins, the purple head swollen with pre-cum falling out in drops to be dragged against your hips.

He doesn't do anything, only moving over, kissing all the bits of exposed flesh on your legs, avoiding the soft curls between your thighs.

“Ugh-,” The moans you were releasing only encourages him, taking it along with the reactions of your body. When he reaches the softest area of your flesh, he nibbles lightly, kissing his way around your outer lips as you force back the screams of frustrations. When your finally able to feel his breath against your pussy, you can tell, his own breath is laboured.

“So beautiful.” He purrs, you can feel the tension in his hands as he spreads apart your legs, gazing at the flesh inside. And as your breath hitches, thinking about if you’re really willing to just beg him to hurry up and fuck you, he speaks. “Sorry baby,” and then you feel his face buried against you.

He was no longer gentle, no longer teasing you. He was ravaging out everything he could find. This time, there was no point stifling behind your emotions, and so you scream. Jaehyun flattens his tongue against your clit, lapping up at everything as you push your body down towards him. He sucks against your clit, nibbling at it with his teeth before tracing the inside of your pussy with his tongue. And then suddenly his thrusting his tongue inside, wrapping a firm hand against your hips to stop you from writhing so violently.

Your unable to notice his hand leaving your hips but the second a finger slides firmly inside of you, you cry out. Jaehyun pulls his mouth away, replacing it with his fingers as he watches your expression, amused and in love.

“Come for me Y/N. I want to feel you explode around my fingers.” He whispers as your eyes squeeze shut and another finger slides in, curling around.

You moan louder as he starts thrusting harder, adding a third finger when he hears your breathing fasten. His eyes are focused between the movie of your facial expressions and the slopping scene of wetness coating his hands. As your climax builds, he speeds up, pushing his fingers as far as he can inside you.

“Oh-oh my god,” You cry out, your pussy tightening around his fingers as your writhing on top of his hand. Jaehyun uses his free hand to stroke himself, watching your mouth gape open as he continues for several minutes, forcing you to climax for what feels like forever.

“Baby, my body is crying to be inside of you, will you let me?” He murmurs, bringing the coated fingers out of your pussy to cup your face in his direction. Your eyes flick open for the first time in forever and you want to look down at the mess but he holds your jaw still. “Baby?” He asks again, almost whimpering.

“Y-yes,” You nod, understanding instantly. This was the one thing he wouldn't do without your consent. Jaehyun would give you pleasure but he would take none for himself if you resisted even a little.

“You’re so pretty.” He murmurs, leaning his forehead against yours for a minute. Finally, he adjusts himself, positioning his head against your lips, gently brushing up and down against them. He dips just the tip of the head in and pulls it back out. “What a mess you made.”

Finally, when he can’t take another second, he plunges himself into you, his cock burying deep inside of you. You let out a cry of pleasure before your lost in blankness. Jaehyun had held himself back for so long but after waiting for so long, his control was gone. He pounded his cock into your pussy so hard that it almost did hurt, but the slight pain only enhanced the pleasure as he filled you over again and again.

Every time he hit the hilt you cried out and pulled against the bonds, desperate to wrap your hands into his hair. His strokes became more firm, more forceful and faster. The force was enough to rock the car from side to side. You were aware he was building up and the swelling inside your pussy reminded you of it. The car was filled with the sounds of your moans and swearing echoing against each other each time he entered in you.

With a final thrust deep inside, he came. You felt his cock pulse up and release inside, your screams blending together with steady electric jolts of pleasure. Your own body hits another orgasm, body going limp, blood rushing to your head as your vision blurs. As your orgasm subsides, you realise the people outside must’ve realised the rocking car and figured out what was happening.

You look over to your group of friends and indeed, they were pointing towards you, laughing. The feeling of shame washes over you as your orgasm passes and Jaehyun’s full body weight lays against you, his cock still buried inside. You were slathered in sweat when he finally pulls out, a sudden emptiness taking its place.

You look down at yourself, noticing how your stomach muscles and legs continue to quiver and twitch uncontrollably. Your clit was swollen and a deep dark red colour was present. Your pussy was leaking a flow of cum onto the seat that was already drenched from earlier.

“You did well baby.” Jaehyun places a gentle kiss against your lips before shifting back to the driver’s seat and doing up his pants. You follow after, reaching for your skirt and blouse thrown to the back seat. He watches you with a smile. “Baby, I’ll give you two options. You can stay in the car and come back to my place or you can get out the car now in front of your friends.”

Your hand instinctively shoots to the handle of the door but you hover there for a few seconds, still shaking from the lingering effects of the orgasm. You look down at your appearance, your outfit sticking to your sweat-soaked body, face flushed from so many orgasms, and cum visibly running down your thighs. You rejected the idea of accusing the popular professor knowing it would just be public and humiliating. You drop your hand back into your lap and Jaehyun puts the car into Drive, pulling away from the curb. ___

#nct #nct smut #nct imagines #nct jaehyun #nct scenarios #jung jaehyun #nct127 #nct reactions #nct blurbs #nct fanfic #kpop #kpop smut #nct angst #jaehyun imagines #nct au #nct boyfriend #nct yandere

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awaketake · 2 years ago

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Exploding Topics Pro Review

Are you a content creator, marketer, or business owner? Don't miss out on this Exploding Topics Pro Review.

In this Exploding Topics Pro Review, we break down: what it is, who it is for, how it outperforms tools like Google Trends.

From the dashboard, to pricing plans, pros and cons, we cover it all. Discover how the trend algorithm analyzes consumer signals, giving you a strategic edge.

Co-founded by Brian Dean, this is more than a trend-spotting tool. It's about finding sustainable growth opportunities!

By the end of this Exploding Topics Pro Review you will be able to decided if it's worth it for you and the plan for your needs.

Subscribe, hit the bell, and make sure to check out the Exploding Topics playlist. Don't forget to try out the software for 14 Days using the Trial.

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jcmarchi · 5 months ago

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Exploding Topics Review: Uncover Trends Before They Blow Up!

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/exploding-topics-review-uncover-trends-before-they-blow-up/

Exploding Topics Review: Uncover Trends Before They Blow Up!

As an SEO specialist, I’m constantly looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve. After all, SEO isn’t just about optimizing for what’s popular right now, but anticipating what’s coming next. It’s about spotting the trends before they become mainstream, so you can create content that resonates when it matters most. That’s why staying on top of emerging trends is more critical than ever!

I’ve heard a lot about Exploding Topics and was excited to do a personal deep dive into it. Co-founded by Brian Dean (an SEO legend!) it’s a game-changing tool that helps you spot trends before they explode into mainstream consciousness!

What I love about Exploding Topics is that (unlike Google Trends) it doesn’t just show you what’s already trending. It helps you identify trends before they even become popular.

While Google Trends is great for giving me real-time data on what’s hot right now, Exploding Topics digs deeper by analyzing the growth patterns of topics over time so I can spot emerging trends that are on the rise but haven’t hit the mainstream yet. This early insight allows me to create content that’s ahead of the curve, giving me a strategic advantage!

In this Exploding Topics review, I’ll discuss the pros and cons, what it is, who it’s best for, and its key features. Then, I’ll show you how I used Exploding Topics to uncover emerging trends, boost my content strategy, and ultimately stay ahead of the competition.

I’ll finish the article by comparing Exploding Topics with my top three alternatives (Trends Critical, Brandwatch, and Talkwalker). By the end, you’ll know if Exploding Topics is right for you!

Verdict

Exploding Topics is an excellent tool for uncovering emerging trends, creating timely content, and staying ahead of market shifts. However, its cost, limited niche coverage, and occasional fluctuations in trend accuracy may make it less ideal for smaller businesses or highly specialized industries.

Pros and Cons

Helps users discover emerging trends before they become mainstream

Provides fresh ideas for timely, relevant content that resonates with target audiences

Stay ahead of market shifts and adapt quickly to changes in consumer demand

Offers valuable information for making informed business decisions

Easy to navigate and understand

Covers a wide range of industries and topics

Provides access to past trend information

It can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses or individual users

The accuracy of trend predictions may fluctuate

It may not cover all niche industries equally well

Some identified trends may lose relevance quickly

The trends are restricted to predefined categories

The starter plan only allows 10 topic searches

The exact sources of trend data are not always clear

What is Exploding Topics?

At its core, Exploding Topics is a massive trend detection engine that uses artificial intelligence to analyze millions of data points across the Internet. We’re talking everything including Google search data, social media, news articles, and online discussions. It identifies trends at least 6 months before they go mainstream!

Trend Detection Algorithm & Data Sources

The Trend Detection algorithm doesn’t just look for spikes in popularity. Instead, it analyzes the growth pattern of topics over time, looking for sustained, organic growth curves.

For example, let’s say you’re researching sustainable fashion trends. The platform can help you spot bamboo fabric as an emerging trend because it shows consistent growth over the years, not just a temporary surge.

Free vs. Pro Versions

The free version of Exploding Topics gives you access to basic trend data and limited historical information. But if you’re serious about trend research, the pro version is worth investing in!

You get daily trend updates, advanced filters, and trend forecasting capabilities which can help spot potentially profitable niches early on. You’ll also get access to Pro features, like Meta Trends, trending products and startups, and API access (in higher-tier plans).

Pro users can also view very new trends peaking in the last 3-6 months, which isn’t available in the free version. Plus, the historical data goes back several years, allowing you to differentiate between seasonal spikes and genuine long-term trends!

Meta Categories

One thing that took me a bit to figure out was how to effectively use the Meta Trends. These are like trend clusters that show you the bigger picture of related topics!

The Meta Trends feature provides a visual representation of umbrella topics and their related subtopics. When you click on a Meta Trend, you’ll see a diagram with an inner ring of popular micro trends and an outer ring of related trending topics.

When exploring Meta Trends, you might discover how seemingly separate topics are interconnected. For example, a broad trend like “Premium Snacks” might include various related trending subtopics, helping you understand the larger market context.

Using Meta Trends can help you identify emerging niches within broader markets and understand the complex relationships between different trending topics. It’s an excellent way to get a more comprehensive view of trend dynamics beyond individual topic analysis.

While the platform is powerful, it’s not without limitations. Sometimes you’ll need to combine its insights with other research tools like Semrush, Google Trends, or other research platforms to get a well-rounded view of emerging market opportunities!

Who is Exploding Topics Best For?

Exploding Topics is best suited for these types of people:

Bloggers and Content Marketers can use Exploding Topics to find fresh, engaging topics with high search potential, discover content ideas that haven’t been extensively covered, and create content that drives traffic.

SEO Professionals can use Exploding Topics to identify low-competition keywords linked to rapidly growing trends, help clients get quick ranking results, and stand out in competitive digital landscapes.

Investors can use Exploding Topics to uncover promising trends and emerging startups and gain insights into untapped market potential.

Entrepreneurs can use Exploding Topics to validate business ideas, spot market gaps before they become saturated, and position themselves to offer groundbreaking products or services.

Industries with Significant Potential can use Exploding Topics to track trends in technology (AI, machine learning, blockchain), e-commerce, marketing, health, and finance.

Exploding Topics Key Features

This platform comes with eight key features.

1. Trend Tracking

When I first used the Trend Tracking feature, I was impressed by how comprehensive it was. It doesn’t just show you what’s trending. It breaks down the growth pattern with detailed metrics!

The Trend Tracking tool focuses on overall growth patterns, search volume trends, and future projections. It provides the following key features for trend analysis:

Historical data going back up to 15 years

Search volume for the previous month and growth over selected periods

Trend forecasting using AI prediction for the next year (in some plans)

Channel breakdown showing where the topic is most popular on social media

Related trends for additional context

2. Trends Database

The Trends Database has become my go-to resource for research. It’s massive (we’re talking hundreds of thousands of tracked topics across dozens of categories!) It also covers 31+ categories including AI, pets, marketing, tech, food, gaming, design, and travel.

What I love most is the filtering system. You can refine the data by growth rate, time period, and type (brand or non-brand).

The database is updated daily, so you have access to the most current trend information. Each trend includes a graph of historical Google Search volume so you can understand the trend’s growth trajectory and stability over time.

Pro users can export this data into CSV files, making it easy to conduct deeper analysis outside the platform.

3. Trend Analysis

For Trend Analysis, Exploding Topics is really good at providing context. It’s not just raw numbers. You get detailed insights about why a trend is growing!

The correlation analysis has been particularly useful.

For example, you might discover that the rise in “mushroom coffee” is strongly correlated with broader trends in functional beverages and natural nootropics. This kind of insight can help create much more comprehensive content!

4. Trending Startups

The Trending Startups tool is great for staying ahead of industry innovations.

Each startup listing includes:

Company name and description

Founded date

Total funding and latest funding round

Number of employees

Location

Website and social platform links (if available)

It’s an excellent tool for identifying emerging business models and product categories before they hit mainstream awareness.

5. Trending Products

The Trending Products feature saves countless hours of market research. It offers insights into trending products across various categories.

Here’s what sets it apart:

Uses AI and machine learning to analyze data from multiple sources (including Google Search, social media, and e-commerce sites)

Provides growth trends and forecasts for products

Shows top sellers and brands for each product

It also provides monthly sales data for products, average review information, and Google search volume trends to gauge consumer interest.

The tool aims to identify products with long-term growth potential rather than just current bestsellers. You can track products of interest and receive real-time updates on trend data.

6. Meta Trends

Meta Trends might be the most powerful feature for strategic planning. It visually represents umbrella topics and their related subtopics, showing interconnected trends within larger markets.

When you click on a Meta Trend, you see a diagram with an inner ring of popular micro trends and an outer ring of related trending topics. This helps identify fast-growing niche trends within broader markets, providing a list of growing keywords, brands, and products in that niche.

For example, I discovered trending AI chatbots like Yellow AI and Elise AI were all part of a larger meta trend in AI Chatbots. This helped me develop a much more coherent content strategy by providing insights into emerging niches and understanding the complex relationships between different trending topics!

7. Reports Library

The Reports Library offers curated trends and comprehensive analyses delivered weekly. It provides valuable insights that help paint a picture of where markets are heading.

Each report is divided into two main segments:

“Early bird companies”

“Tomorrow’s products today”

In every report, you’ll find:

Four trending products

Four companies making waves

Detailed insights for each trend and company

8. API Access

Exploding Topics offers API access for Pro Business subscribers. The API lets you retrieve and analyze topics in real time, with up to 60 requests per minute.

Key features of the Exploding Topics API include:

Access to trending topics, including descriptions, detection dates, and monthly search volumes

Data on popular e-commerce products, including growth levels and search metrics

Information on trending startups

Historical data going back 15 years, with daily updates

The API can be integrated into existing analytics systems and content planning tools to streamline your workflow. You can even build custom dashboards, create visualizations, and set up automatic reminders or workflows based on trend data.

It’s flexible and easy to use with REST architecture. It’s also managed directly by Exploding Topics for live and accurate data and comes with hands-on support if needed.

Combining These Features

Something I’ve learned is to use these features in combination.

For example, I often start with Meta Trends to identify broad movements, then drill down using the Trends Database, validate with the Products section, and finally use the API to monitor specific metrics automatically. This integrated approach has helped me spot opportunities I might have missed looking at any single feature in isolation.

Just remember that like any tool, these features work best when you have a clear strategy for using them. It took me some time to develop an efficient workflow, but now I can quickly assess new opportunities and make data-driven decisions about content direction.

The real power comes from understanding how these features complement each other. For example, when I identify a promising trend in the database, I can quickly validate it against startup activity and product demand and then set up API monitoring for ongoing tracking. This comprehensive approach has helped me stay ahead of market shifts rather than just reacting to them!

How to Use Exploding Topics

Here’s how I used Exploding Topics to identify rising trends in my niche:

Create an Account

Go to Meta Trends

View All Meta Trends

Select a Trend

Track a Topic

Create a New Project

View Your Project

Select a Topic

Analyze Topic Metrics

View Related Trends

Find Trends in Your Niche

Step 1: Create an Account

I started by going to explodingtopics.com and hitting “Pro” on the top right and then “Sign In.”

After creating an account and signing up for a Pro plan, I was taken to the Trend Tracking tab!

Step 2: Go to Meta Trends

First things first: start with the Meta Trends section which you can find near the bottom of the navigation panel. Instead of getting lost in individual trends, I’ve learned to use this tool to look at broader category movements.

Step 3: View All Meta Trends

To view all meta trends, I clicked “All Meta Trends” on the top right.

Step 4: Select a Trend

From here, I could view all of my meta trends in one place and choose the one I wanted to dive deeper into.

I selected “View Analysis” on “AI Chatbots.”

Selecting “View Analysis” gave me a brief background and analysis of AI chatbots, as well as a chart with two rings:

Inner ring: Micro trends within AI chatbots

Outer ring: Other trends related to AI chatbots

Step 5: Track a Topic

Selecting one of the trending topics presented a graph showing the volume and growth over the past couple of years. Beneath this graph, I could hit “Track Topic” to start tracking it!

When deciding which topics you want to track on Exploding Topics, pay attention to the platform’s trend indicators. Look for trends with:

Steady upward growth trajectories

Increasing search volume

“Exploding” or early-stage status

I’ve had success targeting topics that are just beginning to gain traction but haven’t reached peak popularity. These emerging trends often represent the perfect timing for content creation or business strategy. By identifying trends before they become mainstream, you can position yourself ahead of the competition.

The meta trends on Exploding Topics are an excellent way to discover topics you might think are a single trend but are actually part of a larger movement. It’s a great way to identify niche opportunities within larger markets! If you’re an SEO specialist like me, it’s an excellent way to create content clusters to establish topical authority and really start ranking in the SERPs.

Step 6: Create a New Project

Hitting “Track Topic” opens a small window with existing projects I can add the topic to. Alternatively, I could create a new project, which is what I selected.

Next, I had to give my project a name. I called it “AI Tools” and hit “Create.”

Step 7: View Your Project

Heading over to the “Trend Tracking” tab was my new project and topic! I hit “View Project” to see more.

Step 8: Select a Topic

Hitting “View Project” took me to a page where I could view my topics, growth, and volume within the project. I selected the topic I had just added.

Step 9: Analyze Topic Metrics

This gave me much deeper insights into:

The topics growth over time (up to 15 years!) and project forecast over the next 12 months

What the topic was about

A breakdown of the topic’s activity on each social channel

Key indicators of the topic’s growth, speed, etc.

Step 10: View Related Trends

Below that were trends related to my topic, including their growth metrics.

Step 11: Find Trends in Your Niche

The Trends Database is another excellent tool for finding trending topics in your specific niche. At the top, you can search for specific trends, or look through the different categories.

But don’t just stick to your main niche. Explore adjacent categories too to find even more opportunities!

To find trends in my niche, I selected the “Trends Database” from the navigation menu and filtered through the categories. In my case, I wanted to find more AI trends, so I went to “Technology” and selected “Artificial Intelligence.”

Next, I was presented with tens of thousands of Artificial Intelligence topics I could sort by trends, growth, volume, timeframe, and type (brands or non-brands). I could select any of these topics to get deeper insights and add them to my projects to track over time, or I could export the trend data to a CSV!

The real power of Exploding Topics isn’t just in finding trends. It’s in understanding how to time your content strategy around them.

I’ve found that targeting trends when they’re in the early growth phase, rather than at their peak, usually leads to better long-term results!

Overall, Exploding Topics helped me uncover emerging trends before they hit the mainstream for a competitive edge. By tracking and analyzing trends, I was able to create targeted strategies to boost my content’s relevance and reach!

Top 3 Exploding Topics Alternatives

Herer are the best Exploding Topics alternatives.

Trends Critical

The first Exploding Topics alternative I’d recommend is Trends Critical. I love Trends Critical for its AI tools that simplify turning insights into real-world results! The tool aims to “skip hours of trend research” and offers a unique approach of combining “Trends + AI + Partners = Faster and Better Outcomes”.

Both platforms focus on identifying emerging trends and valuable insights for businesses and individuals aiming to stay ahead of market changes. Exploding Topics casts a wide net across industries, analyzing millions of online interactions to identify trends before they take off. Meanwhile, Trends Critical goes further with insights powered by AI. It offers cross-industry trend integration, real-life trend validation, and customizable tools tailored to specific workflows.

Exploding Topics excels in simplicity, ease of navigation, and providing broad trend insights through predefined categories. On the other hand, Trends Critical offers a more dynamic, AI-driven approach with personalized insights with support for over 50 languages and 40+ AI templates. While Exploding Topics may appeal to those seeking general trends, Trends Critical’s strengths lie in its ability to offer niche, personalized insights and tools for converting trends into actionable strategies.

For a straightforward way to discover broad trends and generate content ideas, choose Exploding Topics. For AI-driven, customizable insights to transform trends into concrete business actions, Trends Critical is the better fit!

Brandwatch

The next Exploding Topics alternative I’d recommend is Brandwatch. Brandwatch is excellent at providing detailed historical context and actionable real-time insights through its advanced AI capabilities. They recently launched an AI-powered React Score that provides real-time brand reputation insights!

Both platforms help identify trends, but their approaches and focus areas differ.

Exploding Topics uses a broad algorithm to analyze millions of searches, conversations, and mentions. This makes Exploding Topics the better choice for spotting under-the-radar trends early. It’s easy to navigate and caters to content creators, marketers, and entrepreneurs looking to stay ahead of emerging markets. However, its predefined categories and limited niche coverage can be drawbacks.

Meanwhile, Brandwatch focuses on comprehensive consumer intelligence with historical and real-time data from 1.7 trillion conversations across diverse sources like social media, reviews, and news. Its AI tools provide deep insights through auto-segmentation, image analysis, and customizable visualizations for large-scale data analysis. Unlike Exploding Topics, Brandwatch offers powerful reporting tools to track and share insights, making it better suited for enterprises.

For a user-friendly tool to spot trends and create timely content, choose Exploding Topics. For a robust platform with deep consumer intelligence and market analysis, choose Brandwatch!

Talkwalker

The final Exploding Topics alternative I’d recommend is Talkwalker. Both tools are designed to help businesses stay ahead of trends, but they approach this goal differently.

Exploding Topics focuses on identifying early-stage trends by analyzing Internet searches and conversations. This is great for finding valuable insights for content creation. On the other hand, Talkwalker excels in social listening, media monitoring, and consumer intelligence. It also comes with comprehensive tools for reputation management and competitor analysis.

Exploding Topics is straightforward and excellent for discovering under-the-radar trends across predefined categories. Meanwhile, Talkwalker offers a broader scope, including crisis management and audience insights. It also uses Blue Silk™ GPT to decode real-time consumer insights and predict future KPIs with high accuracy, among other things. The major difference lies in Talkwalker’s emphasis on real-time monitoring and its ability to connect businesses with influential media partners while Exploding Topics remains focused on trend discovery.

If you’re looking for early-stage trend discovery and niche content ideas, choose Exploding Topics. For real-time insights, social media monitoring, and reputation management, choose Talkwalker!

Exploding Topics Review: The Right Tool For You?

After using Exploding Topics for trend discovery, it’s been an invaluable tool in staying ahead of market shifts and creating content that resonates. The ability to identify emerging trends before they hit the mainstream is something I didn’t expect to be so impactful! I’ve been able to create content around topics that were just starting to gain traction, positioning myself ahead of the curve.

The entire platform is easy to navigate and offers detailed insights, like search volume trends and future projections. I’ve been able to understand not just what’s trending, but why it’s growing. Plus, the Meta Trends feature helped me connect seemingly unrelated trends into larger movements. As an SEO specialist, this has been huge for creating content clusters to establish topical authority.

The only drawback I’d mention is that Exploding Topics doesn’t cover niche industries as deeply as I’d like. If you’re working in a very specialized field, you might find the coverage a bit limited. But for broader trends and content creation, this tool is solid.

If you’re curious about the best Exploding Topics alternatives, here’s what I’d recommend:

Trends Critical is best if you’re looking for AI-powered, customizable trend insights across industries with a focus on real-world applications. It’s a great tool for creating actionable strategies.

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edxwin-elric · 5 years ago

Text

Rooftop Kiss

Rating: T

Pairing: Todomomo/Todoroki x Yaoyorozu

Disclaimer: I don’t own My Hero Academia.

Word Count: 3k

Title: Rooftop Kiss

Description: Oneshot, fluff

Similar to the school festival, Class 1-A is in charge of hosting a school dance to allow students to destress and have some fun. However, Todoroki is dealing with unwanted input from Endeavor, and Yaoyorozu just can’t understand the logic behind having a dance right now. Both escape the planning to get some air and find each other alone on the roof, needing someone to talk to.

A/N: This is my piece for the @todomomo-mini-bang-2020 with Marls_Bars!!

ffn || ao3

Art by Marls_Bars on Instagram

Shouto

I can’t believe the school is having us organize another recreational function. I mean, the school festival was fun, and I definitely think it brought everyone’s spirits up, but after everything we’ve been through this year? Shouldn’t we be focused more on training our quirks and doing more to dismantle the League of Villains?

“What do you think, Todoroki?”

“Hm?”

I turn toward the voice only to find Sero and Kaminari holding up a hand painted rocket ship the size of a person.

“I thought the girls wanted a starry night theme.” I frown.

“They do,” Kaminari pipes up instantly. “But rocket ships fly through the stars, so I thought this would be a good idea.”

“Maybe you should run it by Hagakure first–”

My phone starts vibrating in my pocket, and I feel cold run down my spine.

“Hold on,” I mutter. “I have to take this.”

If I don’t answer it, he’ll only keep calling, and since I’d rather him not have called this time, that sounds like a nightmare.

“What do you want?” I ask into the phone, my voice sounding much cooler and controlled than I feel.

“Now, that’s no way to answer your phone.” His non-answer is filled with that threatening edge buried under false politeness. “I am your father, after all.”

“I’m actually in the middle of an important assignment, so if you just called to criticize my phone etiquette–”

He laughs over me, and my stomach twists. Why does everything have to be such a hassle with him?

“Of course not, Shouto, it was just a thought. I called because I want to go over your training schedule. I know your professors have their ideas, but I just can’t seem to let it go without reviewing their plans for you.”

“You mean without comparing and dismantling their plans?”

A bead of sweat drips down my left temple, and I swipe at it with my free hand. I’m frustrated enough as it is with this whole “school dance” thing we’re working on. I hardly need my dad stepping in to screw with my school work on top of it.

“You want to displace me as the number one hero, don’t you?” he asks, his voice darkening. “You want to be the top? If that’s the case, you’d be better off learning from me than from teachers who are required to train all of the future heroes. They don’t have your drive and goals and ambition in mind. Only your quirk.”

My hand balls into a fist and frost begins coating the outside of my jacket.

“I’ve already told you how I feel about your plan,” I remind him. “As much as I think I can learn from you, I also think my teachers have a lot of good insight. I’m going to continue following the curriculum laid out for me here for now.”

“Shouto.” The edge is sharper now.

“Please, don’t call me about this again. Goodbye, Dad.”

I end the call before he can lay into me again, barely resisting the urge to throw the device against a wall. I feel jittery and hot all over and like I need to freeze something or burn something. It’s so intense I think I might explode if I don’t—

“Todoroki, can you help us light some candles?” Uraraka calls from across the large room. “We want to see what they look like in these frosted jars.”

Releasing a slow breath, I feel control return to my body.

“Yeah, sure.” I start across the room toward the group of girls gathered around flowers and candles.

Maybe if I focus on the dance, I won’t have to think about Endeavor. At this point, anything is a welcome distraction.

Momo

After pulling on a large, comfy sleep shirt and some shorts, I hang my wet towel on a hook on my wall before sitting down on the edge of my bed where I begin brushing out my wet hair. I didn’t realize how helpful a hot shower could be on a day like this, but with all the party planning and decorations and the girls with their boy talk, I was feeling a little frazzled.

Just as I’m setting down my hairbrush, my phone dings with a text.

Ochako: Come to the lobby. The girls are having ice cream before curfew.

I start to text back a “sure thing, I’ll be right down” when I pause. If the girls are all together, it’s guaranteed the dance will come up as a topic of conversation, which means potential dates will follow it. The only girl with a date already is Jirou, who is going with Kaminari. (Of course, she hasn’t exactly said it, but I’m pretty sure she was the one who asked him.)

And it isn’t that I don’t want a date or that I mind hearing them talk about the boys. It’s just…there’s so much pressure to have feelings for someone and we’re in high school, and also there are other things I think we should be worrying about like our classes or our quirk training or the growing number of villains who would like to see us bloody and broken and are probably planning a new way to infiltrate the school while we’re deciding what flavor of cupcakes we should serve with the strawberry punch!

Boys just don’t seem all that important right now.

On the other hand, if I don’t go down for ice cream…they’ll probably just come up here. And talk about them then.

I sigh and send my original text back to Uraraka before grabbing a kimono and sliding into my slippers.

When I reach the lobby, Ashido is quick to scoot over on the couch to make room for me while Tsu hands me a bowl with two flavors of ice cream and a spoon.

“We have to remember to thank Todoroki,” Uraraka says as she adds a fresh scoop to her bowl.

“Why?” I glance between them.

“Oh, he froze the table so the ice cream wouldn’t melt,” Hagakure pipes up. “Then he went upstairs.”

“Has he asked anyone to the dance yet?”

I swallow my ice cream and fight the urge to groan.

“I don’t think so,” Ashido says conspiratorially. “Personally, I’d like Eijirou to ask me, though.”

“Aw! You two would be so cute together!” Uraraka squeals.

“Well, if his hair didn’t clash with your skin,” Jirou murmurs. “But that’s barely noticeable,” she says quickly.

“I like his hair,” Ashido sighs. “He looks so cool, and he has such a good heart too. He’ll be an amazing hero.”

“Do you have someone you’d like to go with, Tsu?” Hagakure angles her body toward our green-haired friend, and she looks down at her large hands.

“I have an idea,” she says, shrugging, “but he probably won’t ask me.”

“You can always ask him,” Ashido grins. “Right, Jirou?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Who is it?” Uraraka asks Tsu softly. “If you don’t mind saying.”

“Yeah,” I join in. “Maybe we can come up with a plan.”

I mean, even though boys are not at the forefront of my brain, I do like seeing people happy.

“I’d rather not discuss it really.”

“Oh, well that’s okay.”

No one pushes it, and it goes quiet for a minute before I notice Uraraka sneaking peaks at her phone and blushing.

“Is everything all right, Ochako?”

“What?” she gasps, her phone falling between her hip and the arm of the sofa. “I mean, yes. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Well, that’s not suspicious.

“Who are you texting?” Ashido asks innocently.

“Nobody,” she blurts. “I mean, not nobody, but no one…important.”

“Oh my God, is it a boy?” Hagakure bounces on her seat. “Which one?”

“Who is it? Tell us!” Mina leans in.

“Fine, it’s…” Her face goes up in flames as she averts her eyes from everyone else’s, “Bakugou.”

Everyone stares at her for a second.

“Um…why?” I frown, breaking the silence. “What does he want?”

“I think…he’s my date?”

“What!” Ashido screeches, reaching for the dropped phone. “Let me see!”

“Bakugou on a date?” Jirou cocks an eyebrow. “That…can’t be right.”

“I don’t know!” Uraraka moans. “He’s being all cryptic, and… I could be reading this all wrong. Forget I said anything. The dance isn’t for another week anyway, and we should go to bed. We have class and more preparation stuff tomorrow.”

“She’s right,” I announce, standing up. “There’s plenty of other things we should be thinking about that aren’t boys.”

“But boys are so cute,” Ashido whines.

“They’ll still be cute tomorrow, Mina. Besides, it’s almost curfew anyway.”

“I guess you’re right.”

We take a few minutes to split up the ice cream for our individual freezers and then head to our rooms for the night. I’m relieved no one asked me if I had a date in mind. I have no idea what I would say. I think it would be fun if we all went together as a group. Then we could have fun with boys or just with each other.

I sigh as I climb under my sheets, resigning myself to sleep. These are things I can worry about tomorrow.

Shouto

“Todoroki? Todoroki!”

“Hm? What?” I blink and turn to the girls who are staring at me in between sharing looks with each other. “Sorry, what was that?”

I try not to yawn around my words. I got next to zero sleep last night because my father wouldn’t stop messaging me about his plans for my quirk training and pro career and…a few other things I really could’ve done without ever knowing about, much less reading in a text at 3am.

“Are you okay?” Ashido asks, giving me a reproachful look. “You seem a little out of it.”

“I’m fine,” I snap, immediately regretting it. “I mean, I’m just tired,” I mumble. “What did you need?”

“We were wondering if you could help us out with the refreshments for the dance. Since your frozen table worked so well for our ice cream party last night, we thought it would be a good idea to have fruit and drinks and maybe ice cream sandwiches on frozen platters or something like that.”

“Yeah,” I answer, my voice coming out as exhausted as I feel. “That sounds fine.”

“Do I need to coordinate with someone specific for that?”

“Oh, well, Yaoyorozu is in charge of the drinks and snacks,” Uraraka chimes in. “But…I’m not sure where she is right this minute.” She glances around, frowning. “Did any of you guys see where she went?”

“I asked if she had a date in mind,” Hagakure says softly. “She got all flustered and said she had to get some air. I really wasn’t sure how to take that.”

“Well, she’ll probably be back in a little bit.” Tsu turns to me. “You can just find her later.”

“Okay. Cool.” I nod and start to walk off, though I have no destination in mind.

My phone vibrates again, and I feel my hands ball into fists. It continues vibrating, and I clench my jaw, resisting the urge to answer just to hang up on him. That or melt my phone in my hand.

“You okay, Todoroki?” Midoriya steps into my red-tinted line of vision.

“I just…need a minute,” I bite out before turning and walking swiftly to the door and down the hall to the stairs.

Students aren’t really supposed to go up on the roof, but at this point, I need the quiet and the peacefulness enough to risk punishment. Taking the steps two at a time, I throw the rooftop door open with more force than is necessary, causing it to bang into the wall.

I pause when I hear a gasp, and look up to see I’m not alone. Yaoyorozu is standing near the edge of the roof, turned back toward the door with a look of surprise on her face.

“Shit,” I hiss under my breath.

“Todoroki,” she stammers, her hand coming up to her neck. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” I shift my weight awkwardly. I mean, do I stay? I was trying to be alone. “I didn’t realize anyone else would be up here,” I continue.

“Me neither,” she sighs wistfully and turns her back to me, looking out over the campus.

“Is, um, everything okay?” I move closer to her, the door clicking shut behind me. “Hagakure said you were upset…because of a boy?”

Her face goes red, and I regret my words instantly.

“No,” she shakes her head. “I mean, she asked about my date, but I don’t have one, and I don’t really want one. I just…” She sighs and turns to face me. “I feel like this whole dance is just so risky. Like, I understood why the school festival was important—to raise everyone’s spirits and show the world we weren’t caving under pressure, but this is just…”

“A waste of time?”

“Exactly!” Her eyes widen. “I mean, shouldn’t we be focusing on training our quirks and studying, and getting as much hands-on experience under the supervision of the current pros as we can before we’re thrust out into a world full of villains who already have it out for us based solely on the fact we were students at UA?”

“Not to mention who our parents are,” I mutter.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just agree with you, that’s all.”

“It makes me so anxious,” she goes on softer, her hands coming up to rub her arms. “I haven’t been sleeping well, and if I think about it for too long I start to feel lightheaded and breathless… I thought I was going to start crying, actually, when Hagakure was talking to me earlier. That’s why I came up here.”

I swallow, and I reach up to rub the back of my neck.

“Have you, um, talked to Recovery Girl about any of this?”

She nods and takes a deep breath.

“She said it’s normal to experience anxiety after all the trauma we’ve been through. She mentioned medication and went over some breathing exercises and coping statements with me. I just wish… I wish everything would calm down.”

“I wish my father would calm down.”

“What?” She blinks and looks over at me.

“It’s not… My father has been harassing me about my quirk training,” I confess.

“He…probably just wants you to do well.”

I give her a small grin, and shake my head. “You’re too nice, you know that?”

“Well, what is it then?”

“My father…Endeavor,” I say acidly, “has my entire life planned out for me.” Down to the kind of quirk I should look for in a wife. As if I would ever do what he did. “No matter what I say to him, he’s convinced he’s going to take over my training and disregard anything he disagrees with that I’m learning at UA.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she whispers. “He’s really going to do that?”

“No,” I answer harshly, a fist forming at my side. “I refuse to be his puppet.” I sigh, and look at her directly. “I came to UA to learn how to use my quirk most effectively to be the best hero I can be, not just to show how powerful I am. I’m not like him.”

She nods, and I flinch when her hand touches my wrist.

“I know you’re not, Shouto,” she murmurs. “You have a kind heart.”

My fingers uncurl as hers slide down my palm, moving into the spaces between them. When I look down, her hand closes over mine, and I return the gesture without thinking.

“It’s getting dark,” she says softly. “The sun is almost down.”

“I hadn’t really noticed,” I murmur, my eyes still locked on our joined hands.

“We should probably go back in.”

She faces me, and my eyes jump up to hers. My stomach flips, and I feel pink heat my cheeks. Momo is really pretty. I noticed that the first time I saw her, I just…

“What is it?” she asks suddenly, pulling her hand out of mine. “Is there something on my face?” She reaches up to check, and I backtrack in a hurry.

“What? No,” I shake my head. “I, um, just, well…you said you didn’t want a date to the dance, and I wasn’t really planning on asking anyone either, so…what if we went together?”

“You…you’re asking me to the dance?” she echoes.

“Yes. If you want. Just…so you can tell the girls you have a date.”

“Oh, so…just as friends then?”

My stomach sinks with disappointment, and I shake my head again.

“Well, no, um…I mean, you don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to, of course. I just–”

“I would love to go with you,” she interrupts softly. “In fact, I have the perfect dress.”

“Oh, okay.” I start to turn away because my face is hot, and my hands are sweating, and…I feel like I’m using my fire quirk, except I’m not.

“It’s a date.”

I jerk when her lips brush my cheek, turning to watch her go as she starts past me. My hand shoots out automatically, grabbing hers and pulling her back to me.

“Todoroki? What are you?”

“Forgive me,” I murmur, my eyes fixed on her lips.

“What? Why–”

And then I’m kissing her.

Momo

I’m dreaming.

Because if I were actually and truly awake on a rooftop kissing Todoroki Shouto, my heart would stop beating, and I’d drop dead on the spot.

The kiss ends for a split second only for him to tilt his head a little and lean in again. This one is even better than before.

Wow, he tastes good. And his lips are soft. And…and…

This can’t be happening!

I push at his chest a little, and he instantly backs away.

“I’m sorry,” he rephrases his apology. “I just…needed to do that.”

I blink at him, one of my hands coming up to my lips, gently feeling them to make sure they’re real.

That I’m real.

That…this is all real and really happening.

“Yaoyorozu, are you okay?”

“That was beautiful,” I whisper.

Oh no. Am I going to cry? What is wrong with me!

“Well, um, good…” He nods, and shifts his weight, his hand fisting and unfisting at his sides. “We should probably–”

Suddenly, noise from the stairs catch our attention. Voices.

“They’re looking for us,” I murmur.

“We have to go,” he says, grabbing my hand. “If Bakugou catches us, we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Or any of the girls,” I add.

“You have a point,” he says, pulling the door open. “What if instead of going to the dance, we bail and hide out in the dorm?”

“I…have to work the refreshments table,” I choke out at that unexpected proposal.

“Oh, well, I think I have to help you with that, so that works too, I guess.”

“I feel much calmer now,” I admit as we rush down the stairs. “Talking to you really helped.”

“It helped me too,” he mutters, his hand gently brushing the back of my waist. “And now I’m actually looking forward to this thing.”

“Yeah.” I grin. “Just don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

We hit the entrance to the great room, and we both go our separate ways.

But when I reach the other girls, my lips are still tingling. I just hope they can’t tell.

#TodoMomo Mini Bang 2020 #todomomo #todoroki shouto #yaoyorozu momo #tdmm #bnha #my hero academia #mha #my tdmm #my todomomo #my fic #class 1a #rooftop kiss #tdmm fluff #todomomo fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #todomomo fluff #tdmm kiss

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divineknowing2021 · 4 years ago

Text

viewing guide

At its core, divine knowing is an exhibition about knowledge, power, and agency. It’s become a more common understanding that governments, institutions, and algorithms will manipulate the public with what information they frame as fact, fiction, or worthy of attention. Though I am early in researching this topic, I've only come across a minimal amount of mainstream discourse on how the initial threat limiting our scope of knowledge is a refusal to listen to ourselves.

In a world faced with so many threats - humans being violent toward each other, toward animals, toward the earth - it can be a bit unsettling to release the reins and allow ourselves to bear witness for a moment, as we slowly develop a deeper awareness of surrounding phenomena and happenings.

divine knowing includes works by formally trained and self-taught artists. A majority of the artists are bisexual, non-binary, or transgender. Regardless of degree-status, gender, or sexuality, these artists have tapped into the autonomous well of self-knowing. Their artworks speak to tactics for opening up to a more perceptive mode of being. They unravel dependencies on external sources for knowledge and what we might recognize, connect with, or achieve once we do.

The installation Femme Digitale by Sierra Bagish originates from a series she began in 2017 by converting photographs of women that were taken and distributed online without the subject’s consent into paintings. Her practice at the time was concerned with female abjection. Sourcing images found via simple keywords and phrases (e.g., passed out, passed out drunk) she swathes a mass-circulated canon of internet detritus that articulates and produces aggression towards women. With her paintings, she circumvents the images’ original framing mechanisms and subverts these proliferated images through a sincere and personal lens.

These paintings divulge the blurred space between idolatry and denigration these online photos occupy, asking whose desires these images fulfill and what their propagation reveals about the culture producing them. While Bagish's work contends with political motivations, she also remains keenly observant of form and the varying utilities of different media.

“I use the expressive potential of paint as a vehicle to intervene and challenge ideas about photography as a harbinger of the real and everyday.”

Chariot Birthday Wish is an artist and angel living in Brooklyn. They have seen The Matrix 28 times in 2 years and love horses. The tarot series included in divine knowing is their most intuitive project, something they revisit when unsure of what to work on next. The Major Arcana are composed of digital collages made from sourced images, the Minor Arcana are represented by short, poetic, interpretative texts about the cards. The series is played on shuffle, creating a unique reading for each viewer. This is a work in progress that will eventually finalize as a completed deck of digital collages available for purchase.

Chariot's work emerges from a constant consideration of apocalypse and connection. They reference technology in tandem with nature and a desire for unity. Underneath their work's surface conversation on beauty, care, and relationship exists an agenda to subtly evoke a conspiratorial anti-state mindset. Through a collective imagining of how good things could be and how good we want them to be, we might be able to reckon with how bad things are in contrast.

“I think about texting my friends from the middle of the woods...

Humans are a part of nature and we created these things. There's this Bjork quote where she says that "You can use pro tools and still be pagan." I'm really into the idea of using technology as a tool for divination and holy connection with nature. I imagine a scene; being in moss, it's absolute bliss, and then the connection of texting, sharing an image of moss with a friend, sharing that moment through cellular towers.”

The album "adding up" by thanks for coming is composed of songs Rachel Brown wrote during what they believe to be the most challenging year of their life. Rachel now looks back on this time in appreciation, recognizing they grew in ways they had never imagined. The entire year, they were committed to following their feelings to wherever it may lead.

“If I hadn't been open to following the almost indiscernible signs I was being sent, then I would have missed out on some of the most important moments in my life.”

Kimberly Consroe holds a Masters in Anthropology along with degrees in Archaeology, Literature, and History. She is currently a Research Analyst at the US Department of Commerce. Her artwork is a passionate escape from a hectic professional life and touches on themes of feminism and nature.

Her works begin as general ideas; their narrative complexity growing with the amount of time she invests in making each one. Her decoupage process starts with cutting hundreds, if not thousands, pieces of paper. The accumulation of clippings sourced from vintage and current-day magazines overlap to tell a story. In Domestication, Kimberly borrows submissive female figures from found images of Ryan Mcguinness's work and places them in a position of power.

“I believe intuition is associated with emotion and experience. It is wisdom and fear, empathy and outrage, distrust and familiarity. It is what we know before we know it. This relates to my artwork in that, from beginning to end, there is never one complete idea concerning the outcome: it is a personal journey. It emerges from an ephemeral narrative that coalesces into a definitive story.”

Anabelle DeClement is a photographer who primarily works with film and is interested in relationships as they exist within a frame. She is drawn to the mystery of the mundane. Intuition exists in her practice as a feeling of urgency and the decision to act on it --- a drive often used to describe street photography where the camera catches unexpected moments in an urban environment. Anabelle tends to photograph individuals with whom she has established personal relationships in a slow domestic setting. Her sense of urgency lies in capturing moments of peak intimacy, preserving a memory's informal beauty that otherwise may have been forgotten or overlooked.

Gla5 is a visual artist, poet, bookmaker, production designer, and educator. Play is at the center of their practice. Their process is an experimental one embracing impulse and adventure. Their compositions are informed by relationships among bodies of varying shapes, materials, and densities. Interests that come up in their work include a discernment between symbols and non-symbols, dream states, the portrayal of energy in action, and a fixation on forms such as cups, tables, and spoons.

“I generally think of my work as depicting a layer of life that exists underneath what we see in our everyday lives.”

Gladys Harlow is a sound-based performance artist, comedian, and activist who experiments with found objects, contact mics, textures, range, analog formats, present moments, and emotions. Through raw, avant-garbage performance art, they aim to breakdown societal barriers, abolish oppressive systems, and empower communities. Gladys was born in Queens, NY, raised in Miami, FL and has deep roots in Venezuela. Currently haunting in Philadelphia, PA, Gladys is a founding member of Sound Museum Collective. SMC holds space for reconstructing our relationships to sounds by creating a platform for women, nonbinary, and trans sound artists and engineers.

Street Rat is a visceral exploration of the mysteries of life. Attempting to bring heavy concepts to your reality, it is the eye on the ground that sees and translates all intersecting issues as they merge, explode, dissolve, and implode. Street Rat is Gladys Harlow's way of comprehending, coping, feeling, taking action, disrupting the status quo, and rebuilding our path.

All Power To The People originated as a recorded performance intended to demystify sound by revealing the tools, wires, and movements used to create it. All Power To The People evolved into an installation conceived specifically for this exhibition. The installation includes a theremin and oscillator built by Gladys, a tarot deck they made by hand, and books from the artist's personal collection, amongst other elements. Gladys has created a structure of comfort and exploration. They welcome all visitors of divine knowing to play with the instrument, flip freely through the books, and pull a tarot card to take home.

Phoebe Hart is an experimental animator and filmmaker. A majority of her work is centered around mental illness and the line between dreams and reality. Merry Go Round is a sculptural zoetrope that changes in shape and color as it spins. Its form is inspired by nature and its color by the circus. The video’s sound was produced by Hayden Waggener. It consists of reverbing chimes which are in rhythm with the stop animation’s movement; both oscillate seamlessly between serene and anxious states.

“I often don't plan the sculptures or objects I am fabricating, there is a vague image in my mind, and my hands take care of the rest. I find that sometimes overthinking is what can get me and other artists stuck. If I just abandon my judgments and ego, I can really let go and create work that feels like it came inherently from me.”

Powerviolets is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Violet Hetson who is currently based in New York. After experiencing several false starts while bouncing coast to coast, recording and performing with several lineups, Hetson has finally released her debut album. ~No Boys~ namesake is a sarcastic sign she hung on her suburban CT teenage bedroom door. Violet Hetson grew up primarily listening to punk and hardcore. She parses elements of these genres with influences from bands such as X and Suburban Lawns. ~No Boys~ takes a softer, melodic approach to Hetson's punk roots. Powerviolets' music is linear, unconventional, dark, and airy with a sense of humor.

Mary Hunt is a fiber artist specializing in chain stitch embroidery. This traditional form of embroidery uses vintage machinery and thick thread to create fibrous art and embellishments. They use an approach called "thread painting," which requires each stitch to be hand guided by the turn of a knob underneath the table while the speed of movement is controlled by a foot pedal. Chainstitch works can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 200 hours, encouraging a slow and thoughtful process. Mary uses a Cornely A machine, made in Paris more than 100 years ago.

“I think we are sent messages and guidance constantly. Our intuition is simply our ability to clear the path for those messages. The largest obstacles on my artistic path are usually self-imposed negative thoughts. I simply do things to take care of my spiritual well-being, first and foremost, and the rest follows. If I can trust the universe, trust the process, then I am much more likely to listen to the messages sent my way.”

Jes the Jem is a multi-media artist working with acrylic, watercolor, mold clay, and whatever else she can get her hands on. She uses vivid color to bring joy into the lives of those who view her art. Jes the Jem has experienced a great deal of pain in her life. Through that unique displeasure, she has been gifted a nuanced perspective. She aims to energize the present while paying homage to the past events that shape us. In her art, her life, and her interpersonal relationships, Jes the Jem appreciates the gift of all of life's experiences.

“The pursuit of happiness and understanding is instinct.”

Pamela Kivi pieces together visual scraps she has saved over the years, choosing to fuse them at whatever present moment she sees fit. Her work reflects on creative mania, fleeting emotions, and memories. Pamela's collages are a compilation of unexpected elements that include: old notebooks, cut-outs, text messages or Facebook message conversations, nostalgic cellphone photos, and visual materials she has chosen to hold onto. She prints out, cuts up, scans, edits, repeats. Pamela's artistic practice is deeply personal. It is a submittal to the process of dusting things off until a reflection can be seen, all enacted without an attachment to the end result.

“I rely on intuition and whatever state of mind I am in to whisk me away. In life, I often confuse intuition with anxiety- when it comes to creative work, I can decipher the two.”

Through sobriety, Kendall Kolenik's focus has shifted toward self-discovery and shedding old adaptive patterns, a process that led her to a passion for helping others heal themselves too. In autumn, she will begin her Masters in Social Work at Columbia University.

“I love how when I'm painting my self-doubt becomes so apparent. Painting shows me exactly where my doubt lies, which guides me towards overriding it. When I paint something and lean into doubt, I don't like what comes out. When I take note of the resistance and go with my gut more freely, I love it. This reminds me of my yoga practice. What you practice on the mat is a metaphor for how you show up in life. By breathing through the uncomfortable poses on the mat, you learn to breathe through challenging life moments.

I think we all grow up learning to numb and edit ourselves. We are taught not to trust our feelings; we are told to look outside ourselves for answers when we already have a perfectly good compass within. Painting is an archway back to that for me - rediscovering self-reliance and faith in my first instinct. When I'm creating these rainbow squares, sometimes I move so fast it's like something else is carrying me. I sort of leave myself and enter a trance. Like how you don't have to tell the heart to beat or the lungs to breathe - thinking goes away and I can get so close to my knowing that I become it. I love how art allows me to access my love for ambiguity, interpretation, and an interpretation that feels closer to Truth. I find no greater purpose than guiding people back to safety and reconnecting them with themselves. The most important thing to ever happen in my life was when I stopped trying to deny my reality - listening to your intuition can be like a freefall - no one but you can ever know or tell you - it is a deep trust without any outside proof.”

Lucille Loffredo is a music school dropout, Jewish trans lesbian, and veterinary assistant doing her best to make sure each day is better than the last. Lucille tries to find the music rather than make it. She lets it tell her what it wants to do and what it wants to be. The Wandering EP was in part written as a way to come out to herself. She asks all listeners to please be gentle.

“Change will come, and it will be good. You are who you think you are, no matter how far it seems.”

Whitney Lorenze generally works without reference, making thick, graphic pictures with precise forms conceived almost entirely from her imagination. Images like a slowly rolling car crackling out of a driveway, afternoon sun rays shining through a cloud of humidity, or headlights throwing a lined shadow across a black bedroom inspire her.

“As it concerns my own practice and the creation of artworks generally, I would define intuition as the ability to succumb to some primal creative impulse. Of course, this implies also the ability to resist the temptations of producing a calculated or contrived output.”

Ellie Mesa began teaching herself to paint at the age of 15, exploring landscapes and portraiture. Her work has evolved into a style of painting influenced by surrealism where teddy bears will morph into demons and vice versa. Her work speaks to cuteness, the grotesque, and mystical beings. The painting "Kali" is an homage to the Hindu goddess of creation, destruction, life and death. This was Ellie's first painting after becoming sober and is an expression of the aforementioned forces in her own life. Through meditations on Kali, Elli has been able to find beauty in the cycle of love and loss.

“To me, intuition means doing the thing that feels right whether or not it's what you want it to be. When I'm painting or making a sculpture, I give myself the freedom to follow what feels right, even if that means starting over or changing it completely. I allow the piece to present itself to me instead of forcing something that doesn't want to be.”

Mari Ogihara is a sculptor exploring duality, resilience, beauty, and serenity as experienced through the female gaze. Her work is informed by the duality of womanhood and the contradictions of femininity. In particular, the multitude of roles we inhabit as friend, lover, sister, and mother and their complex associations to the feminine perspective.

“Intuition is an innate, immediate reaction to an experience. While making art, I try to balance intuition, logic, and craftsmanship.”

All Of Me Is War by Ames Valaitis addresses the subconscious rifts society initiates between women, estranging them from each other and themselves.

“It is an unspoken, quick, and quiet battle within me as the feeling of intuition purely, and when I am making a drawing. I am immediately drawn to poses and subject matter that reflect the emotion inside myself, whether it is loud or under the surface. If a line or figure doesn't move me, after working on it for a few minutes, I get rid of it. If something looks right to me immediately, I keep it; nurture it. I try to let go of my vision, let my instinct take hold. I mirror this in my life as I get older, choosing who and what to put my energy into. The feeling is rarely wrong; I'd say we all know inherently when it is time to continue or tap out.”

Chardel Williams is a self-taught artist currently living in Bridgeport. Her biggest inspiration is her birthplace of Jamaica. Chardel views painting as a method for blocking out chaos. Her attraction to the medium springs from its coalescence of freedom, meditative qualities, and the connection it engenders. rears.

“Intuition for me is going where my art flows. I implement it in my practice by simply creating space and time to listen. There are times when what I'm painting is done in everyone else's eyes, but I just keep picking at it. Sometimes I would stop painting a piece and go months without touching it. Then, out of nowhere, be obsessed with finishing. I used to get frustrated with that process, but now I go with it. I stopped calling it a block and just flow with it. I listen because my work talks.”

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nasmu · 4 years ago

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About January 6th,2021

Map of mayhem

Don fans had details of Capitol, cops ignored intel

Report by a Capitol Police watchdog found that they failed to act on information that right-wing enemies had detailed information on the interior of the building.

By Bill Sanderson NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

A scathing internal report serves up more evidence of Capitol Police lapses prior to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol siege — including that police ignored intelligence that a right-wing website posted a map of the Capitol complex’s underground tunnels, it was reported Tuesday.

The Capitol Police inspector general also reported the agency’s officers were equipped with expired ammunition and riot shields that were improperly stored, making them prone to breakage, CNN reported.

Sixteen days before the attack — on Dec. 21 — a map of the Capitol’s underground tunnels was posted on a pro-Donald Trump website, news reports say.

The Department of Homeland Security passed on information about “a blog referencing tunnels on U.S. Capitol grounds used by Members of Congress and research of the website identified four ‘threads/blog topics containing comments of concern,’ ” states the summary of the IG report obtained by CNN.

Homeland Security officials also gave the Capitol Police “several pages of comments posted to the website,” CNN’s summary says.

The map appears gone from its original location on the internet, and the site that hosted it has been taken down.

It’s well known the Capitol riot was planned and discussed weeks ahead of time. But the IG report focuses on the Capitol Police force’s failure to respond to warnings of what Jan. 6 would bring.

The IG’s report notes Capitol Police failures in equipment maintenance, lack of policies for the department’s Civil Disturbance Unit, and its handling of intelligence prior to the attack, the CNN report said.

Police brass also didn’t have an accurate roster of the department’s Civil Disturbance Unit, which was tasked with responding to the riot, the reports say.

The unit listed 187 officers — but two of them no longer worked for the Capitol Police on Jan. 6 — and in any event, the number listed was far lower than the 276 officers acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told Congress were active that day.

The unit’s riot shields were not stored at a proper temperature, rendering them ineffective, the CNN report says.

Additionally, the network says, “orders from leadership” prevented the Civil Disturbance Unit from deploying all of its less-lethal options during the riot, including a 40mm grenade launcher, a 37mm grenade launcher, and Sting Ball grenades, which spread non-lethal rubber balls when they explode.

In the end, the unit was “operating at a decreased level of readiness,” due to the numerous failures, the IG’s report states.

An earlier report by the Capitol Police inspector general cited other lapses by department leaders, including that they department “did not prepare a comprehensive, department-wide operation plan for demonstrations and lacked adequate guidance.”

Several top Capitol Police officials have resigned since Jan. 6, including its chief, Steven Sund.

#washington d.c.#riot #politics

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wrestlingisfake · 5 years ago

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I watched the Dark Side of the Ring documentary on Chris Benoit so I thought I’d add some details they didn’t get into.

The double murder-suicide happened to occur while WWE was building up a storyline where Vince McMahon had “died” in an exploding limousine. The June 25, 2007, edition of Raw was scheduled as a 3-hour special (Raw was usually a 2-hour show then) featuring a public “funeral” for Vince, with plot twists meant to lead into a conflict over his will and a secret heir. (This was later re-worked into the “Vince has an illegitimate son” storyline.) Obviously plans changed.

It still would have been possible to do a show similar to the Eddie Guerrero tribute, with fans in attendance, the whole roster doing a ten-bell salute, and feel-good matches without storylines. WWE had a grim talent for doing that sort of thing on short notice. The fact it was an empty arena, with a handful of people throwing to clips and pre-taped comments, was unusual. I’ve always wondered if Vince mentally gave up on the show, simply because the signature storyline of the year--hours away from a major story beat--was suddenly unsalvageable.

Once it became clear that Chris had killed Nancy and Daniel, WWE took heat from the media for doing the tribute show. I think the public felt WWE should have either known more about the case before the show started, or limited discussion of the topic until more information became available. To a non-fan at the time, it probably seemed feasible to run a tasteful “in memorium” graphic and run a normal show, and save the full-throated tribute for later. That would have been unthinkable inside the WWE bubble, though--fans would have been offended by anything less than the prompt tributes Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero received. Also, as noted, a “normal show” would have been the scheduled funeral for Vince, which was obviously a no-go.

I’ve heard that the news started to report the possibility of homicide that night, during the show. I wouldn’t know, because I heard the news when I got home from work and got sucked into memorializing Chris, just like WWE. I was certain the family must have been killed by a gas leak or something. “Weird Al” Yankovic’s parents had died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2004, so that kind of thing was fresh on people’s minds. I can totally believe the WWE crew didn’t consider the possibility of foul play, because I didn’t seriously consider it until the following day, when the police officially ruled it a double murder-suicide.

I think the decision to “erase” Benoit can be traced to the frustration Vince probably felt when he had to address the situation all over again on the June 26 ECW show. Vince loathes being put on the spot over things he believes are not his fault and beyond his control. I’m not saying he was totally heartless about the tragedy. But in his mind it’s wrong that thing like that should force him to scrap his storylines in favor of a tribute show, or that he should have to apologize for doing the tribute show he didn’t really want to do in the first place. He wanted to get past this, once and for all, and formally striking Benoit’s name from the record let him feel control over the situation.

It’s worth noting that the “censoring” of Benoit has not affected his appearances on countless hours of WWE Network footage, or his name appearing in various title histories. It’s also worth considering that, even if WWE personnel were “allowed” to talk about him, they’d likely have nothing to say at this point. It’s fairly unusual for WWE to extensively reference anything 13 years after the fact. They’re free and clear to talk about Eddie, but they don’t bring him up much either, except to say he’s dead and he did a frog splash.

I’m not sure the documentary adequately explained the issues with unprotected chairshots, or the danger of the flying headbutt, especially for non-fans who know pro wrestling is fake but don’t understand how it works. Many pro wrestling spots are only “safe” in the sense that the wrestler can take the full impact but still get up and pretend to fight. If a guy could hit his head on something and keep going, the business had no need to figure out a way to make it safer or easier. Eventually the mentality was that if you couldn’t take that punishment, you were weak and the damage would either toughen you up or force you to quit. Of course, this changed a lot after 2007.

So did the Wellness Policy. Today’s fans may be bewildered that Chris Benoit could pass a drug test with so much testosterone in his system at the time of his death. The missing piece of the puzzle is that the policy was only introduced to combat the bad PR over Eddie, and was not seriously enforced until the Benoit story exposed it as a joke. Basically, after Eddie WWE wanted to look like they were preventing another tragedy, and after Benoit WWE realized that it was in their best interests to actually prevent another tragedy.

I was surprised the documentary touched on Nancy Benoit’s history with Kevin Sullivan, without mentioning the fringe theory that Sullivan was the “real” murderer. At the time, Sullivan was perceived as holding back Chris’s career in WCW, and it was easy to cast Chris as the good guy who overcame adversity and Sullivan as a jealous, bitter has-been. People who wanted to find some other villain in the Benoit murders found it easy to turn to Sullivan, and his silly 1980s Satanic heel gimmick added fuel to the fire. The idea that Sullivan could outwit the Fayette County Sheriff's Department but somehow fail to account for the sleuthing skills of pro wrestling fans is, as ever, preposterous.

The documentary was a little vague on the “glass ceiling” politics in the 1990s. The key is that the WWF tended to want to make stars out of bigger guys (6 feet and up, 250 pounds and up), and WCW tended to want to make stars out of guys that had been stars in the WWF. Benoit and his closest friends were generally viewed as solid technicians but too bland and/or small to be at the tippy-toppy level. They got a boost from the hype about them jumping from WCW to WWF. But once the Monday Night Wars were over and WWE was the only game in town, guys like Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were kept at a certain level, while a new generation of big muscly guys (e.g., John Cena, Batista) kinda leapfrogged over them. That’s not to say Chris and Eddie didn’t have their big moments in the sun, but there was always a higher level just out of reach for them.

That political context likely affects how fans feel about the Benoit case. To this day there are fans who act as if the primary injustice is that WWE won’t acknowledge Chris’s existence. For years, being a Chris Benoit fan meant arguing that he was underrated and overlooked by the capricious powers that be, and I think some fans reflexively view his legacy as an extension of that struggle. They want everyone to admit that Chris was, despite the murders, an excellent pro wrestler, as if anyone ever disputed that. They want Chris to be inducted in the Hall of Fame so WWE will play his entrance music and give him his due, without confronting Chris’s role in preventing that from happening. They wish Chris had gone out like Eddie, because Eddie’s tragedy was at least a clean and pure expression of grief and veneration. Chris Benoit denied us that expression, but it’s easier to blame someone else.

#wwe #chris benoit #dark side of the ring

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archivefullofyoutubers · 5 years ago

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Here’s Sean’s interview at Vidcon by the Telegraph

Why one of the world's biggest YouTubers fears for the future of online stars

With 23 million fans, Irish YouTuber Seán McLoughlin has made a fortune from his videos, but was brought to the brink by burnout.

Seán McLoughlin, better known by his YouTube moniker Jacksepticeye, feels like he is getting old.

At least that is next to the hundreds of teens that make up the crowd at London’s VidCon, a conference for YouTube stars and, increasingly, users of viral music video app TikTok.

“I’m 30 now. I’m basically dead,” he jokes, in his distinctive Irish accent.

The YouTube star, who has 23 million subscribers for his channel dedicated to gaming, has been on the streaming site since he was 22.

Next to the very youngest YouTube and TikTok stars, many of them just in their early teens, McLoughlin is a veteran.

But his own experiences offer a sober reminder of the fickle nature of online fame – growing up, and maturing, under the watchful eye of millions of fans watching his videos billions of times.

“Some of these kids are getting huge followings,” McLoughlin says. “I just hope they use that to go in a good direction. It’s a slippery slope when you get all that attention at a young age. I was in my early 20s, and even then it was a scary thing. I can’t imagine what it’s like getting that at 16 or 18.”

https://twitter.com/Jack_Septic_Eye/status/1049757899696660481

Having made videos since 2012, McLoughlin is Ireland’s most popular YouTuber and has generated £12m in one year alone from his videos, according to Forbes. But having posted so much of his life online – not just multiple videos per day for years, but his relationships and personal life – McLoughlin is open about struggles with the website that made him and social media as a whole. When you meet McLoughlin you would hardly know. He is charming, laid back and warm with a soft accent of his native County Offaly. His mess of hair and short beard certainly do not fit the mould of the clean-cut YouTube star. McLoughlin is known by fans as Jacksepticeye, Jack being a common nickname for Seán in Ireland. The “septiceye” part comes from a childhood joke after he was booted in the face while playing football, leading to an infected swollen eye – Jack septic eye. He took up YouTube in 2012, but only sprang to fame when, in 2013, his channel got a “shout out” from Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie – the Swedish YouTuber known for having the largest following online. From there McLoughlin’s channel has soared to millions of fans, combining a mix of video gaming “let’s play” videos – where viewers watch him commentate and play games – and other personal vlogs and diary entries. But this rise has not always been smooth. His friendship with Kjellberg led to scrutiny from fans and other YouTubers after Kjellberg was caught out using antisemetic slurs, passed off as jokes, in several of his videos. Kjellberg has repeatedly denied accusations of antisemitism. McLoughlin was critical of Kjellberg, but later backtracked saying he had not meant to appear to defend his detractors and “throw [Kjellberg] under a bus”. While he remains friends with the Swede, who lives near to McLoughlin, it was just one episode that stretched his relationship with YouTube. In 2018, McLoughlin posted an emotional video to his channel, saying he planned to take a break from his relentless uploading schedule of as many as two videos per day. “There’s times when I don’t even leave my house,” he told followers, “I don’t go outside day to day. My mental health has not been in the best place recently.”

https://twitter.com/Jack_Septic_Eye/status/1040025500087771136

YouTube burnout has become a common complaint among video makers. Working essentially solo, making and uploading multiple videos per day, constantly interacting with fans or dealing with abusive messages has led some YouTube stars to take extended breaks. When the website is how you make a living, not just for fun, it can be doubly draining. The risk of going offline means losing followers, and losing your coveted spots in YouTube’s mysterious ranking algorithm. “I used to do two videos a day for five and a half years,” he says. “I never missed a beat, never missed an upload. That eventually led to a kind of burning out. You kind of hit a wall.” Later in 2018, he also had to deal with the very public fallout of breaking up with his girlfriend of three years, fellow YouTuber Wiishu, real name Signe Hansen – and telling his fans. Two years later, McLoughlin seems in a better place. While he is still uploading at a similar rate to before, there is perhaps more of his life beyond the boundaries of YouTube. A series of charity fundraisers across his and other channels has raised $3m (£2.33m) in total for causes including bipolar disorder and mental health group Crisis Text Line. His videos have also offered tips to dealing with fears and anxiety, giving advice on seeking help. “You don't have to be broken to do therapy,” he said in another video. For YouTubers, who millions see as their digital friends, a particularly tough experience can be users reaching out who, themselves, are unhappy, depressed or even suicidal – and how to respond to that. “People message me very frequently asking me how I should deal with depression or suicidal thoughts,” he said in a 2017 video. “They should always be treated with seriousness... but I don’t know. I’m trying to learn as much as I can to help people going through these things. These are my best intentions... not 100pc what you should do.”

While McLoughlin is now in the senior cohort of YouTube stars. A new generation of online celebrities is emerging and dealing with the same challenges he has gone through. TikTok, the viral video sharing social network has exploded in popularity with more than 500 million downloads, and is hugely popular with younger users under the age of 18. It is fun and irreverent in tone, but the fleeting fame offered by the short clips and sudden surge of popularity to users is not without question marks, particular due to its popularity with the youngest internet users. On the topic of social media, McLoughlin says there has been a kind of “curve where people got messed up with it for mental health reasons. People that I know in that age bracket are maybe starting to wean off it a bit more and starting to realise how damaging it can be. People don’t want people to know everything about them anymore.” Among the attendees at VidCon are those taking to TikTok in droves. “You’ll see probably 90pc of it is TikTok,” says McLoughlin. “Social media is for people who want to perform and now it’s like to perform for everyone all the time,” he says. “There are pros and cons to that. With TikTok it’s the same. They want people to know they exist. Some of it is cringey as hell, but I mean we are all cringey at some point. I am just glad I didn’t have social media when I was 16 because I would have uploaded some godawful stuff.” So is he outgrowing YouTube? Will he be on YouTube in years to come? “Yes, but probably not in the same capacity.” How so? “YouTube is my bread and butter. I absolutely love making videos and interacting with the audience in a way that no other media allows you… but I just don’t think I see myself uploading gaming videos every day in five years time.” Among these plans include a clothing brand and more experimental films and shorts on his channel. For the love of it, McLoughlin is still uploading. But perhaps the weight of the need to grow his fan base has lifted, which he now says is self-sustaining. He has a new relationship and a new outlook. YouTube is still central to his career and fame, but perhaps is no longer everything. “We can make all the money in the world,” he says, “but if you’re not happy doing it and you’re not having fun, then who cares?”

#jacksepticeye

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awaketake · 2 years ago

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youtube

Exploding Topics Pro Overview

Everything you need to know about Exploding Topics Pro in 4 mins. Including main features, pricing plans and trial.

Missing out on trends? Exploding Topics Pro will help you find trends before everyone else!

This Exploding Topics Pro Overview will start by telling you what are trends and their importance.

Content, products, and ideas that ride trends are easily noticed. People are already desperately searching for those topics.

This surge in interest often means increased online searches, social media discussions, overall engagement and also more sales.

That’s exactly what happened with AI that already existed in 1956 but saw a rise in popularity due to chat bots like chatgpt.

Suddenly every software started to show off their AI capabilities.

To make your campaigns or content more effective you need to incorporate trends and trending topics into your strategy!

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w-k-smith · 5 years ago

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Welcome to “Don’t Go to the Netherworld!” a Beetlejuice the Musical the Musical the Musical AU.

Beetlejuice - half-ghost, half-demon - has spent his entire afterlife in the Netherworld and works as the beleaguered assistant to Juno, his demonic bureaucrat mother. He thinks he’ll be stuck and miserable until doomsday, then a living girl breaks into the Netherworld in search of her dead mom. Beetlejuice promises to help Lydia Deetz, so long as she summons him to the living world once they’re done. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans of goths and ghosts often go downhill toward sandworms, dead boy bands, family drama, and worst of all, introspection.

It’s showtime!

Hey - feel free to check this out on AO3, where I’m w_k_smith. The original version of this post included links, but tumblr hides all my posts that have links in them, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Chapter One: “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife” (6/19/20) Chapter Two: “Worm Welcome” (upcoming) Chapter Three: “Ghost to Ghost” (upcoming) Chapter Four: “To Beetle or not to Beetle?” (upcoming)

Warning: This story contains depictions of, references to, and discussion of topics like suicide, untimely death, abuse, and body horror - you know, like the musical does (though this probably has more). Know your boundaries, and stay safe.

First chapter under keep reading!

He was so relieved when the red alert exploded through the office, making every demon caseworker jump. He’d spent the past few hours cutting up the files Juno had given him into paper dolls, but even yards upon yards of multiheaded creatures got boring after a while. He magicked the dolls into running out of Juno’s office into the caseworker bullpen, and when that got no reaction, he’d made the dolls stand in crude positions and then cannibalize each other, but even that barely got a few snarls of “Get back to your own work, Beetlejuice.”

But red alerts were like fire alarms. Not only did they break up the day, but you also got to look at a fire.

“What asshole let the living person in?” he yelled, walking out of Juno’s office. He got his own too-small desk in a little reception area in front of her inner office. Officially, he was the Assistant to the Director of Netherworld Customs and Processing, but he was a glorified secretary. Most of his days were spent spinning his wheels or making the whiners who came to see Juno sit and wait until they gave up and went away.

He guessed his position as Juno’s half-demon assistant should have felt like a privilege, if he didn’t otherwise hate every aspect of the Netherworld. He got a desk and walls, while the full-demon caseworkers crammed their knife-fingers, pumpkin heads, flippers, and musty burlap bodies filled with bugs into an open-plan workspace. And the dead people who hung around had to make themselves busy wherever they found the space.

Right now everybody, demon and human alike, had scattered

“Out of the way, Beetlejuice!” the receptionist snapped, sprinting by in the high heels she’d died in, making them her only footwear from now until doomsday. She’d had another name once, but the MISS ARGENTINA sash across her torso had become a nametag a long time ago.

“Yeah, Miss A, better get to ’em before Juno does!” he said, yanking up his sagging pants.

“Care to help?” she snapped before rounding the corner.

He didn’t bother to respond. She’d asked knowing the answer would be “no.” Even if he thought it would make a difference, why should he? Sure, the living didn’t know crossing into the Netherworld meant they’d be chased down and probably killed by a screechy demon with a neck slit and horrible fashion sense. But hey. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

He didn’t see Juno around. Not yet, anyway. He was sure he’d hear her, once things went south for the trespasser.

Someone he didn’t recognize crept around the corner Miss Argentina hadn’t turned. The living girl stuck out like a raw steak at a vegan salad bar. Her face was flushed, and sweat glued her bangs to her forehead. Geez, he missed sweating. She walked without the weight of the underworld on her shoulders. And she was goth, with a dyed black bob, a black dress, and chunky black boots – very overdressed. Most of the recently deceased turned up in hospital gowns, sweatpants, Greek life t-shirts, or, best/worst, nothing at all. Few had the right combination of luck and irony to die in funeral garb.

He ducked behind a pillar in the bullpen before the living girl saw him. She licked her lips, looked left and right and left again, obviously no plan in mind…

And she ran into Juno’s office.

Oh. Oh oh oh this was just too good. Today was not going to be boring. Today might be his luckiest day of all.

He strode to Juno’s office door, walked through, and slammed it shut behind him.

“Do you have a death wish?” he asked the kid.

He was aware of the effect he had on living people…and a lot of dead people…and anyone and anything with even the memory of a digestive system. Today his hair was a dark green that verged on purple, his moss and stubble blended together nicely, and the caterpillar behind his right ear was busy spinning a cocoon.

The kid didn’t act freaked out or disgusted. She straightened her shoulders and said: “You have to hide me.”

He leaned against the door. “Do my ears deceive me?” He pulled his left ear out to arm’s length, and let it snap back like a rubber band. “Or is the girl running for her life making demands?”

“I came here for my mom. I can’t leave until I find her.”

“She isn’t here, Siouxsie Sioux. You’re the first living person who’s snuck in for the past decade.”

“My mom is dead. She died a few months ago. I have to find her, and bring her home. Well, to Connecticut, because my dad made us move to Connecticut, but then when he sees her, he’ll snap out of it, and we’ll go back to our actual home!” Desperation, denial. Maybe she was prepared to blend in with the newlydeads.

“Lemme get this straight – you, still alive and kicking, jumped into hell to find someone who has been dead for a while and bring them home with you? And you thought you could just do that? That this kind of violation of the natural order wasn’t going to rain down all kinds of shitfire and brimstone?”

“I knew there might be trouble.” She set her jaw. “I just didn’t care.”

He grinned. “Ah. Moxie. You’re pretty luck you decided to hide in my office.” He floated over his desk, crossed his legs, and pressed his fingers together. “I have a proposition. Quid pro quo, if you will.”

The kid gave him an extremely skeptical look. “You want me to make a deal with a demon?”

“Half demon, and what I’m asking for is a favor. Just a little, bitty thing.” He held his fingers a millimeter apart. “I’ll hide you. Keep the heat off. Distract the fuzz and frame your dog for eating your homework and tell the collection agents you aren’t home. And then, when you get back to the world of the living…you’ll say my name. Three times.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll…what?”

“It’ll summon me. So I can be a part of the living world! At least for a while. And not be stuck in this trash fire.” He grimaced. “No, that’s not fair. Sometimes trash fires are fun. I should know; I’ve set a lot of them.”

Her frown deepened. “I don’t know…”

“Beetlejuice!” came a familiar roar. “Get out here right now!”

“Under the desk!” he told the kid, jumping to his feet.

“Don’t talk to me like –!”

“UNDER THE DESK!” he roared, drawing himself up a few extra feet, and opening his mouth to show multiple rows of teeth.

That did the trick. The kid dove under the desk, and he was glad her dress was black, because it blended in with the shadows and the dark stone of the floor.

Juno opened the door a second later, smoke and steam trickling from her neck slit. Her beehive quivered. Per usual, her red skirtsuit hung off her like loose skin, and she was pushing the walker she didn’t need ahead of her.

“Lawrence Beetlejuice Shoggoth, do you have anything to do with this?” she growled.

“To do with what?” he asked. “The red alert? It sure brightened up my total lack of morning. I won’t name names, but someone in the bullpen jumped out their skin. Literally, the scales are still on the floor.”

A bony finger was extended his way. “I know about your little obsession with the living world. Why do you think I watch you so closely? You are one more misstep from being banished between life and death, how do ya like that? Do you want to spend eternity watching your precious breathers without anyone able to hear or see you?”

Ah. That old chestnut. “No, Ma,” he said, settling onto the floor.

“If I hear that this was your handiwork…”

“…My entrails will decorate the lobby. Yeah, yeah, heard it all before.”

She flicked her wrist, and knocked him over the desk. He tumbled head over heels, and landed on his face. It goddam hurt, because his mother could always hurt him. He made sure he hit the ground with a comical splat sound so the kid wouldn’t panic and give the game away. When he looked up, the girl’s eyes were wide and fearful.

“How about this?” He stood up, and brushed his sleeves off. “That red alert was because some dumbass living human came into the Netherworld, right? And I can tell you didn’t catch them, because there’s more steam coming out of you than usual. I’ll go looking for the human. I’ll prove to you I didn’t do it.”

She crossed her arms, and drummed her fingers on her elbows. “Hmm…when you put it that way…this would be an excellent way for you to demonstrate the potential for more responsibility, and – I DON’T CARE. Just stay out of the way.”

Coming from Juno, that was a sappy “I love you.” She stormed out of the office, and he waited until the rattling of her heels faded out of earshot before he bent down to check on the kid.

“You have to get the hell out of here,” he told the goth girl curled up under his desk.

“That was your mother?” she asked.

“She’s my boss, too. She’s a demon; she doesn’t get me. I’d take my considerable skills elsewhere, but, y’know, it’s toe the line or get wedged between life and death forever. How did a living twelve-year-old wind up in the Netherworld, anyway?”

“I’m fifteen!” she said, standing up. “And that’s none of your business.”

“It is so my business, if we’re going to get you to the land of the living so you can take me with you. What did you do? Black magic? Séance?”

“I, um…” She gave him a hard look before continuing. “I found a book.”

“A book? Really? Which book?” Most living world books wouldn’t tell you jack about the Netherworld. Concepts like limbo or the bardo came close, but…

“Handbook for the Recently Deceased,” the kid said.

For several seconds, all he could do was stare at her. Her expression became grossly fascinated.

“Your eyeballs are falling out of their sockets,” she said.

He shoved them back in, and shook his head to clear it. “How did you get the Handbook, kid?”

She crossed her arms. “My name is Lydia. And I found it.”

“Found it where?”

“Your sister’s sock drawer.” She glared at him. “Look, it doesn’t matter where I found it, but I found it, and the first chapter said you could get to the land of the dead by drawing a door and knocking three times. So I did that, and I tried to blend in by joining this line of dead people, but we went through a metal detector or something, and all these alarms started going off, so I ran.”

Her story had a gaping hole in it in the shape of the fact that she couldn’t have opened the Handbook unless she was recently deceased, which she wasn’t. A ghost had to have shown her the book and let her through the door, which was a big no-no. Obviously, she wasn’t going to give up her source.

He didn’t care. In fact, he was delighted that they were still teaching living teenagers that snitches got stitches.

“Fine,” he said. “I can get you back, but when you do –”

“I have to say your name three times?”

“You have to say my name three times.”

She sat on his desk. “Which name? That Juno lady called you a lot of things.”

And Juno had cursed him so he couldn’t say it. For the same reason people on house arrest couldn’t unlock their ankle bracelets.

“I’ve got a card somewhere,” he muttered. He reached into his jacket, and handed her the little business card.

“ ‘2nd Street Dermatology – You’ve Got Us Under Your Skin’?” she read.

“Wrong card!” He grabbed it back, and plunged his hands deep in his pants pockets. There was so much junk in the way. “Hold this,” he said, handing Lydia a skull, a xylophone, a planchette – “Here!”

He took his stuff back, and she read the card. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?”

He nodded.

“If I say this in the living world, it’ll bring you there?”

“In two shakes.”

“So you’re like a demon.”

“Half demon, half ghost.”

“Have you been here a long time?”

He nodded.

“Then you know how to find my mom!” she said. “You can be my guide! And as soon as we’re back in the living world, I promise I’ll say your name. And you won’t have to deal with your terrible mother ever again!”

It was a nice thought.

“You can’t get your mom,” he said. “That’s just a no-go.”

Her expression soured. “No-go with you, you mean,” she said. “You don’t really want to help me? Fine. I’ll manage by myself, I guess. That’s all I’ve been doing since my mom died, anyway.” She went for the door.

He scurried after her. “Lydia, wait! We can make a deal!”

Juno would kill her. That death wouldn’t be clean or fast. And then Juno could spend as long as she wanted punishing the newlydead girl for breaking the rules.

It wasn’t pleasant to discover there were still ideas that could make him want to vomit. Besides, if she went out by herself, he’d be losing his ticket to the living world. Another few centuries slogging around the office until the next stupid, lucky teenager came by. There was no point in not seeing this through as long as he could.

He forced a grin. “OK. I’ll be your guide.”

“You’ll help me find my mom?” she asked. “That’s really possible?”

“It’s really possible.”

It really wasn’t. He could try to argue with her, and eventually, she might listen and just go home. But if he was the one who burst her bubble, she’d be less inclined to do him a favor.

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll help you find your mom. And I know exactly where to head. But first – we have to make you blend in.”

He smuggled the tiny goth out the back way, into the empty, rocky fields where the newlydeads lined up to head into the infinite Abyss that awaited them. No poor, unfortunate souls were hanging around just then, though you had to figure that people died about every second in the living room. He had given up trying to figure out the Netherworld’s relationship with time.

He made the tiny goth sit on a crag so they’d be eye-to-eye, and started rooting around his jacket for supplies. She looked skeptical, and he couldn’t blame her.

“How do I blend in?” Lydia asked.

“You have to look dead,” he said. “If you don’t go through the sensors – nice job, by the way, hopping right in the nearest line, very subtle – no one will automatically be able to tell you’re alive. But! If anyone gets within arm’s length, you’ll get caught. You have to stop flaunting your beating heart and functioning liver.”

“So I have to look recently deceased…” she said, and chewed on her bottom lip. “Should I put fake blood all over my face? Pretend I got poisoned?” She made a choking sound. “Maybe a noose?” She yanked one hand over her shoulder and let her head loll forward.

He tried not to flinch. She didn’t know that she’d just punched below the belt. Especially since he was wearing suspenders.

“Only newlydeads carry their wounds around,” he said. “That’s a good way to tell someone’s inexperienced. Have you seen the receptionist? She acts like she knows everything, but she’s still got those slit wrists, and the carbon monoxide skin.” He snorted. “Suicides.”

“I was going to jump off the roof of our new house,” Lydia said, very quietly. “Just yesterday. I wrote a note and everything.”

“Well, then, congratulations,” he said.

“For what?”

“For outdoing yourself. Running into hell wasn’t the dumbest idea you had this week. Have some grave dirt.” He tossed a handful of mud in her face.

She coughed, and tried to brush the dirt away, but just ended up smearing it across her forehead and cheeks. “What the HELL?”

“You have to make people believe you’ve been in the ground a long time. Get some of that under your fingernails, there you go. Now slouch!” he ordered. Her shoulders sagged. “Lower! Everything in your previous life is gone! No one cried at your funeral! Stoners are making out behind your head stone!”

“I’m deeeeead,” she said, stretching out the word and adding some vocal fry. She slid off the crag, and raised her arms like a zombie. Her eyes were half-closed. “Woe is me. How I long for one more breath.”

“Very nice.” He considered, then reached out and messed up her hair. “There. Dial it back by 30% and you’re golden.”

Her eyes lit up with a fervor only living teenagers had. “Does that mean we can go?”

“Yes. But you have to follow my lead, capeesh?”

“Capeesh,” she said, and he didn’t believe her.

He snapped his suspenders. “It’s showtime! Let’s go to Saturn!”

#beetlejuice #beetlejuice the musical #beetlejuice fanfiction #lawrence beetlejuice shoggoth #lydia deetz

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