#tiktok for some reason has a huge beef with this character

[cartoonstxrys]

It baffles me that people will simp for Jimmy Crystal (a villain who has done horrible things) because they consider him attractive, but they will hate on Meena (a character who has done nothing wrong) just because she’s a plus-sized character. The double standards in this fandom is atrocious, if you’re going to hate on a Sing character, at least target your hate on a character that ACTUALLY deserves it, like I don’t know, Mike the Mouse or Jimmy Fucking Crystal.

[xsylcuenco]

MERROCK TASK #20

SOCIAL MEDIA

at what age did your character start using social media?

sometime in middle school, so 12 or 13

did their parents monitor their use, if they were young?

they certainly tried. there were parental controls on the family desktop but there were also ways to get around it without them knowing. but it wasn’t for lack of trying!

has your character ever had fake identities or accounts online?

wasn’t everyone in AOL chat rooms pretending to be 18 at 13? she also absolutely has a burner she uses for FBI activities

no shame: do they remember myspace? did they use it?

she lived on MySpace! the dramaaaaaa! high school would not have been the same without it.

who would be in their top eight today?

Stelly, Livvy, Mandy, Jamie, Nari, her sister, and her closest cousins

what social media platforms do they use today?

Instagram and TikTok mostly, Tumblr sometimes, the salon technically has a Facebook page but it’s only updated as needed for important info

do they have public profiles, or go private?

everything in her name is public, nothing to hide here

how about their following? are they pretty lowkey, or do they have a decent following?

she has a decent following due to the salon and roxie each having their own pages but nothing crazy

do they tend to pick obvious usernames, ones with sentimental value, funny things? how do they decide?

when she was younger, her usernames were out there and creative. these days most are simple and a variation of her name. something along the lines of “xsylcuenco” or “sylviacb”

profile pictures: the same across all platforms?

Nope. Every app has a vibe, your profile photo should match the vibe

and just what profile pictures do they use?

selfies and they are updated often for her pages, the salon page has the salon logo

what kind of bio writer are they? silly, cute, sweet, or just basic?

depends on the season of life, she changes her bios often, sometimes it’s even just emojis

how much time per day would you say that your character spends on social media?

too much. she scrolls first thing in the morning and last thing at night, plus her job requires advertising on socials sooo… a lot. between clients, she’s usually scrolling.

is there one platform that they visit more than others?

TikTok, hands down

if they have kids, do they use social media? how do they feel about that? if not, and they want kids, will they let them use it someday?

Roxie has an Instagram, does that count? that’s the closest to a child she’ll ever have so it’s not a huge concern for her, personally

be honest: have they ever created an account for something else, like a hobby, or... to try to make their cat internet famous?

both the salon and Roxie’s pages started out for fun so you can say so

do they run any professional or business accounts?

the salon has both an Instagram and TikTok

have they ever left a social media platform (or more than one) for any specific reason?

she used to be on Twitter a lot more, these days it’s more broken than anything so she rarely checks it

do they plan on using social media into their older ages?

she can’t function without it so she doesn’t see that changing

have they ever made any long-lasting friendships through social media?

yes, she’s been deep on social media long enough not to have. some of those friendships have even made it to real life.

or on the flip side, gotten into any big social media beef?

see high school MySpace drama.

have they ever felt negatively impacted by social media as a user?

Sylvia’s reputation probably wouldn’t have suffered as much as it did the way that social media allowed for gossip to spread but in her mid-20s, all of that became irrelevant so looking back, it just toughened her up

who is their favorite person / account to follow on social media?

she follows lots of celebrities and influencers, it’s tough to pick just one

would they say that social media has had an overall more positive or negative impact on the world?

these days, it is positive. social media has allowed her to build her client base and therefore her business much quicker than it would have otherwise

and finally: a/s/l? (and do they know what that means?)

32/F/ME - duh!

[xespietamayo]

MERROCK TASK #20

SOCIAL MEDIA

at what age did your character start using social media?

late 20s? it’s blurry but definitely when she was living in Florida, social media didn’t really exist when she was young

did their parents monitor their use, if they were young?

she was a grown adult, but had social media been a thing when she was growing up they would have monitored her use closely

has your character ever had fake identities or accounts online?

never. why is that even a thing?

no shame: do they remember myspace? did they use it?

Yes, it was her very first social media platform used on a regular basis which she solely used to keep in touch with friends from Maine while in Florida

who would be in their top eight today?

Josh (obviously), Nari, Alice, her siblings, her closest cousin

what social media platforms do they use today?

Instagram, Facebook, and she has a TikTok she rarely uses

do they have public profiles, or go private?

everything is private

how about their following? are they pretty lowkey, or do they have a decent following?

keep it low key, socials are to keep connected with friends and loved ones

do they tend to pick obvious usernames, ones with sentimental value, funny things? how do they decide?

everything is simple, just some variation of “espietam” or “espietamayo”

profile pictures: the same across all platforms?

Yes

and just what profile pictures do they use?

selfies, usually from vacations, sometimes with Josh or the kids. the pictures themselves are updated about once a year

what kind of bio writer are they? silly, cute, sweet, or just basic?

bare basics if anything, sometimes with a positive quote of some sort

how much time per day would you say that your character spends on social media?

cumulatively probably a few hours, it’s easy to scroll through reels of cute animals when bored between meetings

is there one platform that they visit more than others?

Instagram. Reels can keep her occupied for hours if she lets herself.

if they have kids, do they use social media? how do they feel about that? if not, and they want kids, will they let them use it someday?

all of her kids are on socials. she does monitor the twins closely and follows all 4, though the two adults are free to do as they please. just please don’t post anything to embarrass mom

be honest: have they ever created an account for something else, like a hobby, or... to try to make their cat internet famous?

Never, all of her hobbies are displayed on her personal page

do they run any professional or business accounts?

Nope

have they ever left a social media platform (or more than one) for any specific reason?

Not really

do they plan on using social media into their older ages?

She might be considered of older age already depending on who you ask.. Who knows? Right now it helps her stay (somewhat) in the know, she uses it to keep in contact with loved ones in Florida too, it’s fun

have they ever made any long-lasting friendships through social media?

No but it has helped her to maintain friendships long distance

or on the flip side, gotten into any big social media beef?

Never. She doesn’t understand folks who post their business out in the open like that

have they ever felt negatively impacted by social media as a user?

Not really. She is grateful she was older when social media came around for that reason. It’s a huge concern for her with her children.

who is their favorite person / account to follow on social media?

She follows lots of animal content, including zoos and aquariums.

would they say that social media has had an overall more positive or negative impact on the world?

She enjoys it, so she would say positive. It’s what you make of it.

and finally: a/s/l? (and do they know what that means?)

for someone who was never in chat rooms, she does know what it means. At one point it became a conversation with her kids due to the confusion of “asl” versus “ASL” versus “a/s/l”. 44/F/ME

[nose235678]

So, I’m really late to the party on this one...

Turns out, through all this time that I’ve been putting off my writing, because I was unable to properly envision my OC’s appearances in my head, I never knew about a little website by the name of picrew.me. It has changed the game...

What the hell, right? I just went on TikTok today and saw people posting with the available character creators and I felt like an idiot for two reasons:

Because I’m a writer, not an artist. I’m too impatient to sit for that long to draw out as many characters as I need to for my main original novels or the occasional fan fiction I write to test out new OC’s personalities.

Because I grew up playing “dress-up” games like every other member of my 2000’s baby generation (I’m 20) and I never for a moment thought of trying to find a program that might be able to do my art for me for free (not that I don’t support people going to freelance artists, I intend to seek one out for book covers soon, but I just lack the budget to get portraits done for the number of characters I have).

So, what the hell is wrong with me, right?

I’ve been wasting all of this time struggling with what I couldn’t see and now...? I’m writing more than ever and I’m not confused! It’s a huge weight off my shoulders and I finally intend to share a few of my creations to show off some of the different art styles offered by the selection of character customization programs...

My first example is Persephone from my latest endeavor into writing an X-Men story.

She’s a young mutant who was born into a Jewish family with the power to control and manipulate plant life. However, this ability didn’t develop until she turned ten and ran away from the hand of a violent father and straight into the care of a marooned alien. One we all know and love, Groot who crash landed on Earth (an event that will eventually lead him to Rocket in the years to come, but for now this moment is set before X-Men: Days of Future Past. Before Magneto’s speech is given on tv and life changes for mutants forever).

With the help of her mutation, she’s able to hide Groot’s true identity as an extraterrestrial. Claiming upon her arrival to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters that she made him by accident when her mutant-phobic father raised a bat in hand to kill the "abomination" he'd brought into the world. Not that it was entirely a lie, she could replenish and understand him through her abilities. And we all know how protective our beloved seven foot tall tree monster can be of small, mostly defenseless, screaming creatures.

As for the details of her abilities, they follow thusly:

Her canine teeth are elongated and incredibly strong along with the rest of her chompers as her mutation affects her metabolism and she needs to eat a large amount of heavy protein to maintain her strength, meaning beef, chicken, eggs, fish, etc. She identifies as a carnivore, because eating uncooked veggies can get a little awkward when she can hear the cherry tomatoes in her salad talking. Asking not to be eaten. As a result, she takes classes and puts herself in charge of planning meals/grocery shopping for the team. She’d rather die than eat unseasoned food.

Her hair grows like a weed and resembles the color to boot. Flowing in lengths of green, but it changes with the seasons. Going from lime green in the spring, to emerald in the summer, red, yellow and chestnut in the fall and in the winter...seasonal depression kicks in with a force to turn her flowing tresses black as potting soil. This however can be treated with her depression through the use of stimulants, mood stabilizers and a cubic butt-load of coffee, because just like pine trees, her internal biome loves acidic foods.

Though, because of its composition and advanced growth rate, she keeps her hair teased neatly into locs and can be often found preening herself whenever she’s not grooming every last sprout and bud in the Manor’s greenhouse where she lives with Groot to keep him company. And depending on her mood, her hair can sprout flowers based on whatever she’s feeling. Anger will sprout a crown of thorns, heartbreak grows anemones and intense love could cause whole bushels of forget-me-nots to bloom in their mesmerizing blues and violets.

And who do they bloom for? For the very first time after years of attending Xavier’s school? After being kidnapped by and defeating Apocalypse? Saving Warren/Angel’s life...? Why of course it would be one Mr. Kurt Wagner, fresh out of the circus who would take one look at her green hair with freckled, clay-colored and his blue features would go straight to purple after the fight in realizing that he wasn’t alone. There were other mutants out there in the world who looked different and Percy...? She was nothing short of her namesake. A true Spring goddess who melted the moment he wandered lost into her green house and wasn’t afraid of Groot. Even after the giant tree tossed the boy across the room like a rag doll, thinking he was attempting to sneak up on his little green-thumbed friend...

Needless to say, they would hit it off, despite a few trials given the disapproval of her new best friend, Warren who was still bitter about Kurt accidentally burning his wings during the cage fight. Though, with the new, fluffy white ones that Percy would help him grow with a special herbal brew...? After the X-Men agreed to take him in an hide him from his family...? He really had no right to complain...

And you never know...maybe one day because of them, a new generation of X-Men might come into the world...

I was able to come up with all of this story because of Picrew, so if you’re struggling like I often do, why not give it a try? It’s totally free and even fun if that’s your sorta thing. So, feel free to let me know if any of you want me to show off anymore of my OC’s sometime. I’d be happy to oblige...

[thisislizheather]

February Feats 2021

The best month has arrived! I know this has been a full year of complete trash, but spring is coming and it’s always the most hope-filled season, in my eyes. So even if I’m living in a dream world, let’s pretend that things might get better.

First things first, I tested positive for COVID earlier this month, but I’ve recovered completely and I know that I’m crazy lucky to have had it so mildly. I lost my sense of taste and smell for only a few weeks and it’s almost 100% back now, which is amazing. Somehow, magically, I didn’t infect my parents and they both tested negative (I was staying with them since autumn of last year), so that was also another little miracle.

Some movies I rewatched in my isolation: Groundhog Day (it’s the perfect movie to watch in a pandemic), Titanic (I think I rewatch this maybe two or three times a year, it never stops being great), and Stepmom (haven’t seen this in years and though I don’t love the movie, the part when the little boy says to his mother, “No one will ever love you like I love you” is weep-worthy).

Some new things I watched:

I finished the first five seasons of Superstore and it’s just a great show, with such good characters, fully recommend. The only part I hated was Sandra giving away Jerry to Carol, I just seethed at that joke for some reason.

The new To All The Boys I’ve Loved movie that came out. Yes, it’s super corny at times but it’s also very cute.

Emily in Paris, I don’t know why, it was a weird month. My two takeaways? The woman looks 12 years old, so I don’t know… the whole premise feels weird when you think you’re watching a child. And Darren Star must really find it truly hilarious when American women step in shit in France. His favourite joke on this planet, apparently.

The new Britney Spears documentary. Love her, loved it, hope things turn out all right for her.

Promising Young Woman, I loved it. Such an original, well done movie. Certain parts are slightly triggering if you’ve ever dealt with similar abuse situations, but overall it’s really, really good. (The soundtrack is great, too.)

Stanley Tucci’s CNN show Searching For Italy. Amazing! Love this man! I’ve had this dream trip around Italy planned for years that I intend to take one day and this show allows me to bask in that dream even harder. I should do a post about the specifics of this trip (I have it all organized within a Word document and map outlines), that way I can get people to contribute any must-do things that I should add. Okay, yes, I’ll post that later this month.

The Cecil Hotel series. Okay, look, the lam-Elisa tuberculosis part is intriguing as hell, but everything else? This could easily have been an hour long special. Also, fuck you Netflix for glazing over mental health issues, and giving such a strong voice to YOUTUBERS who know nothing and spout hurtful conspiracies. The whole series is so manipulatively done, absolutely do not recommend.

Have you ever been in a Food Basics? Because christ. It’s the most depressing grocery store chain I’ve ever had the misfortune of entering. Just a shocking vibe. Never again.

I’ll never understand why mixed bouquets exist when beautiful arrangements like this are an option. They’re always breathtaking.

I tried a sample of a coffee body scrub from Mine Tan and I want to buy a full sized version immediately. It makes you so insanely soft that it’s completely worth the mess that it makes after using it in the shower.

I made hummingbird cake for the first time and it was incredible, everyone should make this cake. The photo isn’t good, but the cake absolutely was. Will totally make again. You can’t really even taste any of the pineapple, but it makes it so moist and enjoyable for days after you’ve made it.

Above Photo: hummingbird cake

I tried the TikTok leggings and they suhuuuuuuck. Don’t buy them. Shady material. Does nothing for any ass. In order for these to look like they do in the photo, you must have previously bought the ass that goes along with it.

I made queso that was TERRIBLE. Must remember to always use a recipe that uses Velveeta, anything else will result in a terrible queso.

Tried the carrot cake Oreos and of course they’re good. Oreo has been flawless these past few years at constantly reinventing themselves and succeeding. Love to see that in a cookie.

I made this orange pound cake with orange glaze and it makes your home smell like heaven. Taste was phenomenal, too. Such a good late winter recipe.

I tried to get into this Mark Twain biography and it was just too dense. I lasted a few pages before slowly shutting it and placing it far away from me. I know so little about the man (hence the reason I wanted to read his book) but you couldn’t pay me to finish that thing. He remains a mystery to me and I’ve come to terms with that.

I know it’s 2021 but I’ll always be excited to see a Shyamalan movie. The premise seems terrible, but maybe good terrible?

I didn’t even know that light switches were allowed to be this gorgeous.

I also tried to read Lindy West’s latest book Shit, Actually and… I hated it. Well, what I read I hated. I really didn’t find any of it funny, which is weird because I love her. The only good chapter that I read was the one about The Fugitive. Loved this part: “I was going to say that they don’t make movies like this anymore, where the last thirty minutes is just one continuous incredible chase, except they do, all the time, but they make it all CGI so it’s impossible to care about. Who cares about a drawing of a very fast exploding truck that a computer made? Not me!”

I finally watched the VHS from my fifth grade play Newsies and it did not disappoint. I was magical.

My dad and I have been sending our stamps to Oxfam for awhile now, you should send them any of your used stamps, too! It’s such a good organization. We save up all our stamps that come in and then send them a package a few times a year.

Speaking of stamps, did you know that you can suggest a Canadian stamp theme? I do this every so often, one day I swear one of my ideas will make the cut. This is such a great idea for kids, too.

They finally opened a Detroit style pizza place in Mississauga! Gotta try it the next time I’m there.

I made Yorkshire pudding for the first time and it turned out well! I’m not a huge fan of the dull flavours, but I think if I used actual beef fat instead of shortening, then it would’ve tasted a bit stronger. Next time, for sure.

Above Photo: Yorkshire pudding

I bought this cake stand and dome from IKEA for my parent’s house and good god, what’s not perfect about a cake dome. What cake doesn’t benefit from its own little palace?

Best tweets of the month can be found over here.

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: can’t wait to make this kale caesar with breadcrumbs, there are surprisingly good Sephora rewards available right now (I just got the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Serum Crystal Elixir reward that I can’t wait to try even though I have zero idea what it does), I’m going to do some research into all of these books and try to find the best ones at the library, I’m so excited that Shrill has a release date (May 7th), I’d love to get a haircut, and I can’t wait to get my free birthday gifts from The Body Shop, Sephora, and Ulta. Oh, and I plan on eating the hell out of this leek focaccia at Lilia.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in January over here.