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choicesficwriterscreations · 5 months

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January Creator of the Month: Jerzwriter

Each month, CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers or artists, and this month’s creator of the month is CFWC's own @jerzwriter. The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

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Elsa

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1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

It was sometime in 2017, and the first book I ever played was The Royal Romance, Book 1.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined a couple Facebook groups in 2019. I just wanted to discuss stories with others who were interested, as no one in my real life reads Choices. I didn't even know I was entering a fandom. lol I started reading fanfic on Tumblr the following year, but I found Tumblr intimidating, so I was mostly a silent reader. I didn’t start writing and contributing until May 2021, mostly because Open Heart was ending and I was in denial. 🙂

3- How did you pick your blog name?

It’s pretty boring, actually. I’m from NJ, and I write. I wanted it to be JerZwriter, so people would know it is Jer-ZEE-Writer, but that wasn’t doable, so it’s Jerzwriter, and most think it is Jerz-Writer. Oh, well!

4- Pull up the first and last posts in your archive, and tell us about them!

My first post was the first chapter of my Ethan x Casey x Tobias love triangle, Delaying the Inevitable (OH). It was my very first fanfic and I really didn't think I'd write anything beyond that. I was so green back then, not only to fanfic but to the fandom as well. I’m really glad that I was naive because I don’t think I would have had the courage to post it if I had, but I’m glad that I did.

My last post was Falling for You, a little drabble I wrote for Tobias x Casey (OH), and it featured a commission by the talented artist @weetlebeetle. It was a light, fun piece that took place early in Tobias and Casey's relationship, and it shows Tobias at his absolute simpiest. Lol

5- Do you write fanfiction, create fan art, or are you one of those really gifted people who do both?

Oh, how I wish I could draw, but I can't. So, I’m strictly a writer. I may try giving drawing a go again, but I don't expect much to come of it. lol

6- How long have you been creating for Choices and for any other fandoms?

Choices was the first fandom I ever wrote for, and I started in May of 2021. So, just over two and a half years. I have written a little bit for some other fandoms since that time, but I primarily write for Choices.

7- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to create for?

Tough question. I write for Open Heart, Crimes of Passion, and Wake the Dead, and they are three of my favorite stories. I also loved Desire & Decorum, but I never wrote for it. Though, I’m planning a re-read, and you never know. 🙂

8- Share your first Choices fanfic or fan art that you posted with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were creating it today?

It was the first chapter of Delaying the Inevitable. I was so green when I started that series that I’m sure there are things I would change, but I’m still very proud of it. That series will always have a special place in my heart. I’d like to revisit it one day to “clean it up”, it could use some condensing. But I would never change the storyline.

9- What is your favorite piece of fiction or art that you created?

This is such an unfair question. lol The Delaying the Inevitable Series definitely comes to mind, but I’m also very proud of my Eli Sipes prequel stories, A Mother’s Journal, Coming Up Blank, and The End of the World. But Tobias and Casey are my favorite pairing, and I simply love the world I created for them. And while my headcanon for them is my favorite, I cannot pick just one fic for them, and I'm not going to! lol But, I've also written a bunch of AUs for them, and Friends* is one of my favorites.

10- Do you have a fic/art that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to do well but found it could use a little more love?

Yes, to both! The fandom is much smaller today, but back when we were more active, I learned you couldn't predict how a fic would be received. There are too many to name, but I will say whenever my smut does well (and quite a few of them have), I’m always astounded. lol

11- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

This is such a difficult question because I believe the best stories incorporate a little of each, and, as a writer, exploring all three helps spur creativity. Also, my absolute favorite is angst with a happy ending, so there is definitely some fluff in there (and I'm never mad at a little smut being thrown in!) But if I were forced to choose, it would probably be angst. I think that's where I am strongest, and I just love raw emotion. I think that’s where character development really occurs. I have not written as much angst recently, and I miss it. Perhaps I need a change in 2024.

12 - Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

There are definitely parts of me in my MCs and OCs, but I do my best to prevent them from becoming self-inserts. I'm not as cool as any of them, that's for sure! lol That said, I do find inspiration for my fics in real life, so there is bound to be a little crossover. When using real-life inspiration, I try to change details so that the fiction is not a carbon copy of the real-life event. Normally, by the time I'm done, they're hardly recognizable.

13 - What element of writing/art do you struggle with most? Where do you feel you are strongest?

I struggle most with setting a scene. Dialogue is my strong suit, and that just flows for me. It flows so much that sometimes I forget to describe what's going on around the conversation. I think this is particularly easy to do in fanfiction because so much of the "world" has already been provided for us, so I recognize this more when I'm writing original works.

The other thing I struggle with? Brevity. I know I can go on, and on, and on. lol I've gotten much better at this, but there is still room for improvement.

14 - Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

(Elsa leaves the room, quietly crawls under her desk, and hides…) YES!!! Far, far too many, and no matter how much I share those posts that say, "You don't have to finish! If you're not feeling it, move on!" I don't believe it! lol I really want to make wrapping them up a priority in 2024. But I also know writing - particularly good writing - cannot be forced. So, it's a goal, but I'll only do it if I feel it’s right.

15 - If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to see your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you show them first?

It would depend on who asked. I’m not ashamed of writing fanfic at all, but if I believed the person would be judgemental, I wouldn't be willing to share. A few of my friends have read select pieces of my fanfic, and I’ve always received positive feedback from them. I wouldn’t be opposed to sharing more. What I'd share would depend greatly on the person asking.

16 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing or art? Are there any artists that influence you?

There are many published writers that I admire, but I don’t think they've influenced my writing here. Within the fandom, there are many writers who have inspired me in different ways. There is no way I can ever name them all. But I'd like to give a shout-out to some.

@jamespotterthefirst and @bex-la-get were among the first writers I read when I joined Tumblr. I found their passion for both canon and the worlds they created inspiring, especially as Open Heart was nearing its end and all of us addicts needed our fill. Reading their works helped keep the story alive for me and so many others, and it inspired me to try my hand at it as well. To my shock, they were both so encouraging and supportive of me when I arrived, and I'm forever grateful. Back then, I thought they were rockstars - and they are! But now, they're also friends. I wasn't familiar with @alwaysmychoices from the start, but when I came across their work, I was just blown away. Weekend with Dr. Ramsey will live rent-free in my head forever, and that headcanon about Charlie calling Ethan the night before she marries someone else. (I faint.) Ohhh, the delicious angst! The way she made me feel what Charlie felt was just mind-boggling, and it encouraged me to really dig into my character's emotions and bring them to life in a more meaningful way.

Early on, I read @utterlyinevitable, and the thing that impressed me the most was how Dom was willing to "write stories that “went "go there.” They tackled issues that others wouldn't touch. In their world, everything wasn’t perfect, including the characters themselves. I admired that vision and, frankly, bravery, and it definitely encouraged me to write what I wanted to and not what I felt was expected of me.

More recently, @mydemonsdrivealimo inspired me to explore parts of my MCs that I have not delved into in the past. In particular, Casey's bisexuality. It can be challenging to represent a bisexual character when they are in a straight-presenting relationship, and you risk alienating readers no matter what you do (looking at all readers here.) So it becomes easier to be lazy and ignore it. But that's a disservice to the character as much as it's a disservice to people living similar situations in real life... like I have many times. Through MJ's writing and our conversations, they've helped me become more aware and do a better job in this regard, and I'm not even sure if they know this - it may totally be news to them lol - but I'm eternally grateful. Now, I feel my girl Casey is free, and OMG, how I love our characters playing together in HC now!

Then there are @lilyoffandoms and @storyofmychoices, who bring joy to all that they touch. Who knew when Lily created a little drabble putting our characters in a new world together, it would end up being one of the brightest fandom spots of 2023? Who knew that so much more would stem from that one work? Seriously, it's been one of the highlights of my fandom experience this year, and it's helped me to find inspiration at times when I felt like it was lost. Thank you both - I am so lucky to have you both here!

There are so many more I could mention, but I'd still forget people and feel horrible, so I want to take the chance to thank every writer in the fandom for sharing their gifts with us. Each of you is an inspiration in your own way; each of you can give someone an idea, and you have no idea where that spark will lead. So, never stop sharing!

17- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

Delaying the Inevitable, Friends*, All in the Past, and the WIP What’s Forever For. I also think some of my Ethan x Tobias works would have made for a good sitcom, and how I wish my Tobias x Casey friendship with Bryce x Jensen would be an epic sitcom. The world needs it! lol (Jensen belongs to @mydemonsdrivealimo.)

19- Do you write original fiction or create non-fandom art?

I do. Mostly shorter stories that will never see the light of day, but also some more substantive works... which will also never see the light of day! lol I wrote a novel-length political thriller some time ago. It would need a ton of work to bring it up to 2024, as the political landscape has changed so much. I also have two original WIPs I've been writing. One is an angsty story about a friendship that's loosely based on a childhood friend I lost to cancer a few years ago. The other is a polyamorous romance about two best friends who fall for the same person. It's really a beautiful, emotional story. If I like the end result, maybe I'll let it see the light of day... maybe. lol

20- What other hobbies do you have?

I enjoy theater, and I'm lucky enough to live in the best part of the world to partake in that. I go to a lot of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and local theater productions. I also love going to concerts - they’re like group therapy! Trust me, I got more out of seeing Noah Kahan and Hozier in 2023 than I did from the entirety of sessions with my therapist - and I loved my therapist. lol

Prior to 2020, I did a fair amount of traveling, and I hope to start doing a little more this year. But I have to admit, since the lockdown, I’ve become more of a homebody, and I like it, so we’ll see how that goes!

I used to be very involved with activism and advocacy for women’s, lgbtq+, and mental health issues. I still am, but in a different capacity than I was in the past. These issues require people fighting for them, and doing so has always been a huge part of who I am, but it can be draining, and burnout is real. I really reached the end of my rope. So, nowadays, I work as a volunteer for a couple local organizations that really mean a lot to me. I'm not involved in grassroots efforts or taking trips to talk to legislators as often, but I'm helping people on a smaller scale, and that still goes a long, long way.

22: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

As most of you know, I’m one of the mods here at CFWC, so it was a little weird when my the wheel landed on my name. But, honestly, it’s happened before, and I've just spun again, even though I am eligible. But this time around, I decided to do it. This fandom really means a lot to me, and I wanted to share a little more about myself and my crazy pixelated people.

I'm truly grateful to everyone in the fandom who does their part to make this a place that many, like me, still see as a place they want to be. We're smaller, it's imperfect, it has plenty of problems, but I am choosing to focus on the good... because there is much more of that than there is bad. So, thank you to each of you... and I hope we all have a wonderful 2024! xo

PS... My header... I know Tobias wasn't technically an LI... which was truly criminal. So, that's what fandom is for, fixing what canon effed up. lol My favorite canon LI is Trystan Thorne (COP). I tried adding their picture to the header alongside Tobias, but it looked terrible, so here I am. :)

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I can't wait to highlight more of you in 2024! :)

#choices fic writers creations #playchoices #choices the stories you play #cfwc creator of the month #jerzwriter #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic #january creator of the month #open heart #crimes of passion #wake the dead

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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egg-emperor · 1 year

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Ahhh I remember the days when the Sonic fandom was infamous for dark, edgy and fucked up headcanons and fiction. Angst, gore, Complete Monsters, deaths and even Fates Worse Than Death were abound in fanfic without anybody batting an eye. I miss those days. I feel old now

god me too, it was one of my first experiences with the Sonic fandom online back when I was just an observer. and since I was already most fascinated by the darker themes in the official media, I was delighted to see that others explored all of that further and more and was immediately hooked on all of it.

I enjoyed dark fics and looking at bloody gory art on DA, it's always been a fascination of mine. people just don't draw the characters in disturbing and brutal situations like they used to! XD I loved all the edgy fan made music video tributes that introduced me to tons of songs and artists. still love it all to this day.

I loved how unapologetically edgy and dark things were with no fear of judgment and no need to worry about it resulting in horrible accusations. great times. all of it was very inspiring to me on top of the official media like the dark stuff in the games and comics and the influence is heavy in my stuff today.

I'm still mentally stuck in that time so I genuinely commonly forget we have to do all this specific tagging and warning stuff outside of DA and fanfic sites now and how unforgiving people that run into it are now, instead of considering it's a mistake and it still has a right to exist despite their personal discomfort.

I wish we could go back because the golden era of it was back when I was merely a lurker and observer and I wouldn't contribute until far too late. my appreciation and faithfulness to disturbing evil fucked up Eggman doing disturbing evil fucked up things would've fit right in and I wouldn't have been put down.

I'm hoping to recreate the vibe of those times on my egg-breaker blog that I need to get to properly promoting here soon! it's where I hope to post as much as I can unfiltered. and I always love when y'all talk to me about it and always encourage it so we can all be passionate and free in it together 💜

in a time where all fandoms sanitize official media and characters and insist on only having wholesome happy fluff and positivity and act like that otherwise can't exist tagged or not despite it being in the official media itself too, I'm glad I'm still not alone in loving to explore glorious evil and dark stuff with Eggman! 💕

#asks #nobody draws or writes killing and murder and death and dismemberment and blood and guts like they used to :(((#I just wanna provide!#my post

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unioncolours · 3 years

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A 2nd Majsasaurus Year!

Today, 22nd of September 2021, it’s been two years since I officially joined the magical world of fandom. 22.9.2019 I uploaded the first chapter to my fic Shadows and Sand, and the rest is history.

I did a deep dive into my first year as a fic writer and active member of fandom last year, when it was my first anniversary. You can read it here!

In that meta discussion about my membership of fandom, I presented it as if walking on clouds. I was so, so happy and talked during all the discussion about my happiness in fandom.

Since that post was written, my life and also my perception of the fandom I am part of has changed. Change isn’t always bad, as I really had a honeymoon phase with fandom over a year ago, and the low after hit hard.

But let’s see what I’ve been up to and what I’ve been writing! The following year provided much change and fun things! Please keep reading 💜⬇

The first fic I wrote since 22.9.2020 was a Sakura x Ino fic. I had for a longer while been interested in writing a woman-loves-woman ship, which I had never done before, and as a wlw-person myself the urge to explore that part led to Promise me this is just a kiss. The pairing itself was chosen on rather random, it had to be two women and I like Ino, so I chose the most popular Ino-wlw ship for this for convenience.

I really liked writing the fic and it was well-received! It was the first time I had written a fic that was entirely centred around exploring feelings and having sex.

After this I jumped directly onto the next idea that had been boiling inside me for a longer while. Up to this point, all I had written, except the wlw-fic, had been set in the Naruto canonverse and I was itching to try to work with a multi-chaptered modern au! The pairing was of course my beloved Shikadai x Inojin.

It was during the creation of this fic I began to struggle. This was a new genre, as this was romance only and all my other works had been action and fantasy based, except the sex fic of course. I was maybe over critical and stressed, which resulted in me having a hard time writing it. But I made it. Was the sky always this beautiful? ended up being 35k long, and in hindsight, I freaking love, love, love how it turned out in the end and what it represented. I am very proud of this fic.

I “upgraded” as a fan by the end of October when I bought myself a digital drawing tablet. I began drawing fanart of Shikadai and Inojin and preferably them two together, haha! I still draw a few days a month and find it extremely fun as a side hobby beside the writing.

We are now in November 2020. By this time, I had completely finished my zine fic, Under the Scorching Sun, which I had written during September and October, for the Shikatema zine I was kindly accepted to. I was proud of what I had created and was eager for the rest of the contributors to wrap up theirs, so we’d have a wonderful zine for sale in 2021. It was lovely to write ShikaTema again. As the zine fic was about to be released in months from when I had at first finished it, I wanted of course to write something fans and friends could immediately take part of on the internet. I had hyped myself up to a state where I wanted to write a third and final story in my series To love and never let go, my epic series about Shikadai and Inojin.

Now, I should maybe have waited another month, but I was worried the readers would give up on me if I didn’t write it right away. In December, I began writing To find hope in the Universe, with my usual speed and love for the art.

What I by then didn’t realise or even recognise was that I was very slowly turning burned out. I ignored all the signs.

In December I wrote simultaneously as Hope in the Universe a fic that was part of the Shikatema server’s Secret Santa event. The fic’s name was The Ghost Stories of our Hearts, and it was ShikaTema, as the event’s name suggests. It was fun to write and despite the final big fic, Hope in the Universe, pressing down on me, I finished The Ghost Stories of our Hearts and was very happy with the result. Sadly, at this point the burnout began taking control over me, and I never managed to reply to the comments.

The 15th of January, I began uploading To find hope in the Universe. It was a lovely experience, even if it was tainted by negative feelings coming from my decreasing happiness and the fact that it didn’t do as well as To dance above the Stars, the second fic in the series. To deal with two very contradiction emotions, loving my work, the characters, how I have painted an entire world around the characters and how I knew some people honestly loved my hard work, and then the negative feelings coming from not feeling good enough and depressed, was a difficult thing to navigate and still is when I think back to that time. It didn’t help that during the process of uploading the fic I went through grief, and I chose distraction as my coping method. I kept writing and working, the only thing I ever knew.

Our pre-order of the Shikatema zine was in full motion by this time and it was a nerve-wracking time! Mostly because of excitement but also worry. I’m super happy for my friends who were part of the zine, with whom I could share all the excitement and nervousness with. The zine ended up making good sales, which made me happy among the uploading of the long fic.

To find hope in the Universe was completed 31st of March 2021. When I uploaded the final chapter, I felt nothing. It was so weird, so spooky, to have finished a long fic and a series on top of that and not feel anything. But deep down, beneath the layer of depression, I felt great pride.

That was the emotion that broke free once the burnout left me. Pride.

I had created this empire of Shikajin, a whole alternative timeline, an alternative canon from my own head and to this day, that is my internet legacy. I love Trial of the Heart, which I wrote in 2020, but if I have to choose between ToH and this series, I will choose To love and never let go in a heartbeat.

So, even if it felt depressing and hopeless in the moment, I look now back with pride and happiness. Never forget that. Never forget that I made that.

April was a curious time. I swore to not write anything, because I had by now recognised that I was burned out and needed to rest, yet managed to scrape together three smaller fics.

The first one was another wlw-smut fic, TemaSaku this time called Another Light. I wanted to explore that part once again. I wrote it in canonverse and honestly think the fic ended up extremely nice. Perfect amount of feels and sex. It didn’t feel hard to write at all, because the setting, characters and emotions were so different from the fics I had written the last five months.

Now more interesting things lay on the horizon! A new zine, the Ino-Shika-Cho zine called Beyond a Bond had an interest check during the spring, and later the contributor application. I urged in the interest check to please give us the next gen kids, Shikadai, Inojin and Chocho – my kids and babies, and when it turned out they were going to feature, I had to apply as a writer. For this application I wrote a one shot, called It’s just hair, and I loved this spunky little story featuring the best babies that I created.

I also edited one of my tumblr fics, And then I kissed him, into a longer, better version that I later in May uploaded onto AO3. It was once again a Shikajin, a sequel of Trial of the Heart, and it was a fun little project.

Now May came and I sent in the application for the zine early, which I now am relieved I did. I am happy that I did the work for the application in April instead of May, because in May I had a few breakdowns and another grieving period, which lead to complete creative paralysis. I didn’t write a single word during May, only uploaded the two one shots I had prepared in April.

What I did do in May was to read through the Shikatema zine I had contributed to! It arrived in the mail! I was so nervous; my whole body was shaking when I opened the package right outside the post office. The zine now resides on the parade place in my little zine shrine in the bookshelf. Thank you to the mods who made this a reality!

To my great happiness my zine adventures continued as I was accepted to the Ino-Shika-Cho zine as a writer and was assigned to write my favourite characters. I felt so relieved and overjoyed, mind blown by the sheer talent among the contributors.

On the other fandom front, June didn’t continue any brighter, with stress and mental pain still having a strong grip around me, despite the very happy news that I am still so grateful for. I wrote a Yamanaka family fic which to this day hasn’t seen the light of AO3, because of negative emotions surrounding it. I turned into a complete wreck compared to me in June 2020. In June 2020 I was flourishing, I loved what I did, I loved fandom and I loved the friends I had made through Discord servers. Now I could find myself crying my eyes out over a wip not going the way I wished it would. What had happened to Bex 2021?

I was so incredibly frustrated with myself, groaning in defeat when my hands just couldn’t write. I managed to push through 6k of what I called my “emo au” – more of that later – and finish the Yamanaka fic which is still buried, and on top of that I had the zine and another fandom event, The Naruto Photo Album, to create content for. Why couldn’t I do it? Why couldn’t I find happiness in something that once was my reason for happiness?

In the end, I managed to write 15k in June. My former monthly word count used to be 30k. One could think this would turn into the end of my fic writing career, or the beginning of a longer hiatus, but I am stubborn and want to meet the expectations of the people who love my content, so I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to try. I wanted to be whoever I was before.

Funnily enough, the healing came in the shape of the most self-indulgent fic I have ever, ever written, a fic I like possessed began writing July the 1st 2021. It was nothing less than a freaking fairy tale AU, namely a Shikadai x Inojin Peter Pan AU. I can hear you laugh at the silliness of it, but this whimsical AU gave me back my love for writing. I hyper-fixated on this story quite a bit and stopped writing on everything else, something I almost never do.

Only happy boys fly ended up being 21 000 words long! I knew it was a niched story, and true to my guesses, the story has to this day very low stats. Today, two months after it was published, it has just above 100 hits and 10 kudos, so for all I know, only ten people read and liked it. I try to not care too much, since I love the story and in some way, that story saved me from going batshit insane over my emotions about writing.

At this point I had begun writing my fic from the Ino-Shika-Cho zine, finding joy in silly scenes with my favourite characters and trying to heal. The writing process was frustratingly slow, but one word at a time I got forward and as of today, the draft is done. The pre-orders are in December. At the side of the zine fic I wrote a short fluffy Shikajin story, CLEAR, a story with almost no plot, because I knew how much self-indulgence could help me.

And then, I finally began writing for real on my emo au, A gang of fallen stars, which has the first few chapters up right now! I have for the first time in six months a longer fic (if we don’t count the Peter Pan story) and it feels… good. This fic is once again a modern au, but in darker tones than my other modern au from November 2020. I honestly like what I have so far, even if I during June and July almost planned to never finish it. I am so relieved I managed to begin the upload. In September the Photo Album was released and I could show my two fics I wrote for it.

It sounds like this year has been nothing but misery, and at times it felt like it. However, there are a few fandom friends who brought light to my life when I couldn’t see it. The first ones to mention are of course my partners in crime, @notquitejiraiya and @thespookymoth. Together we created a server dedicated to Ino-Shika-Cho during the spring and it has been tons of fun with the members there! Thank you two for listening to me and for being my friends during 2021.

I also have to mention Soverel, who carefully begun taking contact through comments and likes on my twitter, and later through direct messages, and it has been a fun ride ever since. We’ve had lovely discussions which are very dear to me and your support means a lot to me. Thank you for being you and for drawing so many wonderful artworks you’ve shared with me. Haha, and for making me play Genshin Impact, even though I do it like twice a month!

Another person who has made my days so much brighter is @sugarriene. Thank you for sending me that one dm that made us chat regularly, thank you for popping up and sharing panels and your wonderful drawings with me, and for vibing head canons with me. You are a lovely person, and you make me happy.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to @yoboseyokyu for listening to me when I had to yell into the void and for making me happy with your cute posts on both twitter and tumblr.

Since September 2020, I’ve written around 195 000 words and drawn close to 35 illustrations, most of them of Shikadai and Inojin. Almost 200 000 words of Majsasaurus. I’ve created a Discord server and I’ve been part of two zines as a writer, plus a free PDF-project.

It has been a wild year. A year filled with passion for my favourite characters and ship, with the excitement that came with being part of projects and hyping them. It was a year where I learned to draw digitally, and heck what fun it was.

This also a year where I learned people can be mean to me because of what I ship and that fandom friends won’t necessarily always stay to be your friend anymore and how much it can hurt. I also learned what my limits are, and what punishment I get if I don’t listen to my own mind and rest when I have to.

It was a year, guys.

Now, onto the third Majsasaurus Year. Cheers!

And those of you, who supported me when I needed it – thank you and I love you.

#majsasaurus

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inevitably-johnlocked · 4 years

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5 Favourite Works

YAY! I got tagged by the amazing @chained-to-the-mirror, and I was tickled pink because I was feeling left out, seeing everyone tag everyone and then me just... over here. Thank you, Lovely. Seriously, you always know when I need a smile <3. I like happy posts today.

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Well, I haven’t done a lot of works in the past year (not even Meta, and I’m not happy with them all), so I’m going to choose my five fave works I’ve ever done because I still am happy when I see them :) In no particular order:

1. Secret Episode Meta Ficlet

This came to me after S4 and while I was riding on the bus to work. It was my theory for what I wanted to see for a secret episode. I want to eventually clean it up and expand it to a full one shot, and then add it to the Sherlock fanfic I’ve been plotting out for years but never wrote. One baby step at a time, LOL.

Excerpt:

Sherlock looks up at John, his pale eyes wide in fear. “I almost lost you, John. After everything I did, I almost lost you. I wasn’t good enough and – ” Sherlock’s voice is starting to rise in panic.

John brings their heads closer together, and that seems to settle Sherlock down enough for him to continue.

“You were shot, John. In the head.”

It still makes me tear up.

2. The Mind Palace Theories of TAB Meta

This is the meta that cemented my place initially in the fandom, and it’s still one of my faves not because of how close we got to predicting TAB, but because it was a COMMUNITY meta, that we all made and speculated on and it turned into a beast all its own. It helped me essentially have people take me seriously as a meta-writer in my own regard. I’m fiercely protective of it because people have tried to claim parts of our meta as their own and that’s just not on, because it was a COMMUNITY effort speculation. It was OUR meta, and it helped me create this little corner in the fandom. I’ve never considered myself “popular” but I know that I was considered a BNF for a while because of this meta Nowadays I’m not much of anyone, but without this meta, y’all, without YOU guys, I would probably not still be as steady a presence as I am now. I wish I was more known for my art, but I am glad that my “claim to fame” was a team effort that was built upon from one single night of me writing a meta with a cracking headache, thinking it was just a crack theory to not be taken seriously.

3. Corndog Daddy || [Ao3 Post]

It’s stupid and silly and I love the fuck out of this ficlet I wrote as a gift. I don’t often promote my own writing (nor does anyone else, but I digress), so I don’t have a lot of kudos’ or bookmarks on this, but it’s so ridiculous and cracky and I love it. Essentially, John and Sherlock go to a county fair and Sherlock cums in his pants XD

Excerpt:

John ordered [a corn dog] for himself, and asked Sherlock if he wanted one, who nodded. John took the two corn dogs and handed one to Sherlock as John put the tip of the dog in his mouth.

Sherlock nearly dropped both bee plush and corn dog as his cock made a bold attempt to let Sherlock know it was interested in the current proceedings.

John raised an eyebrow, grinned devilishly, and started suckling the tip of the corn dog. “Mmm,” John hummed. “I do like a sweet meat stick.”

Anyway. XD

4. SHERLOCK - :Winter Kiss: by @stephdrawsjohnlock

(Click link for full image)

My favourite Johnlock anniversary pic (2018) I’ve done is also one of my most noted, which also makes me happy. I wish I could get even a quarter of notice on all my art, but this one is particularly good. I’m much better at Black and White than colour I think, and it was an experiment with new brushes I got with updated photoshop.

5. Smooth Hat Detective by @stephdrawsjohnlock plus Inspired Ficlet by @johnlockismyreligion

(Click link for full image)

Okay, the name is so stupid... I had Smooth Criminal stuck in my head when I was drawing this (and now I do again, lol) and that’s why it’s named that, but I love lingerielock and I wanted to contribute my own, so this was the result, which was a practice piece for shading. In turn, I was surprised by a gift fic inspired by this picture called Your love it feels so good by Hotaru_Tomoe and it forever made this pic worth being proud of because someone was ACTUALLY INSPIRED BY MY ART. That’s never happened, and even thinking about it today still makes me cry happy tears, so Thank you forever, Lovely. <3

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Anyway, so yeah, I hope you guys like them as much as I do <3

Anyone who hasn’t been tagged, and really wants to do it, like I did, I TAG YOU, so please do it and let me know you did!! <3

#tagged blogging #about me #happy posts #5 things #my blog #my art #my writing #long post

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janihernan · 4 years

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Why Ron Ended Up Giving Harry a Thrifted Sneakoscope

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I wanted to contribute to my HP fandom for the very first time so I tried making this Romione fanfic to celebrate Hermione’s 41st Birthday. This is my own version of Hermione’s Birthday in my second favorite book in the HP series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Please bare with me since this is also my first time to write a fanfiction and sadly my invite in my preferred Fan fiction site is still on its way.

——

The Grangers arrived to meet the Weasleys in Leaky Cauldron where they could leave all Hermione’s things since they gave her permission to stay for the night. After they had tea and some food, they bade their goodbyes to Hermione. Without any delays, Ron and Hermione immediately agreed to find Harry. They went to every store in Diagon Alley to see if Harry was there but there were no signs of him.

“Bloody hell, where is Harry? He said that he’ll be just in Diagon Alley.” Ron started to swear, and they were both tired as they went back and forth to the shops.

“Why don’t we eat Ice Cream first in Florean de Fortescue?” Hermione suggested. “We’re both sweating already.” She added.

It was not peak hours when they got there, there were tables available. “You can order Hermione, I’ll wait on that table.” Ron pointed on a table in front of the ice cream parlor.

“There is not much people, we’ll surely have a table. We can order together.” Hermione replied.

“I kind of spent all my savings in Egypt.” Ron told her. “ Don’t worry. It’s okay. I’m still full.” Ron added quickly and he gestured for Hermione to get inside and sat in one of the tables outside. He looked around for the signs of Harry until Hermione arrived. She had two ice cream cups in her hands. “Still no signs of Harry?” She asked and he shook his head.

“I reckoned we need sugars to find him.” She placed an ice cream cup in front of Ron. “Blimey, Hermione, you don’t have to.” Ron said. “Start digging in or it will melt.” She told him with her usual authoritative tone and they started eating while talking about what happened to them in the summer. In a short while, Harry found them.

In no time, it was already the 19th of September in 1993. Ron still keeps on insisting to Hermione that she is not telling them something as they were making their way to breakfast. This started when Ron was noticing that Hermione can attend all of her classes.

“How many times do I need to tell you Ron, that I fixed it with Professor McGonagall?” Ron has gotten the same answer multiple times since he raised that concern, and he never wanted to stop until he hears the answer that he wanted.

“Still, I cannot understand how you can attend all your classes. Blimey Hermione, taking all classes would make you mental.” Ron retorted, but Hermione shrugged it off as she continued to stride to the great hall ahead of Ron and Harry.

“See, Harry? She always shrugs it off whenever I speak to her about it.” Ron spoke to Harry, but Harry changed the topic into the coming of the Quidditch season which made Ron forget what he was talking about.

They sat down in front of Hermione in the Gryffindor table. They started to eat their breakfast beneath the enchanted ceiling of a clear sky when owls started fly in the great hall dropping parcels and letters to their respective owners. Hermione got letters and packages in their table compared to them, who did not get anything.

Hermione was looking delighted as she rummaged through her packages. “Oh Mom and Dad, you don’t have to.” She exclaimed as she saw a bunch of cat treats from muggle groceries, and a set of mittens and scarves. She also opened a package from Flourish and Blotts and saw different coloured quill inks when Harry spoke, “I was waiting for that to arrive before I could greet you Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you Harry!” Hermione smiled at Harry. “Well thanks for the broom supplies too!” Harry said casually as he continued eating. Ginny also passed by to greet Hermione and gave her a greeting card.

“Happy Birthday Hermione.” Ron remarked, and Hermione smiled at Ron for a while until her face changed from the brink of excitement to anxiousness. “My Arithmancy assignment is still undone and we also have an oral recitation tomorrow, I have so many things to do today.” She ate faster than they could imagine, Harry and Ron followed her pace.

Hermione worked in the library the whole day. Ron and Harry went with her in the afternoon after lunch but they roamed around the halls after they finished the requirements they need to pass for the next day.

“I don’t in Merlin’s Beard understand how Hermione can enjoy her birthday by just spending her day in the Library. How come she never gets tired of books being her everyday view?” Ron muttered out of the blue as they went through the doors of the library to pick up Hermione for dinner.

“Well, we also never get tired of Quidditch.” Harry shrugged.

“You got a point.” Ron replied and they saw Hermione still engrossed in her books. Hermione did not notice them until Ron spoke.

“It’s your birthday, Hermione, why don’t you give yourself a break?”

“A break is not worth my time instead of investing it into my studies.” Hermione said as she looked up to the two of them.

“Did you come here so you could get your essays checked for Divination?” Hermione added quickly.

“We came here to pick you up so we could head to the great hall together.” Ron instantly told Hermione, and when nobody spoke, he jerked at Harry for moral support, but he saw Hermione shoved all her books in her bag.

“Mind to help me?” Before Harry could get the bag of books, Ron already grabbed it from Hermione and placed the remaining books in her sack. After dining in the great hall, they spent some time in the common room. Ron bickered with Hermione again about Crookshanks and then Ron went again on Hermione’s time table.

“You’re not telling us something Hermione and you’re really becoming unfair.” Ron said with incredulity.

“For once Ron, can it be just your birthday gift to stop asking me that question?” Hermione uttered in annoyance and looked back into her work.

“Fine.” Ron answered and made his way up to the Boys’ Dormitory. Harry followed after a while. As usual he did not talk to Ron about Hermione but about their lessons about Defense Against The Dark Arts. “If it was not because of that git Malfoy, Hagrid’s class would never be so boring.” Ron talked. It came into a time that Harry and Ron went into their beds. It was getting late at night and Ron was fighting his urge to sleep, he sighed as he look at Scabbers peacefully sleeping beside him.

When the time was right, he peeked through his curtains to look if Harry is still awake, and quietly he stepped out of his bed and opened his trunk with hardly any sound. He dug his hand under it until he got a heavy piece wrapped into some Egyptian cloth. It was already almost midnight and he was sure that Hermione is still down in the common room doing some work. He was not wrong, Hermione was always left alone late at night.

Hermione noticed Ron immediately as he set foot in the common room. “Why are you up so late at night?” Ron was a bit relieved that Hermione was talking to him even after doing their constant dagger stares when they bicker.

“Uhmm, I might need to go to the loo.” Ron was finding words, and she was right he might need to go to the loo. “With that bulky object?” Ron stopped in his tracks and turned back to Hermione and went near the couch where she is sitting and dropped the package in the table in front of her. ‘It’s nothing, it seemed brilliant when I first saw it, it looks quite antique. I suppose you could have it.’, said Ron.

Hermione glanced at Ron and then to the package like she could not believe her eyes and spoke, “You did not have to.”

“Perhaps, I’m like your Mom and Dad now as you muttered earlier in the morning ‘Oh Mom and Dad, you did not have to’” Ron mocked Hermione and she chuckled as she opened the package.

“It’s an Egyptian book of magic, about their culture and their spells. Ron, this is rare and ancient.” Hermione turned the bulky book around in scrutiny.

“You said in your letters that you wished to see Egypt and I reckoned that books can give you some sort of experience, maybe it is also why you never get tired to read.” Ron reasoned out lightly but Hermione was not listening, she started skimming through the pages.

“I really wanted to see Egypt, if I would have a chance, would you come to see it again with me?” Hermione uttered out of the blue and her eyes were gleaming which leaves Ron with no choice to answer.

“Sure. Why not?” Ron remarked with uncertainty.

There was a sound in the portrait hole, and both Ron and Hermione jumped in their seats. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan was laughing as they entered. It was like they have done a mischief. “Filch and Peeves are on it again.” They laughed harder and they saw Ron and Hermione.

“I thought you left that book that costed all of your savings at home.” Fred teased Ron.

“Well, he said that it was brilliant, maybe as brilliant as the Chudley Cannons.” George added.

Ron stood up, and declared, “Well the book was bloody brilliant and nothing compared to Lockhart’s. I think I’m off to bed with you.” Ron even marched ahead of them, and he said without looking at Hermione. “Good night Hermione.”

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

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owenshire · 4 years

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Robert Muhlbock (virtually) Inducts Nine Inch Nails into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020

Nine Inch Nails. One band, and often one man, with a computer (and guitar) against the world. Oh yes, Nine Inch Nails have added members for live performances and gained members (well, a member) for studio compositions, but from this “band-like-musical-entity’s” earliest days, it was just one person—one person who combined pop-hooks with industrial whirs, and harrowing rage with uncomfortable vulnerability. And his name is Trent Reznor.

No one should claim that Nine Inch Nails invented a genre. They didn’t. But they sure as hell popularized and perfected it. Electronic, Industrial, ‘Disco Death Metal’—whatever you want to call it, the labels don’t really matter. In fact, I think the genre should just be called “sounds like Nine Inch Nails” which is compliment enough on its own, right?

Nine Inch Nails are one of the most important, vital, inspirational, talented, and unique of musical artists. I love them. And now I’m going to tell you why…in a lengthy video essay, so settle in. And if you don’t have the fandom or attention span for what I’m about to say, go back to consuming shitty tweets and dumbfuck Instagram posts because you’re not wanted here anyway.

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My first introduction to NIN began like so many others: by catching the iconic video for “Head Like A Hole” on MTV—the band rocking out amidst electrical wires and magnetic tape, until it seemed like the entire writhing mess would consume them whole. It’s an image as potent today as it was some 30 years ago.

However, my real introduction to NIN was originally steeped in urban legend. I was in grade 10 and I heard Pretty Hate Machine played on my school bus on the way home. The owner of this cassette tape, a “cool girl” who shall remain nameless, told me that the album was “out of print” and “unavailable.” In short, she assured me that I would never be able to find a copy, but, guess what, I did.

In a trade with former MMA coach Shawn Tompkins—and in my grade 10 art class no less—I swapped two ninja stars for a box of his old cassette tapes, and Pretty Hate Machine was one of them. This was my own NINJA moment, if you will—does anyone get that reference—anyway, upon witnessing said trade some random guy in my art class immediately offered me $25 for the Pretty Hate Machine cassette tape—a king’s ransom in 1990—but of course I wouldn’t sell. I knew it was valuable—and in more than one way. Instead I played the hell out of the cassette in my Walkman. I was 14 years old. “Terrible Lie” was my favourite song from the album. And it still is.

And then—poof—like that, NIN dropped out of my life. Where’d they go? Well, I guess they were making a name for themselves during Lollapalooza 1991, white chalk dust and all. Not that I knew any of this. Pre-internet I had no idea what was going on. In fact, I wouldn’t hear any new NIN music until almost a full year later when one of my friends with a penchant for industrial music introduced me to the Broken EP. As he handed me his CD for borrowing, he warned me that it was “pretty extreme.” And he was right. The Broken EP is why album warning stickers were invented: it was a fist to the face, a kick to the face—it was even an ass to the face.

Anyway, the Broken EP was my real introduction to the seemingly bottomless rage of NIN. When I heard Broken I was just starting to get into so-called “heavy” music, but nothing could have prepared me for the lyrical and musical brutality of “Wish.” While Reznor’s litany of profanity was extreme—at least to my sheltered 16 year old ears—what truly staggered me was the song’s main riff (you know the one I mean) the one that is so distorted, so disturbing, that it sounds like a guitar being burned alive while flailing in a wind tunnel.

I’d never heard anything like it before—it wasn’t cock-rock; it wasn’t fake satanic rage done for laughs, theatre or to impress--no. Instead it was the audio embodiment of complete destruction and utter despair. And 30 years later, it’s lost none of its power.

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These same sentiments must be applied to The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nail’s career defining work that launched the band into mainstream success. Too often discussions of the record get bogged down by emphasis on “Hurt” or “Closer,” or, to some extent, “Heresy.”

Yes, “Hurt” is the perfect album closer and expression of pleading vulnerability, and, yes, “Closer” and “Heresy’s” choruses were brutally raw and shocking in 1994 (and, it should be said, still above average shocking in 2020), but I feel the album is best presented as a whole. This was the beginning of NIN’s discovery that (to paraphrase one rock critic) just as much tension can be generated with a whisper as with a scream.

Dynamics have always been a huge part of NIN’s’ sound, and The Downward Spiral stands as a defining moment. The album, as all of you know, begins with “Mr. Self Destruct” (well, that’s not entirely true—the album actually begins with the audio of what appears to be a man being beaten to death while submerged underwater)—but anyway, “Mr. Self Destruct” was as sonically astonishing to me as “Wish” was two years prior. As I listened to the verses of “Mr. Self Destruct” I kept asking myself “Is it supposed to sound like this? I can’t hear what he’s saying”—it was such a cacophony of meticulously detailed and layered noises, but of course not without substance or a melody: its quiet refrain of “And I control you” buried so deep in the mix, it mirrored the subconscious itself.

“Mr. Self Destruct” gives way to “Piggy”—again a haunting track that’s almost tender and such a shock in sequence given the song that preceded it. Again. Dynamics. Surprise. Making the atypical typical in the best non-traditional way. Does that make any sense? Anyway, I felt the same way about the mini-piano solo/ lyric pairing of “now doesn’t it make you feel better” before the dramatic pause in “March Of The Pigs”—I don’t think any of us saw THAT coming. I was literally shocked when that phrasing appeared out of no where, emerging like a tiny ironic rainbow out of the whirlwind of thrashing drums, crazy guitars, and “stains like blood on your teeth” screams the preceded it.

Speaking of screams, the title-track of The Downward Spiral still stands as a monument to vulnerability, despair, and pure abject horror. It’s the only song I’ve ever heard that I am afraid to listen to. When I listen to The Downward Spiral, I wait for the song the way a child hides behind a blanket awaiting glimpses of a film monster: I know it’s coming, and I know it’s going to be horrifying…and it always is. So why do I subject myself to it?

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That’s a fair question. Let’s be frank here: Nine Inch Nails isn’t for everyone. It takes a certain personality to fully appreciate the band’s complete package of black, blue, and bleeding, “but you can dance to it!” Still, NIN is more than mere nihilism and hopelessness. Those who label the band in such ways, kind of miss the point. To me, NIN has always been—lyrically at least—about catharsis: I suppose ALL music functions as such—a tool of understanding, and a mechanism for coping. Trent Reznor once commented on the vulnerability of his lyrics, saying in an interview with NPR that his topic of choice was less about vanity than it was about delivering a performance with honesty and integrity. The only topic that mattered—his emotional struggle—was the only subject he could speak about with authority and with conviction.

However, it just so happens to be a struggle that millions of other people share. When Trent Reznor sings “Now you know/ this is what it feels like” on The Fragile’s “The Wretched,” he is inviting his audience to share in his pain. Whether he intended it this way or not, his is a gesture borne or isolation but ending in comradery: many of us certainly know what “this” “feels like.” And many, many more of us can certainly relate to the words “Dear World, I can hardly recognize you anymore.”

In short, Trent Reznor’s lyrics, as personal as they are, speak for us: his fans. He speaks for me. He still does.

Interestingly, themes consistent in NIN’s best work offer a type of almost emotional ambivalence: caring, but not caring; wanting to be helped, yet rejecting help; and most importantly, wanting to be alone, yet desperately wishing to connect with others. The songs “We’re In This Together” and “The Fragile” perfectly illustrate these sentiments. To me, it is no coincidence they are sequenced side by side on the “some-critics-didn’t-like-it-at-the-time-but-have-since-come-to-their-senses-album” The Fragile.

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Musically, however, NIN is best known for three distinct styles of music: computer chaos, groovy beats, and symphonic soundscapes. I’ve touched on the first—and will return to it—but for now, let’s discuss the second. I’m not a huge fan of the term “death-disco”; however, NIN’s long list of ass-shaking beats, should not be overlooked. What began on Pretty Hate Machine with “Sin” and “The Only Time,” pleasantly resurface on “Into The Void” only to be perfected on “The Hand That Feeds,” “Only” “Capital G,” and “Discipline” not to mention a large portion of Hesitation Marks.

But back to computer chaos—or maybe just chaos in general. I can think of no better example to illustrate my point than the final coda to the song “The Great Destroyer” on the fabulous dystopian opus Year Zero—one of my favourite albums of all time: the sound of things falling apart—wires frayed, systems destroyed, screens cracked: static humming and ‘please stand by’ messages flicking forever. The Eater of Dreams. “All we ever were—just zeros and ones.”

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The final cornerstone of NIN’s musical contribution is soundscapes and instrumentals, and what a can of worms THAT is given all that’s transpired since 2011. Anyway, when The Fragile was released in 1999, more than a few fans bemoaned its inclusion of no less than 7 instrumentals, and yet these contributions have always been a signature addition to NIN’s body of work: from “pinion,” “help me I am in hell,” “a warm place,” the deeply personal “La Mer,” to Ghosts I through VI, NIN’s experiments with sound have always been integral to their songwriting process—a willingness to experiment and a love of discovery which surprisingly, yet somewhat inevitably, lead to NIN’s work in soundtracks. Beginning somewhat inadvertently with Tony Scott’s Man On Fire (look it up), and then deliberately on the video game Quake, this creative direction eventually resulted in (as we all know) various Oscar and Emmy nominations and wins for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and yeah, while technically not “Nine Inch Nails” releases, I think we can all agree it’s hard to separate the two sometimes because as we all know, the line begins to blur, amiright?

The point is this: Nine Inch Nails were and are no strangers to pushing boundaries musically, visually, and artistically. Some defining unconventional moments in the band’s career to me are as follows:

· The 97 one-second tracks on the Broken EP before its final two songs; the infamous Broken film itself—a movie I found on a bootlegged VHS tape and rented for a mere 1 dollar at the time—and then proceeded to wish that I never did.

· Moving on, there is of course the band’s seminal 1994 Woodstock performance, where the musicians arrived on stage in a foggy haze, caked head to toe in mud, and bringing the apocalypse with them;

· Next we have the Alternate Reality Game developed around the release of Year Zero,

· There was the free download of The Slip; and the free downloads of Ghosts V and VI some years later

· Who could also forget about the NINREMIX website where fans were invited to remix the band’s songs and post them for all to enjoy, and copyright be damned.

· Um, there was also that time they said “a heartfelt fuck you” to the Grammy’s.

· And finally we have Nine Inch Nail’s unexpected live appearance on the rather toned down Austin City Limits.

And the list goes on. Trent Reznor once explained such actions in the most self-aware terms possible: he likes pushing himself (as well as his fans) out of comfort zones, to flirt with mainstream conventions but to approach and execute them as only Nine Inch Nails can: with integrity and—to borrow Trent’s appraisal of the late David Bowie—“uncompromising vision.”

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Speaking of integrity and uncompromising vision, NIN’s humility is one of the band’s most inspiring and endearing characteristics. In Reznor’s case, we’re talking about an accomplished artist who admitted publically that he still feels he has so much to learn about his craft—that he’s barely scratched the surface regarding his mastery of sound and songwriting; a man that mocked his own starry eyed expression upon receiving an Oscar by pairing it with the caption “I see unicorns” and inviting fans to provide similar self-deprecating taglines. A man who speaks in measured tones about his opportunities and successes in his life—and does so, repeatedly I might add, quietly, humbly, and gratefully.

Such self-awareness is extremely rare in show-business let alone by a band that’s achieved as much as Nine Inch Nails.

And guess what? Here’s the thing. I think there’s no stopping them. With Nine Inch Nails—particularly, Trent and Atticus no matter what they call themselves and until they are inducted into the IHOR as solo artists, anything’s possible:

· Scoring a children’s movie? The upcoming Pixar film Soul? Why not? Let’s have some more. Give me a children’s album!

· Creating a vintage jazz ballad (the unparalleled “The Way It Used to Be”) in a week and making it indistinguishable from other songs of the era? Of course!

· Winning a Tony Award to become part of the EGOT club—I say sure. In fact, prediction: before the end of the world (so basically, in about 30 years) Nine Inch Nails will get an EGOT. There. Prove me wrong.

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In 1997 Spin Magazine once hailed Trent Reznor as “the most vital artist in music today,” while in that same year Trent Reznor appeared on Time Magazine’s list of the top 25 most influential Americans.

These accolades were well earned; however, I prefer a statement made by some music magazine critic whose name escapes me in their review of a Nine Inch Nails album whose name also escapes me: they said, “we can only hope something else pisses him off,” sentiments which I’m sure are echoed by many, and to which I reply…there seems to be no worry about that.

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Nine Inch Nails encompass a facet of popular art that is as necessary as it is compulsory: they remind us that the world is not pleasant; tragedy is inevitable; the game is rigged; faith is a lie; and everyone you know will abandon or disappoint you.

But guess what? If you’re lucky, the way out is through, motherfuckers.

I am honoured to induct Nine Inch Nails into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

#trent reznor #Robert Muhlbock #Owenshire #Nine Inch Nails #Rock and Roll Hall of Fame #Rock Hall 2020 #The Fragile #Year Zero #Pretty Hate Machine #Broken #Hesitation Marks #The Downward Spiral

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echodrops · 5 years

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Why You Should Be Shipping Shigaraki/Ochako

No, no, hang on a second--I see that side-eye you are throwing hard enough to ruin your peripheral vision. I feel the shade you’re casting like a thundercloud rolling in. But you didn’t read wrong. I meant what I said.

I’ve never made a secret of my love for rare pairs, but for once in my damn lonely shipper’s hellscape of a life I would love it if my favorite crack ship in a fandom had more than two fics (I’m NOT JOKING) to its name.

What can I do to correct this egregious oversight before the entire summer passes with nary a whisper of the most romantic ship since Juliet wherefore art thou’d Romeo?

Well, what else? I was forged in the fires of early 2000s’ fandom, and I know that desperate times call for desperate measures meticulously researched and extremely rose-tinted

Shipping Manifestos.

Fam, I am about to blow your minds, align your chakras, open your third eyes--because Shigaraki and Ochako is the most slept on ship in the entire BNHA fandom, and if you give me ten minutes like an hour (holy shit, this is long), I can prove it.

Disclaimer: @mistystarshine is the enabler who convinced me to write this but we were both enabled by @ohmytheon’s Reconfigure (on AO3) so you know who’s really responsible.

Spoilers to Chapter 231, watch out.

First off, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe you’re still reading from pure shock. Maybe you’re doubt-reading to get your daily fix of internet skepticism. Maybe you’re waiting for me to say these two characters are meant to be because she wears pink and his hair is blue. Maybe you’re already freaking out about age gaps but like that is what future fics and AUs are actually for!!!

I’m not telling you to give up your IzuOcha or Kacchako. I’m not gonna pry ShigaDabi out of your eager little villain stan hands. But if you’ve never considered multi-shipping, now is the time my friends, because I’m totally serious heartfelt here! I’ve got VALID reasons for shipping Shigako--ten of them, in fact:

1) Midoriya is taken for granted as Uraraka’s love interest--but Shigaraki is incredibly similar to him.

There are reams of meta on the parallels between Midoriya and Shigaraki, with plenty people noting how Horikoshi specifically set the two up as foils to examine similar character development despite their drastically different circumstances. Yet for all the meta pointing out that Shigaraki and Midoriya are basically the same character through a mirror darkly, I’ve never seen anyone bear that thought out to its logical conclusion: there are traits Uraraka admires in Midoriya that are extremely apparent in Shigaraki too.

Multiple times in the manga, Uraraka expresses admiration for Deku’s resolve and refusal to give up. His determination in the face of impossible odds and his sense of dedication to his cause are powerful motivating factors in Ochako’s storyline, and Deku’s behavior--his willingness to charge straight into danger and his unflinching pursuit of his goal to be #1--have basically become the standard to which Uraraka holds herself.

Her crush is literally founded on an appreciation for Midoriya’s drive, earnestness, and constant growth as a person.

But these are all traits that Shigaraki also explicitly possesses. Shigaraki’s unwavering resolve is so strong that even though everyone around him says dream is unattainable... they follow him anyway.

Ujiko flat out tells Shigaraki he’s chasing a pipe dream, but he’s willing to come along for the ride strictly because of how committed Shigaraki is to making that dream a reality. The strength of Tomura’s conviction alone persuaded a collection of the most volatile and difficult personalities in the manga to band together and become found family the most well-known anti-establishment organization in all of Japan.

Shigaraki never, even in the face of overwhelming threat, backs down from a challenge, and he approaches each impossible task with absolutely as much effort, ferocity, and refusal to quit as Deku. He is just as dedicated, just as much of a shounen protagonist main character, and just as willing to push himself above and beyond as Deku.

The traits that motivated Uraraka to become the character she is today, many of the exact same traits that formed her crush on Midoriya, are all there in Shigaraki. In another world, the person who inspired Uraraka to go “Plus Ultra” could be Tomura himself, and if 1) no sense of self-preservation, 2) ZERO CHILL, and 3) dogged obsession are what Uraraka finds attractive, Shigaraki clearly has 'em covered. Oh no, he’s meeting all my standards.

2) Being serious though, Ochako’s role in the plot would be vastly improved by more meaningful interactions with the antagonists, even if just in battle.

I’ve written before about how badly the writing of BNHA treats Ochako, and why her constantly being out-of-focus is a hallmark of the genre’s crippling inability to handle dynamic female characters, but it bears repeating: in her current position in the story, Uraraka’s character has minimal agency. She exists to fill the role of Deku’s love interest (at worst) and an emotional crutch (at best). Again, absolutely no hate on the IzuOcha ship--it’s clearly canon endgame and “wholesome” I guess is what they’re calling it nowadays. But the way IzuOcha’s being written in canon is actually the worst possible thing that could happen to Uraraka’s individual character, because Ochako’s crush on Deku has been given virtually no bearing on the story’s main plot and allows Horikoshi to consistently reduce Uraraka’s personal accomplishments to “inspirations from Deku” (in order to, likely, fulfill young male readers’ fantasy of having a girl fixated on them).

Is Uraraka about to do something cool in the manga? Wait for her comment about being motivated by Deku.

Does Uraraka actually get to see some action and get involved in a fight? Wait for someone to bring up her feelings for Deku.

Is Deku about to have a dramatic clash with the story’s villains to advance the main plotline? Wait for Ochako to entirely vanish (at worst) or get sidelined into a three panel clip where she’ll use the same martial art move she’s been using since like chapter 10 (at best).

If I have to read “Gunhead Martial Arts” one more fucking time... Give Ochako her OWN supermoves goddammit!!

The story of the comic itself continually pushes Ochako out of any position of relevance. She’s not one of UA’s strongest fighters (despite having a quirk that, if applied like ANY of the male characters, has incredible potential), she’s not given half the emotional depth or attention even side characters like Kirishima get, and her backstory lacks the development many of the male characters’ get (I’m looking at you, Todoroki).

As a “good girl,” she isn’t allowed to get her hands dirty like Toga, she isn’t allowed to get as bloodied or ugly as any of the boys, and she can never be allowed to surpass the main male characters in coolness or plot relevance because girls can be “heroes” but they can’t be The Hero™. (I’m literally gagging, guys.)

Which is EXACTLY why a plot involving Shigaraki and Ochako--in ANY capacity, even just a flat out fight against each other!--would actually be a fan-fucking-tastic addition to BNHA.

Skip the token Toga vs. Ochako chick fight where they squabble over who loves Izuku more. Let Toga talk to Izuku as herself for once. Let Uraraka throw down with the League’s leader. At least once, Horikoshi? Just once?

Literally any form of plot that puts Shigaraki and Ochako into contact would mean moving Uraraka into a more central position within the manga’s plot, would boost her screen-time, increase the likelihood of her contributing to the story’s primary conflict, and would give her more to do and emotionally engage with than just repeating the same lines about Deku being amazing on an endless loop. There is untapped character development potential in spades here if Uraraka was given chance to genuinely interact with the other half of the story’s cast!

Give👏 Uraraka👏 something👏 meaningful👏 to do!👏

Putting the story’s foremost female character on out there on the frontlines with the manga’s actual main character antagonist would finally break her out of the mold she’s been forced into by genre stereotypes and set her on an even playing field with the male heroes at last.

A meaningful encounter with Shigaraki could be Ochako’s ticket to being treated respectfully by the story itself (and hell if giving underappreciated characters a real place in the world isn’t Tomura’s freakin’ calling card already).

3) Okay, I know the words “subverting expectations” leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth nowadays, but there is a huge difference between “throwing inexplicable plot twists at the audience just for shock factor” and “averting stale cliches in an emotionally rewarding manner.” Sure, cliches do exist for a reason, but there are still many instances where actively avoiding a cliche plotline is a great choice. A shounen manga’s token love interest ending up with someone other than the hero--namely with a (reformed) villain--would be an interesting flip on the trite “hero gets the girl” script.

Look, we all know how it goes: Hero clashes with Bad Guy. They duke it out all over Kingdom Come. RIP like fifty square city blocks. The Hero wins, heads home triumphant, sweeps his Princess off her feet, and sails off into the hero rankings sunset. End of the same story we’ve seen a million times. Sometimes it’s done well and the audience is left satisfied. Other times, the heroine involved is reduced to the hero’s reward, less person than wish fulfillment. In either case, tying up a romantic subplot with a hero is the go-to way of resolving female characters’ storylines and, at this point, pretty much a given in manga, even when the romantic subplot is never given the development it deserves, leaving audiences bewildered at how and why the hook-up actually happened.

I’m not saying every comic should “subvert expectations” and cancel its romantic subplot between the hero and heroine, of course not. But I am saying that it would be pretty refreshing to see something else for once.

By virtue of their role, villains don’t usually “get the girl.” Even redeemed villains rarely end up in happy, healthy, well-written relationships. It’s not impossible but it is unlikely that a series’ designated female lead ever wavers in her attentions from the main hero to a new romantic target.

So it would be pretty cool if one did, if the moral of the story’s romantic subplot wasn’t just "token love interest completes painfully shoehorned romantic gestures.” A good romance with a redeemed ex-villain instead of a hero would take a lot more explanation. It would demand, by its very nature, more work on the author’s part to suspend disbelief. The characters would have to develop an entirely different rapport from the normal interactions between designated love interests, and, to a certain extent, strong character growth would be required in order for such a romance to even get started. There’s more moral complexity and conflict to a subplot like this, and a greater sensation of choice--if the heroine doesn’t have to end with the hero by the end of the story, well hey... That means she could end up with just about anyone. Whoa.

Even more so, in the specific case of Shigaraki, who has lived a life of misery and manipulation, the idea that he could come out on the other side, grow as a person, redeem himself, and eventually enter a healthy relationship with someone who isn’t going to hurt him is an idea I find deeply appealing. I think there are a lot of villain stans, myself included, who see parts of themselves in Shigaraki. If a character who has been so severely impacted by abuse can still heal and ultimately end up happy, to me, that’s a far more hopeful and heart-warming conclusion than the alternatives. I did warn you this manifesto would be rose-tinted, didn’t I?

I want storylines that prove that none of us are beyond saving. That people who make bad choices can still change. That romance isn’t a reward for playing the “right” role. That heroines have options. That there are still pleasant surprises to be found in romance plots.

4) But why Shigaraki and Ochako, in particular? It’s not like they have any remotely shared life experiences--

Oops. Friendly reminder: Ochako is the only major character in the manga besides the villains who is overtly described as, I quote, “poorer than poor.” Todoroki, Yaomomo, and Iida can all make it rain; Kaminari, Mina, and Jirou can afford stylish clothes; Kirishima can drop a stupid amount on night vision googles... Even Midoriya, whose father “works overseas,“ can afford plenty of All Might merchandise. One of the popular fandom theories for a while was that Ochako could be U.A.’s traitor specifically because of her desire to help her parents financially, and I think that most readers at this point can discern a clear divide in BNHA’s society: heroes are the “haves” and villains are the “have nots.” To be a hero in this story is to attend a prestigious school, have access to expensive support items, gear, insurance, fame and glory, etc.

Meanwhile, with the exception of All For One, to be a villain in BNHA’s story is to be marginalized, live in unfit conditions, lack access to basic safety and nutritional resources, and struggle to make ends meet. When ability to thrive in a hero-centric society is synonymous with being a good and worthwhile person, anyone who doesn’t just naturally excel in the hero-driven economy is treated as flawed at best and suspect at worst. Poor characters in the story are ignored, and, as demonstrated with people like Twice, left essentially to fend for themselves.

Uraraka’s status as lower income is mostly played for laughs. She’s still a privileged character in that she can attend U.A., receive hero items for free, has a safe place to live, etc. But it is important that the story acknowledges her family’s situation, because her financial status does set her apart from her classmates.

She is less privileged than the others. Being “the poor character” situates Uraraka in the interesting divide between those who couldn’t cope and chose to rebel against hero society instead, versus those who conformed to the hero system in an attempt to improve their situations. In different circumstances, if Uraraka’s family was just even the tiniest bit worse off, we might be seeing a very different character here, one who had to make some much harder choices to keep her family afloat.

Having been in the position of "going without,” Uraraka also has a unique understanding of the “real world” that many of her heroics classmates might lack. She understands what it is like to go hungry, to not be able to afford to keep up with the newest trends, to be constantly anxious about the future--to feel unsuccessful, overlooked, and under constant pressure to perform. As someone who wasn’t raised in the lap of luxury or even really a middle-class home, Uraraka has more insight into--and would likely have more empathy for--the plight of the downtrodden daily criminals of the BNHA world. Just based on her own life experiences, Ochako is more likely than her classmates to recognize how harsh reality can be, and understand the temptations that lead people to make terrible decisions.

This makes Ochako an especially interesting character in terms of her pro hero future. Would she be able to sympathize and reach out to struggling "villains” more effectively than others from her class, who lack her humble background? Would she be able to better see the big picture of BNHA’s society, and the way it actively creates villains from its marginalized populations? Would she be able to look at the League not just as criminals, but also as people who never stood a chance within the confines of a rigged social structure?

Uraraka’s background shifts her closer to the story’s villains than many of the other hero characters, and puts her in a unique place to both empathize and become motivated to change the flawed system that produced people like Shigaraki and the League in the first place.

5) Likewise, Uraraka’s background actually makes her more palatable to Shigaraki than other heroes. At least at the beginning of the comic, Uraraka isn’t shy about admitting that one of her reasons for becoming a hero is to help her parents financially. Ochako’s original motivation for heroism isn’t portrayed as nobly as others’ like Deku--Deku has no ulterior motives for being a hero; he just wants to save people and wouldn’t care about personally benefiting.

Instead, Ochako is presented as someone who (initially) sees heroism as a means to an end. It’s not that she doesn’t want to save people, but that she’s not doing so only for the intrinsic worth... the hefty paycheck that comes from heroism is a big draw.

Over time the manga has shown her shifting away from this (which actually makes her character less unique, unfortunately), but I’m sure it’s still a thought for her, and she’s definitely going to send paychecks to her parents in the future. At the end of the day, heroism is still going to be Uraraka’s ticket to a better lifestyle, even if she’s committed herself to it honestly by the time she leaves U.A.

But it’s this exact form of personal motivation that Shigaraki is much more likely to understand than the “goody-two-shoes” motivations of people like Deku. Multiple times in the comic Shigaraki has expressed confusion with society’s habit of clinging mindlessly to symbols, of their blind faith in the virtues of heroism, and their ability to simply overlook suffering because “surely a hero will do something about it.” Stain’s ideals about “true heroes” go straight past Shigaraki, who seems to hate heroes who are earnest (All Might, I’m talking about All Might) far more than those who are simply faking their way through for fame.

Shigaraki understands humans who are driven by personal gain. He respects the individual desires of people he cares about. Someone in the hero industry explicitly seeking tangible benefits would likely, to Shigaraki at least, come across as more genuine than someone who claims they have no ulterior motives, and a person who is blunt about their needs and grounded in the reality of BNHA’s world would likely be much more acceptable to Tomura than someone who spews trite lines about peace and justice.

Shigaraki’s feelings for heroes have been irreparably damaged by his conditioning from All For One, but there are certainly some heroes that he would find less loathsome than others. He will probably never understand Deku’s selflessness. All Might’s saccharine symbolism actively infuriates him. But a person who became a hero to put food on the table? To provide for her parents (maybe especially because it is her parents she’s trying to provide for)? That’s at least understandable. If the manga’s future does see Shigaraki redeemed, my thought is that the only type of heroes we’ll ever see him willingly interact with would still be heroes just like Ochako, with more “down to earth” personal motivations. Uraraka, your codename is “If I had to date a hero”...

6) While we’re talking about shared life experiences, there’s another very obvious similarity between Shigaraki and Ochako: neither one of them can touch things with all five fingers.

Cute/fridge horror observation: Shigaraki is even daintier about touching things than Uraraka is; Uraraka usually lifts just her pinkies, but Shigaraki frequently uses as few fingers as possible.

Yeah, yeah, they both have to be dainty and careful with everything they hold. It’d be cute to watch them eat together. They could mutually gripe about the annoyance of video game consoles not designed for four-finger use. More than that though, neither one of them can touch other human beings without the risk of causing death.

Uraraka, as a hero, has the more privileged quirk design (she can turn her quirk off, while Shigaraki can’t) and until recently, the comic was always very careful to portray Uraraka’s quirk in a way that no one was endangered by it. But dropping Zero Gravity into the hands of a villain for a single chapter reveals the truth: Uraraka’s quirk has just as much lethal potential as Shigaraki’s.

Like Shigaraki, Uraraka has to face the reality that her touch alone could jeopardize the safety of anyone she comes into contact with, in her daily life and in her hero work. Drop some debris without looking twice? Just crushed a civilian. Release your quirk without thinking? Now the villain you floated is paste on the sidewalk. Thought that it was safe to float away the building? Oops, you crushed someone still trapped inside. Yikes. In a one-on-one battle, Uraraka is actually at a disadvantage not because her quirk is weak, but the dead opposite--in an outdoor fight, she would have to actively work not to accidentally send people off into outer space.

Having an auto-activate touch quirk means that both Shigaraki and Ochako have to be conscious of every single thing they touch all the time. Both of their quirks require constant bodily awareness, and both come with the lurking knowledge that “My touch causes problems.” Even for Ochako, who would merely be a nuisance if she accidentally floated objects indoors, it’s easy to internalize frustration and negative associations with one’s own body. Every day, Ochako has to be careful with herself in a way that few of her peers do, another factor that sets her apart.

One of the story’s overarching themes is the idea of “self-acceptance” and what it even means to “accept yourself” in a world where (almost) every human being possesses a distinguishing feature, often built into their bodies at the expense of standard human functioning. For people with limited control over their quirks, who can’t choose when the effect activates, a quirk is a constant burden and facet of their identity that entirely re-shapes how they interact with the world. Both Shigaraki and Uraraka face the practicality of having burdensome, even lethal, auto-activate quirks that require constant self-awareness. This is a similarity that, of the major characters, only Shigaraki and Ochako possess so far. (Even other major characters with touch-based quirks like Overhaul appear to be able to choose when to activate their quirks).

The “funny” way Shigaraki and Ochako hold things seems like just a small similarity until you remember the amount of practice and frustration it must have taken to internalize a four-fingered touch. Until you remember that this similarity marks them both as very careful and self-conscious characters. Until you remember that Shigaraki’s got a one-touch instakill... but so does Uraraka Ochako.

7) Okay, similarities are cool and all, but you know what they say: opposites attract. And if we’re talking character motivation, there are no cleaner opposites in the entire series. Shigaraki and Ochako are actually even better emotional foils than Shigaraki and Deku, because Ochako’s central motivation is “Make as many people smile as possible” and Shigaraki’s is, literally, “Make it so no one can ever smile again.”

I know I ragged on it earlier, but now I’m going to use it to my full advantage: as the story evolved and characters grew, Ochako’s “true” motivation to become a hero revealed itself: she feels a deep, intrinsic happiness when witnessing the happiness of others. Her desire as a hero is to spread relief, the sense of security that allows people to go about their days smiling. She literally feels happiest when everyone around her is happy.

Even more so than Deku, this casts Uraraka as Shigaraki’s diametric opposite in the story, because Shigaraki’s entire pipe dream goal also hinges on the smiles of others--and how absolutely much he hates them. Shigaraki’s goal is total world destruction because he just resents the happiness of others that fucking much.

On the surface alone it’s more fascinating than the story will probably ever live up to: Ochako, the heroine who wants to spread smiles; Shigaraki, the villain who wants to destroy them. Even if we’re just talking canon, zero romance involved, that would still be an interesting conflict to explore. The story could cover a lot of deeper ground by drawing the comparison between these two characters more directly. It would definitely validate Uraraka being involved in more major plot events, at the very least.

BUT this was supposed to be about shipping, so of course I can’t leave it there, and leaving it there would only be half the story anyway, because nobody is born hating smiles. Everything we’ve seen of Shigaraki’s past so far indicates that he was a kid with a cute dog, a warm relationship with his sister, and an interest in heroes--i.e., a decent life that probably included his own fair share of smiles. Shigaraki’s hatred and resentment are direct products of the traumatic manipulation he suffered at AFO’s hands. He despises the idea that people around him can smile and act upbeat, even when they objectively know villains are lurking all around them. He is actually sick to his stomach at the idea of people blindly putting their faith in heroes, knowing what he does: that heroes often fail, that there are many people who desperately need to be rescued and are instead overlooked. The world failed Shimura Tenko and then had the nerve to keep on smiling without him.

Other people’s smiles represent nothing but the joy, security, love, and peace that Shigaraki Tomura hasn’t experienced since the day his quirk manifested. The sight of any living thing fills Shigaraki with rage because everything bright and beautiful, everything good and calm and kind and soft and warm, is everything that Shigaraki has lost and believes he will never, ever get to experience again.

Shigaraki doesn’t really hate the pure happy smiles of others; he hates the fact that the world has taken away every single thing he ever had to smile about.

It is my belief that Horikoshi is hinting at a redemption arc for Shigaraki, especially as we see the League become closer allies. But Shigaraki can’t be completely redeemed, can’t be persuaded to give up his world-destruction plan, until he can look at the smiles of others without scorn. Until the bright, upbeat attitudes of heroes other people no longer feel like a personal attack. Until he’s happy enough that the happiness of others no longer hurts. Until the weight is lifted.

And I can’t think of any character more obviously suited to helping lift an immense weight than Uraraka, the zero gravity hero who wants nothing more than to spread smiles.

8) Speaking of lifting weights... Kacchako is a popular ship stemming in large part from Bakugou’s refusal to treat Uraraka with kid gloves. He faces her head-on as a real opponent and views her like any other hero hopeful.

As I’ve said before, this is pretty much the most respectfully the series itself has ever treated Uraraka Ochako, and it caught a lot of attention because it was one of the rare occasions that a female pro hero-in-training was really treated as an equal to the male characters. Kacchako shippers had something awesome to work with.

But... You know who else treats women as equals? (Hell, you know who treats literally everyone as equals, from those with mutant quirks to trans people to those with severe mental health issues?) You can say what you want about Shigaraki’s habit of, you know, mass murder, but in terms of viewing others equally and respecting (okay, let’s be real, it’s probably closer to just ignoring) differences, Tomura is about as open-minded as BNHA characters come. The League is an equal opportunity employer.

Unlike actual hero characters, Shigaraki has never once suggested that Toga is incapable of keeping up with any of the male members of the League, and in fact has entrusted her with many of the League’s most dangerous and crucial missions. He explicitly has faith in her ability and skill.

Toga’s right there in the fight against Gigantomachia and the QLA, as much an equal member of the League as anyone else. In terms of gender equality, the villains seem to be light-years ahead of their hero counterparts, and Shigaraki in particular doesn’t discriminate, among his allies or his opponents either. He’s not a “spare the women and children” kind of guy; every hero and villain challenger is treated with equal violence (and equal snark), whether they’re male, female, a long-time pro or a student in training.

In whatever context--canon opponent, AU ally, or a future romantic interest--Shigaraki would take Ochako just as seriously as Bakugou did. If you like Kacchako because Bakugou doesn’t dismiss Uraraka, that same dynamic would be present in Shigako too.

9) And on the topic of Shigaraki and women... It doesn’t feel accidental that every single female character who ever had love for Shigaraki has been taken away from him. A distinct part of Shigaraki’s storyline is that all positive female role models have been systematically removed from his life. He lost his grandmother, a hero he could have looked up to; he lost his mother, who he now has no memory of; he lost the older sister he clearly held dear... All For One’s control over Tomura has always been total, but this particular detail feels especially insidious: was All For One’s spite for Nana so strong that he delighted in deliberately destroying every single relationship Tenko had with women connected to Nana’s legacy? (Or is AFO perhaps just a raging misogynist? Every single one of his known associates is male and he seemed to despise and mock Nana particularly hard...)

In any case, the point I’m trying to make here is that, even ruling love interests out, Shigaraki’s storyline would be enriched by forging a meaningful connection with a female character like Ochako. Acceptance--maybe even some grudging admiration--for a female hero? A fantastic opportunity to show just how different the “villains” are from the discriminatory society that produced them. Supporting friendship while he’s on the road to recovery? A+ way to diversify interactions between the male and female cast. Send a tough girl to Tartarus to question his motives? Nice chance for tense dialogue and some good old noire-esque foe yay. Hostage situation that takes a turn for the surprisingly cordial? Fun way to explore different dynamics and humanize the villains because hey, they treated the “damsel” to dinner shortbread cookies. My god, Shigaraki could even develop some positive sense of rivalry with a woman, for example! The possibilities are endless if you’re actually willing to give female characters a shot!

Being more serious, Tomura’s life has been dramatically marked by the loss of his female family members, and--at least from what we know so far--his entire youth was spent without the presence of reliable friendships, let alone any form of “love” that wasn’t disturbingly fake. Beyond his fragmented memories, he has no models for healthy relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Letting Shigaraki develop to the point that he could form a mutually positive relationship with a female hero character would be extremely cathartic for me as a reader. I don’t mean “rewarding redemption with a last-minute happy ending romance”--I mean actually getting the opportunity to watch Tomura rediscover what it means to be genuinely loved and realize he has the capacity to give love and be happy in return...

Reaching that level of mutual support and closeness--especially with a female pro hero--would be the biggest “FUCK YOU” that Shigaraki could give to All For One, short of, you know, actually killing him.

Shigaraki Tomura has a critical (and deliberate) lack of healthy connections to women. BNHA, coincidentally, has a criminally under-utilized female lead just twiddling her thumbs over here, waiting for a meaningful plotline to be thrown her way.

Sure, putting AFO in prison is cool and all, but have you considered... crushing his pride and legacy of evil by helping the boy he tortured for years learn to love again? I’m just sayin’!

Uraraka Ochako, snatching Shigaraki right the fuck out of AFO’s hands:

10) Basically what the whole thing boils down to is this: Shigaraki Tomura needs a hero.

Don’t mistake my meaning. A lot of “girl meets bad boy” plots end up amounting to “girl becomes emotionally responsible for fixing bad boy’s issues,” and that’s not what I’m gunning for--Shigaraki has to redeem himself because redemption is only meaningful when it stems from the character’s own inner desire to change; I’m not quite rose-tinted enough to buy into the Love Redeems trope myself. I’m definitely not advocating anyone dump Shigaraki Tomura as he is now into Uraraka Ochako’s lap and expect her to turn him from a beast to a beauty. It’s not an unrelated woman’s responsibility to fix a broken man.

But! From a reader’s perspective, I think we can agree: Shigaraki’s redemption cannot be complete until he learns to believe in real heroes. He doesn’t have to like them. He doesn’t have to support hero society. But he has to be able to look at real heroes like Izuku and Ochako and admit that they are doing what’s right--that society is a better place because they are here. Shigaraki’s path to recovery can’t even begin until he’s capable of at least acknowledging that the world has things worth saving in it.

If Horikoshi moves forward with a redemption arc for Shigaraki, it will probably be Deku who Detroit Smashes the message of truly noble heroes into Shigaraki’s head. That’s his job as the resident Warrior Therapist, I suppose. But you know... to me, it might be even more meaningful if Shigaraki’s hero--if the hand that reaches out to rescue him--isn’t The Hero’s™ but just a hero’s. We all know Deku is selfless and good to the core. As All Might’s perfect successor, he really has nothing to prove. It’s everyone else who is in question. It’s the whole rest of hero society that owes Shigaraki Tomura an explanation for the suffering of people like the League’s members. It’s everyone else who needs to prove they can do better--that in the future, there will be no bloody children left abandoned in back alleyways.

Uraraka Ochako’s conviction is to save people. As a female hero who hasn’t lived a privileged life, she’s uniquely situated to think about those who are most often overlooked. In a world where violence begets violence, where only those with strength and flash excel, what a powerful message it would send for the terrifying antagonist to effectively be rescued by someone the story itself has called “a frail girl.” At the end of the day, heroics isn’t supposed to be about mountain-destroying explosions and mach punches--heroics is supposed to be about heart, about reaching out a gentle helping hand, about spreading smiles to those who need them most.

Tomura’s faith in heroes has been brutally stripped from him, and every part of his conflict is tied up intimately with his misdirected hatred: it wasn’t actually heroes who isolated and hurt him--it was villains. In order to move forward, he will have to come to that horrible realization, deal with that means for himself and his place in the world, and recognize the truth: there are goodness and good people in the world. Selfless heroes, those who wouldn’t turn their backs on a crying child, do exist. There are people, even now, who would extend a kind hand to Shigaraki Tomura and do their best to bring a real smile to his face. Because that’s what’s really going on, after all.

Shimura Tenko is still waiting to be saved.

And I know just the person to do it.

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theangrypokemaniac · 4 years

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I'll state from the beginning that the images below display the sort of sweet synchronicity to which only love can give life:

MaAndPaShipping is the best ship, and here are five reasons why:

1. It Made James

Like the boy do yer? Ever felt the slightest tingle of warmth at the mention of his name?

Well get down on yer knees and give thanks to his mother and father for gifting him to the world!

Where would we be without their remarkable commitment? Could James have grown into the dandified dream boat of your desires if deprived of the safety provided by his parents?

Had they not brought him up, he'd be dead, The Dog of Flanders fantasy made reality. If miraculously he survived, foraging in the wild is not conducive to a foppish personality.

Is that to yer fancy? No? Then let's have a little respect. The luxury Ma and Pa gave enabled his macaroni tendencies to reach such heights.

Their love created him! How can it not be celebrated?

You lot would ship Jessie's parents but you can't, because she has no dad, and I don't suppose you'll ever assent to his obvious identity of Windy Miller, although 'Jessie Miller' has a wonderful ring to it, so what can be done?

Should a Pa Jess be conjured for the purpose, he still buggered off, didn't he? Where's the allure in a faithless git?

I can't comprehend the obsession with Ma Jess. As soon as here she's stiff, and what is there to remember but coercing her daughter into eating snow?

Hey, I named her. What more do you want from me?

I'd rather have the living, visible ancestors, if you don't mind.

Yeah, says the history fanatic.

Why not make the most of the chances offered, and follow a devoted couple whose love made a difference to your existence?

2. Canon!

There are many ships which I find repulsive for involving depravity, or absurd as the subjects haven't met, or don't inhabit the same fictional universe.

Video et taceo: I see and I say nothing.

Neither does anyone. Forcing decent folk in to incest, bestiality etc. is quite alright.

Perverted ideas are left alone, but woe betide a Rocketshipper, because that's offensive.

It may be the only original ship left standing, with proper evidence and sanctioned by Nintendo, but no, it's fair game for undermining. People pick at your arguments, quibble constantly and NEED to register their objections NOW. You MUST be made aware of opposition. You're not to be permitted your views the way those with twisted tastes are indulged.

Why, out of tens of thousands of combinations, does making Jessie and James an item provoke hostility?

The strength of negativity actually serves as validation, for why be so concerned if it's an impossible relationship?

However sick they are, I'm not anti any ship. I can't muster sufficient interest to do it, and if I scroll on, I forget. I certainly don't attack those responsible.

Anti-Shipping is inherently nihilistic for promoting loneliness. They aren't against Rocketshipping through wanting Jessie and James to be with someone else, as an alternative is not readily available, so the outcome of it is neither finding a companion.

MaAndPaShipping attracts no sourpuss silliness, for 'tis canon beyond question. There's nothing about being 'just friends' when married with a son.

How's the state of your O.T.P.? Not looking too clever I expect, and what's your contribution: wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying?

Cast it off! None of that longing is necessary in these quarters, as MaAndPaShipping is a fait accompli.

Hallelujah! Wallow in that Love!

Don't you yearn for at least one ship that all of us accept by default, to the extent these aristocrats are spoken of as a single unit?

Across the internet, Ma and Pa are bracketed as 'James's parents', never 'he' and 'she', always 'they', barely counting as distinct characters. That's how undeniable the love is between them. Sheer indifference has awarded it a blessing from everyone.

MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Of course, now I've drawn attention to it the moaning will start, but we all know a spoilsport when we see one.

If they had any legitimate complaints they ought to have mentioned 'em before this piece highlighted the marriage!

Except it won't have occurred to 'em previously, proving the eternal, indissoluble quality of MaAndPaShipping.

You get good value with this one.

Find a post referring to Ma and Pa as individuals and I'll have written it, for that's what you call ironic.

3. It's a Fine Rocketshipping Proxy

I was at primary school when Pokémon hit the West like the bright, bearded meteor it is, atomizing all competition for a child's attention.

I have shipped Jessie and James before I knew anyone else did it, unaware shipping was even a thing.

There are other pairs where I think: 'That seems to fit', but it's incomparable to what I feel for them.

It is part of me. I bleed it.

I have shipped it longer than most Tumblerries have dwelt upon the earth.

I used to believe, what with the hints and manga finale, that this resolution was inevitable, and all I had to do was wait.

Well I've been patient for two decades now, thus when I look at the modern incarnation, and realise it's no nearer to that goal, and instead is further away, waiting starts to wear a bit thin.

I resent the lack of appreciation shown to the fans by the cretins in charge, how any meagre shippy inclusion is done not with an interest in deepening bonds, but with the blatant cynicism of moulding us into performing monkeys dancing to their manipulative tune.

I dislike being treated like a sea lion, expected to clap me flippers at the wave of a fish, or as a panting dog begging at top table, where, because they're desperate to maintain the status quo, every scrap flung down from above now comes with an Anti-Ship kick in the teeth, just to be sure nothing progresses. Not whilst the franchise can still be milked for all it's worth.

I have lost faith Rocketshipping will happen. What passes for Pokémon today carries not the remotest indication of any intention on the so-called writers' part to finish it that way.

Even if it did, it's not my Team Rocket, it's those skeletal, gargoyle bastardisations. My Jessie and James never got the reward they deserved.

I'm somewhat in the market for a replacement. Beneath this loathsome carapace of acid and ice beats the tender heart of a true romantic, and it must have an outlet!

Shipping Ma and Pa provides a certain spurious relief, because it's as close as you can get to Jessie and James without it being them, both biologically as his parents, but they're so similar to the duo it counts as proof in itself.

Holy Matrimony! is prime Rocketshipping territory, not merely the balloon lift, but many slight additions are as important, like the haircuts matching.

Ma and Pa are therefore Jessie and James in the past, present and future:

The past for representing Jess 'n' Jamie gone Victorian, and we've all wondered how that'd turn out.

The present as it's there right now, absent of suffering the shameless whims of morons to get what you want. 'Tis yours to savour.

The future as a glimpse of Jessie and James once married with children, and they agree:

That's how they play it given the opportunity!

What, James in blue, for his and Pa's hair, and Jessie wearing purple, like Ma's, with a red shawl for her own, and Ma Jess's orange earrings to copy the beads?

• Money!

• Bun!

• 'Tache!

• Classy pad!

• Fancy gear!

• Pampered pet!

• Identical cups of Earl Grey!

4. Original Blend

Ma and Pa have only got two fans! We care more than the entire fandom has in twenty years!

Rocketshipping art is ten a penny, so why not display a pioneering spirit, sharpen up those pencils and be inspired?

Let your mind expand and marvel at the possibilities of these unchartered territories, and I'll reblog it if it's nice.

Pay attention to the condition of it being nice. I'm not putting up with any old toss.

Real Ma and Pa is what I want too, not those Sinnoh coffin-dodgers.

It's never been done! Every drawing breaks new ground!

I don't like fan fiction, but I wouldn't say 'no' to that either. Recall the 'nice' stipulation again.

Come on, be the first amongst your friends and get ship shape!

5. It Gives Us All Hope

Suppose your favourite amour one day became canon: you imagine that's the end of the matter?

Well it ain't.

Between Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, Gary and Tracey, there are three-and-a-half out of fourteen parents (Flint doesn't count as a complete man) and one out of twenty-eight grandparents, and that's not enough!

If the series drew to a close with your beloved couple apparently walking into the happily-ever-after, there's no guarantee it'll endure. In fact, the odds are they'll split up within a few years and leave another generation to fend for themselves or starve.

That's right, so don't presume the final episode is all you need to worry about. Can you rest easy knowing it'll go pear-shaped once the camera stops rolling?

It's futile soothing one's worries with:

Oh, but they know what it's like to be alone. They'd never inflict such stress on their children.

Oh really?

Look at that poor showing of grandparents. Either Pokémon has a system reminiscent of the sci-fi film Logan's Run, where everyone over thirty is vapourized, or these disappearing maters and paters were themselves victims of abandonment.

I bet when they settled down, they thought it'd be different for their kids, they'd make sure of it, but no, off they went down that same route of feckless self-indulgence, and that's being kind assuming they intended not to repeat history.

Depressing eh? What's the good in any of us surrendering to romance, real or otherwise, if love is but a mayfly of emotion, and all dreams are doomed to die?

Then Ma and Pa arrive, and suddenly the storm clouds part for a ray of heavenly light.

It's not only that they made the effort in what was probably an arranged marriage and have stayed together from youth, it's that they've stayed together when no one else has, which augments its value.

When separation is commonplace, sticking it out becomes rarer and rarer as any belief in the sanctity of wedlock erodes with every failure.

If they didn't bother, why should I? What's the use when it won't work?

Once that idea enters your head, it's over, and your gloom-laden attitude fulfils itself.

Society is collapsing about Ma and Pa's ears, but they persevere nevertheless, refusing to buckle under the turgid malaise engulfing the arrogant and weak.

It's bloody beautiful, man!

You may suggest an environment of supreme wealth erases normality, and to their class and time period divorce is still taboo, so they don't really have much of choice but to remain wedded.

Ah, but it's not as if they simply tolerate one another for appearances, or carried on for the sake of their son (which is more than anyone else did besides), not when he walked out on them.

They've been married longer than James has lived, so at least eighteen years (don't all squeal at once), and they're still blissfully contented!

They hold hands!

They use terms of endearment like 'dear' and 'my precious'!

They were made for one another!

They work as a team!

They want the same thing for James!

It could bring a stone angel to tears it's so beautiful!

See what success can be achieved when you try? When you endeavour to love the one you're with and make yourself worth loving in return?

Better that than chucking 'em at the first sign of trouble.

Ma and Pa is such an irrevocable union even the despair of losing their only child failed to tear 'em asunder, and that'd defeat many, but not this husband and wife.

Be grateful, for it means all is not in vain.

It doesn't have to be misery and pain: love can last despite the pressure of a wretched, hollow culture bent on self-destruction. Your ship might just succeed too.

God bless 'em for keeping the magic alive!

...

Why do I have the presentiment that I'm going to regret encouraging support?

#maandpashipping #team rocket #ma james #pa james #ma and pa james #james #jessie #james's mom #james's dad #james's parents #rocketshipping #kanto #holy matrimony!

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kingofthewilderwest · 5 years

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It's anon-whose-dad-looks-like-McGucket again! He hasn't eaten any raccoons... yet... at least that I know of... XD Having fallen into this fandom hole rather aggressively with a lot of time on my hands, I have found the episode commentaries, graphic novel, and shorts. Are there any other behind the scenes or supplementary materials you recommend?

Hey there again! And bless, bless you for falling down the fandom hole.

As far as supplementary materials are concerned, I’m going to list everything I would recommend. I’ll even list things you’ve mentioned above, in case other people reading this post would be interested learning about GF extended materials too! I’ll be listing GF content in order roughly from “most essential” to “not so essential.” Note: this isn’t a comprehensive list of tie-ins. Also note: this list talks about spoilers from the show itself.

Journal #3. If you’ve already found out about the graphic novel and gotten your hands on that, I imagine you know about Journal #3 too - but since you didn’t mention it above, or if you were going to skip it over, I’m bringing it up now! Journal #3 is a *MUST*. I consider this book as essential to the Gravity Falls experience as the show itself. (Probably because the 1980s boys are my soul, life, and feels.) Journal #3 isn’t written to be a dump of monster lore, though there’s paranormal experiences in this book, of course. Journal #3 is a well-done narrative focusing on Ford’s hubris character arc and providing it amazing resolution. It also complexly dives into the relationship between Ford and Fiddleford, and to say that that narrative has ruined me and kept me awake at night would be an understatement. It makes the scenes and events of S2 more meaningful, and just… aughghgh. There’s so much to unpack there and I keep waiting for an excuse to yak about it.It’s also got several moments I wish could have been in the show proper (though I respect the need to cut for time and focus on the Essential Essentials, and think they did a great job prioritizing). If you’ve finished the commentaries (don’t know how far you are), you may remember Alex Hirsch saying they tried to get Dipper’s real name reveal into the show sev’ral timez, but ultimately cut it and left it for Journal #3. That scene definitely reads as “should have been in the show,” and it’s a great moment. Plus, Ford’s final remarks about “trust no one”? Ohhhhhh it’s so good, and makes the resolution to the show’s events all the better.

Journal #3 Blacklight Edition. Unless you can travel back in time to preorder, or have several thousand USD to spend today (no, I’m not joking, go onto eBay and cry), you’re not going to get your paws on the special blacklight edition of Journal #3. But there are people who have photographed important notes! Such as: [1] [2] [3]

Lost Legends. A graphic novel with several short adventures. They’re all side adventures, but there’s some development on Dipcifica, and Mabel confronting her selfishness, that are nice additions and expansions to people’s characterizations. Wonderfully done, nicely arted, and feels like reading four new short episodes of the show.

The shorts, etc. I know you said you’ve gotten to the shorts, but there are so many shorts and promotional ads that I hope you’re going through the wiki pages and not just DVD menus to unearth everything. I don’t feel like pulling up my DVD to check, but if I remember right, some things like Creepy Letters from Lil’ Gideon didn’t make it to hard copy release?So anyway. I know some of these are easy to find and you’ve probably gone through them, but for the sake of thoroughness:

The Unaired Pilot

Creature in the Closet

Dipper’s Guide to the Unexplained

Mabel’s Guide to Life

Fixin’ It with Soos

TV Shorts 1 and TV Shorts 2

Mabel’s Scrapbook

Mystery Shack: Shop at Home with Mr. Mystery and its Outtakes

Old Man McGucket’s Conspiracy Corner

Creepy Letters from Lil’ Gideon

Gravity Paws

’Pocalypse Preppin’

The deleted scenes. The special edition DVD/Blu-ray provides a ton of S2 footage of the writer’s room, Alex narrating the storyboards, and through that showing us scenes that were cut or altered. There’s AMAZING stuff there, oh my goodness.It’s complicated finding all released deleted scenes materials, though, and honestly, I’m still trying to fish through the interwebs for more. You’ll find some released storyboards online for S1 and S2 that didn’t make animation. There’s a second long animation of Ford and Stan adjusting their glasses at the same time that made trailers but not “A Tale of Two Stans.” Or you’ll find things on Alex’s twitter page, like the now-notorious Dipper-snaps-Dippy-Fresh’s-neck-on-screen moment. And things like Bill’s initial introduction scene have been animated by fans. :)

Shmeb-you-unlocked website. I have fondness for this page because I love learning minor details about characters. This is a hidden website url you can uncover going through Lost Legends. Got some fun stuff on Anti-Mabel, Tate McGucket, and Pacifica, for instance.

The Episode Commentaries. Seriously, these are the most enjoyable commentaries I think I’ve watched (outside of the LOTR cast commentaries, anyway). They’ve got insight into everything, from talking about character psychology, to storytelling techniques, to storyboard artists’ contributions, to how fans’ responses literally changed how the creative team wrote the show.

The Special Features for the Special Edition DVD / Blu-ray release. All the special features on the DVDs are cool and enjoyable! Between the Pines, etc.

The Hidden Special Features. The Special Edition DVD / Blu-ray release comes with lots of hidden special features! Grunkle Stan’s hidden commentary for Land Before Swine is treasure. Like, Stan starts rambling about his childhood and embarrassing stories about Ford and stuff… it’s amazing. There’s also a Bill special feature that I love.

Cipher Hunt! Most of it’s just fun, but it’s wild to consider that Alex staged an international scavenger hunt by choice. I don’t like road trips, but I would be very tempted to travel to see that Bill Cipher statue. Because I have… fandom issues. Haha.

Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates’ Treasure! Though I’ve entertained myself with this, I don’t recommend this as highly as the other stuff on here. But if you want to keep living Gravity Falls, this is one of the books out there with original non-show content. There’s even a few moments in this book that were taken from the unaired pilot or deleted scenes. It’s a choose-your-own adventure, has nice art, and stuff. While it is written by Rowe, I don’t consider this as necessary of an addition to Gravity Falls fans because the choose-your-own adventure doesn’t (to me) capture the deep heart of the show. It’s more of a light, silly, random what-have-you. It does have a hidden web link to a page with the Axolotl, though, so that’s sort of important?

The Games. Most games are simple online flash games with no informative or lore-adding content to them. You won’t get anything new out of them, so take or leave them. But ya know, they still pass time in non-objectionable ways. If you’re really craving ANYTHING GF, why the fuck not. That’s how I ended up playing them. Some games have enjoyable versions of the main theme… the Weirdmageddon: Take Back the Falls game did not have to go so rocking hard on the music, and yet it did. (I may have recorded the audio to the level select and stuff and added it to my iTunes library.)I know you’ve been watching me play Legend of the Gnome Gemulets on my twitch. The other games that I think are the most entertaining are Rumble’s Revenge and Pinesquest (mostly Pinesquest, but it’s a “sequel” to Rumble’s Revenge).

And if you haven’t gone clue hunting and decrypting yourself, and don’t want to extend the effort to do so, the cryptograms page on the wiki is a must!

Alex’s old twitter posts have some interesting things too from time to time?

I hope I remembered the main things. And I hope this helps!

#Anonymous #GF #Gravity Falls #long post #Journal 3 #ask #ask me #Lost Legends #Gravity Falls Lost Legends #Gravity Falls: Lost Legends #awesome anonymous friend #analysis #my analysis #blabbing Haddock #non-dragons

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airbender-dacyon · 4 years

Text

So… if you’re new to my blog, this is a pretty common occurrence, unfortunately. I tend to be regularly active for a short stretch of time and then go radio silent for weeks or months on end. It’s never intentional and I always say something like this when I get back from a hiatus – I apologize for being away and not taking care of things like I needed to. It can be as simple as answering an ask or messaging a friend – and all of you have the patience of saints, especially @kristallioness – or taking care of things for Kataang Week. Things that should rightly take only a few minutes – or maybe twenty-thirty minutes of my day or even of my week – if I could focus long enough to take care of them.

I guess this is just going to be a flow of consciousness sort of thing. We’ll see if it makes any sense at the end.

I started grad school a few months ago and combined with everything else this year (work/family stresses, losing two close relatives, etc.), my life has felt like hell. There’s been the good parts – grad school is going alright, I’m learning, I’m furthering my experience and knowledge within my field, I’ve made plenty of friends and gotten to grow a bit as a person. But there’s been plenty of the bad, too – I lose at least 10 hours a week just to my commutes, bills are stacking up, I feel wholly unprepared/unqualified for working in my field, stress/depression is snowballing (this is probably the biggest cause of everything), etc. Typical things in life that I must learn to handle better.

The tumblr/fandom stress hasn’t helped. I see blogs, people I used to talk to become totally inactive or disappear completely. Some blogs I’ve seen get deleted without warning, thanks to tumblr itself. Fanfics and fan art have been disappearing for some time now and it all just breaks my heart. Not just losing the conversations I’ve had with these amazing people, but all the memories and all the contributions to the fandoms. I believe we put a part of ourselves in everything we create, so when anything we make is lost, it can cut us – and the people we have touched through our art – deeper than we might expect it to.

Plus, for the last few months, with everything in my real life going on, fandom has felt a lot like a chore. I can’t remember if I’ve said this before or not, but that’s what it felt like. I hate that that’s what it felt like, but it’s the truth. And unfortunately, it gets relegated to the bottom of the chore pile – least importance. And when something feels like a chore, you don’t want to do it.

I’m used to stress as a student. Grad school just intensified that a lot. However, I’m not used to the stress of being an instructor. The catch to my getting into grad school was that I had to do it through an assistant-ship. So, its not just concern for my grades and my well-being, but for all the students I teach as well. Because if I as a student miss a class, all I have to worry about is making up the work later on. If I as a teacher miss a class, the students fall behind in their work and I am in trouble (if I couldn’t find a substitute in time). To me, it’s been more stressful than a standard job – I have to force myself to make it to school for the sake of the students. (Somehow I’ve not missed a day yet.) Don’t get me wrong, I want to be there, too, but it just feels as though all the stress from this year (past several years, probably, if I’m being honest) just continues to grow and grow and I’m afraid it’s going to burst at the worst possible moment.

And my advisor and other students keep encouraging me, praising me, telling me how great I’m doing. (Especially in comparison to the person who preceded me, who apparently set the bar very, very low.) And this makes me feel as if I’m just going to fail even more. I feel as if they’re all building me up into something I’m not and when I crumble, they’re going to realize they picked the wrong guy for the job.

At the same time, that stress makes me more motivated to succeed. I need to work through it, to understand it, in order to do better. I’m sure many of you know what this is like personally. It sucks. But its necessary to move forward in life. Because it will always be a part of us and we need to learn how to deal with it.

So, I’m done with making excuses and apologies. I think you are all more understanding of my situation than I am. Life happens and its unavoidable. From what some of you have told me, you have lives far more stressful than mine and yet you manage to not only remain involved in fandom, you thrive in it. I wish I could as well.

I’m not promising I’ll be on here more consistently. But I’m going to make a hell of a lot stronger effort to try. I’m planning to at least check in once a week – something I’m sure I’ve promised before.

I don’t really know if any of this is making sense. It’s ~1:30 AM here in little rural Ohio and my brain is fried from teaching, studying, and Season 3 of The Dragon Prince. So I’m also running on the absolute hype that came from TDP. I guess I’m just trying to channel all my energy into semi-coherent thoughts to explain things about life that seem somewhat revelatory to my sleep deprived mind but are really things we all know already.

Speaking of Dragon Prince, I’ll probably be posting major spoilery stuff from Season 3 for like the next several weeks to forever. Because reasons. It was amazing.

The more I put things off, the more it stresses me out. It’s that simple. All the things weighing over my head just continue to grow because I keep putting them off. And the only way I’m going to change it is if I can face the problems head on. I have to relearn the mindset I lost 7-8 years ago when I could always remain on top of my work and my hobbies.

So, I think I’m going to go work on a message for some people in the Dragon Prince fandom and then maybe use the energy I have left to get working on a story I’ve had for some time. And then we’ll see where that takes me.

Since I’ll inevitably crash within the next hour or so, my plan for when I wake up is to get my grading done (bleh) and then focus on finally taking care of the submissions from Kataang Week when it ended like 3 months ago. And answer asks/messages sometime this weekend. Preferably tomorrow, er, later today. I don’t want to take on too much at once, but at the same time, I need to take care of things or the weight of it all will just continue to grow.

Thank you, if you’ve taken the time to read this. I hope to talk to you all soon. You are all wonderful friends and followers that I am eternally grateful to have in my life and I love you all for putting up with my shenanigans.

- Dan

#Dan rambles #Personal #Dan rambles about life #Was there even a point to all this #I don't know anymore #But it was cathartic #I think #Just gonna yeet this onto my blog before I change my mind #Sorry this is so long but I'm too tired to try and condense it to a more manageable length

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hero-of-your-own-story · 5 years

Text

The Art of Not Panicking

Fandom: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Pairing: implied Ford & Arthur

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: approx. 2000 words

Trigger Warnings: N/A

A/N: So, I know that the Hitchhiker’s Guide fandom is probably very dead, but I think that it’s just a really neat story and I love the characters, so here is my little contribution to the fandom, especially in time for Valentine’s Day! This story was proof-read by the wonderful @writing-orpheus, so thank you to them!

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

This was certainly not how Arthur had wanted to spend his weekend.

Then again, things rarely happened as he wanted them to. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure why he was surprised; being submerged in a rather unsafe and small-looking class cage in one of the many salty oceans of the planet Calmaro was one of the least exciting things that had happened all week.

It was just, he thought rather despondently, that he had thought that today would entail a nice, calm picnic on some nice, calm planet, with nice, calm sandwiches (“You know the ones, Ford - the ones with the cucumber in”) and, if all went even vaguely well, a nice, calm cup of tea. The universe, however, seemed to take great pleasure in throwing what Arthur wanted into the nearest bin and marching him swiftly onward to whichever life-threatening situation it thought would be most entertaining. Not, of course, that he was aware of the universe being sentient, but you never really could tell.

He stared miserably out at the vast expanse of sea, stretching out before him and Ford, who was looking at it with a sort of awe-struck wonder that indicated that he had suddenly had an idea. Arthur rarely enjoyed Ford’s ideas, per se, as they always seemed to involve death, and danger, and a lack of a hot bath, bed, and food that didn’t make him want to throw up.

“You’ve got that look in your eye,” he commented nervously, fiddling with the hem of his tattered tartan dressing gown - he could easily get a new one, but this was /his/, a reminder of the home that he had had before... all of this.

Ford hummed.

“Why,” Arthur continued, “you felt the need to bring me to a sea-planet in a small capsule with you just to write about it for The Guide, I don’t understand. You could just as easily do this by yourself.”

Ford glanced at him, surprised, as though such a thing was impossible to think, let alone act upon, before shrugging and turning back to the ocean. A few dolphins with five eyes frolicked in the foam. Ford noted them down.

“I like the company,” he told Arthur finally.

“Well, you could have at least been honest with me!” Arthur retorted.

“If I had told you where we were really going,” Ford replied, “then you wouldn’t have come.”

That logic was rather difficult to argue with, but Arthur tried anyway.

“Still,” he blustered, “I wasn’t really expecting that I was going to end up on some planet with mutant squid things, and not-”

“Arthur,” a warning voice cut through. He continued.

“-not a peaceful little village on a planet with, oh, I don’t know, hills. And trees. And-”

“Arthur, it may have escaped your focus, but there is one of those ‘mutant squid things’ coming towards us right now-”

“-and trickling streams and-”

“Arthur!”

He was suddenly aware of Ford seizing his shoulders and turning him right around in the opposite direction. He was about to protest - to make some comment about how he could move himself perfectly well, thank you, and if Ford could let go then that would be wonderful - when he saw a giant, glassy, dark eye staring directly at him. The eye itself was about the size of a small car, or would have been comparable if there had been cars on this planet. He gave a small “Oh” and jumped back.

“See, if you had listened to what I was trying to tell you, then you would have known that this Calmaroid was outside of the zarking box!” Ford exclaimed, pulling his friend back to look at it. His keen eyes were fixed on the creature. “You don’t get them anywhere else - they’re often called Space Squid,” he told Arthur eagerly. “They can move out of water quite easily.”

“Thanks,” Arthur sniped, “that really makes me feel a lot safer.”

Ford, oblivious to the sardonic tone, cast him a rather surprised look, as though astounded that Arthur wasn’t scared by this, or complaining about how Ford had dragged him into this mess and had better jolly well get them out of it. “Really?”

“No, not really,” the other man replied snappily. “I’m not a huge fan of the idea that this... thing could chase us out of this... wherever.”

“Wonderful use of words, there. Your Earth education is truly breathtaking,” Ford commented absently, still transfixed by the Calmaroid. It blinked. He blinked back.

“You must have enough for the Guide entry now,” Arthur remarked, a sort of desperate hopefulness creeping into his tone. “Can we possibly... go?”

Ford nodded, finally satisfied by whatever research he had come out here to do. The Calmaroid, of course, could use a little glorifying - perhaps swarms of them at a time, rather than just one - and he would try to describe the sea as ‘azure’ rather than ‘sort of a muddy blue’.

He turned back to face Arthur directly, giving him a smile. “Yeah, I’ve got everything that I need. Ready to head up to the Heart of Gold?”

“What, back up to Zaphod making jokes out of life, the universe and all humans?” Arthur replied bitterly, though there was a hint of a joke in his voice. Despite everything, the Heart Of Gold was as good of a ‘home’ as he could wish for; at least there he had Ford, and Trillian. At least he wasn’t the last surviving human in the universe.

Ford sighed - he was never good at comforting people, and hadn’t had to do it much before the whole incident with the Vogons. “Look, Arthur, I’m sorry about your planet. But there’s no one I would rather have saved from being vaporised to make way for an inter-galactic bypass. I mean it.”

The glass-like box that they were in shook. Ford tore his gaze away from Arthur’s to look at what had caused the disturbance, finding an abundance of Calmaroids - a fleet? A squadron? Whatever the collective noun was, there were a lot of them. He felt the urge to swear. “Belgium.”

“On a scale of one to ten,” Arthur began tentatively, “how likely are these Space Squid to try to kill us?”

“If the Guide is anything to go by...”

“Screw the sodding Guide, Ford, just tell me what you see in front of you!”

“I’d say... an eight?”

Here is what The Guide has to say on Calmaroids:

No one particularly knows, or cares, where they come from or what they are, because of the fact that Calmaro is not a popular holiday destination due to it being 98.7% water. Given their size, they’re probably not to be trifled with, but no one with any sense of self-worth or common sense has ever encountered one and felt need to tell whatever tale they left with. It is rumoured that they are the result of scientific experiments once held on Calmaro that resulted in children being turned into gigantic giant squid, but anyone who believes this is either a conspiracy theorist, heavily misguided, lying, or will believe you when you tell them that the word ‘gullible’ is written on the ceiling.

“An eight?” Arthur asked incredulously, beginning to like this little field trip less and less with each passing second. His stomach sank, and he felt as though he could almost see it descend into the depths of the planet’s seas, along with his spirits and his will to exist in the same vague vicinity as both Ford Prefect and these Space Squid.

“Oh, don’t worry, they’re probably quite harmless-“ Ford was cut off when two of the Calmaroids grabbed the box and began almost throwing it to each other with their tentacles. Arthur gave a startled yell and grabbed onto the first thing that he could reach, which happened to be Ford’s arm. He swore.

“There must be some way that you can get us out of this… this… hellish game of piggy in the middle!” he declared, looking at Ford with a sort of desperate confidence often found in the eyes of people in a life-threatening situation, or under the throes of a particularly strong (or badly mixed, as on many planets) Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster.

Ford gave a smile. “Your faith in me is flattering, but completely unfounded,” he replied in an unnaturally assured tone for someone in his situation. “At this point, we need to hope that, for a start off, this thing doesn’t break – and I wouldn’t put my trust in it, given the miniscule price that it was sold to us at – and someone on the Heart of Gold has enough common sense and technological ability to get us out of here.”

Arthur gave an undignified huff. One of the many things that he didn’t like (listed at fifteenth, far below ‘lack of tea’ and number one and ‘destruction of all other human life-forms’ at number eight) was being treated as though he was helpless, even though, as one of only two surviving humans in a vast, expansive galaxy that he seemed to explore by blundering from one disaster to the other, he really was.

More Calmaroids were joining in now, cheerfully banding together to form a larger game. The glass-like box creaked under the pressure of the water and being hit around by gigantic giant squid, and even Ford, with his cock-sure attitude and belief that this would turn out alright if, somehow, neither of them panicked. Arthur, meanwhile, had finally gathered up the courage to say something.

“Ford,” he began, turning to address the other man, “if these are our last few minutes – seconds, maybe – on Earth, I want you to know something.”

“Yes?” Ford replied, heart in his throat; though whether this was from the increasingly dizzying spins that the box was being thrown in or what Arthur may have been about to say, he couldn’t really tell.

“I want you to know,” Arthur continued, “that is, I would like you to realise…” He took a deep breath. “If I die today then I will not have had a single cup of tea in five years. And I’m not sure if I can die knowing that.”

Ford burst out into uncontrollable laughter, earning a glare from Arthur, who proceeded to proclaim that such things weren’t funny, and he would be damned if he died here without a good cup of Earl Grey clasped in his hand.

The next thing that either of them knew, they were back in the Heart of Gold, Zaphod standing over them with amusement clear on both of his faces. The box had not been beamed up with them, and both Ford and Arthur now sat on the floor, Ford still laughing slightly, and clasping Arthur’s shoulder in an attempt to calm both of them down, and Arthur heavily shaken and muttering something about tea. Zaphod, who could rarely be asked to do anything, let alone pay heed to whatever he had just saved his sort-of-cousin and the monkey-man from or ask them if they were alright, shrugged and headed through one of the many, many annoying doors. “It is a pleasure to be able to open for you,” the door told him cheerfully.

“Sod off,” Arthur told it, finally coming to his senses and looking at Ford in apprehension. “Say, Ford, are you alright? It wasn’t something that I said?”

Ford shook his head. “No, more a matter of something that I thought, rather hoped, you were going to say, but really didn’t,” he replied, smile still on his face. “Now, come on – I can’t make you tea or anything, but I can at least fix you a drink. I think we’ve earnt it.” He saw the look on Arthur’s face and rolled his eyes. “Unless you’d rather have ‘Not-Tea’?”

Emotions, The Guide explains in one of its shorter articles, are complex things and widely considered an inconvenience.

#original #fanfiction #the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy #thhgttg #arthur dent #ford prefect #bbc #fluff

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zexalmonth · 6 years

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Hello everyone!

Some news before we begin, if you didn’t know this will be my last Zexal Month hosting, you can read the information here. Also @yaminoamber will also not be apart of the Zexal Month team, as she is too busy. So for this year, it will just be @pyrachan and I. Because of us leaving, Pyra will be alone for the other years to organise, which cannot be the case.

In which case, If you would like to be apart of the Zexal Month team, feel free to send Pyra a PM. There are no real requirements for this, just to be apart of the Zexal fandom and be willing to discuss with Pyra prompts and information to keep this month going every year.

Now for 2018 Zexal Month!

For this third year, Zexal Month will be a tad different. I have organised 60 prompts. This time, all of you have your own free mind in what to do for selected days. However, every Friday will have a selected prompt, or theme (Mostly a fun game). Prompts include a saying or message which will then allow all of you to do whatever you like to participate.

How you choose to contribute is entirely up to you.

For example, you could gif, draw, write, edit etc. The options are endless. Participating every day is not required!

With these as well, feel free to mix prompts up together, use more than one a day or use any character from the Zexal series or manga. You can also use your OC’s if you would like, as long as they are related to Zexal.

Rules:

DO NOT REPOST ART FROM OTHER SITES WITHOUT PERMISSION. This includes artists on tumblr. Do not take their work without permission. These include sites that most reposted art are found. (E.g Paintbucket and sites like it, pinterest, instagram etc.)

Respect everyone’s work, headcanon etc.

Please respect any OC’s, fan characters, self inserts etc. Even if you don’t like them, they would mean the world to the creators. I’ll be tagging as ‘zexal oc’s’ if you would like to blacklist that.

Please tag ‘nsfw’ things as they are. Or triggers if you feel the need too.

ALL PROMPTS AND INFORMATION UNDER THE CUT

Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd include regular prompt days.

Friday the 3rd includes:

All of your favourites, including:

Favourite Character Favourite Friendship Group or Friendship Pairing Favourite Episode(s) / Manga Chapter(s) Favourite Moment(s) in Anime/Manga Favourite Duel Monster / Non-Human Character (Barian/Astral etc)

Plus any other favourites you would like to share.

Saturday the 4th - Thursday the 9th includes regular prompt days.

Friday the 10th includes a special prompt called ‘BlahBARIAN’:

I originally got this prompt from writers digest but I changed it up a bit since it was fitting.

A scene/s or anything that includes a character speaking a different language, speaking in a thick accent or otherwise speaking in a way that is unintelligible to the other characters. (Note: Be creative with the languages, it could be your own language that isn’t Japanese or English.) Such as, maybe each Yugioh series has a ‘different language’ and Zexal characters try and communicate with them.

Saturday the 11th - Thursday the 16th includes regular prompt days.

Friday the 17th includes a Yuma Day:

Since it is Tasuku Hatanaka’s birthday today, this Friday will be a tribute to anything and everything Yuuma.

Possibilities are endless with this one. Yuuma is in everything, shipping, AUs etc. Go for it. Favourite moments, things Yuuma inspired you about, Yuuma videos, fanfics, art and AU’s. Or if you would like to share any in real life Kattobingu life moments. Nows your chance!

Unfortunately Hatanaka has actually been said too taking a hiatus from his twitter.

Saturday the 18th - Thursday the 23rd includes regular prompt days.

Friday the 24th includes a little fun game called ‘A Game of Reactions’. (This again was from writers digest but I thought it would be fun to try out).

Writers digest originally said this: “A character’s reaction to something without explaining what it is. See if others can guess what it is.” HOWEVER, we could include the fandom as the ‘others’. Such as someone posts a picture from an episode and all of us guess what episode it came from, OR it can be as what it says there and do the content of for charades between a character and the fandom, or a character and another character.

Saturday the 25th - Thursday the 30th includes regular prompt days.

Friday the 31st includes a phrase called ‘Duelling Opposites’.

Again this phrase can be interpreted differently. You could switch personalities or decks, or even switching series. Consider this as a cross over prompt perhaps.

REGULAR PROMPTS ARE AS FOLLOWERS

1. “Do you love me?”

2. “It hurts..”

3. “You are my world.”

4. “I can’t.”

5. “Help me.”

6. “There’s too much blood!”

7. “Do you know what to do?”

8. “Poison.. ”

9. “Are you cheating on me..?”

10. “How can I if you won’t let me?”

11 . “You have to let go.”

12. “What about you?”

13. “How?“

14. “You make me happy.”

15. “Do you understand?”

16. Timelessness

17. Elementary

18. So close, and yet…

19. Sleepless

20. Out of place

21. Road trip

22. "Have fun. Don’t die. Don’t kill anyone.“

23. Pranks and Perspective

24. “That’s not what I meant”

25. Lucky day

26. Going viral

27. Table for two

28. Shark attack

29. “I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming”

30. Caught pants down

31. “Howdy, partner”

32. “What in the world did I agree too?”

33. “Why did you do it?”

34. Something special

35. “May death find you alive”

36. A fishy situation

37. Montages

38. "Get down from there!”

39. "I have cookies.“

40. Getting lost somewhere

41. A death of someone close.

42. “Great, how are we supposed to get home now?”

43. “I got the call last night…”

44. “Did you hear something?”

45. “Please don’t do this…”

46. “I wish I never met you.”

47. “You should think about what you’ve done.”

48. Past, Present, Future all in the same.

49. A Holiday Celebration

50. “Well, that was certainly awkward”

51. Baby pictures.

52. “Let’s pretend I didn’t see you do that”

53. “Are you stupid or stupid?”

54. “Call me now. it’s urgent.”

55. “Everything will fall into place.”

56. “Fight me, you attractive stranger.”

57. “Fuck’s sake, what’s your problem?”

58. “Kick his ass for me.”

59. “You’re pathetic. If I wasn’t willing to fuck you, no one would.”

60. Study partners

As an added bonus, I found this MASSIVE AU Compilation on Tumblr. Feel free to use it. http://hollandrhododendron.tumblr.com/post/116179859418/super-long-au-compilation

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me on this blog or even on my personal blog at @wendymoto.

Reference sites I found content for this month:

http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts

http://bucketofprompts.tumblr.com/

We encourage anyone and everyone in the Zexal fandom to try and contribute or reblog others posts.

Let’s continue to enjoy and love ZEXAL for everything that it is and isn’t.

If you would like me to see them, please tag them with #ZexalMonth, #Zexal Month, #wendymoto. We will surely see and enjoy your posts as well.

I’ll look forward to seeing the posts you guys make.

Thank you, everyone. <3

With ‘zeal’ Wendy and Pyra. <3

#zexal #zexal month #zexal month 2018 #its the 1st here so here you go

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templeofgeek · 6 years

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Star Wars Fan Art By Erin Lefler for #ForceAgainstCyberbullying

With the every growing popularity of geek and nerd culture, more and more people come together to join in on the celebration of their favorite franchises and characters. Fandoms are a wonderful place of community and belonging. Unfortunately, they are still not immune to the eventual toxicity that comes with any large populous.

One such toxic behavior is cyber bullying. No one is immune to cyber bullying. Whether you’re a young kid or a big Hollywood actor. Cyber bullying has a way of bringing a dark cloud over our happiness. Actress Kelly Tran was harassed online for her portrayal of Rose Tico in the latest Star Wars installment, The Last Jedi. So much so that it drove her to delete all her Instagram posts.

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices, and on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, via text etc.). It includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. Sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying instances can be criminal behavior.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Suicide is the second leading cause of death between 15-19 years old. It was this realization that sparked artist Erin Lefler to make a stand against cyberbullying. In an hopes that cyberbullying would not contribute to any of those deaths by suicide. We spoke to Erin about her project and what it means to her.

What is The Force Against Cyber Bullying Campaign? Erin: The #forceagainstcyberbullyingcampaign is a campaign I created to shed light on cyber bullying as a problem, as well as to provide support and love to those being cyber bullied. I feel with all the social movements and topics that we see every day on the news, in papers, and on social media, Cyber bullying as a topic gets put on the back burner. But it’s a HUGE problem!!! And it’s something I feel personally should be discussed.

Star Wars Fan Art By Erin Lefler for #ForceAgainstCyberbullying

What inspired you to create this campaign? Erin: I created this campaign after being on the receiving end of a lot of harassment and cyber bullying on some Official Lucasfilms licensed work I’ve done and non licensed Star Wars work that I have done. Which, after those started getting it, it then also started happening on other work of mine, like marvel work, original work, etc. As someone who really loves what they get to do for work, (I mean I get to work for one of the coolest companies [Lucasfilms] ever!) it really felt like a punch to the gut, and like all the air was taken out of me. These were so called “fans” of the exact things I create for work, some of which had been following me for awhile. And they were now targeting and harassing me, for what? Because they didn’t like the way the last movie went down? Because they didn’t like the character I had drawn? This was something that I feel shouldn’t be allowed to happen. No one should be able to call you names, threaten your safety and well-being, or trash your reputation just because you’re doing something you love. You see, I just make art for the company. I’m not the one who wrote the script, I’m not an actress from the film, or even the director. My job is so small compared to those directly involved with the film; like really small. How many people actually know my name compared to say Mark Hamill, Rian Johnson, or Kelly Marie Tran? I’m just doing what I’m paid to do like they are, and I’m also getting to do what I love. It’s every fans dream. But because I have the the name ‘Lucasfilms’ attached to my name, I receive the same amount of hate and harassment if not worse then what the big names do. Having this happen to me got me to think how this type of behavior is so prevalent on the Internet today, and how it has spread across so many fandoms/ many online communities. And most people turn a blind eye to it! Which, I really feel is not okay. I felt alone. I was hurt and confused as to why all this was happening to me. As someone who tries to always look for and be positive about everything, it was hard to accept people could be like this. I had been been physically bullied growing up, but this was a whole new thing I had to learn how to deal with. When I began to publicly share what was happening with my followers across my social media accounts, not only was there an outpouring of support to me, but I was also receiving so many messages of those who were also once cyber bullied, or were currently being cyber bullied. To hear so many voices saying “I’ve been there and I wish I had help” or “ I’m facing the same thing right now and I don’t know what to do”, honestly broke my heart. I wanted to be able to help them all, but how could I? I barely knew how to help myself. I had to take a small break from social media for a few days because I could feel it almost bringing me into a depression. I felt so helpless. Not only were the words of these people harassing me getting me down, but seeing so many others going through the same thing and crying out for help shocked me. I thought ‘How can so many be facing this, and nobody be speaking about this?’ We see and are bombarded everyday by headlines like “which celeb wore it best”, “this celeb got implants”, or “this celeb power couple broke up.” And while there’s nothing wrong with taking an interest in these things, I wondered why are these things are trending when people are out here LITERALLY losing their lives to cyber bullying. Which, made me realize there’s almost no conversation about cyber bullying. It was almost NONEXISTENT. Which is a scary thought when you think about it. What are we saying is ok and teaching is ok to the next generation? So after getting past my anger at those harassing me and the sadness over what they were saying, and for those who were also going through this experience too, I decided someone had to stand up. Enough was enough. We can’t keep pretending this wasn’t happening. So I determined the best way to do this was to create a campaign to spread awareness. Maybe it would become a thing and catch on. Maybe it wouldn’t. But I know I wouldn’t have been happy if I just stood by and let it continue to happen. What type of person would I be if I did that? I’m given the resources and the following to make something of it, so I said “well I mind as well do something.” And it sparked a fire within me, and A determination I never really had before.

Gaurdians Of The Galaxy Fan Art By Erin Lefler for #ForceAgainstCyberbullying

Why do think cyber-bullies bully other people online? Erin: Its hard to really determine the exact reason why people decide it’s OK to do it, but what I can come up with is many people find a strange sense of power behind a keyboard, and there’s almost no fight against cyber bullying. People most likely wouldn’t say these things if they had to look the person in the face, but hiding behind a screen? ‘Aha! There’s no consequence!’ People think. And it’s actually quite the contrary. Cyber bullying can have worse affects! Many people don’t know, but cyber bullying is the leading cause of suicide world wide. That’s a problem! And all for what; just so someone can feel better about themselves online? So they can feel bigger? Unfortunately this is what’s happening. When did this become an okay thing to do? If it’s not OK to do face to face and we raise awareness about that, why do we let cyberbullying slide? There should be accountability like there is for face to face harassment. But since there’s none, it’s open game for them you could say.

How much of a problem do you think cyber-bullying is in Fandom? Erin: I think it’s a huge problem! I’m sitting here, not only as someone who is working for Lucasfilms, but also as someone who is a fan of it. And sadly I’m watching this pull Star Wars fans apart. But it doesn’t stop at Lucasfilms. It spans from marvel, to Disney, to even cosplay. It spans over EVERYTHING. Fandoms are made to bring people together over something that we love. Not to slam someone from having their own opinions, not to say “oh, well this is cosplayer looks so much better than you” or “this art is so much better than yours.” Are you a fan of something? You probably express it in your own special way then. So if it’s okay for you to express it in your own way, it should be acceptable across the board for everyone to express in their way how they’re a fan. Now I’m not saying you can’t have an opinion on how someone expresses their love of a fandom, but is your opinion shared in kind? Should it even be shared at all? If we remembered this, I feel fandoms would become a lot less toxic towards one another. But as of right now it’s a big problem, and it needs to be addressed.

What can people do to stop cyber-bullying? Erin: Surprisingly there’s a lot you can do to stop cyber bullying from happening! First, here’s how not to be a cyber bully: if you don’t have something nice to say, simply DON’T SAY IT. Don’t comment on the tweet or post. Don’t direct message your displeasure to the person. Keep scrolling. Keep moving past it. Don’t hang up on the person to try to shame them. Just think, someone might do the same thing to you down the road. So how do you think you’d feel? If you wouldn’t like it done to you don’t do it to someone else. Simple as that. Next, here’s how to help if you see someone else being cyber bullied: stand with them. Stand up for them. If you see someone commenting ridiculously rude or obscene things at someone, maybe tell them something like this: “Can you please stop? This isn’t appropriate behavior. You wouldn’t like if someone did this to you, so don’t do it to this person.” Or if you see people ganging up against another person, saying it’s ‘just a joke’ or ‘constructive criticism’, try telling them something like: “Saying this doesn’t make your actions here ok. Please stop doing this to (insert person here). You didn’t need to say anything at all if you didn’t like this. So please just leave this person alone.” If you don’t feel brave enough to stand up like that, just send the person being affected by this a message saying something like: “hey I’m sorry you have to deal with this. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know. Please know that you’re not alone and if you need to talk I’m here for you.” If you’re being cyber bullied, there’s a lot of actions you can take to stop cyber bullying. First of all, do not isolate yourself. That’s the worst thing you can do. Talk to others. Surround yourself with those who love you and support you. Next, stand up for yourself. You don’t need to sit back and let it happen. You can politely tell the bullies to stop but honestly that will just add more fuel to their fire. They’re honestly not worth it. So the easy way to stand up for yourself is: 1) block, 2) report, 3) delete.

1). BLOCK. No one has the right to follow you if they’re harassing you. So just block them. This way they won’t be able to message you or comment at you to bully you. 2). REPORT. Now on some social media sites this is more effective than others. Twitter has an amazing report feature. Not only do they do an investigation on it, they let you provide proof to them of what’s happening, and give you updates on their findings. I’ve personally had to use this feature a lot on twitter and have seen some pretty great results with it. Instagram’s report feature isn’t as detailed, but you can still report if you have a problem. 3). DELETE. Okay, I know this might sound generic but yes, delete! (Insert Cyberman here…) if people are leaving harassing comments on your posts, or sending you harassing DM’s, there’s nothing saying they need to stay on your post. Just delete the comment. Delete the direct message. This way you don’t dwell on it, and it doesn’t bring you down. Shake it off!! Don’t give them the satisfaction of a response. Not only are you showing you’re a bigger person, but you’re also sending a message to the bully that their actions have no effect on you.

What message do you have for people who have been victims of cyber bullying? Erin: I think the message I have for those being cyber bullied, or those who have been cyber bullied is: you’re not alone. You’re NEVER alone. You are loved by so many and they all want to help you. There are so many who have been through the same things and have made it out OK. Talk to someone you trusts, don’t go through this by yourself. Don’t ever feel like these things being said to you are true. There’s a reason it’s happening behind a screen. Because the people who are doing it are cowards. And liars. And if they even just barely knew you, they’d know you’re so much more wonderful than their words. Simple as that. And if you’re feeling as the life you’re living isn’t worth living anymore, due to the harassment you’re going through: please rethink this. You are amazing, you are loved, and your life is more than worth it. Please seek help. You don’t have to go through this and feel this way alone. You don’t need to take your life because of people’s thoughtless actions. You have so much more to live for and accomplish. You are worth more than words. Please, remember that. I know I’m rooting you on… You can do this!! I’m going through it too. I know it’s not easy, but you can do it. And you can come out the victor. Just keep fighting against this.

Advice from Stopbullying.gov:

Prevent Cyberbullying

Be Aware of What Your Kids are Doing Online A child may be involved in cyberbullying in several ways. A child can be bullied, bully others, or witness bullying. Parents, teachers, and other adults may not be aware of all the digital media and apps that a child is using. The more digital platforms that a child uses, the more opportunities there are for being exposed to potential cyberbullying.

Warning Signs a Child Being Cyberbullied

Noticeable increases or decreases in device use, including texting.

A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device.

A child hides their screen or device when others are near, and avoids discussion about what they are doing on their device.

Social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear.

A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past.

A child becomes withdrawn or depressed, or loses interest in people and activities.

What to Do When Cyberbullying Happens

If you notice warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying, take steps to investigate that child’s digital behavior. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying, and adults should take the same approach to address it: support the child being bullied, address the bullying behavior of a participant, and show children that cyberbullying is taken seriously. Because cyberbullying happens online, responding to it requires different approaches. If you think that a child is involved in cyberbullying, there are several things you can do.

Advice For Adult Victims

Justin W. Patchin from Cyberbullying.Org suggests:

“First, it is important to keep all evidence of the bullying: messages, posts, comments, etc. If there are ways you can determine who exactly is making the comments, also document that. Second, contact the service or content provider through which the bullying is occurring. For example, if you are being cyberbullied on Facebook, contact them. If you are receiving hurtful or threatening cell phone messages, contact your cell phone company to obtain assistance. Along those same lines, familiarize yourself with the Terms of Use for the various sites you frequent, and the online accounts you sign up for. Many web sites expressly prohibit harassment and if you report it through their established mechanisms, the content and/or bully should be removed from the site in a timely manner. To be sure, some web site administrators are better and quicker at this than others.

Also, please be careful not to retaliate – or do anything that might be perceived by an outsider to have contributed to the problem. Do not respond to the cyberbully except to calmly tell them to stop. If they refuse, you may have to take additional actions. If you are ever afraid for your safety, you need to contact law enforcement to investigate. They can determine whether any threats made are credible. If they are, the police will formally look into it. The evidence that you have collected will help them to evaluate your situation.

You should also take the time to check your state laws. We have discussed some of these laws on this blog and have a summary of many applicable laws here. In Wisconsin, for example, it is a misdemeanor if someone uses computerized communication systems to “frighten, intimidate, threaten, abuse, or harass another person.” It is also against the law to “harass annoy, or offend another person.” See what the laws in your state are to determine if the police should get involved.

If the threats or comments are detrimental to your health, safety, or occupation, you might want to consult with an attorney who specializes in harassment, defamation of character, false light, intentional infliction of emotional distress, or similar types of civil action. A letter sent from an attorney (on law firm letterhead) to the bully may be all that is necessary to get the bullying to stop.”

If You Are The Bully

Wiki How has a great post about ways to identify bullying behaviors and how to help control them.

Understand Bullying. Know what constitutes bullying. Learn to identify bullying and fully understand its consequences. Know what causes bullying.

Conduct a Self-Examination. Identify bullying patterns in your life. Identify your insecurities. Reflect on how it feels to bully others.

Take Control of you Behavior. Put yourself in the victim’s perspective. Ask yourself how the victims of bullying feels when you’re bullying them. Ask yourself what the reason is for the bullying. Stopping yourself from bullying. Take a moment to think. Remove yourself from groups of people who reward you for bullying others. Practice empathizing with others. Change outlook on things. Get help from a professional.

Make Amends. Apologize to people you have bullied. Forgive yourself. Treat people with respect from now on.

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call 1-800-273-8255 Available 24 hours everyday

For more from Erin Lefler you can visit her website at: https://linktr.ee/butternut_gouache

The Force Against Cyberbullying Campaign With the every growing popularity of geek and nerd culture, more and more people come together to join in on the celebration of their favorite franchises and characters.

#Butternut #butternut_gouache #cyber bullying #Erin Lefler #fandom #Force Aginst Cyber Bullying #GEEK #geek news #rose tico #rose tico instagram #Star Wars

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the-seas-song · 3 years

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Most people would be fine with Taylor coming out while attached to Toe if she was actually dating him, but she's not, she doesn't even like him as a friend and she has even been leaving Easter Eggs since Rep Era to let us know she thinks extremely lowly of him as a person for riding her coattails.

We'd also be less upset at the thought of Taylor coming out while attached to Toe if she didn't push such a misogynistic narrative for Toe, and yes, Taylor herself is deliberately feeding the misogynistic flames in her fandom on purpose with how she portrays Toe as a "relationship" in interviews and stunt articles.

If she comes out attached to him after all the bullshit misogyny she's shoved down everyone's throat over Toe, practically none of her damn fans are going to accept her coming out because they'll just Tweet about how they think Toe needs to *beat* her back into being a "good" woman; when a few of her fans thought Taylor made a domestic violence handsignal in an interview, a stupidly big amount of her fans said it's Toe's right to beat Taylor if he wants to and that if it turns out he has been beating her through their entire 'relationship', then he's done a 'good job' turning her into a 'real' woman with his fists

Yes Toe is fake, but she’s never going to tell the gp that. I was talking about her public coming out narrative, not the actual truth.

I’m going to be nitpicky for a moment. I think you mean sexism not misogyny. Misogyny means “dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.” Sexism means “prejudice or discrimination based on sex or gender.” Sexism is mainly systemic. Misogyny is mainly hate speech and is a subsection of sexism.

We’ll have to agree to disagree about the sexism. There is nothing sexist or misogynistic about what Taylor has said about T*e. I remember the C*lvin days, she was far more gushy then. Swifties have been completely out of line for years, and her public narratives are for the gp not toxic swiffers.

For the record, I strongly disagree with the WB narrative and how it was executed. But even then, objectively, co-creating art with your partner isn’t sexist.

Also, the recent Vanity Fair article - he’s a brief mention in an article all about Taylor and her journey; and all she says is that she talked to him, her family, and friends about politics and he "supported" her decision to speak out. She’s given Todrick far more credit than T*e.

The Patriarchy is partially founded on damning vulnerability and our society’s toxic independence has serious consequences. Portraying T*e as a healthy and supportive relationship will never be sexist; and holding her responsible for the media and fans - even with her team planting articles - is to blame her for our corrupt society and it’s systems. She’s consistently told fans over the years to never believe anything the media and ‘sources’ say.

From the book “Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex” by Amy Schalet:

The first section of this chapter examines cultural traditions that shaped the perception and experiences of the changes of the 1960s and '70s in the United States and the Netherlands. Out of the confluence of different cultural traditions, the social policies they influenced, and the different experiences of the upheavals of the unruly decades emerged what might be called an “adversarial” and an “interdependent” individualism. [cut]

A key difference between the two individualisms pertains to the relationship between the self and others. In their 1985 classic Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life, sociologist Robert Bellah and his colleagues assert that “individualism lies at the very core of American culture.”5 Such individualism celebrates the sacredness of individuals and their judgement, self-reliance, and self-expression. But inherent in American individualism is also a tension between autonomy and society.6 Indeed, write Bellah and colleagues, American individualism includes a fear that “society may overwhelm the individual and destroy any chance of autonomy unless he stands against it.”7 That fear is accompanied by the belief that, to attain full autonomy and to commit to others and contribute to society, “one must be able to stand alone, not needing others, not depending on their judgements, and not submitting to their wishes.”8 [cut]

On the one hand, the celebration of self-reliance – and the stigmatization of dependency – have inhibited the institutionalization of income replacement programs that have made day-to-day living since the 1960s more secure in Europe.11 On the other hand, the United States has long imposed harsh justice on those deprived of freedom.12 Lacking a notion of membership in a wider society apart from individual volition, Americans see no alternative to punishment when individual volition proves insufficient to regulate behavior. Following the 1960s, the tradition of harsh justice grew into what David Garland has called “a culture of control”: the divestment from public welfare accompanied by rapid growth in incarceration rates, especially since the start of the War on Drugs, which has imprisoned a large segment of population, often on minor charges.13 [cut]

Writing in 1987, North American anthropologist Peter Stephenson observes that “the concept of self with respect to others in the Netherlands is simultaneously intensely egalitarian and highly individualistic.” [cut] And yet, an equally pervasive cultural value is that of functioning and living in close interaction and cooperation with others, a potential contradiction that is resolved by a particular conception of the self as “a discrete individual who can nonetheless work well with others.”15 [cut]

Indeed rather than view equalization and individualism as a threat to the social fabric, prominent Dutch sociologists of the 1970s and 1980s argued that people were becoming more dependent upon one another, leading to the “emancipation” of previously subordinate groups – children, workers, women, and homosexuals.19 They saw a new mode of regulating social relations in private and public life – negotiations between more or less equal parties who exercise self-restraint and willingness to consider each other's needs.20 Theory reflected public policy. Following the expansion of the welfare state in the 1950s and '60s, Dutch society of the 1970s and '80s underwent one of the strongest equalizing trends in the industrial world.21 And the assumption that people would, under controlled circumstances, self-regulate their impulses was reflected in a lenient penal policy, including the tolerance of soft drug use, which was institutionalized in 1976.22 [cut]

Many scholars and lay individuals in the United States harbored misgivings about the changes wrought by shifts in sexual and authority relations in part because, ironically, the conception of the self, celebrated and feared in middle-class culture, does not provide tools to conceptualize and foster self-restraint and social bonds without institutions that can hold individuals in check: marriage, religion, and the justice system. In the Netherlands, by contrast, lay individuals, scholars, and policymakers embraced the gains of “modernization” because they could draw on cultural resources to reconcile growing self-determination with strengthening of social bonds: traditions of inter-reliance and cooperation between elites lent themselves as means for exerting “soft” control and maintaining stability at home and in the polity in a more democratic society.23

And What's Wrong With Being Independent? by Psychology Today

We have to remember how many people voted for Trump and that the music and film industries are NOT systemically progressive. I’m been closeted, sexually assaulted, and abused by people with socioeconomic power over me; and while as a sales person I’m on the other end of the ladder, I know how it feels to be a ‘product’ owned by a brand. Just this week a customer ripped me and my coworker apart because she was an idiot and almost ripped her coat on our display. She told us outright that if her coat had ripped she would have had us punished, and we couldn’t say a word against her because ‘the customer is always right’. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior is not a one off incident.

Even with Taylor’s hints, we’re only seeing 5% of the picture. She’s not perfect, but I wouldn’t still be a fan 14 years later if I didn’t believe in her character. And in general I have very strong feelings about blaming victims (or individual people) instead of the system. Hitler and Trump would never have gained power if there weren’t countless social systems and a massive audience supporting them.

Anyway. Just my two cents.

#Taylor meta #Mine

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formlessmars-blog · 6 years

Text

Sub Culture Essay

Introduction

In this essay, the topics of sub-culture within a design is going to be explored with its impact on design holistically and how it impacts design as a whole and why it should be considered in the creation process. The idea is that sub-culture stems from rebellion or desensitization to a parent culture thus creating a group of people who end up separated from its parent culture of which it belongs.

The idea is to consider not just sub-cultures that may be affected during the design process but rather the idea that a sub-culture that may surface from the result of a design. This notion is mostly observed from a multitude of angles whereby a sub-culture may form out of sheer rebellion or as a response to and a reiteration of a parent culture.

An in-depth look will be given to the works of Roland Barthes, Dick Hebdige and other concepts such as Semiotics and Hegemony whereby an analysis will be made on subculture to dictate it impacts in design. There will also be an exploration of fandoms that stem from an iconic model in pop culture to further reinforce the concept that subculture is important during the design process.

Subculture, The Meaning of Style

Author Dick Hebdige published a renowned book focusing entirely on subculture within the British scene around the youth culture called Subculture, The Meaning of Style (Hebdige, 2012). In this publication, Hebdige argues that style or fashion in this sense is the catalyst for subculture in the youth scene where he claims that even the most powerless of a teenager can become a punk rocker through sub-culture.

Hebdige cites a wide range of subcultures within this text; he credits the skinheads to Rastafarians and even goths however he draws a lot from the ideals of structuralism and Marxist ways of thinking. Furthermore, he explains how black cultures like Rastafarianism pass on their values to other youth cultures with specific reference to dreads as imposing an aesthetic drawn from the 'otherness' of black culture. In this context, black culture serves as the fundamental standard by which other cultures are judged due to their impressionable output.

Hebdige refers to some subcultures as 'cultural noise, whereby they create blockages within the flow of society due to their rebellious nature thus creating interference with mass culture. The blockage represents where a community has failed to meet the requirements of a subculture, and therefore style is where these groups turn in order to express their needs that they wish to be fulfilled. This also reinforces a concept of a dominant culture having a suppressive nature by way of this model mentioned above.

Through commodification, one can gain an understanding of style. However, such a belief is only relevant when related to its subculture because once removed; it is then unable to express its need for a subculture. Although this entire publication focuses primarily on style as the focus of the subcultures, we can understand through this the idea of the parent-child relationship between the subculture, and its catalyst. It is this model whereby we base our argument that subculture must be considered in design or during the design process, as the relevancy of design can sometimes be dependant on subcultures that exist either for or against parent design.

Hebdige says “our task becomes to discern the hidden messages inscribed in code on the glossy surfaces of style, to trace them as ‘maps of meaning’ which obscurely re-present the very contradictions they are designed to resolve or conceal.” (Hebdige, 2012)

Influence of Design on Subcultures

In this example, it's important to understand how subcultures are influenced by design, and then, through ontological design, subcultures form due to the impact of design itself. This is where the belief that subcultures may be an integral part of the design process or at least deserves some recognition when design is taking place.

Examples in popular culture can be seen widely from music. Music is one of the most significant forms of design that holds such a significant impact that can be seen visually through these groups of people. Famous bands such as Metallica, Pink Floyd or even Nirvana have been observed to have played a role in the creation of not just subcultures but ideologies that would be seen to live on and stand the test of time having both contributed to the old school Rock and Grunge scene who, till this very day, is still being carried out and celebrated.

To dig even further we can look at how design then can become commercialised as it becomes seemingly relatable to a large group of people such that they begin to assimilate the content or the design into being an integral part of their identities, the most famous example of this would be the band The Grateful Dead which is an old school rock band that has amassed such a large following to the degree where their fans are called 'Dead Heads' thus spawning a merchandise line called The Dead Bears which even today can be seen selling for a lot of money all of which began with the album art designed by Bob Thomas.

It is evident that when mainstream design is commercialised it then gains the potential to be assimilated into or create a subculture thus giving strength, recognition and credibility to its parent culture.

Relative to this we can also look at mainstream media for influencing subcultures where we can look at Playboy Magazine for example which made a subculture of men that shared the same views and goals as per what this magazine had suggested. These men who sought out luxurious lifestyles and seek to live out their lives as “Playboys” exactly as models such as Hugh Hefner would portray. This idealised and reinforced the thinking whereby a certain lifestyle became the influence, and like this, we saw a drastic change in the way men dressed for that period, in a way that would be consistent with that of a Playboy lifestyle in order to assimilate and infer it's message into everyday life.

Subcultures in today's scene such as Hipsters or Vegans all stem from a holistic ideal that made it seem relatable or had a point of reference in order to promote or sell the idea. This is the contrast to the theories posed by Hebdige whereby his arguments represented subcultures as somewhat of a rebellious nature whereas Design Influenced subcultures merely reflect the parent culture and embody its values in their everyday lives.

Why Subcultures Need to Be Considered

Subcultures are very important to design and can reflect whether or not the design is good or bad. Good design will spawn facets of fandoms and followings where these groups will carry these design elements further. An example of this would be cosplay. Cosplay is short for Costume Play, and generally, this is the act of bringing your favourite character to life, be it from a TV Series, Movie or Video Game.

In the world of cosplay, a lot of more elegant details are considered, the aspects of the character from their clothing all the way to their hair as well as colours and mannerisms. To gain a better understanding, a video titled Why I Cosplay (YouTube, 2018), Two cosplayers were followed throughout their journey in order to gain a better understanding of their journey and the effort they put in but also, more importantly, to better understand WHY they do what they do.

One cosplayer accounts: “Through cosplay, I could become these characters, I could live vicariously with how cool they were, and it seems people feel the need to become someone else to strengthen themselves.” Not only does this account for such an emotional connection with these designs ultimately, but also one must realise what an incredible impact a simple design can have, and to go even further back, we can see that these were pure sketches or drawing at one point that evolved into these characters with personality and flow so much so that another person felt connected enough to bring that character to life for one day.

“And really what makes cosplay so beautiful is how people can interpret curves and strange clothing pieces that wouldn't even exist in our world.” (YouTube, 2018), Quoted from an unnamed cosplayer, this speaks to how design is interpreted by the masses, this perfectly illustrates how people can consume design and interpret it in their way which is a matter of improving design and making it more efficient, as we're able to see how design can evolve along with the people who consume it.

Above all, it is essential to consider the sense of community that design can create using cosplay as an example. These designs that were once just ideas brought people together and formed families through their choice of colour and shape. People sought to indeed dig deeper into design than most people would consider and in so doing they have given new meaning to design as a whole.

And from a designers perspective, it's important to see how design is consumed and what is being interpreted in order to improve the design and this can only be achieved through the use of subculture.

Looking back at the two contrasting types of subculture that has been covered, going from the rebellious nature to the unifying class, it's therefore crucial that one considers how the design process is portrayed as it could have either reception depending on its execution.

Why Subcultures Are Intrinsic to Design

Through Semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, we're able to gauge precisely how design is perceived which is relevant to cosplayers and pop culture assimilation of design whereas, on the other hand, we have the concepts of Hegemony and Counter-hegemony which is the suppressive and dominants cultures spoken about through the works of Hebdige.

These are very contrasting receptions of design however they are the reason why design prosper, it is the only way we, as designers, can gage many things about the designs, all from how its perception to what is being done with it as well as what changes need to be made based on the feedback we receive from the subcultures.

In conclusion, a brand can gauge its strength through its design based on its subculture if it has one, and alternatively one can design with the idea of a subculture in mind as a design must be strong enough for people to assimilate design on a physical level or even implement it in their own lives.

Therefore looking at favourite fandoms such as Game of Thrones, Star Wars or even Marvel and DC, These facets of design spawned multiple subcultures from its brand all the way from cosplaying to the creating of new designing spawning from the original.

Subcultures tell us that design is efficient. As aforementioned, subcultures assimilate designs and make it their own if it successful and even if not, they will pay for counter-hegemonic subcultures for their voices to be heard. In other words, subcultures are the market we are designing for, and they are the make or break whether or not design is in any way successful therefore, we can design with this in mind as the goal, in so doing we will be creating for the right reasons working with the right target market from the get-go and as such we will be able to improve further or retract a design based on its child culture.

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