#i was the only one who bucked any kind of trend and i chose to buck ALL of them whyd they think i was straight | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

snkpolls · 4 years

Text

SnK Chapter 126 Poll Results

The chapter 126 poll closed with 1,647 responses. Thank you for your support! This month’s poll results were compiled by @shifter-lines , /u/alooulla, /u/_Puppet_, @manerein and @momtaku.

RATE THE CHAPTER 1,514 responses

“Rate the Chapter” is a genuine bell curve this month instead of having its more typical overwhelmingly positive skew. While not terrible by any means, the response to chapter 126 was the most lukewarm since chapter 107, and it was the second worse performing chapter since we started the poll.

(Kazoo Avengers theme)

By far, this was the chapter I enjoyed the least, I just hope that the ending feels realistic

Definitely fast paced, but definitely needed to finally kick things into high gear. The Calm Before The Storm…

it was pretty disappointing by aot standards, but the last 15 chapters were amazing, so what am i even complaining for.... i just hope that isayama can write a decent ending.

I feel like this is either one of those chapters that will be more rewarding in hindsight when we have more info or was just straight up moving forward so we can get to the good stuff faster and we will have to suck it up and move on. All in all I think it was a good chapter even if a little rushed.

Easily the worst chapter in years due to the fast pacing, convenient plot developments and cliche and very cheesy and cringey ending page quote.

In the anime they could make a whole episode out this single chapter instead of using two chapters to make a single episode

ISAYAMA GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!! THE SAUNA AINT RUNNING AWAY FROM YOU

Haha pie

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,519 responses

After nearly a year of absence Levi and Hange were finally back in the story so it’s no surprise that “Everything with Levi and Hange” topped the list of favorite moments with 22.1%. “Avengers Assemble” was a distant second with 10.6%. Confirmation that Levi was alive came in third (10.2%).

ONYANKOPON CALLYING JAEGERISTS A BUNCH OF CHAUVINISTS

Pieck and Hange teaming up? Eren better watch out because those two together are gonna KICK SOME ASS!

Hange needs so much more appreciation, she is such a good person. I hope she and Levi both survive this shit.

I loved everything that happened, it just desperately needs some more detail filled in.

I loved Levi and Hange interactions

Annie eating pie is just perfect

It was so good to see Levi and Hanji again and together. They suffered so much, i need an end where they both survive and can have a restful retirement

Glad to see that Connie is still a good guy. Also that he is trying his best becouse of his Mother.

But what Pieck Pieck? The greatest tragedy is that Isayama took that from us, y'know not that Eren is destroying the world or something...

I really loved to see Armin and Annie together!

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,507 responses

Talk about polarity. “Avengers Assemble” may have been the second most popular “Favorite Moment” but it was also the landslide winner for “Least Favorite” with nearly 22% of the fandom selected it as the worst moment of the chapter. “Floch’s Speech” (13.8%) and “The Ragako Subplot” (13.5%) rounded out the top 3.

everyone called them the avengers but lets get real they are a fuckin Suicide Squad

Why are we wasting time on Louise

Avengers Lowcost version

Didn't understand Magath reasons to join forces with his enemys. It felt like some story in between was missing.

Can I just say I hate what Isayama did with Connie's character? I've never seen a character as bipolar in his development

Floch was the only good part....

WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MVP? 1,503 responses

Hange (23%), Jean (16.2%) and Armin (13.4%) were our top three favorite characters this month. It needs to be said that “Pie” came in at number four with nearly 10% of the fandom selecting it.

it WAS nice to see characters choosing to be their best selves for the sake of others. For that reason, it was difficult to pick an MVP -- but I gave it to Onyankopon because he crystallized so eloquently exactly what I had been thinking since Eren started the Rumbling.

Levi and hange tho

So much Erwin nods! Yesss <333

Still love my boy Jean!

Some characters are still acting consistent: Jean, Magath, Levi (still not over killing the BT and that's good), Onyankopon and Floch.

Connies growth, Jean's motivation, I'm glad these boys are reclaiming their almost-lost humanity!

Levi. That is all.

Oh, also, I want pie.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE HANGE AND LEVI CAMPSITE MOMENT? 1,494 responses

“Hange suggesting that they live in the woods together” (27.2%) was the favorite campsite moment, followed by “Levi’s words upon waking up” (23.3%). “Hange sniping while shedding a tear” was third (19.6%))

I'm giving this 5/5 solely for Yams finally feeding the LeviHan shippers some good fucking food after so long.

I ship Levi and Hange. It's so cute when Hange realized that Levi was listening to her/him while pretending to sleep.

Shirtless Levi round two! Wit, you better do the job correctly this time!

We need a Historia chapter but it’s great to see Hange and Levi being back.

PIECK… FINGER? 1,492 responses

Pieck Finger. Pieck Finger everybody. You know how a common response to trauma or awkwardness is humor? Well 42.6% of you are primarily concerned with how “Pieck Finger” will be memed. 24.7% of you accept the trauma and say you wish she would’ve just stayed “Pieck”, and 20.6% of you are glad she has a last name, but did it really have to end like this? 6.5% of you think it’s a “cool and realistic last name”, and I think you guys scare me more than the people who vote “Snapchat” on the last question every month. More on that later.

"pekfinger" is swedish for "pointer finger" too. oh lord

Back when Pieck was supposed to be a dude, the working name was "Oliver Pieck", at least from what I read on the AoT wiki. I feel like Isayama could have just switched the first and last name around to make it "Pieck Oliver." That would've sounded far less weird.

I know a guy named Buck Ramming. Pieck Finger is fine by me lol

It's an instruction not a name.

Levi sure could use a couple of Piecks right about now heyoooooo

the fact that she got the worst titan and now also the worst name it’s so funny

What kind of a first name is Pieck?

AS PREDICTED, CONNIE’S ROADTRIP WITH FALCO ENDED AMICABLY. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT? 1,498 responses

The Ragako subplot did little for the readers with nearly one-third of the fandom calling it a complete waste of time. The majority (46.2%) were slightly more charitable selecting “It was ok. I’m glad it wrapped up quickly”. Only 17.5% loved the moment. The write-ins were pretty damning.

Good plotpoint, really bad execution

I cringed the whole time.

I liked the outcome, but it was handled too quickly

A complete waste of time: Connie's arc? Sharted over. The consequences about Falco? Sharted over. Possibility to exploit serumbowl or Ymir's memories? Glossed over.

All of this made no sense and it was solved so quickly it seemed unrealistic. YAMS WE NEED PROPER CLOSURE PLS DON'T WASTE MORE INK

Connie changed his mind a bit too quickly, but it was good nevertheless

Connie deserved better writing.

Felt too shallow for how quick it sprung up, needed more development. As it is now, it could've just not happened

I'm glad that Connie hasn't died yet because I appreciate him, but there's been wasted potential. Ymir's memories and Porco and Colt's deaths have been reduced to a single vignette where we can only speculate and write fics.

Missed opportunity to actually develop Connie's character. We didn't learn anything we didn't already know about Connie.

This feels like what the anime did to the Uprising Arc. It happened way too fast and honestly felt like Isayama was just checking it off a list, so to say. Which is honeslty a bit uncharactieristic of his writing. I really hope this doesn't start, or continue, a trend...

WHICH DENTAL HYGIENE MOMENT DID YOU ENJOY MORE? 1,494 responses

Before I talk about the numbers, I just want to shout out the one guy who responded “Other” and just said “why”. Anyway, a solid majority of you guys’ favorite dental hygiene moment was Hange asking Pieck rude lady questions, which frankly sounds much worse than it actually is. The next most common answer, getting just over 25% of the votes, was Connie’s Master Plan™, followed by “Both”, followed by “Neither!” I still like the guy who just said “why”.

I didn't mind it, but I heard that Isayama did this so he could get a toothbrush merch campaign going lol

Isayama has a teeth fetish confirmed

Holy Fuck what was Connies face doing when he was talking about titan teeth brushing.

Why, just why

Pie

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HOW MIKASA ACTED TOWARDS LOUISE? 1,457 responses

The fandom is almost evenly divided over Mikasa’s actions towards Louise. By the narrowest of margins, Mikasa’s compassionate nature took the majority (26.8%). The other extreme, “Mikasa should’ve sucked it up and let the girl be happy”, was second with 26.2%. A quarter of the fandom instead chose to focus on Louise. “Louise was crazy and deserves the cold shoulder” was third (23.9%).

It's not surprising that Mikasa ran out of f*cks to give. There are only so many lives she can value, and right now she doesn't have the time to spare, or room in her heart.

I don't think Mikasa had any responsibility there, and the scarf is hers. Given its significance, and that she owes Louise nothing, it seemed like the moment was morally neutral.

I really didn't care. Louise is barely a character, and Mikasa had no duty to be nice to a person who enabled and supported a bloody coup just because she saved her life once.

I don’t blame Mikasa. I don’t like and want to spend time with my stalkers either

I felt bad for Louise. She’s dying, let her think you care about her, Mikasa

I felt like Louise is completely obsessional but Mikasa is just as much. To me these kinds of moments show that Mikasa has completely lost it recently

I'm concerned about what this says for Mikasa's character development thus far, and I felt kind of bad for Louise

I'm sick of the scarf back and forth

It actually seems quite obvious to me that Mikasa pitied the poor girl, but there was nothing she could have done for her. Because she simply lacks the time necessary to care for Luise, or change her mind or make sure that she's ok.

That this is about Mikasa’s compassion or lack thereof I think says more about how we feel women should feel. I think it was fine, she barely knows Louise and there is a lot more going on. Louise is a grown woman that made her own decisions.

the most interesting part about it is that Eren asked Louise to throw the scarf away. that's it.

Mikasa already did a good gesture by visiting Louise, no one would ask Jean to do the same with Floch, so I don't see the big deal. Both cases are "protagonist sees themselves in antagonist, and realise how they mustn't become like them".

WHY DID MIKASA DECIDE TO TAKE HER SCARF BACK? 1,482 responses

“Mikasa wants it back for other reasons” was the selection of nearly half of respondents, since “wearing it” and vague malice towards Louise were the other two options.

Eren wants her to throw it away, so she's making her own decision and going against his wishes on purpose.

I don’t know if she’ll wear it again, but it’s always been her scarf and she’ll decide it’s fate when she’s ready

I think she wants to give it back to Eren.

It's still important to her. She may let go of Eren but the scarf is always gonna be there to remind her of what was and the family she once had.

It’s just simply that it’s hard to throw away a possession you held dear for most of your life. It’d be more out of character for her to throw it away. I don’t think she ever planned on abandoning the scarf—setting it aside was rather Isayama’s way of showing Mikasa’s conflicted thoughts on her relationship with Eren.

Ultimately, Mikasa's the authority on the scarf and it's emotional weight, while Louise was trying to squeeze her own meaning out of it. It wasn't Louise's place to do so, and it wasn't her scarf to take. Whatever is to be done with it, to see it used again, given to someone else, or see it thrown out or destroyed, is a choice only the scarf's real owner, Mikasa, should make.

THEY FOUND ANNIE BY SITTING NEXT TO HER WHILE SHE WAS EATING PIE, THOUGHTS? 1,497 responses

The reunion with Annie was another chapter moment that fell flat for the majority with only 21.8% expressing approval with it. The majority (31.8%) thought it would’ve been ok if there was more time for conversation and reaction and 22% were primarily bothered by the coincidence involved in the reunion. The remaining 20% found the lazy writing unforgivable.

*sigh*

There was way too much build up just to have it end in a gag. It was cute, but it... just doesn't work?

Are you telling me that every time you talk about Robert Downey Jr. he doesn't just appear right next to you?

Humor was not appropriate in this situation

I fucking loved it

I think it's lazy writing but it made me laugh pretty hard so I'll give it a pass

It was a funny moment but definitely not how I had imagined nor hoped Armin/Annie's reunion would happen

Sitting together like nothing happened before and eat and laugh… are you serious?!! It’s not funny

SNK has always had funny moments like this woven into it, especially when the 104th were still trainee's, and it's nice to see a tonal flashback to the past like this.

Stranger things have happened. Floch's hair, for example.

WHAT SORT OF PIES DO YOU THINK THEY WERE EATING? 1,469 responses

Fruit. Definitely fruit.

...

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What's the point of this question?? I'm confused

What the fuck is a meat pie?

We're missing PIEces of the puzzle still

WHAT PIE WOULD YOU SCARF DOWN THAT FAST IF YOU WERE ANNIE? 1,459 responses

Apple (23.9%), and chocolate (16.2%) are our favorite pies, with Meat and “I don’t like pie” tying for third (11.4%). Several respondents were rather vocal about this even being asked. To them I say Isayama is the one who started this :P

Apricot, you American heathens

Duh. Pineapple of course

I'd be more worried about getting home to my dad before he's crushed by a psycho

Marleyan organ pie made by the Usurper Chad himself!

nectarine pie.... you should try it

Rhubarb pie. Best Pie Ever.

Sweet Potato Pie!

There are so many interesting questions you could have asked in this poll yet didn't, but you're asking about pie? (A/N: There are so many interesting things Isayama could have drawn in this chapter yet didn't, but he's drawing about pie? )

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT HITCH BEING LEFT BEHIND? 1,479 responses

While the majority thought it was a good way to write her out (36.3%), there was plenty of disappointment (26.2%) and many who thought it could’ve been handled better (16.6%). A segment of the fandom (18.5%) thinks she’ll be back since there is more she has yet to do.

Perfect. She is always left behind throughout the series. The continuation of this makes sense.

Does the lack of Hitch means the lack of pies? Because this is unacceptable.

Glad that she'll survive probably, but she was such an interesting character

Annie and Hitch were my new otp, so just sad feels

Hitch is safe from now on. Ok for me.

I felt so sorry for her, because Annie's disappearance reminded me a bit of Hitch's relationship with Marlowe. Once more it seemed like the Survey Corps was taking someone precious away from her, off to an unknown and risky fate

I never had pie so Idk.

WERE YOU WORRIED THAT JEAN WOULD JOIN THE JAEGERISTS? 1,480 responses

For this question, 21.5% of you were a little nervous that Jean might join the Jaegerists, but a much more significant 69.2% understood the implied fact that the Jaegerists only accept humans, and Jean is a horse, and therefore there was never any threat of him allying with them. You’d think that with like four hundred years of this series being out, I’d think of a better way to make that joke, but here we are. Anyway, the last 9.3% of you think Jean would do more to help Paradis if he joined the Ab Church, which is an excellent parallel to the Wall Church in the beginning of the series, I might add.

I still wish more time was given to the subplots such as more time to stew on Jean joining the Yaegarists

LAST MONTH 75% OF THE FANDOM THOUGHT JEAN WOULD BE THE PERSON TO TAKE DOWN FLOCH. DO YOU STILL THINK THE HAIRBOWL WILL HAPPEN? 1,463 responses

Remaining in the strong majority, 72.6% of you guys think there will be some sort of confrontation between Jean and Floch, though whether that means you think Jean will be the person to “take down” Floch or not is beyond me. I don’t know. I didn’t write this question, I’m just writing the blurb for it.

I'm still betting on Floch shooting Jean in the head as a punishment for not going along with the flow

take down Floch please!!!! ..

FINAL WORDS. WHO DID IT BETTER? 1,479 responses

With 43% of the vote, Onyankopon’s... several... words? beat out Yelena’s strong and (mostly) silent type response (which got 33.1% of the vote, by the way) at their “execution''. 23.9% of respondents said “Both”, and while technically “both” couldn’t have done it “better”, I’ll let it slide, because they were both pretty cool, and semantics don’t matter.

Best boy was Onyankopon. We only used to get glimpses of him and finally he has rebelled, showing that he has more guts than some of our main characters.

JEAN AND HANGE’S PLAN TO ESCAPE SHIGANSHINA HAPPENED OFFSCREEN. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? 1,473 responses

Three-fourths of the fandom expressed some disapproval of how the offscreen planning of the escape from Shinganshina went down calling it sloppy(18.1%) and confusing (13.9%). Of those, the majority (39%) will be ok with it if a future chapter provides more details. Only a quarter of the fandom completely loved the handling of this.

Even if flashbacks fill the gaps later, they won't make 126 a better chapter.

How did they even communicate? I thought it was all planned between Jean and Mikasa

on the page with the titans marching at night, you can see a figure standing outside jean's window. could be hange coming to discuss plans

I liked it, but I think I like it even more if it's explained in the next chapter(s).

I think he did it that way to add surprise. I feel like lately he has been in general illustrating with a more cinematic eye and by writing the scene this way it will play better in visual media. Lately I feel like he has been thinking this way, it’s been a trend for a while now.

This is why you shouldn't cram up 3 chapters worth of content into one. I don't care if Isayama has to end his volume on some goddamn awful page. You don't mess with certain parts of the narrative.

It was fine, it wasn't necessarily a scene that needed to be included so I'm fine with it.

WHO WAS THE PERSON IN THE WINDOW? 1,456 responses

Who was the person in the window? Was Chapter 116 the last time we’ll ever see Eren transform into his Attack Titan? How to turn into a titan without alerting the military police??? When will I stop asking questions? Right now!

Just under two-thirds of the votes for this question went to Shadis. Following Shadis at a clean 10% is Zeke, trailed by Zombie Erwin at 9.6%. Given the theories about Eren’s body at the end of 117 being a Warhammer clone, I never thought I’d see the day when Zombie Erwin beats Eren in a “who is the mysterious character who is not inside Eren’s Titan” question, but here we are!

CHADIS

Keith Lurkdis

Erwin never died! What even is that option 'zombie Erwin'???

Farmer-kun

Idk but whomever it is I hope they're a good guy.

Male adult figure... Must be my man Shadis. There's no way Zeke would wear so many clothes.

Ugh I have no idea. I’m not going to pretend I can predict anything anymore.

2Pac

WHY DO YOU THINK MAGATH DEMANDED THEY CAPTURE YELENA? 1,465 responses

Why did Magath bring Yelena back with Jean and Onomatopoeia? ~20% of you thought it was because she’s need for a plan involving Zeke, ~17% think he wants the details of Zeke’s plan from her, just over 14% said he wants information about Eren, 4.4% of you think he wants her as a prisoner, and the overwhelming majority, at 44.6%, think it’s all of the above.

My theory is that Yelena is Magath's daughter

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FINAL PANEL? 1,478 responses

Another close one. If we disregard those who selected “Avengers Assemble”, which even though we added it I have no idea if it’s meant “Hell yes, can’t wait to see the Hulk and Black Widow together again” or “Please let Tony Stark’s legacy RIP.”, The “I didn’t like it” beat out the “I liked it” by 0.3%. However you look at the data, it’s astonishing that essentially one-third of the fandom did not like this ending.

*sigh*

Get in loser, we're going to save the world

A nice cringe to start my day with :)

The old gangs back together but with ADDITIONAL TRAUMA

I think it was supposed to be satirical. A lot of us expected that the warriors and the 104th would unite again so I think Isayama made it as cliché as possible to 1)offer the readers some comic relief, 2)maybe mock his own plot and show that he's aware that this alliance is kind of cliché.

At what point did Annie and Reiner deserve to be forgiven and taken in by the SC? And why do they think they actually can (or even should) stop the Rumbling?

Marvel copied the last panel

It is a reference to Reiner’s long time ambition, and an indication to his next role. Helos perhap. But I don't think isayama would let him save the world happily. Maybe he will save the world in an ironic and tragic way.

Brilliant !!! Finally it's Connie's turn to shine.

Can't wait to see this optimism crushed. Great moment, though.

I don't understand why people think it's such a cheap cheesy ploy when it's honestly kinda obvious that they're being set up for a fall. Optimism almost always meets at the very least a bittersweet reality in this story.

It's cheesy, but people don't consider it's Connie who's saying this who is an idiot

REGARDING THE LAST PANEL, DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE A PLAN? 1,475 responses

Nearly 70% of you believe that Final Panel Gang have a plan, while just over 30% think they’re just gonna wing it. Get it? “Wing it”?

For more serious commentary, we’re normally used to seeing “Yes/No” questions a little more perfectly split, especially the ones that involve Eren. It’s interesting to see a more unified response, even if it means that SOMEBODY on Reddit is going to say “Nice.” about the Yes vote.

Isayama will probably do a flashback of the plan, he likes doing this sort of thing lol. It was fine.

It's fine IF the planning is shown in the following chapters, but if not then it'll feel like Isayama couldn't come up with solutions and did everything off screen just because of that.

Telling the plan to the reader only works, if the plan fails.

I feel like the pacing of the chapter was this fast so that Isayama could end with the "Avengers Assemble" scene as the big volume cliffhanger for the next one, so he tried to get through the events quickly to give it that poetic ending. In that case, it's possible Isayama might show how some of these events unfolded in the next chapter or two; he usually does that kind of thing when showing big events for the first time. If the next chapter fleshes some of the scenes from this chapter more like showing Jean discussing the Avengers' plan with Mikasa and Armin, I think that could make this chapter better when we look back on it.

WOULD YOU RATHER THIS CHAPTER HAVE BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO? 1,468 responses

Remember what I said about being accustomed to more split votes? Well, 39.5% of you said that you would prefer this chapter have been split into two, citing a lack of development, while 39.2% of you said that you’re glad Isayama is, *ahem*, moving forward with the plot. The near-perfect divisions breaks off a little bit when we consider that another ~12% said no, blaming the plots themselves for the problems with chapter, and 6% effectively voting yes, saying that the chapter should’ve been split into three.

Ask me again in a few months when we see how the whole plot wraps up and if Isayama adds any additional details via flashback.

Honestly all of these plot points could have been arcs within themselves and i wish it had been given enough time to become that

I like that the plot is progressing but i don't like the subplots being rushed

I'm happy it's going forward and not dragging on, but I would've loved more of an interaction between the scouts and annie/reiner.

One and a half

𝜋

There are various holes (lack of reaction during Annie's appearance, poor coherency of when Eren managed to speak with many people) but Isayama is giving us cool alliances, so it's half okay.

IF YOU COULD DROP A SUBPLOT, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? 1,463 responses

A fairly close call here, with the trip to Ragako Village being out in front with 42.6 percent of you claiming this is the subplot you would drop; Louise and Mikasa’s plot about the scarf is close behind on 36.2 percent. Perhaps readers feel the time for small subplots is done, since there’s so much still to do with the main plot we do not understand? A lot of responses indicated Mikasa’s perceived ‘cruelty’ (you’re all wrong, just so you know!) towards Louise, so perhaps this is indicative of why so many people would choose this event to be the subplot to drop.

Mikasa is just dead inside atm, but i feel bad for Louise

Mikasa knew Louise wanted that scarf, but she knew she needed it more. Plus I can barely remember Louise lol

Mikasa's behavior isn't good, but it's understandable---there are numerous mentally taxing events occurring.

Ragako stuff kinda sucked.

Goddamnit, this chapter was smelly poo. Not only we spent 3 months for nothing with that stupid Ragako plot and now everybody is holding hands just like that. If you're bringing an alliance you're not gonna make it happen offscreen with no detail whatsoever?

Ah and the Ragako subplot missed addressing the serumbowl as well: all we got is Armin whining about not being like Erwin and that's it. No Bert, no Ymir being addressed.

IF YOU COULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ONE SUBPLOT IN THIS CHAPTER, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? 1,466 responses

Another close one! “The Armin and Annie reunion” is the subplot the majority wished for more information about with nearly 30% selecting it. “The conversation with Hange and Magath” was second (25.2%) and “Escape from Shiganshina” (17.7%) was third.

I was just expecting Levi, Hange and the corps interaction would be more surprising. The same goes for Annie and Armin's convo.

The mikasa scarf submit definitely could’ve happened in another chapter. This was too rushed and I really hope no other chapters feel this way. This chapter should’ve just been the Tagalog subplot, and then Annie and armin reunion. Then another chapter with hange/levi, Jean/flock and how they all came together to join forces.

It's so obvious this mad lad Isayama wanted to break the tension from the Armin / Annie reunion scene. We never know where he's going to trick us, do we ?

I do think that many things were kind of glossed over to save time. I'd prefer that things slow down a bit, just so we can soak up all that context. For example, the conversation between Hange and Magath, Annie and Armin's reunion and others.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HOW EASILY THE ALLIANCES WERE FORMED? 1,474 responses

A mere 17.5% enjoyed how easily the alliances were formed. The majority (43%) called it “OK” while a more than a third of the fandom (36.2%) hated it. Some folks seem to indicate it was expected and just needed to happen quickly so the story could move along. However, the amount of people who hated it was too large to ignore; and largely for similar reasons, that it appeared too easy. Maybe the mistrust and emotion will come as the story moves along? Some of your responses indicate trouble ahead, if not behind.

Also Hanji sides too many times with "benefactors". I'm expecting the alliance to be shaky, with probably backstabbings and double-crossings. They seemed to make an agreement over killing Zeke (since no side likes him), and I doubt characters like Mikasa, Armin or Jean would be ok with killing Eren.

I don't get all the madness over the alliance, It was obvious it would happen. Also it's obvious all the things glossed this chapter will be shown in Flashback if important, like what lead Annie join them, on how Hanji contacted Jean (although i think a lot of people didn't notice the shadow in the window on that panel of Jean in the bed).

It was warm and fuzzy and I really needed that, but the actual details of the new alliance will absolutely need to be expounded upon soon.

it wouldve been better if connie's mom plot didn't exist we could've got a better build up to the alliance

Overall, things were way too rushed, as if Isayama just wanted to get to the last page. I'm expecting to see how this alliance was made in flashback form, as is typical for Isayama, but that won't fix the inherent issues of this specific chapter.

Hange getting so along with Pieck, who fought against them when Erwin was killed, was a complete joke.

I don't get all the madness over the alliance, It's was obvious it would happen. Also it's obvious all the things glossed this chapter will be shown in Flashback if important, like what lead Annie join them, on how Hanji contacted Jean (although i think a lot of people didn't noticed the shadow in the window on that panel of Jean in the bed).

I love seeing them all but oh heckin it was just a little too fast

WHICH THROWBACK DID YOU ENJOY MOST CHAPTER? 1,465 responses

“Jean remembering Marco” (31.9%) narrowly edged out “Annie kicking Reiner”(30.3%) as our favorite throwback. Levi remembering his promise was a distant third (16.2%).

That Marco’s throwback really hit me . *SOB*

I didn't like the Erwin reference when Armin tried to sacrafice himself for connies mother, instead of falco being eaten.

Armin recognized a very important thing to himself (he can't stay trying to Erwin, he suck on that, he needs to do what he is good on it, but as his own person and not shadow of Erwin)

Where was Jean at the end there? I want him to confront Annie over Marco. Poor guy had the worst death in the series. He was murder in cold blood and then it got covered up. Plus, the only person trying to solve the mystery is Jean. Bless Jean he is such a good friend

It makes sense that Connie would say that to Reiner of all people (that line come back to his childhood trauma). Fandom freaking out and fearing a cheesy happy ending is ridiculous.

I didn’t think it was cheesy at all. It circles back to Reiner’s declaration to Keith back during the training arc.

I'm kinda sick of Reiner's Kick The Dog treatment too. I know Annie hates him but still...

REGARDING HOW THE AVENGER'S MISSION AND THE ENDING WILL GO, WHICH OF THESE IS PREFERABLE/ACCEPTABLE TO YOU? 1,465 responses

Fans proving as ever, that they are a divisive bunch! However, it's clear that the smallest amount of responses favour the rumbling being stopped and world peace occuring (hippies!). Some responses indicate that this chapter made them nervous for the ending being overly optimistic, even with Eren as the apparent antagonist. Endings where Eren achieves an extreme form of Brexit (Paradexit?) with a victory over the armies of the world have a fairly even spread of positive responses, proving that he still has a lot of fans on his side. However, most of you responded in the vague sense of feeling like Isayama knows best and at this point, just seeing where this wild ride takes us.

I keep seeing this popular prediction on almost every platform: Eren destroys the world outside Paradise, goes back to Historia and her newborn kid (in this sort of prediction it is always assumed that he's the father), tells his kid (who is also thought to be reborn Ymir) "you're free" and goes on to be a good dad - End of story. Honestly the thought of this type of ending pisses me off so much. Not only because its reeks of typical shonen ending, but because it goes against all the themes and ideas that Isayama has written into the story over the years.

I would not be upset with a 'golden' ending. Some part of me wants that to happen.

It setup the shonen cliche route and can ruin the ending

It was very unusual for this manga. I hope that the author will come to the most logical ending and will not use the power of friendship.

Least exciting chapter I can remember; it has me apprehensive about the ending.

I hope Eren's conclusion will end with him winning, however I do not him accepting his morality and to be shocked at what he's done but to come to terms with what he's done.

While I'm more supportive of Eren, I'm fine with whichever side comes out on top of this as long as it doesn't involve Eren being stopped through Power of Friendship or Talk no Jutsu. That would feel too cheap.

WHICH RALLYING CRY DID YOU PREFER? 1,445 responses

While the Ragako subplot wasn’t exactly loved, Connie’s rallying cry was the fandom favorite (28.4%). Hange’s plea to Magath was a close second (26%) while Floch’s message of freedom was third (25%).

AT THIS POINT, AROUND WHICH CHAPTER DO YOU EXPECT THE MANGA WILL CONCLUDE? 1,472 responses

The pacing of this chapter and the way its implications relate to the entire manga was, if I may be so bold, one of the more talked about meta points this month, from what I’ve seen. Maybe that was the thought process behind this question. I don’t know. I didn’t write this one either. That’s a good thought process though.

Anyway, a borderline overwhelming majority of you said that the manga will end around Chapter 134 (48.4% of you). The next most common answer was Chapter 138, which would give us 12 more chapters. Chapter 130 got the least amount of votes, at 7.3%. The remaining votes went to Chapter 142+, and I appreciate that optimism, because I for one hate thinking about this question.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,475 responses

“Historia when?” (26%) tops the list followed by the long awaited Eren POV (23.5%). “Details on things glossed over this chapter” was the third pick (22.7%) followed by “Zeke, Eren and OG Ymir” (11.6%).

I can't wait to see Zeke's reaction at seeing Levi AGAIN ready to fuck him up.

Historia when?? Also, Hange needs a hug, Levi needs sleep, Armin and Annie need to talk, Falco needs to deal with his brother's death some more, and we all need Erwin to come back :(

I hope we get flashbacks to explain all this off screen development.

Isayama please for the love of god remember that Historia exists.

Where is HISTORIA

where is zeke?

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,401 responses

Reddit continues to dominate this question, pulling 44.9% of the vote. “I don’t” actually takes second place this month, with Tumblr coming next, followed very closely by Twitter, which is in turn followed closely by Discord. In descending order from there, we have real life, 4chan, Youtube, a two-way tie between Instagram and Facebook, and everything else has less than 10 votes.

Before I move on though, it’s absolutely critical that I draw your attention to last month’s poll. Last month, I said, and I quote,

“Lastly, something ominous is going on in the Snapchat cult, because there were only two of you this month, down from five last month. That’s still enough to reproduce though and it makes me uneasy.“

“Why are you bringing that up?” you may be asking yourself. I’m bringing it up because Snapchat got SIX votes this time. “Why does that matter?” you ask yourself next. I’m glad you asked. That’s a 300% increase. If that rate continues, in just five month’s time, there will be more members of the Snapchat cult than the rest of you COMBINED.

That’s not to say anything more than it says, but I should add that I was totally vindicated on the Snapchat cult reproduction theory. Having done the math, you guys DEFINITELY scare me more than the people who liked “Pieck Finger”.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER? 375 responses

Remember kids, the world is currently supposed to be ending

I know most people hated how rushed it felt, but honestly, I'm glad this wasn't split into 2 months. This leaves more time for the conclusion, and would much rather the alliances be rushed rather than the ending.

While it's certainly sad that Louise may not be long for this world, I also don't think Mikasa owes her anything. Mikasa seems to see a lot of traits she dislikes about herself cranked up to 11 in Louise, and I think it's understandable to need to distance oneself from toxic ideas or people. Mikasa and Louise were never friends, they never really knew each other, and never really cared about each other. Sure, Louise idolized an idea of Mikasa, but she put herself as separate from the real Mikasa, lesser. These two strangers never had a real chance to truly know each other, and that's okay, sad but okay.

While the panel of Annie with a face stuffed with pie is a gem, I think it seemed almost too good a coincidence. Both parties (Armin, Connie and the kids and Hitch & Annie) happen to be taking a break from their travels at the same time in the same city at the same festival. Seemed a bit too lucky.

Isayama has a bias against the yeagerists too. Portraying them as mindless dumbasses that are evil for no reason. Look at Floch everytime he has a moment it gets cut short for a "oh look at this dumbass" type of conclusion like him missing the shot at Shadis and getting duped by Jean and the 104th.

my dumb shipper’s heart wants Pieck’s reaction to Porco’s death.

this chapter felt too 'super hero movie' to me, in the sense that it was way too optimistic and cheesy, nothing like the Attack on Titan I know and love. Isayama's been watching too much Marvel.

A rushed chapter, Isayama may have messed up some timelines (e.g. Louise's talk with Eren, the changes in day and night), maybe Isayama was too focused on SAUNA SAUNA SAUNA when he was drawing the chapter but anyway, if the chapter was rushed because he wants to move to next plots (eee....east...eeeek...Ki....), I'm fine with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Chapter Would've been terrific if it weren't for the rushed forced alliance. Mikasa's character also seemed out of place this chapter.

is not a bad chapter but at the same time is not a godly chapter like others but i have faith on isayama that he will blow our minds

Felt very disappointed and it is as if this story is moving to black and white territory again.

Good fast development, optimistic that what was glossed over will be addressed. A bit antsy that this is a setup for some tragedy but I don’t expect total senseless ruin for the characters.

I don't really see where all the complaints are coming from, to me the chapter must be one of my all time favorites ever since I've started reading the manga at the regular monthly pace. I think the build up and the tension have been steadily increasing slowly enough up to this point, and now we've finally reached the top of the roller coaster tracks, and it's time for the ride to the conclusion. I loved the mysterious plan, it reminds me of the uprising arc (ah the good old times).

I hope the author just got a bit lost and had to put things back on track quickly. I want to feel for these characters, not find out that I followed their struggles for chapters to see them dissolve for the sake of the plot.

Eren has suffered a lot over the years and a lot of things have been TAKEN from him - but do you remember "In order to achieve something, you have to give up something important"? I don't think Eren has ever GIVEN up something of his. He's always been a little maniac intent on killing the enemy (which is what he is doing right now). There have been so many characters in the story that have given up their dreams and finally their lives, why is Eren the one that gets to have his cake and eat it too?

I love it cause we need some time of just relax and be happy before the sad ending

I’m hoping the next chapter will make this one better by fleshing things out. Also seeing Annie and Reiner reunite made me deeply miss Bertolt this month.

JE VEUX PAS QUE CE MANGA FINISSE OMG

Reiner getting kicked in the face to wake up and understanding nothing is all of us

The more things don't seem to add up, the more you have to pay attention, that's what I learnt reading this series. And a whole lot didn't seem to add up in this chapter so I'm super hyped!

This is easily one of the weakest chapters Isayama has ever written. After creating all of these subplots that we were expecting to go somewhere and hold emotional weight for the characters were written off into cheap one-liners, off screen reactions and discussion, and just overall completely weak subplots that left us with no emotional payoff.

Boii I'm glad the development on the characters matters only when its relevant to the plot, I almost forget that I used to like them. If Reiner of all people doesn't point out how creepy and disgusting it all is I don't know what to say, what a waste of time of a series.

Connie mentioning Sasha made me cry! Actually makes me wish Eren pulls some time travel shit so that we can have our girl back.

Can I just say I find it funny, and I really love Pieck regardless, it is just a last name after all.

Good, but the former-enemy to friendly-pie-eating turnover rate was wayyyyy too fast!

I thought this chapter was it for Connie, who has been one of my favorites since the beginning. It was a bit sudden but I'm glad him not feeding Falco to his mom is Canon AND that it strengthened his bond with Armin.

It feels like none of the Jeagerists really see clearly what the situation is, or at least don't have an ounce of understanding or sympathy why everyone else is scared and freaked out by what has happened. That in turn makes it harder for non-Jeagerists to act with sympathy, what a vicious cycle.

What bothers me the most is not the way Mikasa interacted with Louise, but the fact that she wanted the scarf back. On a symbolic level, she left it behind a few chapters ago, which meant that she no longer put Eren first and started thinking about herself. She recognized that her bond with Eren was severed. So why take that scarf back now, when it's not supposed to have that much importance anymore?

I can see either the next chapter or the one after showing a flashback of Jean, Armin, and Mikasa discussing that plan. Cutting some parts of a scene and showing it in the following chapter or two is usually an Isayama thing to do.

I don't know why everyone's expecting every single piece of exposition to be laid out for them like meeting minutes. This isn't the first time we've understood what's been going on behind the scenes after the fact.

At the start Connie struggles to hold his emotions, and suddenly he's a hero, cheesy and cliche

Excuse me but can we stop making Gabi involved in everything? Shes so OP at this point

I loved the mockery of the cliche superhero assemble bullshit

STARDUST CRUSADERS

The cringe made me develop a permanent seizure. Also both my eyeballs are still stuck in the back of my head because of the excessive force I used trying to roll my eyes.

The team-up should have been given more time to develop. It wasn’t all bad though.

X-Men on their way to stop Magneto (Eren)

The problem does not lie so much in the pace as in the script tension, which Isayama killed a little in this chapter but intentionally I think. I mean the guys are literally sleeping and eating like it was a party during the freaking end of the world, do you really think he would have let such a thing slip out of clumsiness?

I'm pretty sure that Levi will have the role of "Helos", and Hange his 'Tybur' collaborator, because she's holding a hammer like the guy/girl next to Helos during the play (ch99).

Not the usual quality.

8/10. I liked annie's reunion the best, but wish that hitch had more characterization and wasn't written out so quickly. Ragako subplot was fine but predictable. Louise subplot kinda boring. Avengers assemble at the end was very anime and I liked it.

A peaceful chapter before the storm

A thought: What if Ackermans are the only ones able to actually kill off the Nine Titans? We know they’re byproducts of titan science, maybe they were created to annihilate them? That’d be devastating to see Levi or Mikasa kill Eren and Armin. I’d love it. 😂

Annie is the best girl

Anyone pretending this chapter wasn't utter shit is in hardcore denial.

Did not like the assemble. Nobody can forget what happened in the recent past of Paradis and what the warriors did. But have hope in Isayama

Do Gabi and Falco know that Armin is the Collosal Titan? I thought Connie might let that slip to them and it might create tension between Gabi and Armin but.... No. Everything about that subplot was insanely rushed, there were a lot of ways it could have played out.

Aforementioned last page quote that is so unlike SnK up to this point. Cringey and straight out of an Avengers movie, I can't believe there are people who actually like this development.

I hope Isayama isn't overworking and rushing himself to finish the manga just for the sake of finishing it this year, but I still believe he will finish SnK in a satisfactory manner that will be memorable for decades. However, this chapter as well as 125 were very disappointing and lowered my expectations considering how good the entire final arc had been up to this point.

Errrwiiiiiiiinnnn!!!!!

game of thrones level of trash, i hope for god that the aot ending isn't as bad as final season game of thrones

I didn’t like the Ragako subplot, but I did like Connie saving Armin and their heart-to/heart afterwards.

I don’t think the chapter was rushed. Glad to see Armin finally doing SOMETHING, and I hope it was more a gamble than him wanting to die. Hange’s monologue was so out of character, everyone knows Hange would never want to live in the woods, yet it looks like Hange always gets discouraged and needs encouragement from somebody else. Seriously, that’s not the Hange we all know. Where’s the ‘defeat is all the Survey Corps ever knew, let’s kick asses!!’ Hange?? that interaction with Pieck brought some of it back thankfully

I don’t understand why everyone is complaining lol

I enjoyed how quickly it moved. We’ve been down in the doldrums since December, so I’m glad to see the characters & the pace picking back up again.

I hate how quickly Hanji becomes depressed. Armin, Jean - they overcame their doubts by themselves. Yet Hanji always needs someone else to tell them to stop being ridiculous. It’s like Levi is babysitting Hanji :/ I miss good, old, badass Hanji

I miss hitch already

I noticed that the way Floch gesticulates during his speech was very reminiscent of how Hitler gave his speeches

I really like Hanji and Levi’s friendship and how Levi always knows what to say to encourage his friends but can we please stop with Hanji being so emotionally weak? I love Hanji, but c’mon- Levi was seriously injured and still needs to treat Hanji like she’s a wounded kid. Jean came to his senses on his own, same for Armin and Mikasa. All they needed was to remember people who died, did Hanji not lose enough comrades to find her strength from? Hanji is one of two veterans left and the commander(!), it really hurts to see her so pathetic, that was hard to read. Glad she looks more like old Hanji at the end of the chapter

I wanted more Annie and Hitch adventures and feel deprived.

i wish there was more to the reunion of Annie & co, but whatever, let’s just move on with this plot.

I'm in the minority here, but I actually liked the chapter. Sure the pacing was a bit off, but this may be because we're getting a detailed explanation for it in an upcoming chapter. Other than that I find it somewhat amusing that so many people that a team-up wasn't happening. Like there was so much goddamned FORESHADOWING about it. Plus the fact that Isayama basically flat-out admitted that he was going to create a team-up a-la Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm not expecting roses and fluffiness at the end of the road, I see a lot of people dying. And I still don't know who's gonna be the victor at the end. It just seemed really clear to me where these character arcs were/are heading. I still have faith in Yams. He hasn't disappointed me yet, so let's just see what he has in store for us.

It feels like Isayama is rushing to finish it off just like Kishimoto did with Naruto Shippuuden and that makes me very sad. I'm worried he'll destroy everything he did until now.

It felt incredibly unrealistic. What I have appreciated most about SnK is its narrative integrity and ability to produce results proportional to the protagonists' abilities. Currently, this feels rather forced. When did they come up with these plans? How could they possibly have alerted Jean ahead of time without anything being shown? It feels like a cheat. Also, I don't like that its just them going after Eren. Realistically, in SnK, a small group of characters, even with their level of power, shouldn't consider going after him how they have. If anything they need to face reality and prepare for the world to come after the rumbling, since if I think anybody in their position would think it is utterly impossible to stop it.

It was warm and fuzzy and I really needed that, but the actual details of the new alliance will absolutely need to be expounded upon soon.

It was...fine.

It wasn’t so bad, the hate is really annoying.

It's clear SNK is ending soon so before we see Eren and what else is going on with the rumbling Hisayama wants to close plots with other characters BUT IMO the price of this is giving us less hyped chapters since the walls broke and we still have to see the new Eren titan form…

Just to clarify, "Which throwback did you enjoy most chapter" is intended to be an English sentence, yes? Quality work here as usual, tumblr/reddit big-shots. I hope no one lets you guys near an actual workplace where what you do matters. (A/N: Well you didn't capitalise Tumblr or Reddit so who is the real villain here?)

Let Levi kill that ape. Please. He’s gone through so much and lost everything. Give him just this one little thing

Let's say we generally agreed that this chapter is bad.

Not nearly as bad as people say it was like Jesus heck calm down. I mostly feel bad for isayama tbh he’s probably being pressured to wrap it up and he’s not usually one to not give moments like this chapter proper time.

It's hard to say why Isayama decided to wrap up things fairly quickly, whether he has later flashbacks planned or whether he was overwhelmed with time pressure/suffered a writer's block of whatever. I think, in the end, if the rest of the story wraps up strong, it doesn't matter much.

I'm happy with what happened in this chapter, except the fact that it was rushed and Levi's plot armor, I mean Ackermann blood. He should have lost at least a leg...

The only solace I take in all of this is that the plot can finally move forward. This has been an entire volume of seemingly pointless side quests and I'm ready to focus again on the main story. Frankly, I'm exhausted. I just want answers and I want to know how the story finds resolution.

We had several excellent chapters recently, a subpar one is understandable. Hopefully the Anime will expand on it a bit

#snk poll #snk polls #snk 126 #snk chapter 126 #snk poll results

57 notes · View notes

taste-in-music · 4 years

Text

My Favorite Hit Songs of 2019

This year’s crop of popular music was... absolutely bonkers? I mean, this year we had Billie Eilish crash into the mainstream, Lizzo managed to get multiple hits out of songs she released nearly three years ago, the Jonas Brothers made a comeback, and the longest-running #1 hit in Billboard history became a rap/country crossover that got its start on Tik Tok made by a complete nobody and the dad from Hannah Montana. I’m going to admit, this list was pretty hard to put together, as I found it hard to find 10 songs that I genuinely loved that were hits this year. Despite that, the sheer absurdity of this year’s popular music gave me a spark of hope going into the new decade. For this list, I’ll be selecting my favorite songs off of Billboard’s year end Hot 100 songs list. I’m ready to recount this year in music, so...

10) Sucker by Jonas Brothers I never watched the Jonas Brothers show or listened to their music back when they were big on Disney, so I’ve got no nostalgic investment in them. However, this was a fun comeback to watch play out. This song was pretty dang good for a while, with the funky guitars and the instantly catchy lyrics. It reminded me of “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man. Then it got the point where three separate radio stations were playing it at the same time, and now I can barely stand it. I think that after the radio releases this song from its clutches it will warm up on me again though, because I do like it overall.

9) Better by Khalid The strongest attribute of this song is its ATMOSPHERE. The beat, melody, and vocal delivery all compliment one another perfectly, combining to create a smooth, almost sexy sound that washes over you with ever listen. I also like the Daft-Punk-y vocoded lines that pop in at the end, they’re so unexpected and yet they fit in perfectly. I've always loved Khalid’s vocal timbre, it’s so chill and yet warm at the same time. The only thing I can’t praise about this is the lyrics, because I have no clue what they are. Khalid, bless his sweet soul, cannot enunciate. It’s the same problem I have with Ariana Grande. I love your voice, I want to know what you’re saying!

8) Trampoline by SHAED Give me the hipster points, because guess who knew about this song before it was cool! I’ve loved SHAED’s music for some time now, so it’s been thrilling to watch this song climb the charts and for them to get the recognition and success that they deserve. While this song isn’t my favorite by them, (that slot would probably be reserved for “Perfume” or “Melt,”) it does showcase the group’s strengths, which are emotive vocals and glossy electronic production. I love the effervescent backing vocals and bubbling keys that pepper this song, it gives the song a floaty feel while still keeping it tense.

7) Old Town Road by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus I can’t think of a piece of music in recent memory that has captured the public’s attention so swiftly and so completely, and you know what? Sometimes something gets big because it’s good. This song, despite all the memes and jokes and radio play and oversaturation, never ever got old to me. Every time it comes on, it puts a giant, goofy smile on my face, and I sing along to the whole thing. I want Lil Nas X to stick around, but even if he doesn’t, I want what this song represents, genre blending, trend-bucking, and a sense of fuck-it fun, to stay.

6) bury a friend by Billie Eilish Out of all the strange hits we had this year, this was the weirdest one to hear on the radio. It doesn’t have a classic structure! It’s about the monster under your bed! It’s got nothing but a shuffle beat, bass, and the sound of dental drill! It just doesn’t belong on the airwaves next to songs like “ME!” or “I Don’t Care.” Despite that, I’m beyond happy that Billie Eilish is bringing a bit of emo weirdness to the mainstream, because if the success of her music, specifically this song, says anything, it’s that pop is heading in a far scarier and more experimental direction. And I’m on board with that.

5) break up with your girfriend, i’m bored by Ariana Grande The groove on this song is fantastic. The combination of eerie synths, bass, reverbed backing vocals, and rolling snares makes it feel tight and controlled, but also loose and flowing at the same time. There was a lot of pushback against this song due the sentiment of the lyrics, but it’s not like Ariana is unaware that she’s the bad guy in this position. There’s enough indifference and sarcasm in her delivery to show that she’s self aware. This was probably my favorite out of the hit singles from the thank u, next era, (”thank u, next” is great but got a bit old to me, and I don’t care for “7 Rings.”)

4) Circles by Post Malone This is embarrassing to admit, because I rarely, if ever, enjoyed any music Post Malone has put out in the past. But this song just hits different. The instrumental feels more acoustic-driven and has a nice pulse to it, projecting a warmth and comfort that none of his other songs have. This was a perfect hit for Autumn, being chill and relaxing enough for Summer, but the underlying bass groove makes you want to move into the productive patterns of the school year. If Post Malone made more music like this I’d reckon I’d enjoy his music quite a bit.

3) Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith ft. Normani Sometimes radio filler turns out to be spectacular. The ambiance this track builds is relaxing but in an otherworldly kind of way, forming a soundscape of echoing drums and whispering synths. I’ve always stood by the opinion that Sam Smith sounds really good with an electronic beat under them, it helps their great voice move in a more free-flowing way. Normani also sounds amazing on this song, her vocals dipping into smokier territory, and when the two sing together they play off one another’s performances with ease.

2) Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max Who predicted this in their last year’s hit song’s list? This bitch! I was so happy to see this hit the U.S. charts, you have no idea. It was such a breath of fresh air in that it was so splashy, sugar-sweet, and unabashedly pop. The lyrics are some of the silliest of the whole year, (”she’s poison but tasty” makes me chuckle every time,) but it doesn’t matter. The addictive melodies and the earnestness in Ava Max’s performance make them sound like Shakespearean poetry, or at least like she believes that they’re Shakespearean poetry.

Should Have Been Hits

Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift This should’ve been a single. I get why Taylor chose the singles she did, but this was primed to be a Summer smash, with the glossy synths and vocoded backing vocals and soaring chorus. We were robbed. Robbed, I tell you!

Graveyard by Halsey While “Without Me” got all the glory, this is my favorite of all the Halsey singles we’ve gotten so far by a wide margin. It’s the only one that I’ve made the conscious choice to listen to on my own time for one. I love the way the production rushes as the chorus hits, and the synths that sparkle throughout the verses, and Halsey’s reserved performance.

3 Nights by Dominic Fike This was a hit in the U.K., and I even heard it on a few alternative stations, so why no cross over? If there was any song that should have been the chill Summer hip hop hit, it should have been this. This song is weirdly addictive, the chorus is so inexplicably catchy that once you hear it one time through you will know all the words to it.

Blame It On Your Love by Charli XCX ft. Lizzo When the mainstream decide that it didn’t need Charli XCX? Because it’s wrong, it needs her very, very badly. The success of “1999″ in the U.K., the name recognition, and the Lizzo feature should’ve been more than enough to boost this onto the charts, but I guess we didn’t want an instantly catchy and fun EDM pop song on the radio. Oh well.

Motivation by Normani Normani and Lauren are my favorite Fifth Harmony members, so I’ve been rooting for their solo careers like nobody’s business. This single in particular had so much potential: a bouncy beat, a stamp of approval from Ariana Grande, and a kick-ass music video filled with impressive choreography. I hope this gets a bigger push into next year, because Normani is a wildly talented performer that deserves success outside of her collaborations.

Guilty Pleasures

bad guy by Billie Eilish This was a good song, just not my favorite off the album, or of the hits, (I prefer ”bury a friend,” obviously, and “when the party’s over,” which made last year’s list.) Still, watching this idiosyncratic little tune become one of the biggest pop smashes of the year was enthralling. Like “bury a friend,” it was so strange to hear this on the radio.

Close To Me by Ellie Goulding ft. Diplo & Swae Lee When a melody gets its claws in me, there’s nothing I can do about it. This is not Ellie Goulding at her best, (I’ll admit that I miss the days of “Lights,”) but the way she delivers the hook on this song is absolutely infectious. I’m not the biggest Swae Lee fan, but he’s fine here too. I never minded when this song came on the radio.

This year was a bit of a roller coaster for me. Needless to say, there were several instances where I felt quite a bit of stress and insecurity, and oftentimes, I would turn to music to make myself feel better. There was one song in particular that a friend of mine, @hasanminajs, introduced me to, that instantly became a beacon of self-appreciation and enjoyment to me throughout the year. And when I tell you that I have never been happier to hear a song on the radio than I have with this one, I'm telling the truth.

1) Truth Hurts by Lizzo I have never rooted for a song’s success like I have for this one, and watching a hip hop track this bouncy, confident, and enigmatic climb the charts was an absolute joy. There are so many great punchlines in this song, from “why men great till they gotta be great?” to “I don’t play tag bitch, I’ve been it,” to the ever-iconic “I just took a DNA test, turns out, I’m 100% that bitch.” This song raised the standards for lyricism in the mainstream. I want Lizzo to be huge, I want her to be influential, I want her to be one of the biggest pop stars of the next decade if not longer. Everything about this song, from its production to its message to its performance makes me smile. And you know what? Sometimes that’s all that pop music needs to do.

Do you agree with this list? What were your favorite hit songs of 2019? Leave a comment and let me know!

65 notes · View notes

purplesurveys · 4 years

Text

718

If you lived in Bikini Bottom, would you befriend Spongebob or Plankton? Obviously Spongebob. I’m there to have a good time and catch jellyfish, not eat holographic meatloaf and make it my life’s goal to steal a secret formula. Do you have any bananas in your house right now? I think we still have some left. My dad bought a pack? a group? a bunch? of them so he can make banana cue and turon for my mom and sister while we’re all stuck at home for the meantime. Which overrated tattoo are you sick of seeing? Eh I don’t judge this easily since I assume tattoos mean a lot to people but where I’m from, line tattoos are pretty overused. They DO look nice and I get why they’ve been trending for a while, but yeah they’re evvvvvverywhere. Is it easy to distract you? Yes haha I have a rather quick attention span. Do you prefer to drink from glasses or mugs? Depends on the drink. I drink my water from a glass but I prefer my coffee in a mug, that sort of thing.

What was the last thing you taught a younger kid? I don’t feel confident teaching kids just yet, huhu. It usually works the other way around: when I’m with kids, they teach me how to play their toys or whatever game they’re playing on their parents’ phone/iPad. Are the clocks in your house mostly digital or analog? We only have one analog clock. We mostly tell the time from our phones. How long have you had your television(s)? Answered this before but we have two TVs that are 12 years old and two others that were bought within the last decade. Do you like watching movies made with CGI or do you prefer hand-drawn ones? I don’t care. As long as the end product is done well I can enjoy the movie. Where did your parents buy their car(s)? I know for sure the two family cars were bought directly from the official dealers. I think mine was a secondhand one. Do you know why your grandparents chose your mother's name? No. I think they just liked the name. That makes me want to ask my grandma though. What is your favourite kind of soup? Miso is the only one I really like. Have you ever made your own musical instrument? Nope. What do you think of Leighton Meester's singing voice? I only know one song of hers and I reeeeeally loved that when it came out, but I don’t think it’s enough for me to have an opinion for her music altogether. I definitely don’t hate her voice though. Do you think you'd do well at teaching the English language to a foreigner? Yeah, it’s my other everyday language and I’m a little bit more fluent in it than I am in Filipino. How long have your neighbours lived there? About the same time as us, I think. We all moved in at sort of the same time when the village was newly developed. Is it weird to hear your name in movies or TV shows? It’s not a very common name so it does feel a bit weird to hear, yes. It’s weirder if I have to refer to the character in third person cause I never liked saying my own name :/ Why do so many people seem to hate the Jonas Brothers? Am assuming this refers to the Jonas Brothers pre-reunion because I’m sure no one hates them and their new music now lmao. I think, simply put, it was because they were teenagers then, and pre-teen and teenage girls was their main fanbase? Most people liked to shit on that category of celebrities, even today – case in point, Justin Bieber, 5SOS, One Direction haha. What is a store you like that is exclusive to your country? Fully Booked! It’s the most complete, up-to-date, and chic bookstore brand we have. The Fully Booked branch in BGC in particular is a partnership with Starbucks, so you can immediately walk over there to get a coffee and read after buying a book heh. If you attend school, what time do you usually get home after? I always have extracurriculars like org stuff, meetings, or fieldwork after my academic schedule so more often than not I’ll get home by 9 or 10 PM, which leaves me feeling exhausted as fuck at the end of the day. When was the last time you really needed to just let loose? Like two weeks ago? I was bored out of my mind being stuck at home so I chugged a lot of soju that I asked my dad to buy so I can at least be drunk while being bored lol. Have you ever been blackmailed? Kinda. There was a time when I didn’t talk to my sister and didn’t really feel well enough to reconcile with her yet, but my mom threatened to go to our class guidance counselor and expose me and ‘the kind of older sister I am’ if I didn’t make amends with my sister immediately.

This might sound sarcastic but thanks, survey, for reminding me what kind of mom my mother actually was during the years that were the most critical to my development lmao. I always need reminders like this because despite how our relationship has ‘improved’ now that I’m older, I shouldn’t forget the trauma she caused me and the fact that I had always planned to detach myself from her as much as possible once I’m fully independent. I can’t disappoint my younger self by keeping her in my life as if nothing happened.

Do you suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome? No. I keep forgetting what that means. Would you rather have novels based on your life or a series of comic books? Novels, so I’d be more interested to read it. Have you written a resume before, either for yourself or someone else? I did a resumé when I applied for my internship. Did you know that they plan on releasing a movie based on The Smurfs? This survey is sooooooo old hah they’ve made a bunch of films on it already. Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live underwater? Not really. Mostly I’ve just wondered what it would be like to be a creature from the deep sea, where it’s totally dark and most of the animals there look prehistoric as fuck lol. Have you ever worked in a bakery? If not, would you like to? No but this question reminded me of Harry Styles, aw :’) ANYWAY if I did I’d probably take up a job in the office, since I can neither bake nor deal with people on a regular basis even if one argues that bakeries aren’t really particular spots for angry Karens or Barbaras. What is your favourite thing about snow? I like that we don’t get them because it’s bound to make my first encounter with snow in the future magical as fuck. Is there a big personality difference between you and your sibling(s)? Yeah. I tend to adapt to new environments way better than they do and I’m definitely the most extroverted of the three in all aspects. Do you enjoy decorating things with stickers? Hahahah yes, it’s an uncontrollable urge. I keep my stickers to just my laptop case these days, but back then I used to put stickers on my phone case, my ID case, clipboard, wallet, etc. Did you lose anything recently? Did you end up finding it? I lose my hair tie every now and then; my hair’s a bit short for a ponytail now so my hair tie gradually slips out my hair with me barely noticing it, so it always ends up in random places around the house. I do end up finding it after a while but it gets frustrating whenever I realize it had fallen off again. What colour oven mitts do you have? We don’t really use the oven so we barely use the ones we have. I don’t even know the color of it.

Why do you/don't you watch award shows? Because there are sooo many commercials in the middle of it, some presenters are awkward as fuck and I’d rather save myself from the secondhand cringe, and most of the time the choices for the winners are undeserving and end up pissing everyone off. It’s always easier to just wait a few hours and check the results on Google; and besides, the only fun parts are seeing what everyone is wearing and who attends to begin with hah. What do you think of Ellen DeGeneres as the new judge on American Idol? God this was a lifetime ago. I think I mostly didn’t mind it but I never did get over the replacement of the OGs Randy, Simon, and Paula. Do you ever do the exercises featured in some magazines? No. Have you ever watched What The Buck? What do you think of it? I don’t think I’ve heard of that. How long ago did you switch from cable to satellite, if you did? We didn’t make a ‘switch,’ per se. We had cable in our old home but when we moved to our current house in 2008, having extra channels wasn’t really the priority as moving already entailed a whole lot of expenses to begin with. That meant we only had free TV for a while which was extremely fucking boring, but eventually my dad got us satellite in like 2011 or 2012. When was the last time you partnered up with someone to complete something? I decided to partner up with Andrew for my undergraduate thesis in like August last year. Do you consider Lady GaGa's appearance artistic, or just plain weird? Artistic. What do you usually do when you have trouble sleeping? I put a lengthy YouTube video on so I can fall asleep to the background noise. At least that’s what I do these days - I always thought I needed complete silence to fall asleep, but apparently that’s not the absolute case. What was the last thing you used scissors for? I opened a sachet of 3-in-1 coffee.

Have you ever used some kind of food as a facial mask? Nah I always just use Korean sheet masks. How many USB cords do you have lying around? I personally don’t have any but I do have a hard drive. Are you satisfied with your social life (or lack thereof)? I’m very satisfied with it and I’m glad I got to open up in college. Do you know anybody whose initials spell something? Sure. What is your favourite flavour of Kool-Aid? I’ve never had Kool-Aid. Is there a specific food you think NEEDS to be at Christmas dinner? My grandma’s steak. Would you be able to re-string a guitar? I wouldn’t even know where to buy guitar strings. What TV show do you just assume you wouldn't like? How I Met Your Mother, just because their fans love to make fun of and compare their oh-so-great show to Friends so much when I’ve never seen a single Friends fan make fun of HIMYM like ????? Why the one-sided, unsolicited hate??? I was always planning to watch the show and appreciate Friends and HIMYM at the same time but because the fans are so pathetic I just stopped wanting to watch it altogether. Do your friends have more money than you? Seems unfair to pit ourselves against one another when we’re all still depending on our parents’ money lmao. Who always has the power to make you feel intimidated? Ate Frances has always had a very strong personality. Do you have more bread or cheese in your house? Bread. What was the last movie trailer you saw? Not sure. I don’t really like trailers since most of them give away too much of the plots already. Did you purchase any meat product when you were at the store last? My dad did. Have you ever been told that you have chubby cheeks? Well I don’t, so no I’m not usually told this lol. Do you know how to properly use a saw? Nope. Isn't it a shame that what Kanye West did at the VMA's overshadowed what was supposed to be a night dedicated to Michael Jackson? Hahahaha not really, I found it hilarious and so so stupid. There were a billion other tributes to MJ that year that went smoothly so it doesn’t really matter to me if the 2009 VMAs will always be known as the Imma-let-you-finish VMAs.

#survey #surveys

4 notes · View notes

luckydoogs · 4 years

Text

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST DOG FOR YOU

Once you determine that you’re ready for a dog and capable of caring for one, then it’s time to narrow down your choices. While some people know exactly what kind of dog they want and where to find him, others have no clue. Either way, I’ll walk you through the most important issues to consider.

Puppy or Adult Dog?

at this stage of his life. For starters, you’re in a position to teach your pet from day one. You can prevent habits you don’t like from emerging in the first place, and you can take measures to prevent your dog from having socialization issues later on in life. Of course, there’s also something magical about caring for another living being from a very young age. However, keep in mind that puppies are a lot of work, and the time commitment is huge. A puppy is brand-new to this world and knows nothing of human culture and expectations. Puppies don’t come housetrained, and you have to walk them very often. They haven’t yet learned that they’re not supposed to play bite. Plus, you have to constantly monitor their every move—puppies are extremely curious and often love to chew everything in sight, so if you let your guard down they can damage your home or, worse, get hurt. In short, you’ll need to be extra tolerant and patient for some time. What are the advantages of adopting an adult dog? They don’t play bite as much, and housetraining is a little less difficult simply because their bladders are more developed and they can “hold it” longer. Some dogs may even come fully housetrained and know basic requests such as “sit” and “stay.” Older dogs typically cost less to acquire, too. Also, keep in mind that some of the best dogs in the world are those who have spent years in rescue shelters waiting for the perfect home. However, there may be some disadvantages: Many older dogs may not have been socialized properly as puppies, which can make them less confident in certain situations. For example, many dogs fear men simply because they weren’t exposed to them at a young age. Bad habits like destructive chewing, jumping on people, and pulling on a leash are likely more established, which means it may take a little more effort to put a stop to them. Weigh the pros and cons of having a puppy versus an older dog and remember not to underestimate the commitment a young puppy requires. However, if you have the time and patience to dedicate to a dog regardless of his age, then either can be a perfect addition to your family.

Does Size Matter?

Some people want only a dog they can tote around in their purse; others believe that bigger is better. I’ve worked with dogs of all shapes and sizes, and I’ve learned that size has absolutely nothing to do with the personality of a dog. However, it’s something you should consider. Here’s what you need to know:

Large dogs may require more room to exercise. This is a generalization, but it’s often true.

Smaller dogs tend to have longer life spans. For instance, a Chihuahua can live eighteen years, whereas a Bernese Mountain Dog’s life expectancy is a mere six to nine years. A study published in the American Naturalist found that for every 4.4-pound increase in weight, life expectancy dropped by one month. Of course, many variables will affect a dog’s life span; size is just one of them.

The larger the dog, the higher the costs for his basic care. While a small breed might eat about a half cup of kibble daily, a large one can go through ten times that. Grooming, toys, and other expenses can cost more, too.

Smaller dogs are more portable. You can more easily pick them up and take them in the car or on errands. Also, on most commercial airlines, you can bring a small dog on board as a carry-on as long as he fits in a travel case under the seat in front of you.

Large dogs can ward off strangers. A Bullmastiff sitting in your front window is going to scare off potential burglars more than a Maltese might, simply because of his appearance. (Though a small dog who’s attentive and likes to bark can also make for an excellent watchdog.)

Small dogs are easier to control. I’m not saying that it’s easier to train a small dog. However, when a ten-pound dog jumps up or lunges on his leash, it’s quite different from handling an eighty-pound dog with the same behavioral issues. Think about whether you have the strength to control a bigger dog.

Mixed Breed or Purebred ?

People often fixate on a particular breed, but I’ve got to say that many of the friendliest, smartest, most capable dogs I’ve ever worked with were mixed breeds. These dogs, often found in shelters, are typical results of random or unintentional breeding, and they tend to cost much less than purebred dogs. (We’re not talking about “designer dogs” here. I’ll get to that in a second.) On the flip side, it’s understandable that many people want a particular breed. Maybe they adore Pugs because they grew up with them or German Shepherds because they make them feel safe. Also, there’s the obvious advantage: with a purebred, you can safely estimate the future size, grooming needs, and appearance of your dog. With a mixed breed puppy, you can take a guess, but you might be surprised when the dog you thought was nonshedding and destined to top out at ten pounds winds up leaving hair all over the house and weighing so much you can’t lift him. Many experts argue that mixed breeds are healthier because of what’s known as hybrid vigor: by combining two different breeds, you are pooling from a larger range of traits, so the dog will less likely carry one of the genetic conditions common in certain breeds. However, a large study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found that the prevalence of certain genetic disorders among purebreds versus mixed breeds greatly depends on the specific health condition.4 Bottom line: I can’t recommend one type of dog over another—for every great mixed breed, there’s an equally amazing purebred. And more research needs to be done on this topic before we definitively know whether one is healthier than the other. Just rest assured that with so many choices, you are sure to find a loving, well-behaved companion.

DESIGNER DOGS

You might wonder about “designer dogs” such as Cockapoos and Morkies. These dogs are mixed breeds with a twist—they’re the result of intentional breeding of two purebreds to create a new breed that theoretically combines the best traits of both parents. For instance, a Cockapoo is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, while a Morkie is a cross between a Maltese and a Yorkie. These puppies sometimes have a much heftier price tag than purebreds. The popularity of these dogs has dramatically increased since the late 1980s when an Australian breeder named Wally Conron set out to create a nonshedding Seeing Eye dog. He crossed a Labrador Retriever with a Poodle and voilà: the Labradoodle was invented, and a new trend in the dog world was launched. Some experts claim these dogs are healthier because of hybrid vigor, though no studies have proven that. However, keep in mind a lot of these designer dogs come from puppy mills and backyard breeders who are looking to make a quick buck and have no concern for the puppy’s health or temperament. In fact, according to an article in Psychology Today, Conron himself said, “I opened a Pandora’s box, that’s what I did. I released a Frankenstein. So many people are just breeding for the money. So many of these dogs have physical problems, and a lot of them are just crazy.”5 I’m not saying you should avoid these dogs. Just don’t believe all the hype. Designer dogs aren’t that different from the mixes you see at a shelter. Regardless of any benefits, their sellers claim, you still won’t know exactly what you’re going to wind up with, as temperament, appearance, and coat can vary greatly from one dog to another. Many dogs bred not to shed actually do.

CHOOSING A BREED

If you choose a purebred dog over a mutt, then your next step will be to pick a particular breed. I can’t stress enough how dangerous it can be to focus too much on the breed. People choose breeds based on stereotypes and are very often disappointed when their dog doesn’t behave as he’s “supposed to.” However, almost no individual dog will meet all of the characteristics defined by a breed description. Trust me: you simply cannot reliably assign attributes to your individual dog based on his breed. I’ve known lots of retrievers who don’t retrieve, tiny Yorkies who excel at competitive Frisbee, hyper Basset Hounds, and Border Collies who were terrified of the sheep they were bred to herd. I’m not saying to ignore breed altogether. Of course, there are characteristics of certain breeds that remain true: things like shedding and size are not going to vary widely, so these generalizations are more accurate. Also, if you’re picking out a dog, it’s still a good idea to get a wide-angle view of what certain breeds were bred to do, and if you need a dog to, say, herd cattle, then you should probably stick with a herding breed. When I first got into competitive Frisbee competitions, I purposely chose a Border Collie because I knew they are often high-energy dogs with relentless focus and physical stamina. In my dog Venus’s case, she fit the stereotype in those respects, and we won many competitions. However, I know plenty of other Border Collies who wouldn’t have been suited for the competitions at all. In sum, it’s fine to use breed stereotypes in a very preliminary way to get traction on the decision-making process as long as you understand that these are tentative guidelines, not absolute truths. Just as every human within a certain race, religion, or culture is different, the same concept applies to dogs: You need to get to know the individual.

1 note · View note

verdigrisprowl · 5 years

Note

So we all know Prowl's favorite architectural style is brutalism, but do the Constructicons have any styles they think is the coolest (or ones they think are the worst(tm), like, 'if they could personally delete the architectural movement from Cybertronian history for being stupid, they would')? If so, are there differing individual preferences, or would it be a thing they collectively reached group consensus on?

For any architectural styles referenced below, assume I'm actually referring to whatever hypothetical Cybertronian style is spiritually and/or structurally most similar; because I don't feel like inventing a bunch of Cybertronian schools of architecture, but Constructicons definitely don't give a crap about human architecture.

Their tastes definitely blend into each other. For example, Long Haul was the first of them drawn to brutalism, in a sense—although more in the sense of "utilitarianist military concrete bunkers" than actual architectural works—and because of him the rest are sorta like "concrete. simple. sturdy. good." When Prowl joined the group, in the miasma of blended group sleep thoughts he picked up a couple drops of Long Haul's preferences and a bit of general knowledge of what works more properly regarded as "brutalist" are like, and that snapped together with his own natural preference for Sturdy, Simple, Solid, Reassuring, Geometric structures and suddenly he's all into brutalism. And now, because of Prowl, they all have a collective greater appreciation for brutalism than they did originally.

But, they also have individual tastes.

Along with his semi-interest in brutal-ish architecture, Long Haul also has an interest in all kinds of military architecture. Like, they're all competent and knowledgeable about constructing forts and such, but Long Haul is into it. Alarmingly so. His aesthetic architectural tastes trend toward post-First Civil War through early-Golden Age and are oriented toward martial culture; like, if he were a human, his idea of the greatest architectural structure in history would be the Colosseum, for having both that "ancient culture" aesthetic and that "lots of people die here" aesthetic. If lots of people died to MAKE it, even better, which he probably picked up from Bonecrusher; although in his head he spins it toward "it has value because of all that was sacrificed for it" rather than "murderous nihilism is hot, baby." He's naturally averse to "prissy" styles (read as: has things sticking out that he can break off with one hand), unless it was Scrapper's idea, because Scrapper's a genius; and he thinks anything made pre-First Civil War is outdated and anything more recent looking like it's trying to be pre-First Civil War is pretentious and stupid. Since most of the Constructicons' works have been military and utilitarian, Long Haul's preferences peek out a bit more strongly than the others', as he has the strongest opinions on what military structures SHOULD look like; but whenever there's a chance for ornamentation or ~style~ you can start to see the others' tastes come out.

Scrapper's tastes ran the direct opposite of Prowl's. Most of the dream buildings he fantasized about making some day Once We've Won The War were very art nouveau—not in the sense that he'd be working within whatever pre-existing architectural school is closest to art nouveau, but that he himself would have been the originator of a new style which can be best described as art nouveau-ish. Naturally, Cybertronian "art nouveau" would look very different from human art nouveau, since their idea of "natural" subject matter is very different—a lot less plants, for one thing. (At a cursory glance, "Cybertronian art nouveau" might look superficially most similar to human art deco.) More stars, clouds, circuitry, vehicular motifs. Hook's hatred of Curved Architecture would over time steer Scrapper away from too many rounded and beveled shapes in the architecture itself, although not in the ornamentation. Scrapper's style would've run counter to a lot of Decepticon aesthetic ideals, which tend to eschew ornamentation and emphasize function over fashion, as a direct rejection of the excesses of the pre-war upper class and Senate. (But he had a few supporters; I'd imagine Ratbat and Tarn would be all for the look.) His tastes in existing architecture trended toward "monumental, designed to impress/enlighten"—although they stretch across a variety of styles, things like mosques, cathedrals, the Pantheon would fit that bill. Definitely into Gothic shit.

Hook was more or less Scrapper's acolyte; whatever he said was good, Hook thought was good. But outside of that, he's got the most diverse tastes; he can like any style, as long as it's done well. Any architectural style that's new is automatically suspect because he doesn't know what its internal standards for "done well" are yet. Once the style has been established for a while and has switched from "these are the traditional rules that we're breaking to show off how new and different we are" to "these are this style's internal rules that everyone has to follow," he makes peace with the style and starts judging new works based on how they fit those rules. (Usually, that switch will be made in Hook's head once Bonecrusher has decided the style is codified and his knowledge of what its rules are backwashes into Hook's mind.) If he can see what an architect is going for and think they pulled it off, then he can respect that regardless of the style. He'll respect Classical architecture and he'll respect Modern architecture; but if you put big fat columns in front of a wall of glass and they're not even holding up a pediment, then Primus have mercy on your spark because Hook sure won't. The exception is if a space has poor functionality, even if that's "the point," or "a statement," he considers that unacceptable—a natural inclination bolstered by Mixmaster's insistence that ALL spaces should be suitable for safe lab work. He's also got a pet peeve against round architecture. It's only gotten worse since he's been sharing headspace with Prowl.

Bonecrusher's never met an architectural style he's not willing to rip to shreds. It's either so old-fashioned it's completely out of fashion or it's trying too hard to be new and different; it's either underwhelmingly small and cramped or it's a massive waste of space; it's either cluttered with gaudy decorations or it's painfully bland; it's either completely generic in its rigid adherence to a style's rules or it's weird as hell because it's got no understanding of or appreciation for the most basic fundamentals of architectural aesthetics. It doesn't matter what it is. He'll diss it. If Hook doesn't like a building, he'll find Bonecrusher, drop a couple hints about what he doesn't like about it to make sure Bonecrusher's on the right track, and then they'll lambast it together. If a building is something his team has made, he'll criticize the hell out of it during the planning stages—that's constructive criticism—but once it's been made, not a word against it; this is partially to be nice, but mostly because he's intimately aware of whatever thought processes his teammates went through during the design stages and so he gives their intent or vision weight and offers up the benefit of the doubt to them the way he wouldn't to anyone whose head he hadn't been inside. And he'll also reluctantly concede the virtues of any particular building any of his teammates like. Anything built or dreamed up by Scrapper is, of course, sacrosanct. (He would have happily been a Gustav Klimt for Scrapper's Victor Horta—probably, idk if they even knew each other—but any chances of Bonecrusher being any kind of normal artist pretty much died with Scrapper.) If he was FORCED to choose what style he likes, he'd admit grudging admiration for anyone who deliberately bucks against conventional architectural trends. Most recently, that'd probably be deconstructivism, but even that's getting passé in his book. He'll also admire any building, regardless of style, that's got a good story behind HOW it was made; if you show him a misshapen shack he'll criticize how they chose to divide the space inside but if you tell him how many shuttles they had to kill to get enough heat-resistant armor to build the walls he'll automatically like it. He also has a tendency to internally rank buildings—particularly skyscrapers—based on how satisfyingly they'd come crashing down.

Scavenger's forgotten more about architecture than most bots will ever know; but the emphasis here really should be on "forgotten," because he honestly knows jack shit about architecture. Although Scavenger still vastly outstrips Prowl in terms of basic construction knowledge, Prowl's just about passed him in knowledge of architectural schools and design theory, and Prowl ain't been doing this long. Scavenger likes anything his team likes and dislikes anything they don't like. His personal preferences trend toward colorful, busy, and highly ornamented—he loves Scrapper's private style, and not just because it was Scrapper's—but also art deco, anything with mosaics or bas reliefs or stained glass windows... He lives and breathes maximalism. He's probably fatally allergic to minimalism; he only grudgingly tolerates brutalism for the sake of his teammates that are into it, and most Modern architecture is on thin fragging ice. He'd be very into whatever the hell Saint Basil's Cathedral is up to. He and Prowl could probably bond over an appreciation for Girih. He's also enchanted by anything Googie, which is probably the only formally-recognized architectural school that it can be safely said he'd enjoy the majority of. Does he know what Googie is? Probably not. But he likes it when he sees it.

Mixmaster is more interested in the functionality of a space—like, he's really into air flow. When he walks into a new space his first two thoughts are "if someone set up a chemistry lab in here would they suffocate on the fumes?" and "in the event of a fire how easy would it be to get outside without being stampeded by other people looking for the exit?" He's content to inherit his architectural tastes from his teammates; he leans into Long Haul and Prowl's appreciation for blocky, utilitarian structures—easy to adapt to lab work!—and will disparage anything Bonecrusher and Hook consider below the Constructicons' lofty tastes. Despite having little architectural taste of his own, after Long Haul's dominance in military structures Mixmaster had the most overt influence on everyone else's work—namely, in how they arrange spaces for basic utilitarian purposes. Architecture may not be his passion but he'll be damned if the wiring and ventilation ducts aren't laid out nice and simple, and because of him, none of the others will stand for it either. His focus on these mundane details dovetails well with Hook's perfectionism.

And of course, Prowl is into brutalism. Like. Just brutalism. That's it.

Devastator's idea of the perfect building is a blocky art deco structure with painted or mosaic decorations in big simple blocks of color, stuffed to the brim with enough art nouveau-ish Scrapper-esque decorative flourishes to fill five buildings. Hard and sturdy on the outside, satisfyingly crumbly and crunchy on the inside. Like breaking open a piñata.

#anonymous #ask #constructicons #headcanons

37 notes · View notes

connorssock · 5 years

Text

Hungry Eyes

@anuninterestingperson I was your pinch-hitter for the @dbhevents Secret Santa! I’ll also pop this on AO3 when I get a moment, but for now, I hope you enjoy it!

Hungry Eyes

Running a burger shack was fun. It wasn’t in the slightest what Connor had planned to do with his life. He’d had aspirations for Michelin stars and being a culinary sensation. Everything he’d done growing up was work towards the grand plan of opening his own restaurant with Nines as his maître d’. Of course, like all best laid plans, it went out the window as soon as he was in culinary school.

There was no joy in serving small portions for extortionate prices. Catering to the whims of the obscenely rich who could only complain when the tartare of their hand dived scallops was the wrong shade. It drained him, made him wish for simpler times when the most he had to worry about was getting orders out quickly and efficiently. Connor took pride in his food and knew that what he made tasted good. Even if the colour wasn’t exactly the same as the one shown on the menu. In his opinion there was no difference between a buttermilk cream and sand dollar cream but his head chef begged to differ.

What Connor did find pleasure in was watching people take the first bite of something they really craved. The closed eyed bliss that came with the explosion of flavour followed by satisfied munching. Simply the knowledge that the people who ate his food left full and happy, that’s all Connor wanted.

It wasn’t a conversation that was easy to broach, Nines had been steadily working his way up from a simple waiter in a café to something a bit more refined. In his spare time he was learning French, Spanish, German and Chinese to try and be able to keep up with the highflyers of the world. Connor’s heart broke at the idea of making all his hard work go to waste simply because he couldn’t hack the life of a chef in a distinguished restaurant.

“Thank fuck for that,” Nines had sighed when Connor finally confided in him with teary eyes.

Rather than get angry, Nines pulled out his phone and opened up a few tabs. They were all for food trucks, how to get a licence for them and where the best local places were to sell them. Connor looked over them with wide eyes as he took it all in. How Nines knew this was coming was beyond him but he was infinitely grateful.

After his final year in culinary school, Connor graduated with a wide smile. He was picked up from the ceremony by Nines in their new truck which garnered a lot on sneering looks. Connor regally waved from the open window in the back of the truck until they were all out of sight.

They made their truck work. Nines served customers while Connor was flipping burgers behind him. Their regular plot ended up being near the airport and Nines’ language skills came in more handy than either of them had ever really imagined. It wasn’t uncommon to hear him laughing with a German family before seamlessly switching to Japanese for a businessman. Which is why Connor turned around in surprise when he heard him rather coldly say: “we don’t serve your kind here.”

“Oh come on man, I just want a burger to tide me over.”

The man standing by their truck had silver hair, was a little portly and Connor couldn’t help the little gasp when he recognised who it was.

“You’re Hank Anderson.”

“Guilty,” came the reply. “Now are you going to take my money in exchange for a lousy burger or not?”

Pride flared up in Connor’s chest and his nose scrunched. Back when he’d been in the full fever of having a restaurant, he’d dreamed of having Hank Anderson come to critique his food and getting a coveted four and a half star review. Nobody ever got five stars and Connor wasn’t so deluded to think he could buck the trend, but he aimed for four and a half. Now though, he looked at the man, took in his tired eyes with dark bags under them, hair a little greasy and unkempt. It was a world away from the photos in magazine and the one attached to his regular column.

“I can deal with him,” he stepped away from the grill and took Nines’ spot with a small smile. “What would you like, Mr. Anderson?”

“Cut the crap. Just give me the greasiest, cheesiest burger with extra bacon that you can muster up.”

“It doesn’t actually cure hangovers but I’ll get right to it,” Connor nodded.

He heard Nines scoff off to the side but paid him little attention as he got out a burger patty, some bacon and a mushroom for good measure.

A couple of minutes later, he was passing over a burger heaving with filling, grease making the paper transparent.

“Would you like anything else, Mr-”

“Hank. No Mr. anything please. And a chocolate shake would be amazing with this.”

Connor turned to Nines with a pleading look which got an eye roll in return but at least Nines turned to the machine and began to violently throw the ingredients in.

“Bad day?” Hank asked.

“I could ask you the same,” Connor smiled at him.

Food and drink handed over in exchange for money, Connor watched the man walk a little further away to one of the standing tables.

“If he dares slander us in any review…”Nines growled behind him.

His eyes were narrowed in hostility at Hank and Connor swatted his arm.

“Play nice and he might even come back.”

“I really really hope not,” Nines rolled his eyes but immediately plastered on a smile when he saw someone approaching their van.

A few weeks went by and Hank was all but forgotten in the rush of work. Tired travellers clutched their orders while those excited to be on their way happily chattered while they waited. Connor was in the middle of flipping a burger when he heard Nines’ voice.

“You again?” It came out as a low hiss and Connor turned.

He could help the smile that tugged at his lips when he saw Hank leaning against the van. At least he looked much better, there were still dark circles under his eyes but his hair was cleaner, held in a small ponytail while his clothes were a little less rumpled.

“Hello again, Hank,” Connor couldn’t help but wave a little, forgetting his spatula was still in his hand. “Same as last time?”

“Please,” Hank nodded. “They’re flying me down to Texas today, I figured anything would be better than food on the plane.”

“I’m glad our livelihoods rank so highly in your revered opinion,” Nines spat and Connor shook his head.

“Look, kid,” Hank sighed, “if you’ve got a problem with me then have the guts to say it. But I highly doubt I’m the one in the way of your deluded daydreams of doing something better than working in some grubby burger van.”

Connor put his spatula to the side and shouldered past Nines to lean over the counter.

“Mr. Anderson,” his voice was cool and measured, “this may come as a shock to you but we’re happy with our van, it is what we wanted to do. I studied at the Institute of Culinary Education for three years. If I wanted to, I could be slaving away, making tiny portions of food for equally tiny minded people in an upmarket restaurant with my brother as my maître d’. But we chose this, it makes us happy. So if you wish to continue your patronage, I would strongly suggest you keep your unsavoury opinions to yourself. Now, would you like mushroom in your burger again?”

Connor smiled so sweetly as he straightened up that Hank could only gape. Under his beard, an embarrassed flush crept up his cheeks and he nodded as words eluded him.

“Wonderful,” Connor trilled and twirled away to resume with preparing the order.

Nines took up his spot by the counter with a decidedly unfriendly smirk and began tapping away on the till.

“Was there anything else you wished to insult? Sorry, I mean order.”

“A large soda as well please,” Hank at least had enough grace to look bashful though his eyes kept flickering back to Connor.

Once again, it was Connor who handed over the food and the drink and he kept an easy smile that Hank was hard pressed not to return. He took his order away rather than camp up by one of the tables though, as Connor watched him go.

“Seriously?” Nines’ disbelieving question drew his attention. “He’s the menace of the food world, insulted us and our choices and yet you make heart eyes at him?”

“He can still be hot,” Connor shrugged. “It’s like window shopping. Admire the goods but never actually buy them.”

Nines rolled his eyes and turned away. Sometimes he just didn’t understand Connor and that probably was for the best.

“Connor, you’re up,” Nines yelled three days later over the sizzling of food on the grill.

Confused, Connor turned to look and grinned when he saw Hank approach the van.

“Couldn’t keep away?”

“I didn’t trust the airport’s sandwich selection. Please could I have the usual but with extra mustard this time?”

Connor turned to make it but twisted so he could still chat over his shoulder.

“How was Texas?”

A look of pleasant surprise flitted over Hank’s face and he breathed a soft “You remembered?”

Something cracked near Nines and the other two turned to watch him twist the broken lid of a fresh bottle of mustard back on.

“And you remembered too,” Hank added dryly.

“Just ignore Nines, he’s only grumpy because I bet him you like mustard and now he owes me a new t-shirt.”

The look Nines threw Connor could have made a dandelion wither but his brother just laughed.

“Go take a walk Nines, it’s quiet, I can handle things.”

“And leave you alone with him?” Nines jabbed a thumb in Hank’s direction. “Fat chance.”

This time, when Hank was given his food, he left his change in the tip jar and took a table closer to the van.

Connor fixed Nines with a stare and it evolved into a hushed argument while they cast Hank quick glances to make sure he wasn’t watching. From Nines’ perspective, Hank was not worthy of Connor’s attention and he hated the way the man looked at Connor. There was no denying that they got off on the wrong foot and Nines hated that if they’d followed their path into having their own restaurant, it was without a doubt Hank and others like him that would have tried to destroy Connor’s happiness with nit-picking reviews. So he bore a grudge against Hank from a life they never led but he could all too easily imagine.

“Well, I like him, okay?” Connor spat. “And it’s fine, you’ll get your way because he sure as heck has better things to do than date someone like me.”

The duality of telling Connor off for putting himself down like that paired with the need to tell him Hank would probably happily bend him over the nearest surface made Nines’ eye twitch. In the end he said nothing and stormed out of the van on the walk Connor had suggested earlier.

He didn’t anticipate bumping into Hank as he made his way back towards the taxi rank.

“Nines, right?” Hank asked.

“What’s it to you?”

In an attempt to placate him, Hank held his hands up, palms facing Nines.

“Just trying to be friendly.”

“That crap might work on Connor but I don’t buy it for one second. Now I don’t control him, but you need to know that if you so much as breath wrong around him, I will not hesitate to throw a breadknife at your head.”

Hank had the audacity to laugh at that.

“I would be worried if you didn’t. But kid, you have nothing to fear. Someone like Connor wouldn’t be interested in someone like me. I’m fully aware that the media portrays a very different image to who I actually am. All Connor would be with me is disappointed.”

Nines couldn’t believe his ears. He thought Connor was bad enough, mooning over Hank. But to have Hank self-depreciatingly wave off even the idea of Connor being into him was too much. Perhaps they really were a match made in heaven.

“You’ll need a better excuse to keep coming to see him. Our burgers are good, but not that good,” he said and turned away from Hank, ready to return to work.

Over the course of the next few months, Hank became a regular. He flew all over the country to review restaurants but he remained loyal to Connor and Nines’ burger van. It became a habit that as soon as Nines saw him approach, he’d let Connor take over the front end while he busied himself with cleaning. There was a fine line between cute and infuriating that the two danced, neither quite daring to make the first move but pushing in the hopes that the other might be braver. Some days Nines was entertained by it but others, he really wanted to knock their heads together and announce “now kiss” as obnoxiously as he could.

“I’ve been thinking about doing a burger van review of the local area,” Hank said between bites as he leaned on the lip of the counter.

Opposite him, Connor was propped up with an elbow on the counter as he smiled serenely.

“That would be quite interesting. Though I there’s less of a structure to them than a restaurant. How would you rate them?”

“Well, quality of service, quality of food, speed of food delivery. The usual stuff really. Maybe even something about the surroundings, whether there’s a place to sit down to eat or if you have to stand on a street corner and juggle your food and drink,” Hank took another large bite and hummed in delight. “You really got the mustard to ketchup ratio right in this one.”

“It’s the dash of horseradish that brings all the flavours together,” Connor nodded.

“Horseradish? In a burger? That’s a little wild.”

Connor’s head dipped as he hid his blush and a hand covered his smile. It made Nines just about ready to scrunch up the newspaper he was reading when an article caught his eyes. An interview with Hank, most of it was boring routine things but the last question asked him about his favourite place to eat.

“It’s actually a burger van. I’m not going to tell you where exactly because I want to keep them to myself. But it’s run by a pair of brothers who never cease to make me smile. One’s terrifying and the other is adorable. Their burgers are the best I’ve had because they’re so obviously made with love. It shines through, how much they enjoy the job they’ve chosen and no Michelin Star can beat that.”

Nines pushed away from the over he’d been leaning against and rudely shoved the interview under Connor’s nose, a finger tapping against the last answer. A single glance at the paper and Hank was blushing furiously and he nervously tucked his hair behind his ear.

“About that,” he tried but Connor cut him off with a small smile.

“That is the sweetest thing anybody could have ever said, thank you.”

He tore the interview out from the newspaper and tacked it to the inside of the service window where nobody but he and Nines could see.

“Were you really planning on doing a burger van tour?”

Hank shuffled his feet as he hummed and hawed. Words and sentences trickled away into nothing as he glanced up at Connor with embarrassment.

“I did mention the idea to my editor?” he finally offered.

He didn’t expect Connor to let out a small laugh and lean fully over the counter.

“Stop me if I’ve misread the situation,” he grinned and tugged Hank in for a kiss.

“Connor!” Nines yelled. “Go outside for that! Think of our hygiene rating!”

With a chuckle, Connor broke away and undid his apron, which he passed to Nines on his way out.

“As it’s a lull in business, I’m taking my lunch break early.”

Nines watched as Hank offered an arm to Connor gallantly and they both burst out giggling, meandering off to one of the benches a little further down the road where they could continue to make out like teenagers.

#hankcon #hannor #dbh: hank #dbh: connor #dbh: rk900 #human au #burger van au #dbh secret santa

82 notes · View notes

merciattire-blog · 6 years

Text

My Top 12 Thrift Finds and How I Style Them

Welcome back, readers! This week, I will indulge in writing about one of my most loved hobbies: thrifting. Not only am I a sucker for affordable clothing (college budgets, right?), but I also love bringing worn pieces back to life. Plus, it’s a much more sustainable option than purchasing clothing brand new.

Now, if you haven’t tried it, I certainly recommend a trip to your local thrift store. You never know what you may find. As a matter of fact, these items are some of my most worn pieces from my closet! That being said, my goal here is to show that you don’t always have to spend tons of money in order to find pieces you’ll love. Furthermore, I hope this will encourage you to give thrifting a try. So, let’s get into it!

Now, there’s a reason why this item is first on the list. This is, by far, the most worn jacket I own. Ever since I found this gem last year, I’ve looked for every reason possible to wear it.

How I Style it:

Black on black on black—literally my style in a nutshell. If you’ve seen me in real life, there’s about an 80% chance I was wearing this outfit. By throwing on a white graphic tee, the contrast makes this look really “pop”. Of course, I chose to add some leather booties to match the lettering on this jacket and the Harley vibes.

This is definitely the priciest item on the list. However, it is important to consider the brand and condition. Plus, how often do you find a pink leather jacket?

How I Style it:

To align with the feminine hue of the jacket, I layered it over a sheer blush blouse and added some pumps. With the addition of jeans, this look is not too casual, yet not too fancy. Score!

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking—no, I did not steal this coat from the local flea market. Actually, as my boyfriend and I were driving home one day, we saw some signs that said “Free Sale”. (If that isn’t an oxymoron, I don’t know what is.) Naturally, we decided to check it out. Low and behold, the signs were true and there was a whole building of free stuff! Who doesn’t love free stuff? So, long story long, I saw this jacket and fell in love.

How I Style it:

This is literally the perfect fall coat; it’s so cozy! Therefore, I layered it over a chunky knit sweater for extra warmth. With some green jeggings and taupe booties, this fall palette-inspired look is good to go.

Okay, how sweet is this shirt? I saw this at the local flea market and I just had to have it. However, it took me a year or so to put it to use.

How I Style it:

Obviously, my inspiration for this look is Sandy from Grease. After trying on this piece with several outfits throughout the years, an all-black outfit does it justice. I added in a statement double-sided belt to break up this monochromatic look.

When this shirt shrunk after a few washes, my brother-in-law was sending it on its way to Goodwill. (So, in a way, that’s kind of thrifting, right?) Anyways, I got my hands on it first and have cherished it ever since.

How I Style it:

This gem makes up yet another one of my go-to outfits. A tip when it comes to oversized t-shirts: never underestimate the power of tucking or tying a knot to keep it snug. Rolling the sleeves helps, too. With some leather accessories, this simple tee is instantly stylish!

When thrifting, I never fail to do a thorough search for band tees. Why? 1. Music from the 70’s-80’s is the best and 2. they make for a totally rockin’ outfit. Therefore, my closet contains around 10 vintage band tees. (Sadly, I have yet to get a vintage Eagles tee, but then again, who would ever give THAT up?)

How I Style it:

Here we go again—the good ‘ol knot and sleeve roll to the rescue. If I didn’t do this, I would be wearing a dress because this shirt otherwise reaches my knees. With some distressed jeans and Vans, this tee looks right at home. A baseball cap doesn’t hurt either.

Okay, this shirt was just too rare (and cheap) not to purchase. I mean, La Crosse Oktoberfest, baby! I have no idea what year this is from, but judging from the cut and condition, I’d definitely categorize it under “vintage”.

How I Style it:

Due to the shortness of this shirt, I tucked it into some high-rise jeans. Furthermore, what says “fall” more than a good pair of comfy combat boots? To finish off this look, I threw on a belt to tie into the brown autumn footwear.

Here’s another one of my favorite thrifted pieces. I’m pretty sure this sweater wasn’t always supposed to be cropped, but hey, those are totally in now! Also, I recently found out Zara has been around since 1975. Who knew?

How I Style it:

Another signature Paige look: black and white. With this simple contrasting base, I added in a maroon belt for an unexpected twist. This base also gives the gold accents of the accessories their chance to shine!

Usually, I’m not one who wears floral, but when I saw this dress… all bets were off. I had finally found the perfect summer sundress!

How I Style it:

For this ensemble, I planned around the accent colors in the dress itself. Some candy pink heels and a light blush purse effortlessly complete this romantic look.

With the 90’s slip dress and velvet trends coming back into style, I couldn’t NOT purchase this dress. I literally found exactly what I was looking for with this one. It was an incredibly lucky find!

How I Style it:

I went for a wearable, casual look for this piece. The t-shirt-under-a-slip-dress certainly roots back to this popular 90’s trend. However, this dress also looks amazing with some black opaque tights and pumps (another popular 90’s look) to serve as a great New Year’s dress.

When I came across this dress, I was searching for a trending color that was a little out of my comfort zone: mustard orange. Needless to say, I found what I was looking for. Plus, it was only 7 bucks!

How I Style it:

Being that this is an autumn-colored long sleeve dress, I went for a cold-friendly outfit. These suede thigh-high boots are just the answer! Thus, my Thanksgiving of 2017 attire was born.

I’m not going to lie: shoes are a toughie in the thrifting world. The odds of finding footwear that is in your size AND in good condition are slim. Needless to say, these boots are precious to me.

How I Style it:

With statement boots like these, I tend to keep the rest of my outfit more laid-back. These square toe boots give off a strong 70’s vibe. That being said, I styled them with a white embroidered off-the-shoulder top to complete this natural look.

So, there you go. My favorite thrifted finds! I will end with some tips I’ve accumulated throughout the years.

Top 5 Thrift Tips:

· Visit Often – I am, hands down, THE pickiest shopper when it comes to clothes. Therefore, I must make a disclaimer that, more often than not, you are going to walk out of the thrift shop empty-handed. It happens! I have been thrifting for about 5 years now and I only have about 15 thrifted items. So, my point here it that it takes time. However, keep in mind that the turnaround rates of these shops are typically pretty high. So, visit often and don’t give up!

· Look for Trends – One main thing that actually turned me on to thrifting is the prevalence of bounce-back trends. Sure, you could buy a vintage-inspired Tommy Hilfiger tee at Urban Outfitters for $50, or you could find an ACTUAL 90’s Tommy tee at Goodwill for $5. Bam! You’re instantly trendy. See what I mean here?

· Try it on – This is a given. One of the things I like to do is to picture in my mind the various ways I could style a certain piece. If you can’t think of any reason as to why you would ever wear it, then it’s probably not ever going to get worn.

· Keep Your Standards – So, you find an “okay” looking shirt. You typically wouldn’t buy it, but its only 3 bucks! Impulse purchase made. Let me tell you now that it probably isn’t worth it. This is a mistake I made in my first few thrifting trips and I never ended up wearing the clothes. My point here is that, no matter how awesome the price, don’t buy something you don’t love.

· Switch it up – Sure, you may feel the need to limit yourself to women’s size medium, but you might be missing out! Take my Harley Davidson jacket, for instance. This was found in the men’s section, size large, as were my Hard Rock Café and AC/DC shirts. My point here is that there may be potential in other sections that you shouldn’t overlook.

Photo cred: My sister, Tiffiny—I definitely owe you a free night of babysitting.

Thanks for reading! What’s your favorite look? Also, are you a fan of thrifting? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

#MKT400UWL thrifting fashion style

8 notes · View notes

callmetippytumbles · 6 years

Note

MC asks for Miss Halle No Not That One Berry? I adore her and her sass.

Which ones? That there is a list friend. Now I have answers because desktop knows how to count and mobile doesn’t. Fucking mobile fucking up my whole life.

Name? Any Nicknames?Halle Yvette Berry. Halle’s childhood friend Ron-Rhon calls her Hal sometimes. He is the only person who can do this. Not even Liam can do that.

Birthday?To be honest I have not thought about her birthday too deeply. I have been kind of hoping for more canon details before committing to a date. I picture Halle to be born in early to mid November, making her a Scorpio, if you are into astrology or what not. Actually I changed my mind about that. Liam is more of a Scorpio.

What’s their family like?Halle’s family loves each other deeply but aren’t very warm. This is not because the family is incapable of loving, but they have all grown very distant. Once they are able to mend some of those fractures and grievances the warmth will return.

Relationship status?Currently engaged to a very distant monarch.

Top 3 songs?“Sweet Love” by Anita Baker (Halle can do an amazing impression of her.)“I’m Still in Love With You” by Marcia Atiken (She remembers her parents playing this song a lot.)“Pony” by Ginuwine and “Bruk It Down” by Mr. Vegas (Both are funny songs to Halle. She definitely will do a fast wine to Bruk It Down.)

Fave book?Halle likes a lot of books, but if we were to go by re-reads alone, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a favorite for the recipes.

Fave movie?Coming to America. She loved how majestic everything was. On top of how beautiful everything was, it was just funny. She quotes this movie ALL OF THE TIME. Even hearing the score ignites excitement and emotion in Halle. Liam doesn’t like TV very much and Halle had to force Liam to watch it. “I can’t marry a man who does not at least know Coming to America.” Liam watched it with her and he did like it and now they have Imani/Akeem exchanges all of the time.

Fave show?A Different World. Whitley reminds her a lot of her mother in a way she can tolerate. Also, Halle ships Dwayne and Whitely HARD.

Hobbies?Halle reads a lot. It’s a solitary hobby that she can always afford to do even when she was working as a waitress.

What Perfect Match type would they be?I think Halle would be either a Rebel or Adventurous. Both types have rebellious, humorous, and impulsive as traits. Those traits apply to Halle to a T. She definitely has a rebellious streak. Halle bucked the trend her family expected her to live out: go to Howard, at least minor in African American studies, meet her husband there, graduate, work a job that is at a similar or higher level than her parents. Halle went to NYU, dropped out, was a waitress, met a prince, went to a foreign country to win his hand…it’s quite the path. Halle is also quite impulsive. Did you read the list above of what she chose to do? She kind of acts according to her gut for better or worse and often does not think things through. What differs for Halle is whether she would be considered mysterious or outgoing. I can see both. What makes Halle mysterious is the people around her can never exactly peg down how she is going to react. I write her and she surprises me! At the same time, Halle can be socially outgoing. She can spur on a group activity just like Maxwell.

Thanks for asking @violetflipflops

#mc appreciation week #headcanons with tippy #ask tippy #halle headcanon

10 notes · View notes

mercerislandbooks · 3 years

Text

Girls With Bright Futures: A Conversation

You’ll be seeing a book on the Island Books new paperback fiction table February 2nd, if you haven’t already spied it on several most anticipated releases of 2021 lists, including Newsweek, Refinery29 and Popsugar. With an eye catching cover, a local setting and an instantly intriguing premise, Girls With Bright Futures is the book everyone is going to be talking about. Taking place in Seattle at the fictional Elliott Bay Academy, and told from three alternating points of view, we get an inside look into the cutthroat world of college admissions and the unrelenting pressure on both the kids applying for college and the parents trying to ensure their success.

I was hooked from the very first page, plunged into the high stakes of vying for the last early admission spot at Stanford, and thankful that my college application days are now in the distant past! Seattle residents and co-authors, Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, were kind enough to answer a few of my questions about their book and the writing process. And be sure to check out the details for their book launch at Island Books at the end of the blog!

Welcome Tracy and Wendy! How did you two decide to write a book together?

We’ve been friends for more than 20 years. In fact, Wendy’s husband and Tracy first met when they were right out of college living in Washington, DC. We all ended up in Seattle in the mid-1990s and connected when our oldest kids were toddlers, and the two of us became instant friends. Over the years, we’ve supported each other through careers, motherhood, community volunteer work, and many life events—some wonderful, others terrifying. Throughout it all, we bonded over our deep reliance on humor and our tremendous mutual respect. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we always felt a collaboration on something was inevitable. But for years, the perfect idea eluded us. On long, angsty walks, we batted around book ideas (always non-fiction in those early days), business ideas, and even an idea for a board game. But at the bottom of it all was a desire to better understand the culture of motherhood today—all its rewards and privileges, and on the flip side, the judgment and toxic self-doubt that plague so many of us.

Finally, just when we were starting to launch our kids from the nest, we read two books that really set us off on this path, but for very different reasons. The first was Modern Romance which was a collaboration between the comedian Aziz Anzari and Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist from Columbia, in which they looked at how romance and courtship rituals have evolved over the last 100 years or so. Something about that the way that book took on a culturally relevant topic, combining humor and research really resonated with us and got us thinking about whether we could do something similar with modern motherhood and friendship. But we quickly realized we were neither stand-up comedians nor sociologists, so we were still casting about for an idea.

And then we read another amazing book—Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. We were so inspired. For years, we’d been telling our kids that it’s OK to try new stuff even if it means failing sometimes, and yet we’d been unwilling to take that kind of risk ourselves. And so we thought: If we were going to “go big” and really risk being vulnerable, what would we do? All of the sudden we realized we wanted to write fiction (and please believe us: writing a novel and sharing it with the world is an excruciating exercise in vulnerability!). We wanted to create something, to be free to dream up characters and stories and worlds. The only flaw in this plan was that neither of us had ever written a word of fiction. If only we could figure out how to write a novel, we believed our work ethic and willingness to hold ourselves accountable to each other would get us the rest of the way there. So what did we do? We kid you not...we pulled out our computers and googled: “How do you write a novel?” That was at the end of February, 2016—and the rest is history!

What was the inspiration for Girls With Bright Futures?

Because our book is launching in the wake of the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, most people assume that salacious news story was our inspiration, but that’s actually not the case. In fact, prior to Girls with Bright Futures, we had already written an entire manuscript featuring college admissions mania as a major theme, but that manuscript was submitted to publishers in 2018 without success. Forced to go back to the drawing board, we ultimately conceived of Girls with Bright Futures in late 2018 and had not only plotted out the entire book but had nearly completed our first draft when the scandal first broke in March 2019!

As far as why we chose this topic in particular, it's kind of a long story! But in a nutshell, when our older boys were in the midst of the college admissions process, each of our husbands suffered a life-threatening health crisis. Thankfully (knock on wood), our guys are alright, but it was such a bizarre coincidence that we both experienced such intense brushes with mortality during the high anxiety of the college admissions process—it felt like a sign we couldn’t ignore. Initially, our writing was more therapy than anything, enabling us to try to make sense of all our feelings. At the same time, we became fascinated by what seemed to be an increasingly competitive and anxiety provoking college admissions process for our kids. We wanted to explore the impacts of all this on families, friendships, students, and school communities.

The pacing is so good in your narrative, what was your writing process like to make that happen?

Well first, thank you for saying that! We’re staring at each other over Zoom right now trying to remember how it all came together! Before we start writing, we work out every scene—e.g., whose point of view, where the scene starts and ends, and what we need to accomplish. Every scene has a specific purpose to keep the plot unfolding. In addition, we really wanted our story to illustrate and mirror the real-life phenomenon of how an anxiety-fueled action by one character can provoke escalating responses in others. Some of our pacing derives from this tension. Finally, we intentionally juxtaposed humorous or satirical scenes against more serious ones, and dialogue-heavy scenes with more expository-laden scenes. After all, variety is the spice of life (ugh—and cliches are the bane of a writer’s existence!).

How did you decide what kind of representation you wanted in your characters?

Our overarching goal was to write a compelling (even shocking!) fictional depiction of the toxicity of the college admissions process for parents, families, friendships, and communities. There were many different approaches we could have taken and we considered all of these, including race, ethnicity, and income/class. As two white women, we were conscious of not wanting to misappropriate any stories, but we did want to find a way to show how racism rears its head in this setting. We decided to make our three main characters white women of varying socioeconomic levels while incorporating plot twists (no spoilers here) and a whole roster of women whose races and ethnicities are intentionally ambiguous to expose some common racist assumptions in many high school communities. Telling this story through a lens of extreme income inequality allowed us to shine a light on the role of that particular trend as a major driver of anxiety and bad behavior in many school communities. Our hope is that we’ve constructed a story that will stimulate discussion on a range of social justice issues.

What was surprising to you about writing your first book?

Writing and publishing a book are two totally different endeavors. On the writing front, we had no idea how little time we’d spend actually writing our book versus planning it on the front end and revising/editing it on the back end. In terms of publishing, we were initially surprised to learn how much marketing is involved and that the majority of that marketing involves social media (even more so now because we’re launching in a pandemic). As neither of us were remotely active on social media before our publishing journey, we had to push ourselves to overcome our discomfort and there has also been a (very) steep learning curve (like what the heck is an Instagram story for and why do we have to do it?). We’ve been fortunate to have digital natives (i.e., our children) who owe us big-time for all the years we spent raising them. Check out our social media game on Instagram @katzndobs.

What are you working on now?

While we can no longer sit side-by-side at Tracy’s house, we’ve continued working together over Zoom. Our next novel isn’t a sequel to Girls with Bright Futures, but it’s set in a similar world with more parents behaving badly. That’s about all we can say right now!!

And last but not least, at Island Books the staff is always asked about what we’re reading. What are the two of you reading and recommending now?

Tracy: My favorite read over the holidays was The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and I am currently reading Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour.

Wendy: Eliza Starts a Rumor by Jane Rosen was my favorite read over the holidays, and His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie is my current read.

Photo by @KristenSycamorePhotography

Tracy and Wendy will be at Island Books on Saturday, February 6th from 10am to 2:30 pm for a Covid-era signing of Girls With Bright Futures. A free custom Hello Robin cookie is their special gift to you with purchase of their book, while supplies last! So put on your mask and stop by to support these lovely debut authors and their fantastic book. Hope to see you there!

-- Lori

#island books #lori robinson #girlswithbrightfutures #katzndobs #2021debuts #bookclub #debutauthors #tracy dobmeier #wendy katzman

0 notes

imeugene · 7 years

Photo

Why Does Steven Hamilton Skate?

As a kid I don’t think I would be able to grasp that nature of the answer for that that question. I think now with a bit of time under my belt, I’d hope is some level of developed thought. Get things a bit more figured out. This isn’t really a post to describe his reasonings or anything like that in a direct way. A bit more metaphorical or allegorical. Something like that. Obviously I don’t know Hamilton and all speculation is just that but I do remember wondering this question a lot.

To me Hamilton’s Trafaelio section is my favorite section ever. “Can I Eat?” and that whole time span where Hamilton and his riding really transformed everything was the bee’s knees to me. Still is. I even recall Wiz talking about how his riding is the future of BMX, which is more evidence of my Hamilton nerd-ness. In my defense it wasn’t just me, there was no shortage of hype and expectations behind Hamilton at this time... but if you know a bit of BMX history you know it didn’t unfold the way a lot of people would imagine. Somewhere in the various ups, downs, lefts, rights in his career or life, Hamilton picked up a skateboard.

You’d read the interviews and it was something he casually mentioned a bit too often. It really did seem like he put some serious time behind the deck. Being in BMX it’s kind of a strange thing in a way.. It’s either you BMX or you don’t. That’s the mentality that is kind of supported in our culture. It’s a very us vs. them headspace that is common in a lot of alternative cultures and lifestyles. For the longest time BMX liked to think of itself as a rival to skateboarding. In some places there was even a bit of animosity between the two. It’s only recently when skateboarding melted into mainstream “cool” culture and completely overshadowed everything BMX, that we put skateboarding on a pedestal. But when Hamilton was skateboarding it wasn’t quite what it is now.

It wasn’t like he was doing it at the time where it was trendy to be able to film yourself doing a skateboard trick, which in my opinion is still the lamest trend to hit BMX videos. Cause it all seemed like “Hey I got this interest that is semi-cool and I’m semi-good at it so everyone look at me get a few extra brownie points”. To the people who were really about it, well they still are and props to them. To the lames who did it cause it was thing, they’re probably doing smith nose bars and pull up bars. But back to Hamilton. It was clearly not that. He was a few years before in typical “before his time” Hamilton fashion. If there is one thing to get about him is that Hamilton is an individual through and through. His riding is testament to that. His bike which has more or less never changed.. and the changes it did see are never intimidations of recent trends, more trends from decades ago actually. He does not come off in any remotely way interested in following what’s happening today. I don’t think skateboarding was the single thing he chose to do just to remain relevant. It had to be more.

After his hiatus from media and what not, Hamilton would put out edits of him skateboarding almost as much as BMX. It was really solidifying itself into a thing he’s doing. Even today if you look at his Instagram it’s quite evident he follows the culture. When it was first happening I didn’t get it. I remember thinking this guy is the best bike rider and he’s doing this skateboarding thing that he’s clearly not on the same level. He’s so much better at riding, why even skateboard? It just all seemed like a waste of time on his end. Which is not judgement for me or anyone to make but that’s just a byproduct celebrity culture and me being young and falling into something stupid like that. Photography, film, music, and the usual outside of BMX hobbies made sense cause they either compliment BMX directly or they were so different it was like exercising a muscle that wasn’t there. But skateboarding, it was the same thing. The time he spent to get better on the board felt like time that was taken from us the riding community of Hamilton on his bike.

But like I said earlier in all this. This isn’t really about Hamilton skateboarding. It’s about the mentality of being trapped into doing something cause that’s what is expected. Whether it’s from trends, people, the world around or even standards people place upon themselves. It’s something I personally go through and I think a lot of people do too. I’ve said this before but this website is what it is. It’s not like I don’t know how to grow this in better ways. Get an Instagram tag, hashtag. Do all that jazz. Merch out. Promote, promote, promote. Go to events. Sometimes I dabbled into that thought but in the end I just end up asking myself why? It took me a while to realize why I didn’t follow through. It’s cause I could never justify the cost vs. what I can possibly achieve out of this. It wasn’t worth it and it felt BMX should certainly be worth it. I remember I had a book completed that would’ve costed me a few hundred. Could sell it at bare minimum for 18. I didn’t follow though. Same with numerous t-shirt designs and stickers. I made a few but there was definitely a lot more in the works that just never went anywhere. All that money and I couldn’t justify it, even an Instagram which would probably be the best thing for this promotion wise, I just didn’t and that would be free. That’s time I couldn’t justify. It took me some crazy level of self reflection to try to understand. It may seem easy but it really wasn’t. I love BMX and I can say for a long time, it’s all I really knew. Wouldn’t wanting more out of BMX be what I wanted. I realize it wasn’t and I didn’t really get it.

I think I was forcing myself into a box I didn’t really fit in. Not cause of any outside reason but just me and who I am. I guess somewhere in my head I knew that and I just couldn’t push myself to go that direction cause I was just doing it cause that’s what I expected out of myself. I’m not someone who dreamed of being a pro or anything like that. BMX was always just something fun to do, all the time. I was always the BMX guy in high school, it’s the only identity I ever had. All this is not about finding myself or anything like that but just me letting go and letting things fall into their own places. I realize a lot of animosity I held was cause I couldn’t do that. I was getting frustrated cause it felt like I was forced in some way to be here. Like if Instagram and merch and all that other stuff that it would take to make this place more successful was what I wanted I’d already have done so but it’s not. I like this place where I meander dumb thoughts and I like closing it when I want to and saying whatever I want as long as I feel it’s relevant. If it was more maybe it’d still be the same but outside of a few extra bucks, I don’t think I could get anymore out of it and that’s not cause I hit some glass ceiling or anything like that. It’s cause to me this right here is as good as it gets in some weird way. It’s a cathartic thing like BMX. Somewhere to practice writing with some audience. To formulate ideas and give them form. Like anyone can imagine ideas but at the bare minimum once you start writing it down, you see flaws and unseen perspectives. The articles help me practice that process which is more or less art in general.

I started filming cause of BMX, like a lot of other people. I just know it’s what I want to do and not even in filming BMX type of way but just using the camera to the fullest extent. Unlike BMX, I’m willing to compromise things to pursue it and achieve more. The hate is bearable cause I want to be there, while in BMX it’s always been why am I here type of thing. I can spend $60 on costume for a video I can’t assure will get more than 100 views but I can’t spend $60 to get hat embroidered for this site. At least not now. It’s this change in mentality where I relish everything the good, the bad, the ugly included cause it’s somehow all worth it. I never ask myself why even when I’m quite shit at it but I just know I want to keep pushing everyday to get better. As a rider after I learned the basic tricks, I honestly could care less to get better. Some days I try, most days I don’t but that’s not the case with all this. I know I could film a BMX edit and it’d be good but shifting gears towards narrative work has been a huge learning curve and pretty hard. I can see how bad some things turn out but still I do it cause its where I want to be. It’s not that I don’t think of myself as a BMX rider anymore, I still dress like one, listen to Props rock, ride when I can, try to contribute in ways I know how and most importantly see the world in eyes of a rider, something that once the videos I’ve been working on finishes will kind of make more sense. I just quit pigeon holing myself into being what I think a BMX rider should be and that made all the difference. To some people being 100% BMX is who they are and they’re better person for it but to some it’s not and that’s ok too. Which might as well be the slogan here at this point cause this is definitely the most open minded BMX corner.

So why does Steven Hamilton skate? I’ll try to take a stab at it. It’s cause he doesn’t care what people expect out of him (obviously). Cause he gets something out of it that he needs that BMX can’t provide. Cause he wants to express it, cause it excites him too. Cause ultimately BMX isn’t everything to him even if he is one of the best to ever do it. And all that is ok cause life is too valuable to waste not living a life you’re content with. It’s not gonna be perfect but it should be something rewarding and to let other people determine that isn't always a failsafe way to get the most out of it. BMX to me is perfect the way it is. Well I’d like it more if I was living in the city so I could ride from 10pm to 1am without driving cause to me nothing is a bigger buzz kill than driving to local spots.

#bmx #steven hamilton

8 notes · View notes

thevisualcube · 5 years

Text

10 Ways Global Brands Adopt Video Marketing That Works for Small Businesses

Every business, every brand and anyone who wants to connect with an online audience needs a video marketing strategy. Video remains the most effective medium to convert browsers to clients – This idea is not new. Everyone knows it. What has changed over the years is how important video marketing as an Omni Chanel tool.

It is not only another cog in your marketing strategy. It has become a central piece on all levels of communications. This is why global brands are scrambling and spending the big bucks on video marketing.

Video is much more than a social engagement tool. Video is a versatile tool for marketers, and sales people throughout the entire customer buying experience. Video analytics can help with calculating ROI, and to create new leads.

Video can become helpful for human resources as well. Onboarding videos, knowledge-based videos, company introduction videos, and employee stories are just a few ways that video can create a more thorough, personalized experience for any organization.

According to HubSpot Research, consumers and customers prefer lower quality, “authentic” video over high-quality video that seems artificial and “inauthentic”. Global brands have realized this and are churning out more “authentic” videos and are enjoying more success than ever before. So… What does this mean for startups and small business owners? Video is very much within your reach, and it does not require big budgets. Video is within reach of any business regardless of size.

So… Before you begin filming, you need to determine what kind of videos that can yield more results.

Here is a list of 10 Ways Global Brands Adopt Video Marketing That Works for Small Businesses.

1. Demo Videos

Demo videos show how your products work. It can be an instructional video, an unboxing video, or describing the unique qualities it has as against similar products on the market. If your business is a service, let your clients know, what is unique about what you do and how you can significantly make a process easier and elevate the lifestyles of those who work with you.

For an example, if you are a dentist and want to talk about the services you offer, do it in a way that benefits the patient. Talk about the options when it comes to straightening crooked teeth, and talk about the pricing of each option and how you could arrange payment plans if insurance does not cover them.

2. Brand Videos

Brand videos are typically advertising campaigns carried out with much success by global brands. It is meant to create awareness of an organization’s mission and vision. Brand videos also help create credibility and build trust with your consumers. While you may not be able to match the impact of what the global brands are doing, you as a small business owner can create videos that involve your community. It could be a charitable event, a fundraiser, taking part in a local event or better yet organizing a local event or sponsoring a local event. Remember those ice bucket challenge videos we saw back in 2014, where people dumped a bucket of ice and cold water over someone’s head? Most small businesses who did this challenge and put it on video said they got positive social vibes.

3. Event Videos

Event videos are different to the brand videos explained earlier. If your business is hosting a conference, a round table discussion, a fundraiser, or another type of event – Film it. Then produce highlight reels of the best moments, interesting interviews and presentations and make it available to your audience. This will surely build your credibility as a business, and give you enough material for future communications.

4. Expert Interviews

Many of the global brands are churning out videos interviewing the internal experts in their organizations. Every business has experts related to the field of that business. As small businesses and startups you may not have much of a staff to do this. Find a way to put an expert who knows about what you do in front of a camera and ask them to talk about how your business can help customers, the process of how you do business or simply talk about what they do as part of the business. If they are camera shy, do an interview style video. Even if you are a freelancer there is one subject you know best. So put yourself in front of a camera just like how I am doing right now. Capturing interviews with internal experts is a great way to build trust and authority with your target audience.

5. Testimonial Videos.

Your prospective clients and customers want to know how your product and services will solve a specific problem. This is in fact what most global brands marketing strategies are based on. Take any product or a service. One of the BEST ways to prove this is to feature your most loyal and satisfied customers. Make them the champions of your cheer team. Let them tell the world how fantastic it was doing business with you and let them tell how you solved a problem and significantly improved their lives. It is far easier to get a video testimonial of your customers. Just ask them how they overcame their challenge and how your company was able to solve them.

Below is a video testimonial of one my very first clients. In it he talks about how I was able to solve a problem he had through video marketing.

youtube

6. Case Study Videos

Case study videos are almost similar to testimonial videos, but instead of your customers raving about you… you do the raving yourself. A case study is a self-study of an outcome to a solution you have provided. In the business world all case studies which are shared publicly are success stories. While in the scientific world it is not. If you have conducted business with a client or a customer, and if you provided a successful solution to them, then make a case study video and share it with your audience.

7. Explainer Videos

These types of videos are often made with animation and animated characters. These videos are designed to help convince your audience as to “why” they need your product or service. Many explainer videos focus on two fictional animated characters who want to overcome a certain problem they have. One character chooses your company while the other chooses a competitor. In the end the character who chose your company overcomes their problem and are enjoying much success, while the other character is still stuck on first gear.

In the video below I have shared an explainer video we did for an Australian startup back in 2014. If you do not want to spend a lot and want to create a 2 minute explainer video, leave a comment on the comment section below and let us know your intentions.

vimeo

8. Live Videos

Live video is the trending medium most global brands are now using. Viewers spent up to 8x longer with live video than with video on-demand for most global brands – a significant jump compared to on-demand videos. Live-stream interviews, presentations, and events, and encourage viewers to comment with questions.

9. Personalized Messages

Video is a creative way of sending personalized messages within any origination. Internal communications are a large part of global companies, and they adopt a lot of video to send personalized messages from the top brass. These videos can be welcome videos, training videos, or videos to communicate special milestones achieved by the company. Although it may seem that a small business may not have a need to adopt such a strategy, why not start that culture? To get started why not plan on sending a thanksgiving message to your employees? Let them know how they have contributed to the success of the company. Same way you could create a separate video for your customers.

10. 360° & Virtual Reality Videos

With 360° videos, viewers “scroll” around to see content from every angle — as if they were physically standing within the content. This spherical video style has allowed global brands to experience a location or an event from a mobile device. These videos are very expensive to create, and I understand that most small businesses does not have the deep pockets to invest in such a collaboration but I am simply stating this as Global brands have used this types of videos.

The above concepts have been tested time and time again by global brands, to maximize their image. While you cannot really emulate what they did with your limited resources, it helps to know what the BEST is doing to stay on top. If you are a small business owner and want to compete with your local competition then it helps to know “how” to use video marketing to your advantage. I hope this article will help you do so. Good luck – Vijith.

Read Original Article @ http://thevisualcube.com/video-marketing-that-works-for-small-businesses

Follow The Visual Cube® on Facebook Twitter Youtube Google+

#video marketing #online marketing #online video #Branding #smallbiz #Small business #digital marketing

0 notes

donovaneqmr299-blog · 5 years

Text

9 Tips To Start Building A Tax Returns You Always Wanted

Actual trading events where things went very wrong - and the way to avoid them

The Six Sure-Fire Ways to Fail Trading Commodities:

5) Load Up With Everything You Have in Your Account

We?ve all see the same stuff about commodity trading management of their bucks...about how we ought to only risk 5-10% of our account one any single trading idea, etc. Much in the trading folklore is false, but this place idea may be the truth.

During the final 2006 gold commodity market increase, I sometimes chatted with commodity futures brokers regarding the anonymous results of their clients who traded their unique accounts. No names, just results. There was one futures and option trader who stood out. He was right in regards to the gold market. He hated buying way out-of-the-money inflated options on futures (for good reason) and stayed with futures contracts only.

He was a brave soul who had about $100,000 to work with and held maybe 5 futures contracts for the long term. As gold futures moved in the $500/oz area toward $650, he was making a good score. I was proud hearing of his capability to sit through the corrections and add more for the dips. He was up to about 12 futures contracts. His protective stops were down maybe 25 full points away through the action. His stops were safe during the time because the volatility was mild. His was obviously a textbook campaign up to now.

Then came the day when the gold futures market took its first sharp dip and stopped him out. He made about $60,000 about the trade, but was angry he got stopped out. The gold market took off again on the upside. He lost his discipline and started buying breakouts. Gold futures contracts went in to a nasty chopping range for a month as they bought futures most days but got stopped out for losses.

Determine your objectives regarding short and long-term.

He was livid. He then started buying larger lots and moving his stops farther away. The market always figures a way to screw the majority at anybody time and continued to look at him out. In short order he gave back the $60K profit and several of his principal.

Once the objectives are finalized, seek the kind of investments to buy.

youtube

This was his second warning to avoid and end the deal on himself, but he didn?t receive the message. The gold market had changed from a trending sell to a chop. Finally he chose to change his tactics and join?em inside chop game. He started buying 20-lot futures inside the middle of the evening with stop loss orders some amount of money away. This wasn?t his game and he lost again, dropping another $50K. The market started to trend up again as they added more new money to his account to get the breakouts. The days were used up for this gold bull leg. Gold future contracts were sometimes having daily swings of $50. It was totally Jaws V.

Calculate the degree of risk to face up to it.

Then he decided he needed to get gold call options to survive this intra-day and overnight volatility. He loaded through to strikes at 900 and 1000,? far out-of-the-money. At about it time gold futures contracts finally made their top in excess of $700/oz while he correctly forecast inside the beginning. He would are actually up over $120K by simply sitting tight.

Determine what your location is in terms of needs and goals.

Since that point, gold futures have declined sharply into the low $530 range. His option account eroded to worthless. While holding call options, he had gotten stubborn and decided the market industry may not boot him out, regardless of what. Does this circumstance?

Make sure you have time for you to follow-through your commitments.

What will we study on this? He started out well, unfortunately developed a plethora of errors inside the end. He had a limited scenario, lost his discipline, traded too large for his account and bought far out-of-the-money gold options that were inflated in value. It?s sad, really. The saddest part is always that he was correct about the direction from the gold futures market! He KNEW gold was increasing together started buying futures contracts inside lower $500/oz zone.

Be consistent and organized. Make thorough efforts in whatever you do.

He was right as rain for a number of months and was doing fine. But the marketplace changed from the trending, to some chopping, then finally to a bearish decline. This is quite normal in normal markets. Remember to always trade for any normal market! He was always looking for the classic gold-bug blow-off scenario. Sure it will happen again someday, however, not often enough to risk money on it whenever.

Be ready to accept all of the new thoughts and obtain the myths of one's bag.

SOLUTION: The moral of the story is back to your 5%-10% money management rule. ALL the bad things within this tale could have been greatly softened if he risked only 10% or less on a single trading idea. He would be trading. It?s no crime to obtain sloppy and lose our discipline. We are human and may have always trading issues. But an all-or-nothing attitude will sink us each and every time. (Read some of my lessons on "Win-Loss Ratios and Risk")

Develop your own personal plans and play your individual games.

Part Six of Seven Parts - Next!

Access quality investment information available about the internet.

There is substantial likelihood of loss trading futures and options and could not suitable for all types of investors. Only risk capital needs to be used.

Diversify your knowledge and investments plans to various channels.

Making the decision to get or sell, stock, futures or options pressurized may turn over to be disasters. Never feel pressurized anytime.

Try to reduce risks, as far as possible.

Always use stop-loss orders to guard capital when you make a trade.

Never overtrade with under-capitalized accounts.

Move your stop loss to lock the profit in right after the deal gets profitable.

Be a tail on the trade trend. Trading contrary to the trend without reasonable stops may harm a whole lot.

When you are unsure in the fluctuations in the market, it is useless to trade. Rather quitting is really a smart move in those days.

Avoid stagnant and volatile markets.

It is effective to trade in market that's trending which has a level of a lot more than 100,000 daily.

Do not put all your profits in re-investments. Rather it can be highly recommended in order to save profits and also have a surplus account.

Develop strategies and financial plans and work on other alternatives of investments.

Always be well informed from the sources available.

Watch financial market news to enable you to get over the moods with the market.

Never follow tips. Refer them and rehearse your own brains.

Invest in long-term investments, because there are greater odds of getting better returns in the lasting.

The short-term market being too fluctuating may cause severe problems for the one.

Evaluate your investments well.

State those involved with objective terms hat are easy to use for future reference.

A well-researched and well-done valuation is timeless.

Ask for your help of the broker or perhaps a fundamental analyst.

Always go for a thorough searching prior to getting to the investment world.

Evaluate and analyze your decisions well later on to avoid repetition of the same mistakes.

Select an intelligent broker and rehearse his experience to fetch better returns.

Always search for cheap broker agent such as the compromise about the quality of services given by them.

Grab the opportunities of discount brokers.

When investing online, remember that online bets are not always instant.

It may get delayed as a result of high traffic around the net possibly even.

Other technological faults like modem, computer and service provider can also act as being a hindrance for a investment.

While investing in share market always set your price limits on quick stocks.

Market orders vs. limit orders rule has to be followed.

In case you happen to be not capable of access your web account have an alternative for placing the trade beforehand.

Take some time and tend not to assume that your order hasn't been placed. It may cause repetition of your respective order and therefore, may fetch your losses.

Make sure the cancellation with the order spent some time working before ordering another trade.

If you acquire a security in cash account, you need to cash before you market it.

Reread your margin agreement, as should you trade on margin, your broker are available your securities without giving a margin call.

Get to know regarding the legal terms.

Talk for a broker an internet-based firm in the case of some misunderstanding in investing.

Know what you are buying and risking in the marketplace.

Bernard Baruch once asserted If you want to generate income, a lot of money, buy what will be disposed of.

Do your research prior to making an investment.

Be alert for just about any alarms of losses.

Do not expect your broker to recommend the stock that may double your cash in month or two itself.

Don't be greedy and then sell the stock that rises considerably i.e. 50% or more.

Don't be impulsive and take calculated risks.

Don't buy a stock on a hot rumor; you will get burned 90% with the time.

Consider tax-planning and income-splitting techniques.

Go for values of stocks.

Maintain a well-evaluated portfolio.

Keep an eye everywhere. Look for bonds with the companies that are beyond favor too.

Be an above average trader.

Prepare a checklist for investment.

Make sure the amount of money you're investing is essential for a financial survival.

Beware of internet stock fraud.

Verify ignore the i.e. tend not to just depend upon your broker, ask other pieces of advice too.

Every time you invest, look at the risk/return profile of your respective investment before going ahead and investing in it.

Also, take note of how easily it could be turned back to cash, in case.

Compare and contrast stock trading options available with options.

It is additionally crucial that you ascertain one?s risk appetite.

Make sure you follow some precautions before investing, like making certain that your broker is registered and not a fraud.

Make sure stock investing documentation is needed.

Remember the stock investment can be risky just like any other investment; thus, assess the risks associated having a particular move.| Highlighted stocks include Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM), Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX), IAMGOLD Corporation (IAG), Goldcorp Inc. (GG) and Eldorado Gold Corporation (EGO).

0 notes

conneryiky456-blog · 5 years

Text

9 Secrets About Tax Returns They Are Still Keeping From You

Actual trading events where things went very wrong - and ways to avoid them

The Six Sure-Fire Ways to Fail Trading Commodities:

5) Load Up With Everything You Have in Your Account

We?ve all browse the same stuff about commodity trading management of their money...about how exactly we should only risk 5-10% individuals account one any single trading idea, etc. Much of the trading folklore is false, but this place idea is the truth.

During the final 2006 gold commodity market amass, I sometimes chatted with commodity futures brokers in regards to the anonymous link between their customers who traded their particular accounts. No names, just results. There was one futures and option trader who stood out. He was right regarding the gold market. He hated buying way out-of-the-money inflated options on futures (for a good reason) and stayed with futures contracts only.

He would have been a brave soul who had about $100,000 to do business with and held maybe 5 futures contracts for the long haul. As gold futures moved in the $500/oz area toward $650, he was making a good score. I was proud hearing of his ability to sit through the corrections and increase the about the dips. He was around about 12 futures contracts. His protective stops were down maybe 25 full points away through the action. His stops were safe at the time as the volatility was mild. His was obviously a textbook campaign thus far.

Then came the morning in the event the gold futures market took its first sharp dip and stopped him out. He made about $60,000 for the trade, but was angry he got stopped out. The gold market shot to popularity again on the upside. He lost his discipline and started buying breakouts. Gold futures contracts went right into a nasty chopping range for the month as he bought futures most days but happened to be stopped out for losses.

Determine your objectives in terms of short and long term.

He was livid. He then started buying bigger and bigger lots and moving his stops farther away. The market always figures a way to screw the majority at any one some time and continued to look at him out. In short order he gave back the $60K profit plus some of his principal.

Once the objectives are finalized, seek the investments to acquire.

This was his second warning to avoid and pull the plug on himself, but he didn?t receive the message. The gold market had changed from a trending market to a chop. Finally he chose to change his tactics and join?em inside chop game. He started buying 20-lot futures within the middle of the evening with stop loss orders a few bucks away. This wasn?t his game anf the husband lost again, dropping another $50K. The market began to trend up again as they added more new money to his account to acquire the breakouts. The days were drained for this gold bull leg. Gold future contracts were sometimes having daily swings of $50. It was totally Jaws V.

Calculate the degree of risk to resist it.

Then he decided he needed to buy gold call options to survive this intra-day and overnight volatility. He loaded high on strikes at 900 and 1000,? far out-of-the-money. At concerning this time gold futures contracts finally made their top at substantially more than $700/oz while he correctly forecast within the beginning. He would have been up over $120K simply by sitting tight.

Determine where you stand in terms of needs and goals.

Since that point, gold futures have declined sharply in to the low $530 range. His option account eroded to worthless. While holding call options, he gotten stubborn and decided industry may not boot him out, it doesn't matter what. Does this problem?

Make sure you might have time for it to continue your commitments.

What will we study from this? He started out well, however designed a multitude of errors inside the end. He had a fixed scenario, lost his discipline, traded too large for his account and bought far out-of-the-money gold options that have been inflated in value. It?s sad, really. The saddest part is he was correct on the direction with the gold futures market! He KNEW gold was going up along started buying futures contracts in the lower $500/oz zone.

Be consistent and organized. Make thorough efforts in anything you do.

He was right as rain for a lot of months and was doing fine. But the marketplace changed coming from a trending, to some chopping, then finally with a bearish decline. This is quite normal in normal markets. Remember to always trade for the normal market! He was always looking for the classic gold-bug blow-off scenario. Sure it'll happen again someday, and not often enough to risk money on it each and every time.

Be available to all of the new thoughts and obtain out the myths of one's bag.

SOLUTION: The moral with this story is back to our 5%-10% management of their money rule. ALL the bad things in this tale could are already greatly softened if he risked only 10% or less on anyone trading idea. He would still be trading. It?s no crime to have sloppy and lose our discipline. We are human and will always have trading issues. But an all-or-nothing attitude will sink us each time. (Read a few of my lessons on "Win-Loss Ratios and Risk")

Develop your individual plans and play your own personal games.

Part Six of Seven Parts - Next!

Access quality investment information available around the internet.

There is substantial likelihood of loss trading futures and options and may even not be suitable for all kinds of investors. Only risk capital ought to be used.

Diversify your knowledge and investments offers to various channels.

Making the decision to get or sell, stock, futures or options under time limits may turn in the market to be disasters. Never feel pressurized anytime.

Try to cut back risks, as far as possible.

Always use stop-loss orders to shield capital if you produce a trade.

Never overtrade with under-capitalized accounts.

Move your stop loss to lock the net income in right after the deal gets profitable.

Be a tail on the trade trend. Trading against the trend without reasonable stops may harm a lot.

When you happen to be unsure from the fluctuations of the market, it is useless to trade. Rather quitting is a smart move in those days.

Avoid stagnant and volatile markets.

It is effective to trade in an industry which is trending having a number of more than 100,000 daily.

Do not place all your profits in re-investments. Rather it is highly recommended in order to save profits where you can surplus account.

Develop strategies and financial plans and focus on other alternatives of investments.

Always be well informed through the sources available.

Watch financial market news certainly get over the moods from the market.

Never follow tips. Refer them and rehearse your individual brains.

Invest in long-term investments, as there are greater chances of improving returns in the long term.

The short-term market being too fluctuating could potentially cause severe problems towards the one.

Evaluate your investment funds well.

State those who work in objective terms hat are simple to use for future reference.

A well-researched and well-done valuation is timeless.

Ask for your help of the broker or even a fundamental analyst.

Always get a thorough research work prior to in the investment world.

Evaluate and analyze your decisions well in future to prevent repetition from the same mistakes.

Select an intelligent broker and make use of his experience to fetch better returns.

Always search for cheap brokerage firm along with compromise for the quality of services furnished by them.

Grab the opportunities of discount brokers.

When investing online, remember that online bets usually are not always instant.

It can get delayed because of high traffic on the net approximately.

Other technological faults like modem, computer and service provider may also act as a hindrance for a investment.

While investing in share market always set your price limits on fast paced stocks.

Market orders vs. limit orders rule should be followed.

In case you are not capable of access your web account receive an alternative for placing the trade in advance.

Take some time to tend not to think that your order has not been placed. It might cause repetition of your order thus, may fetch your losses.

Make sure the cancellation in the order did before ordering another trade.

If you acquire a burglar in cash account, you have to cash one which just market it.

Reread your margin agreement, as if you trade on margin, your broker sell your securities without giving a margin call.

Get to know regarding the legal terms.

Talk in your broker and online firm in case there is some misunderstanding in investing.

Know what you are buying and risking in the market.

Bernard Baruch once said that If you want to generate profits, a lot of money, buy whatever has thrown away.

Do your research prior to making an investment.

Be alert for virtually any alarms of losses.

Do not expect your broker to recommend the stock that may double your dollars in several months itself.

Don't be greedy then sell the stock that climbs up considerably i.e. 50% or more.

Don't be impulsive and take calculated risks.

Don't buy a standard over a hot rumor; you're going to get burned 90% in the time.

Consider tax-planning and income-splitting techniques.

Go for values of stocks.

Maintain a well-evaluated portfolio.

Keep an eye fixed everywhere. Look for bonds in the businesses that are out of favor too.

Be an above average trader.

Prepare a checklist for investment.

Make certain the bucks you're investing is critical in your financial survival.

Beware of internet stock fraud.

Verify ignore the i.e. usually do not just depend on your broker, ask other components of advice too.

youtube

Every time you invest, look at the risk/return profile of your investment before actually checking out it.

Also, focus on how easily a purchase might be turned back into cash, in case.

Compare and contrast stock trading solutions with options.

It is additionally vital that you ascertain one?s risk appetite.

Make sure you follow some precautions before investing, like making certain that your broker is registered and never a fraud.

Make sure stock investing documentation would help.

Remember the stock investment could be risky because other investment; thus, assess the risks associated using a particular move.| Highlighted stocks include Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM), Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX), IAMGOLD Corporation (IAG), Goldcorp Inc. (GG) and Eldorado Gold Corporation (EGO).

0 notes

boardqueen7 · 3 years

Text

What Is The Best Med Spa On The Market Today

3 Steps To Choosing The Right

Digital systems use high-resolution imaging to examine the health issues of your facial skin, which will direct your supplier in identifying an appropriate course of skin care treatment. Quality med day spas will offer a follow-up analysis to evaluate how your treatment strategy is working. Hand-selected beauty products With the overwhelming variety of appeal items on the marketplace, it's hard to inform which ones are worth your money.

Quality med medspas will have an aesthetician or another senior personnel member who selects the products or line of product to carry. Asking why they chose a particular product can be informative. A quality med health spa will choose products based upon how well they work and client feedback, not just due to the fact that the product brand may be popular or may be associated with a larger medical company that uses bulk discounts.

10 Tips To Finding A Great

It's tough to remain on track and know when it's time for follow-up treatments or time to check out extra treatments. Subscription services, loyalty programs and regular monthly subscriptions use a simple option for getting regular, customized skincare at cost effective rates. Not only do these kinds of recurring services enable economical month-to-month payments, however they likewise permit you to track your treatment journey and get simple suggestions for when it's time for follow-ups.

When choosing a med health spa for your treatments, remember to examine if the supervising physician is a plastic cosmetic surgeon. Cosmetic surgeons are trained to perform both surgeries and nonsurgical treatments, and their aesthetic competence is extremely valuable in a med health club setting. To find a plastic cosmetic surgeon in your area, please use the Discover a Plastic Surgeon tool on the ASPS website.

With this in mind, read on to learn the top concerns to ask in order to discover the best medical health club in Anchorage! Discovering a Medspa Near Me: Leading Questions to Ask, When you're looking for a medspa in Anchorage, keep in mind that you have the alternative of calling ahead with these questions or doing your own research study online.

4 Tips For Finding Great

If you feel as if they're not able to address all of your concerns completely, this might be a great sign that it's time to look elsewhere. Here are some of the top questions to keep in mind.

Whether you're looking for a simple facial or laser hair removal, you should feel comfortable adequate to ask any concerns that happen before, during, and after each procedure. You also shouldn't feel as if the professionals there are pressing you into treatments or treatments that you're not comfy with. The staff ought to be warm and inviting.

2. What Are the Services Offered? Quality medspas provide a variety of services; it is necessary that you find one that offers the services you're interested in. If you're considering other services in the future that you're not all set to do presently, it also helps to find a medspa that provides those services.

6 Questions To Ask Your