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godbirdart · 10 months

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You don’t have to answer this question as it’s probably dumb to ask…but do you know what platform(s) would be a good starting point? Particularly for original content rather then fanart? I heard deviantart is a good place where alot of ppl got there start on but there’s lots of art thrives and such.

don't even worry, it's not dumb at all! it's hard to gauge where to Begin in the vast hellscape that is the online world. i do get this question [and some adjacent questions] often so please allow me to use your ask as an excuse to post a few of my site rankings for various art things!!

for reference, these are the sites I'll be addressing because i have used them at some point within the last year. please note: my information on Cohost and Itaku specifically may be out of date as I haven't used them in a long while. naturally, this is all solely my perspective. i run both a furry/original content account and an anime/fanart account on most of these sites and run them reasonably independently from one another. these rankings are based on how well each account fares on each site.

I will be talking about Patreon and Ko-Fi as if people will only be posting paywalled content there. you Can publicly post on both sites, but for the sake of this post i'm only going to treat them as paywalled sites since well, that's kind of their purpose.

POSTING ART IN GENERAL

the A-tier list sites here are the ones that are most practical, with a decent member presence and little to no algorithms impairing your reach. the only sites here with any sort of algorithm are tumblr and deviantart, but i feel they don't ruin your reach that much.

B-tier list is mostly centered around popularity. there are massive audiences on both masto and twitter. twitter can be really good if you're posting certain content. mastodon has countless instances [read: servers / subdomains, however you want to call them] that can help narrow down an audience and like-minded people. for example, i use mastodon.art whereas many furries may use meow.social. you Can be discovered by people on other servers than yours.

C-tier has been sorted in accordance to audience. this is solely in my experience, but not a lot of new people are flocking to cohost and itaku. we also just hate facebook in this house and i will never give a facebook products a high rating.

F-tier: if you are a new or growing artist, putting your art behind a paywall or making it a chat platform exclusive thing can really hinder your growth. you can still do this of course, but you won't get as many eyes on your work as you would on a public gallery. threads is there solely due to privacy issues that Cannot be overlooked. i will not recommend it.

POSTING ORIGINAL CONTENT / CHARACTERS / NON-FANWORKS

here's how i'd grade these sites for posting Original content, characters, stories, etc. your best sites will likely be furaffinity, deviantart, and tumblr. i've put these three here for their tag use, discoverability, and audience presence. tumblr can be a little glitchy with its tags, but they DO function.

A-tier is entirely centered around audience presence. these sites are great for showing off your work, but they don't have the same population as the S-tier. mastodon can be good as the quieter instances give you more discoverability. bluesky has been THRIVING when it comes to the furry community as of late [i'm personally on there daily] - the only reason i don't put it as S-tier is because it's invite-only AND you need to rely on your work being found through the Feeds feature if you aren't an already established artist.

B-tier: useful, but population may hinder your growth. toyhouse is GREAT for posting your original characters and stories, but it is invite-only and not necessarily gallery-focused [it can be USED for a gallery, but it's not the main purpose]. you can also post stories and lore to toyhouse. discord and telegram are Good, but again it can be hard to gain an audience through sites that require invites.

C-tier: it is DIFFICULT to grow on paywalled sites with original content. cohost [to my knowledge] has been stagnating with the release of bluesky.

F-tier: threads sucks, the end.

POSTING FANWORK, FANFIC, FANDOM CONTENT IN GENERAL

S-tier here is sorted because of audience presence. while twitter does suck, i'm finding a LOT of success there with fanart. tumblr is The fandom site of course. furaffinity is great for a surprising range of fanart that isn't exclusive to furry, and deviantart's Groups feature is still going strong which can give you that extra exposure.

A-tier is: fans Go here, but the population or algorithm can make things tricky. instagram is good for fanwork but the algorithm and the speed that things are posted there can make discoverability an uphill battle. patreon; if you make comics or art with fan characters [especially 18+ content lmao] you can grow pretty rapidly there. patreon, like any other paywalled site, should be a secondary site and not your Primary posting location. artfol and pillowfort are still growing. pillowfort has a Communities feature - sort of like deviantart groups - that you can submit your art to which gives you that extra exposure. artfol is just a nice gallery site and the tagging system is,, decent enough. a little confusing because the tag system looks up keywords in posts and titles First, you have to tab over to hashtag searching specifically.

B-tier: invite only and audience reach. again, bluesky relies on your art to be picked up in Feeds, as there's currently no tag search. inkblot is growing but has a decent audience. ko-fi isn't as known as patreon for exclusive content but it's still a good site. mastodon has tagging that makes discoverability easier, but mastodon and its many servers can make things confusing for some people. itaku's not as commonly used so it may be harder to gain new eyes there once you establish yourself.

C-tier: posting fanart to these sites Can Work. toyhouse focuses on posting and sorting original characters, so treating it as a gallery site won't get your far fast. it isn't impossible to grow as an artist there, but the site isn't intended for fanart posting. i cannot say much on cohost here. telegram and discord, again, it's harder for people to discover you out of the blue unless you mention your server / channel on another site.

F-tier: fuck threads.

lastly, to address thieves,

thieves are gonna be everywhere. i'm sorry to say, but there will always be shitty people. i recommend the following:

watermark your art. not in the corner, don't just sign in one spot, place a Huge translucent watermark over the WHOLE art. i recommend making it a colour gradient too instead of one solid colour or greyscale.

also: sign your goddamned art! put your username on there!

post a low resolution when sharing online. less than 1200px wide or tall. 72dpi. JPEG format. keep the high res privately for yourself.

add a subtle noise filter over your art. it doesn't have to be high opacity, and it'll make your art a little grainy, but it's good for fucking with AI bots and ruining any print quality potential.

i hope this offers some insight! if you have a different experience on these sites, please feel free to add your testimonial in the replies or reblogs! not every artist is going to have the same experience and growth rate.

#long post #art website posting #art sites

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youroomwasquare · 6 months

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In regards to your post about Marcy’s arc, if your right-that marcy got nothing out of her time in amphibia-shouldn’t she hate the place, or at least not want to be associated with it?

Plus, why would she take a career that allows her to engage in escapism and is probably not what her parents wanted, when her whole are is about escapism being bad and that she needs to obey her parents.

first ask!! aaaa!! excitement noises

for your first point-- I think marcy has a lot of conflicting feeling towards amphibia, and towards her own experiences in it. and I want to correct my words-- I do think marcy got something out of amphibia, but it was absolutely NOT what she was looking for, nor did it benefit her or her overall growth in the way that it did for anne and sasha. amphibia showed marcy that her actions have consequences-- brutal consequences. it gave her the step she needed to confront her major flaw of being unable to let go-- which manifested in her always running away. amphibia was where marcy learned that you do eventually have to let go of some things. life does not always go the way you want it to, unfortunately. marcy had to face the things she was running away from in order for her to properly move forward.

also, at the end of the series, marcy learned that she will never truly be alone-- anne and sasha will be there for as long as they are able to-- whether that's in person, in spirit, or through phone calls + the internet. marcy needed the reassurance of their love, that they do care about her, in order to take that extra push and go home with them. does that contradict the whole theme of letting go? perhaps, but learning to let go doesn't mean that you have to let go of everything-- it just means that you have to come to terms with the fact that things will come in and out of your life sometimes. it also doesn't make what you had less real-- in fact, it makes it that much more special. because you're acknowledging the fact it existed, and that you truly cherished the time that you spent with them. THAT'S what marcy learned. her true arc was not that escapism is bad, but more so that you can not run away from certain things. not without bringing yourself (and the people around you) a world of bad. once she realized that anne and sasha are not leaving-- not in the way that she thinks-- that's how she was able to let go. and that's how their friendship can still exist and still grow even after years of on-and-off contact after the move. *** as for her career, the girls likely coped with their experiences-- both good and bad-- in different ways. you can also see how their experiences in amphibia shaped the people they are now. sasha became a child psychologist. anne became a herpetologist. marcy became a comic artist.. not because she's still engaging in the same kind of escapism, but because she's using that escapism as a healthy outlet. no longer is marcy running away-- rather, she's taking charge of her own life and doing the things that SHE wants to do. you have to remember-- escapism as a concept isn't bad, per say. escapism only becomes unhealthy when it hinders your own life, or negatively impacts the people around you. we all indulge in a form of escapism from time to time in some way, shape, or form-- our favorite books, movies, TV shows, etc etc. even though marcy's still getting lost in fantasy worlds-- they're ones that she creates, and not because she's trying to run away from anything, rather, fantasy worlds and creativity have always been a part of who marcy wu is. amphibia wasn't marcy's first taste of escapism-- nor was it the last-- it was just the most unhealthy and prominent one. and marcy likely worked on fixing her relationship with fantasy and figuring out the limits of her escapist tendencies. especially when it becomes necessary to ground yourself back to reality. marcy has always gotten lost in fantasy worlds-- it's a core part of her established personality. if she can express it in healthy ways, why would it be a negative trait? lastly, about her parents, I honestly don't know much about the wus besides what we were given in canon. do I think the way they handled breaking the news to her was absolutely not the right way to go about it? YES! do I think she may have a slightly rocky relationship with them? also yes.. sort of. but by the end of the series, marcy is an adult. her parents should really have 0 say as to what she wants to do with her life at that point. and while we can see that they seem to value more.. traditional career paths (at least from the subtext of the show), I definitely don't think that was what the writers wanted to close marcy's story on. marcy, in my opinion, didn't move for her parents-- she moved because that was the culmination of her arc. she started the series running away from the move, and ended it with the intentions of making things right-- starting by going through with the move. marcy, by that point in the series, knew that her friendship with anne & sasha was unbreakable-- and that was her main reason as to why she opposed it in the beginning. this allowed her to walk out of the skin of her old self, towards a new beginning. and who knows? perhaps marcy wu flourished in massachusetts. I'm content with epilogue marcy. to me at least, she looks very happy.

#amphibia #asks #sorry if this is messy aaaa.. this was mostly my unfiltered thoughts #please let me know if there's something you disagree with-- I love broadening my amphibia takes!!

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clown-femme · 6 years

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man!

the thing is i’ve been drawing since i was a little kid. i’ve always been makin’ art. I don’t ever remember not drawing. i got my first actual sketchbook when i was like, in middle school! and yeah i did do a lotta anime drawings and shit in it back then but i also tried to sketch, i did little life drawings, and i’ve always done that. i’ve also taken college art classes and all that bull shit.

but i never felt like i’ve ever been any good at it. I feel like i’m not bad, but i am juuuust shy of actually being good at drawing, and always have been. I miss the mark by just enough to be noticeable. My art will never quite be There.

and that’s really discouraging! I want to make nice things.

#to be fair i feel like when i was in late elementary to early high school and i tried to get an anime style #REALLY hindered my artistic progress #i really wish i hadn't done that #i want to go back in time to myself in like third grade and be like hey! look at this picture you drew of a person!#i know you want to make your art look like pokemon and sailor moon but look! this drawing you did in your own style is much better #i'm not saying that people who draw in an anime-esque style are bad at art but #i feel like my artistic trajectory was severely thrown off by that #i'm drawing now how i should've been drawing in high school probably #if i hadn't tried to make everyone and everything i drew look like a damn inuyasha #because i found an art i did in second grade that i did before i adopted a new style #and like sure a second grader drew it it wasn't superb but #it showed a TON of promise #and then there was a sharp SHARP downturn in my style and growth when i went to anime #fuck anime! anyway i'm gonna go watch an anime

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solamancyzine · 3 years

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Welcome to our “get to know our creators” series! Presenting…

WRITER SPOTLIGHT: @queenaeducan

Role: Writer

What do you like or find compelling about Solas’ character?

I find the rebel aspects of his character most compelling. It would have been easy to have Solas fit easily into the disaffected immortal trope, and there are aspects of that trope he embodies, but it’s clear he both still cares and values life. That he cares enough about it to forsake everything he knew and loved, and that he continues to do so even through Inquisition, is as moving as it is tragic. It’s nice in a story which often centers the player that as much as we can come to mean to Solas, we ultimately matter less to him than his people.

What do you think is going to happen in DA4?

I think we’ll be playing a hero with less power than any of the heroes we’ve played before. I think there’ll be more parallels with Solas (the teaser we’ve received indicates as much, but I don’t want to refer to direct quotes in case people don’t want spoilers!). I also don’t think he’ll be the final challenge we’ll face by any means, and I do think that the Veil coming down will probably be unavoidable. It may potentially even be within the first act of the game, similar to the attack on Haven in DA:I.

What do you love about being a writer/artist/comic artist?

What I love about being a fanfic writer in particular is that I can explore moments that are either glossed over in canon or center someone else’s experience. With a character like Solas, who keeps so much from the player and has such a long history, exploring his perspective is fascinating, and the talented people who wrote, animated, and voiced him were sure to leave a lot for us to read into. I also love being able to explore things as a fan without the oversight that often hinder original IPs, again with Solas in particular I can explore why I think he works so well in queer narratives. DA in particular is a great fandom to create in because the world and characters are both very distinct, but with plenty of room to breathe in our interpretations.

Link us/share with us one piece you want to show off (link to finished art/fic) and tell us why it’s special to you

“Who Am I in Your Arms?” - (Solas x NB!Lavellan) - Content Warning: Suicidal Ideation - Any piece I write with Solas and Ian is special because Ian is my spouse’s Lavellan and writing them together is actually how we met.

This one in particular is special to me though because I get to let Solas’ grief breathe and explore a manner of intimacy in a relationship that’s brand new to Solas. Letting himself be broken in Ian’s presence and receiving no judgment, only support, was therapeutic to write. It also allowed me to explore aspects of my Solas interpretation, his struggles with mental health, and headcanons about my interpretation of Elvhenan, such as the role hair (or lack thereof) played in Solas’ growth and changing identity throughout his extensive lifespan.

I have a plans for a sequel set after Trespasser that I’m looking forward to writing once I get some other ideas out of my system (including the one I’m planning for this zine!)

Link to Fic

#solamancy 2022 #writer spotlight #queenaeducan

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seasurfacefullofclouds1 · 3 years

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If you go back to the years in which all the boys from 1D released their first singles, you’ll notice that everyone had their chance to “shine”. I mean their first ever song that each one of them released as a solo was a hit.

Harry’s first song SOTT was a real hit. I remember myself listen to the song and eve trying to play it in the guitar. I’m not anymore his fan, but I like how he and his team knew to take advantage of it. Now we see him in all his glory. (I’m not an anti Harry tho)

With Niall, the same thing almost happened. I mean his first album was a success as well as his second. But I think he would’ve accomplished even more if covid didn’t exist. He released his second album at the beginning of the pandemic, when everyone was trying to figure out what to do. Even though it went well on the chart. Top 5 in the us and number one in the uk.

Zayn did amazing with his first album. I just know about the first one. But I know that with good promo, he would’ve killed and probably would’ve been more successful than Harry. I’ve listened to some of his songs. Although I don’t like that kind of music. I think he is soo good.

Liam had it too with his first single and even with his other singles he was having a great amount of streams. I think the label put so much pressure on him, because everyone was releasing an album.

Meanwhile Louis, he had two times. First with JHO and second with BTY. Why didn’t he get to do a lot of promo for the first singles? The only thing I can think of, it was maybe because he wasn’t in a good place. Yk? The circumstances that he was living. (I wasn’t his fan in that time, but I think JHO deserved so much) Now with BTY, I think they should’ve done a good promo. I remember when I didn’t too much about him, I would listen to the song because of my teacher at school. BTY could’ve been easily a top 10. I just know that. I think If he had chosen the mainstream music, he would’ve killed it. And yeah with a really good promo ofc. But I’m glad he is doing the music he loves. I wish for his second album all the best and hopefully a really good promo. He deserves it. It’s his time to shine. Let it be please.

Good observations, but saying that Louis “wasn’t in a good place” undermines his real desire to push on as well as the money and effort spent on Miss You (funding the performance at the Royal Variety Ball and making a music video) with no radio follow up, doing interviews with big radio stations that were never aired.

I just don’t believe that Louis would do that to himself, nor that he would have five singles for Walls, and only put two of them on All Access to be played on American radio. Why would he choose to hinder the growth of his songs, when he was painstakingly interviewing across the country at individual radio stations? Why would his Arista rep (Chandler Chruma) say that he was “not a major artist” and therefore the radio stations had to DM her to get his songs to play? Why not just put them on All Access?

Why wouldn’t BBC Radio put any Walls songs in their playlists? They have included songs that never break the Official Charts, from smaller artists. And not always “mainstream music.”

Thank you for the lovely observations. Although Louis isn’t choosing mainstream pop, his music is not difficult to put on radio. He does have a big audience. He isn’t “difficult” to listen to. DLIBYH, Defenceless, and Always You are as pop as you can get.

Where I really have a problem is when people ignore everything I’ve listed, which are really abnormal for a label trying to introduce a new artist. Louis isn’t a newbie— he did 1D promo for ages. He wouldn’t NOT notice this stuff, and he wouldn’t choose it. So let’s stop being disingenuous as fans.

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pbscore · 4 years

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Howdy, folks! 🤠

So, after a long time without doing some artistic projects, I would like to finally announce that I am open for commissions!! Whooo!! 🎉 🎈🎊

I’m currently an unemployed, queer and neurodivergent, Afro Latino person, who lives in a rural area without a lot of options, looking for a full time job, preferably in my field but beggars can’t be choosers lol. In the meantime, in order to make some money to keep myself afloat, I want to start doing commission work!

For the icon commissions, I will make either a simple line work or full color drawing for the first 7 people who email me their commission requests. All icon commissions will be $5, regardless of the type of drawing I do (meaning, if you just want something simple or something detailed, it will all be the same price)!

For some examples of my work, simple line work and full color work, here are some recent pieces I’ve done:

Commission Info:

Please send what you would like me to draw for your icon to my work email: [email protected]! I will accept payments through my PayPal (I finally fixed it!!) here: paypal.me/paranormalprairie. Feel free to be as specific as you’d like with what you’d like to see in your drawing but keep in mind that I will have some limitations and that the way I draw has its own unique style, like any other artist. If something doesn’t look right or I forgot something important that you had requested, let me know (through my email, as well).

NOTE: please do not repost my art without credit. My art is very important to me and I work hard to make it, like any other artist. If you’d like to share my art, just make sure you link to either my tumblr, my Instagram (@ ghiblifriend), or my TikTok (also @ ghiblifriend). Also, do not use my art as your own. It’s ok to be inspired by people but stealing art and passing it off as your own is not ok and actually hinders you’re own growth as an artist.

What I will draw:

- Animals

- Humans (it could be yourself, your favorite celebrity, or an original character of yours)

- Fictional ships (READ MY DNI BEFORE YOU SEND IN ONE OF THESE. I have very strict rules about this particular point.)

- Plants/Nature

- Places or objects of importance to you

- Cartoon/Anime characters

- Movie/TV show/Comic book characters

- Monsters/Aliens/Mythical Creatures/Cryptids

- Furry Characters/OCs

What I will NOT draw (so, please be respectful and don’t ask me to do it):

- NSFW stuff (whether it is explicit or suggestive sexual content doesn’t matter, I’m not gonna draw it)

- No more than 2 characters in one image

- No ‘real life ships’ or anything like that (I’m lookin at y’all Kpop stans with this one 👀)

- Gore (like, actual flesh and organs being displayed)

- General gross stuff: p*dophilia (this includes any gross fictional ‘ships’), inc*st, abuse of animals or people, racist/antisemitic/homophobic/transphobic/ableist/misogynistic stuff, or anything else that I probably have in my DNI (check the pinned post at the top of my blog)

If anyone has any further questions, comments, or concerns that I have not addressed in this post, send me an email about it to the one I’ve provided above! As long as you’re respectful when addressing me, I will be more than happy to listen to what you have to say.

Alright, that’s all for now. Thank y’all for being so supportive of my art these past few months, y’all. If you love my art but can’t afford a commission right now, know that I love you dearly and don’t expect anyone to shell out money for me if they don’t have it. I would certainly still appreciate y’all reblogging this for anyone who might be interested in doing it, though!

Thank y’all very much! 🐻🌻

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reflectionsofneptune · 4 years

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little reasons why you could be attracting particular signs

Some reasons why you could be attracting these signs, or signs on these particular house cusps. I had lots of fun w/ this post so take it w/ a pinch of salt. My lil thoughts as usual. Big kiss.

Aries / sign on your 1st House Cusp

You’re frustrated. Or maybe you’ve suddenly been onset with a surge of energy for a particular project or subject that’s close to your heart. Feeling risky? Or, are you feeling lost? Is there something you want to dive all in to? Are you becoming more confident in yourself? Giving yourself pep talks in the mirror? Daily reminders popping up on the phone? Aries energy is all about putting energy in the world (Cardinal) based on one’s aspirations (Fire). The universe could be asking you to stop being all talk and dreaming of things (Pisces) to the point where all they remain wistful fantasies and take action. (Aries/1st house) Steps forward, no matter how small, no matter how big, count.

Taurus / sign on your 2nd House cusp

You’re hungry. Hahahaha I’m laughing while I double check my fridge knowing there’s nothing there :) :) What are your boundaries looking like? Have you got a firm idea of what you will and won’t stand for? Do you have something in your life you’re nurturing? Do you need to pay more attention to your coins? Working on self-love? Taurus energy is all about consolidating (Fixed) material things and a solid value system (Earth) to help circulate a feeling of stability in their life. The universe could be asking you to to take that vision you have (Aries) and line up all the things you have accessible to you, right this very minute, that can make that happen. (Taurus/2nd house) Appreciate what you have, and watch how many new things pour in.

Gemini / sign on your 3rd House cusp

You’ve been gossiping. So that person you bitched about heard what you said…..and this Gemini in your life…..is here to get the receipts…..i’m sorry, I don’t make the rules. SIKE. What are you paying attention to nowadays? Ideas? Other people’s opinions? Are you learning something new? Maybe you need to not be so attached to ideas, thoughts and concepts coming from other people. Make your own mind up. Do you have interesting ideas you can share with people, but you’re keeping it under wraps? No fair. Gemini energy is all about sharing (Mutable) their opinions (air) with other people. The universe could be asking you to express your unique talents (Taurus) with the world through a platform of some sort. (Gemini/ 3rd house) It’s OK to speak up about your ideas. I bet they’re awesome.

Cancer / sign on your 4th house cusp

You’ve been crying. Nah I’m playing. (but if you have, that’s OK too). Maybe you’ve been working on your inner child. Have you been taking some time to re-parent yourself with good food, good company and that one film you loved as a kid? Are you healing trauma from your childhood? Maybe healing needs to be done on the female relationships in your life. Maybe you need to be honest about the things in you life you emotionally react to in situations that doesn’t warrant this kind of behaviour. Cancer energy is all about actively (Cardinal) nurturing themselves and others (Water) through comforting actions.The universe could be asking you to look at your thoughts (Gemini/3rd house) and seeing what a direct impact that has on your emotions. What we think has a correlation to the feelings we feel.

Leo / sign on your 5th house cusp

You’re doing too much. There’s probably an area of your life, where you’re shining. It’s possibly your living from the heart now. You’re putting yourself out there. Or, maybe you need to take the time to have some fun? Are you ignoring those recurring impulses to do something creative which will feed your spirit? Leo energy is all about being self-willed (Fixed) in their ability to showcase their creative self-expression (Fire) to others. Leo’s know that they are the shit, you can’t tell ‘em nothin’. The universe could be asking you to find a special way to channel your emotions (Cancer/4th house) into an artistic expression somehow. Creativity is so subjective - beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder at the end of the day. You’re doing amazing, sweetie. *KJ voice* hehehehe.

Virgo / sign on your 6th house cusp

You need to clean up an area of your life. Virgo energy is all about being adaptable (Mutable) with one’s ideas as well as routines and habits in one’s daily life (Earth). Are you becoming more organised? Paying more attention to what you’re ingesting in all forms, staring from the food you’re eating to the people you’re surrounding yourself with? Or maybe you need to Marie Kondo something, bad. Bring order into a chaotic structure in your life. Maybe, those self-defeating thoughts that do no good for your well-being need a stern talking to. A balance needs to be struck between the mental side and the physical side. The universe could be asking you to better shape that creative talent you have (Leo/5th house) and refine it. Not to a level of perfection which is often unattainable, but a little tweak here and never hurt anybody.

Libra / sign on your 7th house cusp

You’re out of balance. Libra is all about a dedicated intention (Cardinal) of obtaining harmony and a sense of fairness in relationships (Air) of all kinds, be it platonic, romantic, professional. Maybe you’ve been giving extra care to your relationships and are showing up for those people that have had your back. Are you missing out on the beauty in life? Vacillating between two things? Or maybe you’ve taken a good look at the people around you, and people who don’t match your energy have got the chop. Can you see two sides to one situation? The universe could be asking you to take a look at how the lens - be it critical, analytical, thoughtful or helpful - (Virgo/6th house) in which you view people hinders or strengths your partnerships.The great thing about life is people are often mirrors, what you dislike in someone else, may actually be present within you on a deeper level.

Scorpio / sign on your 8th house cusp

You’re sexually frustrated. Are you going through a pivotal change in your life? Or are you tapping into your sexual power? Sexual liberating yourself from things that held you down? Maybe discernment has been strengthened lately and you’re not taking much at face level anymore. Playing detective? Or, are you struggling to open up to others? To be vulnerable. Do you need to let go of something? Scorpio energy is all about a strong willpower and determination in life (Fixed) that comes from a total transformation and understanding of one’s unconscious wants and desires. (Water) The universe could be asking you to look at the ways your unconscious childhood emotional patterns affect your relationships. (Libra/7th house) Life gets better when you don’t hold back and open yourself to experiencing things, fully. Promise.

Sagittarius / sign on your 9th house cusp

You’re been acting reckless. Have you been seeing life from a more expansive point of view? Maybe you’re taking risks in life and they’re paying off in ways you didn’t dream possible. Look at you. Are you wanting to just drop all responsibilities and F off to somewhere completely different? The idea of throwing yourself into the deep end of this thing called life look appealing? I feel you. Or maybe, you’ve being a bit more blunt, honest in life and saying things for how they are. Do you need to lighten up in an area of you life? Maybe, there’s an area of life that needs to you to rely on your higher mind and follow your heart. Sagittarius energy is all about widening their beliefs (Fire) in a curious fashion as they explore life. (Mutable) The universe could be asking you to dive deeper into your shadow side (Scorpio/8th) to aid you in personal growth.

Capricorn / sign on your 10th house cusp

You’re too preoccupied with your career. Recently, you could have been thinking about what you want to do in life. Getting more serious on your life purpose kind of thing. Perhaps the steps you need to take are becoming more clear. You’re becoming more clear on your position in society. Or, you feel a fear about stepping into your power. You may be questioning whether or not you have what it takes. Possible responsibilities looking more like burdens than opportunities for growth. Capricorn energy is all about disciplined efforts in steps in their world (Cardinal) to secure one’s material security. (Earth) The universe could be nudging you to actually cement your dreams (Sagittarius/ 9th house) house into something practical. Let’s get the bag. I mean, let’s graft for the life that we really want.

Aquarius / sign on your 11th cusp

You’re being rebellious. Have you been researching a broader range of topics related to human consciousness? Perhaps you’re investing effort in your friendships. It could be that now the way you react to things, or you’re actively trying to see people, places and things from a more objective standpoint. Or you need to incorporate that viewpoint in your life. Is there an area of life where you just need to be brave and be rebellious? Aquarian energy is all about establishing (Fixed) an inventive and progressive way in which one can use in relating to others in society. (air) The universe could be asking you to further mould what you produce in the real world (Capricorn/10th house) to ensure that it has positive benefits for society.

Pisces / sign on your 12th house cusp

You’re tapping out. Or, you’re not but you are giving yourself precious time to do some productive visualisation. Maybe you’ve been researching spiritual topics such as LOA and manifestation. Do you need to forgive yourself, or someone else? Maybe compassion is how you’re living your life nowadays and it feels amazing. Realising that we’re all connected in one way, shape or form? Pisces energy is all about being the ability to co-exist (Mutable) with whatever life throws at them by relying on their intuition (Water) and connection to a higher power to get them though. The universe could be asking you to look at how you can give back (Aquarius/11th house) or, alternatively, make a deeper connection with yourself. The good, bad and the ugly. Does your ego need a check?

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rwby-ask-central · 4 years

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A Talk About The RWBY Community

I’m going on a rant, but I’m doing this because I care. So please...read carefully, think critically, discuss politely.

First, my history with RWBY. I love RWBY. I loved the work Monty did on several projects, both through RT and his own work. What caught my eye with RWBY at first glance was the badassery! When the Red trailer dropped, I couldn’t stop showing it to everyone! I thought it was so cool. Then White dropped, and it lured me in because Weiss and her trailer seemed so mysterious. Then Black dropped and I felt bad for the would-be Villian, Adam. Finally, Yellow dropped and it was so catchy, fun, and upbeat compared to the rest. Volume 1 came out and I was so interested in the world!! The animation had no real impact in my eyes, so long as it didn’t hinder the story.

Next, where I noticed issues. I don’t recall noticing any issues until Volume 3. Up until that point, I wasn’t really involved in the community. At most, I had seen some memes and silly compilations that came from bloopers. Volume 3 was where I saw people complaining about Bumblebee and starting ship wars. Nothing is WRONG with having ships, but we have to remember that everyone else has an opinion and that it’s all fun and game. I didn’t have any real issue with Bumblebee, but I wasn’t crazy for it either. I recall seeing several posts talking about “yes” or “no” to if bumblebee was actually a thing, and it got intense. We’ll never know unless we saw the RWBY bible for ourselves in its unmodified, original state.

As time moved on, I got less and less involved with the community. Between attacking other shippers, demanding things from RT, bullying other fans of the show, controversies behind the scene, I got exhausted from being a part of the RWBY community. I still watched the show and had my own thoughts on things, even if they were never shared. If anyone attended the Volume 5(6?) Theatre premier, I’d like you to recall a small clip that played before the first episode where Kerry had come to tell us that they heard our feedback about the fighting and choreography from Volume 4, and they were fixing that. I remember a lot of people demanding more action and better scenes, but not offering full critiques on what was good and bad. Volume 4 was slow on combat, fair enough, but the combat was done fairly well considering they lost their lead animator and hardest worker. On top of that, I thought the quality of the story skyrocketed in volume 4 because of all the little details we saw. An overarching goal, character growth, etc.

Where is this all coming from? Well, after volume 4, I’ve tried to stay as far away from the RWBY community as possible. Despite this, I met my closest friends through RWBY. Aside from the Vic incident, I stayed away until today. I was browsing YouTube where I saw a video of someone covering drama that happened because an artist put Ruby in a maid outfit. It sounds silly, but this actually kinda hurt me. People were fighting tooth and nail, even trying to get the artist’s twitter account taken down. I’m ashamed to want to be engaging with people about RWBY if this is how they act. Monty always stressed to be kind to others and enjoy life, instead of fighting.

Why is this important? Guys, at the end of the day, it’s a fictional show full of fictional characters in a fictional world. We love these characters, some of us heavily relate to them. I know I relate to Weiss more than I was comfortable with at first. We see something in these characters and may often forget that they aren’t real. This community should be positive. It should be upbeat and happy, supporting one another. We all come here because we LOVE RWBY, not because we get to bully others or move the show in a way we want. I hate seeing people fight. I love the show, and I want to find so many friends that love it for what it is. I’m not saying they have to share all my views, I’m not saying they can’t critique the show. What I’m saying is that I want to know there are fans out there that accept the show for what it is and are kind enough to others that open discussions about the show won’t divide us.

Closing thoughts? Art is tricky. It’s a creative medium where people go to express certain ideas. Beyond that, I don’t want to draw lines in the sand between “good” and “bad” fans, but I’ve never wanted to accept that some fans weren’t open to discussing the show in a fair, open way that allows for both parties to walk away with new perspectives. For instance, if I post that I really love the idea of White Rose being a ship, I’d like people to just be silly and laugh with me about “what-ifs” and share their own ships. If I post a critique of a character, I would expect it to be a thought out and meaningful evaluation of the character. And I would PRAY that any responses are also well thought out and meaningful.

Please, be kind to others and keep moving forward.

Edit: There are some details about my life and involvement that I’ve left out for the purposes of remaining anonymous, so if there appear to be things that don’t exactly align, that’s probably why. Otherwise, feel free to ask as long as it helps understand the bigger picture

#rwby

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bubbleberryuniverse · 3 years

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What's some good drawing tips?

This has been sitting in my askbox for a while but honestly? I'm not entirely sure how to answer this. My best tip would just,,, be to learn the basics of anatomy,, and when you can, drawing in other styles can help you grow as an artist --

A huge one would be to not compare your art. This can be,, really hard,,, especially if you're a newer/younger/more inexperienced artist. Speaking from experience here, comparing your art and going "wow that's so good I'll never be that good" or "wow they're so much younger than me" or "wow they're my age their art is so good" is,, very unhealthy and can really hinder your growth because you're at a constant state of not feeling like your art is good enough

Don't do this please. It's such an unhealthy state of mind to be in and I cannot emphasize this enough. This is the biggest tip I can give you. If you're already at a state of comparison, the best advise I can offer is to change how you're comparing

Instead of going "wow they're so much younger than me, my art sucks," go "wow! That art is really good and I want to reach that skill level one day!" or instead of "my art will never be good enough", go "my art is the best it can be right now but it can get better!"

I know I'm going a bit off-topic to the original ask but,,, this is probably one of the biggest tips I can give you. I spent years in the endless rabbit hole of comparing my art to others' (especially age. please keep in mind that age doesn't matter) and it was so difficult to get out of. But here I am now.

This probably wasn't what you were wanting gdjhdjdh sorry 😅

#art tips #?#maybe #idk #anyway hI YES HELLO DO NOT COMPARE #it's badddddd

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dfangurlinme · 4 years

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MAMAMOO THEORY: Comeback

Fans like making theories and like to decipher details to make theories on what may come next or what can be expected on the foresee able future. I do have my own theories and predictions about MAMAMOO as well because it’s something fun to do while waiting for things to unveil.

The year is already midway through and given the amount of content MAMAMOO was able to produce so far, I think people would have enough hypothesis by now on what to expect on the coming 2ng half of the year.

MAMAMOO joined Queendom then immediately made a comeback for their 2nd full length album of “Reality in Black” with the title track HIP and a pre-release song of Destiny release on the variety show. HIP era boosted MAMAMOO’s brand more, while they were receiving good result from their album they joined most of the line-up for the year-end shows which they were able to provide quality content for the already existing fans and to their new comers.

Now the year 2020 came in and all things was not the same. The pandemic affected majority of everyone’s life and MAMAMOO was gravely affected by it as well. An interview with one of RBW’s CEO which they discussed the activities awaiting for the group. He stated solo activities and group activities as the year goes by.

The first up on the list is Moonbyul’s comeback which garnered enough attention to the public maintaining the momentum they are still ridding from HIP’s success. While Moonbyul comeback is relatively doing its job on keeping MAMAMOO relevant while other group are doing their comeback, other members are also doing their part. Solar’s weekly youtube upload keeps her presence visible as time passes by. Then Wheein steadily makes her impact through her collaboration and birthday celebration. Hwasa on the other hand is very visible through her variety show appearance, sponsorship and music collaboration.

MAMAMOO’s time table may have its hiccups but there are able to make amends and find work around. Based on KDH Solar and Hwasa are working on their comeback as well and Wheein decided to rest for the time being. Since the schedule was interrupted Solar debut her solo career earlier than Hwasa’s comeback. Which is understandable. Hwasa already release a single hence I would expect her to have an EP similar with how Moonbyul solo activities has been and a creation of album takes more time than releasing a single.

Solar single release on my opinion has always been coming first regardless of order that KDH mentioned on his interview. I was actually expecting her to release nearer her birthday. Her debut was a success never the less. Then after her promotion an announcement suddenly made its way on Moonbyul’s repacked. Since her solo concert was cancelled along with their Japan promotion its very given that they need to get back on track so doing the concert on line is a good opportunity.

It didn’t surprise me either that a photo of Hwasa in recording booth was release yet her comeback was not confirmed. RBW and MAMAMOO’s decision on their activities was able to keep the group name relevant. Again, HIP era was a success especially to their international presence hence they all wanted to keep that momentum going and letting the member individually work is for me a great strategy. They would be able to buy sometime before finally launching the groups comeback.

The next probably 2 group comeback is very crucial. MAMAMOO’s band has been in the industry for almost 7 years now a good amount of time to actually reach their maturity yet the brand is still reaching its new high and the comeback with determine if they are about to reach their maturity and start to plateau as time goes by through the product life cycle.

My prediction for the next half of the year for MAMAMOO are based on all I have explained earlier. Moonbyul’s concert and repacked along with Wheein’s upcoming collaboration enables RBW to buy sometime before launching Hwasa’s comeback. I’m expecting the group comeback to be after her promotion for the reason that June is allotted to their group’s anniversary. Another good thing is that Hwasa’s birthday is July which makes more sense to do her promotion.

Another reason for my prediction as why MAMAMOO’s comeback are being dragged later on the year for the reason of RBW’s rumour of entering the stock market. Fans are concern about the thought given that the decision making would not be just the specific CEO we are normally seeing as the company will later on open to the shareholders. Going public enables RBW to gain boost in terms of financial assistance.

Money trail is one of the bloodline of a business. Now given that going public means selling parts of the company which stock holders earn ownership and may gain decision making rights but RBW’s CEO are the first generation owner of the company. I would be expecting them to still keep majority of the stock of the company to ensure that they would be able to keep their ownership and position on the management.

If going public ever comes true my prediction is that RBW would be doing it near MAMAMOO’s comeback for the reason that the group is their biggest act and the group is their image to the public. Along with the group’s comeback, I would be expecting them to confirm a world tour which would garner enough buzz to launch the newly public company and giving another weight to the needed success of their group comeback.

RBW is preparing MAMAMOO for the upcoming change if they ever go public because investors demand would focus on the biggest opportunity which is their brand group MAMAMOO. The changes would also make impact on the renewal of contract. The company on my opinion gain plus points for the reason that they ensure that they let MAMAMOO members have an opportunity to take their music individually. The impression of that means that their individual desire is not being hindered by their group; that their growth is still theirs and have been theirs to begin with.

MAMAMOO as a brand and group is currently on a lot of pressure. The new generation of fans would be coming in which means a new set of preferences that needs to be fed. MAMAMOO as I have always believed is a progressive artist and they have what it takes to survive the new generations of fans coming in its more of whether they would be able to play their cards right and whether fate is on their side.

#mamamoo #kimyongsun #moonbyul #wheein #hwasa #ahnhyejin

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madstars-festival · 5 years

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Q&A: MIKE SUNDA, MULLENLOWE JAPAN (AD STARS 2019 SPEAKER)

Mike Sunda is Strategy Lead at MullenLowe Group, Japan and the brains behind Tokyo 20XX – a cultural insights specialism that connects brands with Tokyo’s creator communities. In this interview with Branding in Asia, written by reporter Lee Patten, he hints of his upcoming talk at AD STARS 2019 - it’s not-to-be-missed!

Before Mike Sunda joined MullenLowe Group, he wrote about Japanese culture for global publications including the BBC, Vice, and The Japan Times, often taking on subject matter long ignored by the domestic press in Japan.

Today, he’s bringing his cultural insights to MullenLowe’s clients as an expert in forging meaningful, sustainable and supportive collaborations with Japan’s creator communities and street cultures. He’s also coming to AD STARS 2019 next month, where he’ll explain how non-sponsor brands can leverage the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

You’re going to be giving a talk at AD STARS 2019. Can you give us a sneak preview of what the talk is all about?

I’m going to start with a clip of Alex from Glastonbury, and I’ll end up by referencing Akira. Somewhere in the middle, there’ll be concrete tips for how non-sponsor brands can benefit from Tokyo 2020 via mutual growth opportunities from proximal cultural scenes and creator communities. But you’ll have to turn up to find out how that all fits together.

You’ve been in Japan for 11 years now, joining MullenLowe in Tokyo in 2015. Do you speak Japanese at work?

It hasn’t quite been a full decade as I spent a few years back London completing a BA in Japanese, but I did indeed first move to Tokyo 11 years ago and have spent the vast majority of my adult life living here. On the plus side, that means I speak Japanese fluently (and have no excuse not to). On the downside, I’m probably still using London slang that died out in the late-2000s.

At MullenLowe, we have a remarkably diverse team for a relatively small office. The expectation is that all non-native Japanese-speaking hires have learned the language (or commit to learning), which is rare for an international agency and one of the main factors that shape our internal culture. It’s also a clear statement that although we might be part of a global network, we expect to be judged on our understanding of local sensibilities ultimately.

Our ‘official’ language in the office is Japanese, but English-language meetings and brainstormings are common. It’s a set-up that means there’s almost always going to be people contributing in their second language, on either side, but I’d say it’s worth it for the patience and empathy that it nurtures as a process.

You once wrote a piece for the BBC about the Shibaura abattoir and the Burakumin ‘untouchable’ class. When examining such a deeply ingrained story of prejudice and caste, was it easier to write from the outside as someone not brought up within Japanese society?

In a field like journalism, you have to acknowledge that while you might lack the same structural benefits (press clubs, for instance) that the domestic media have access to, you’re also afforded a lot of other privileges. The fact that I am an outsider means that I am not necessarily critiqued as harshly for reporting on what might be perceived as an ‘anti-nationalist’ topic.

Even if I am, I have support networks and opportunities outside of Japan, which local journalists might not, which makes my situation far less precarious. In that respect, I think that you can make the most of that privilege to broach taboo topics, and raise awareness where appropriate – in this case, for a group of people both marginalised within society but also rendered broadly voice-less within the domestic mediascape.

Does that transfer to your work now with MullenLowe? Does being from the outside give you insight you might not have had as a native?

Absolutely. I think the outsider perspective is always a useful one, just as people who have taught themselves a second language can often make better teachers than native speakers. You pick up on parts of the social, cultural, or even linguistic fabric that might go unnoticed if that’s all you know. In the case of advertising, that doesn’t just apply to nationality. Especially in Japan, when salaried office work clearly represents the hegemony.

We have native Japanese speakers from so-called ‘unconventional’ backgrounds – be it international education or diverse lifestyles and professions – who also have to grapple with being an outsider in a society that has historically not made it easy.

Does advertising have a responsibility to pay its way when it comes to using popular culture and creator communities to sell brands?

The reality is that the advertising industry piggybacks upon cultural and creator communities. If it didn’t, we’d never produce interesting or relevant work en masse. It’s only rarely that original work comes out of the industry that comes anywhere close to having the sort of cultural impact as what emerges organically outside of the industry.

This means there’s a responsibility to compensate the people who actually create culture, especially given that advertising struggles to embed diversity or reward maverick creativity in its own internal structures.

Long story short: put as much money back into culture as you’re able to do. Otherwise, you’re doing nothing to sustain creator communities, which increasingly struggle to monetise their work for reasons that go far beyond advertising.

A lot of neighbourhoods in Tokyo will be impacted by the 2020 Olympics. How will this impact Tokyo’s creator communities?

I’m very interested in the work of cultural theorists like Michel de Certeau. He describes how a city’s inhabitants rewrite its supposed ‘rules’ through their movements.

At Tokyo 20XX, we produced a series of short-form documentary videos in 2017. The videos were made with a view to look at creator scenes through the specific lens of a neighbourhood culture – in this case, Shibuya.

The interesting thing about an area like Shibuya is that it inherently possesses the power to inspire people, creatively. We spoke to dancers and skateboarders who talk about the desire not just for communal gathering spots, but also to be ‘seen’ by spectators in a dense, urban context that only a neighbourhood like Shibuya can offer.

Likewise, musicians are attracted to the area not just because of its clubs and live venues, but because it has a natural energy that suits their creative process.

So will the Olympics impose on Shibuya’s creative energy?

The tension is that the Olympics is responsible for catalysing so much infrastructural development, which upsets the organic growth of these scenes and communities. In the case of Shibuya, building over parks and implementing stricter policies towards street sports and nightlife is cultural gentrification – creator communities will be forced to make their hubs in other areas, but the fragmentation can hinder their growth and momentum in the short-term.

Given that the local Shibuya government publicly pushes a message of diversity and creativity, it needs to take care not to destabilise the very conditions that are necessary for those two things to thrive.

Do you think brands have the ability to change the world in a similar way to journalism by changing peoples’ perceptions and behaviours?

I hope so! It’s not as if journalists are necessarily trusted these days, so the challenges are similar – how do you build that trust with your audience? You can only do that if you’re consistent with your message and standpoint.

It’s why I’m impressed, not sceptical, when Nike champions Colin Kaepernick and Raheem Sterling, or Lush decides to tackle something as controversial as SpyCops – because it’s definitely not an easy win on paper.

For that same reason, it’s why I think most people don’t buy into Pepsi celebrating activism or Gillette promoting positive masculinity – because it’s not founded on a historically consistent approach. It screams self-serving exploitation, even if the people behind the campaigns have genuinely good intentions. You can’t rush altruism, and you definitely shouldn't expect to profit from it.

Do you still get a chance to DJ? Which music scene is best – London or Tokyo?

I hardly DJ anymore, so I’ll answer the second part of that question from a listener’s perspective: I used to be more diplomatic about this, but now I’d just say that I lean towards London. Tokyo’s music scene is stifled by a lack of diversity and the same structural issues as wider Japanese society – age hierarchies, gender imbalance, and being far too keen to celebrate visiting international artists while failing to nurture local talent. London’s scene might be capricious, but that means there are always chances for up-and-coming artists. Also, the clubs have bigger sub-woofers than in Tokyo...

Mike Sunda is attending AD STARS 2019 from 22-24th August in Busan, South Korea. His talk is called, ‘Tokyo 20XX: The Olympic Opportunity for Non-Sponsor Brand Cultural Strategy.’ Read his interview in full via Branding in Asia

#mullenlowe

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allspark · 5 years

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Appearing within the storm clouds engulfing the Moon Palace to resume command in the Allspark Studio today is the menacing Lord Zedd! Will he finally destroy the Power Rangers when no other could, or will he simply be another would-be conqueror for the Rangers to defeat?!? Tune in after the jump!

Ever since the announcement that Hasbro had obtained the toy license for Power Rangers, then not long after purchasing the Power Rangers property altogether, I have been eagerly anticipating the products Hasbro would produce for the franchise. Having purchased toys from other Hasbro collector toylines such as, Marvel Legends and Star Wars The Black Series, I’ve had faith in what they could do with a Power Rangers with their collector oriented line. Then plans for The Lightning Collection were revealed and expectations were shattered. As a 90’s kid, I have been a huge fan of the franchise and I can say that these figures are pretty close to what I have always dreamed of having as a kid.

Figure

In its franchise history, no Lord Zedd figure has ever truly captured and depicted the frightening character, and with Bandai America’s track record of releasing monsters and villains, we probably never would have if it weren’t for the power transfer that allowed The Lightning Collection figure to become a reality. Out of the package, which has some really wonderful illustrations by talented artist Tom Whalen, the figure comes with two alternate interchangeable hands, Lord Zedd’s signature staff weapon, a growth bomb, and an energy effect. The toy is wonderfully sculpted and is packed with texture and details. Nice wash on the figure to bring out those textured details on the muscles. The muscles are not comically or absurdly muscular and its head looks proportionate to its body. Paint applications are really good. The armor has a really nice silver, but unfortunately Hasbro missed painting Lord Zedd’s finger (fingernail) and knuckle armor silver as well. They were sculpted right there! So close!

Articulation

The figure is packed with articulation. Lord Zedd’s armor pieces are made of soft plastic so it does not hinder articulation. His head has a full range of motion: forward, back, and side to side. His full rotation of the arms, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist hinge and swivel, and an amazing butterfly joint that gives you extra articulation to pose the arms. There is a ball joint swivel at the upper torso for some added range of motion, and it also has an ab crunch for forward and back motion. While the figure cannot do a full split do to the placement of some of his leg armor, the legs do have a nice range of motion that allow for plenty of poses. The legs also have an upper thigh cut to allow rotation at the thighs, a double joint at the knee, and an ankle rocker at the feet.

Overall thoughts

Overall, I highly recommend getting this figure. I am extremely pleased with this figure and can’t find much to complain about besides the aforementioned missing silver paint on the fingernails and knuckles. And if I’m being real picky, his staff not being the same silver as the rest of his armor. While my figure does not suffer from this, there have been reports by others that the figure suffers from a minor case of loose ball joints at hips. If you’re a Power Rangers fan, this figure is simply a must have. If the Lightning Collection continues producing this kind of quality figures, then may the power protect our wallets Ranger Nation!

Check out the full gallery shot by our talented photographer, Jason/Onyx Minor, bellow and let us know what you think of the figure here in our Allspark Forums! Not a member? Join our community by creating your own free account here! Or jump right into the live chat on our Discord server or our Facebook Group!

You can purchase yours today at Hasbro Pulse, Amazon, BBTS, Entertainment Earth, or a major retailer near you.

Power Rangers Lightning Collection Lord Zedd Gallery and Review! Appearing within the storm clouds engulfing the Moon Palace to resume command in the Allspark Studio today is the menacing…

#Gallery #Hasbro #Lord Zedd #Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #MMPR #Photo Gallery #Power Rangers #Power Rangers Photo Gallery #Power Rangers: The Lightning Collection #PR #Ranger Nation #Reviews #The Lightning Collection

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thehappymessproject · 5 years

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77-79/100 - 5 steps to train our perseverance muscle

Yesterday, I forgot to write. My daily structure is very challenged at the moment, so things slip through. Between the 75th and the 76th day of my challenge, a week passed. When I sprained my elbow and was forced to physically rest, I realised I was in great need of rest, not only physically, so I decided to take the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve off.

Some might consider this as a failure of my 100 days project. I call it self-perseveration and know it’s key to make change last.

Perseverance is a tricky business when it comes to us regulating ourselves. There is only one way to truly and sustainably discipline ourselves : with love. And yet, most of us use mainly self-abuse to that end.

Here are a few steps that make it easier for me to implement change in a sustainable loving way :

1. Start with where you’re at

Ok, you’re imperfect. Welcome to the human club, don’t worry, we are all in the same boat. You don’t have to change at all. But if you want to, you are going to have to deal with imperfection.

It is very important that we start from where we are at instead of dwelling on where we would want to be. I started to change my relationship with writing bit by bit.

I started by cultivating intention : I spent a few months trying to write more. And experimented from there. I would spend more time playing with my Instagram captions, telling little stories about my art, writing 6 words prompted stories... I journaled more and more, because I learnt that journaling liberates our writing. I wrote a couple of articles for my professional blog, started a project with an artist I know.

I only started this challenge when I felt so frustrated about not writing regularly that I kept thinking about it and being mean to myself about not doing it. And after I had done earlier in the year 100 days of creative living, after doing a few yoga and art 30 days challenges to first feel that I am actually capable of persevering in anything.

As much as I wanted to write before that, I had to accept that I had to honour my pace, respect the rhythm of my process.

We need to make sure we start where we are at, because it’s the only way that will give us the time and space we all need to grow (in any kind of way). Trying to fast track growth actually hinders it.

2. Taking stock : mapping our weaknesses

Ok, here is a part that is as uncomfortable as it can be empowering. To actually implement change, we need to know how we are actively sabotaging ourselves. If you think you never sabotage yourself, think again.

Maybe we set impossible goals, leading us inevitably to “I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it”. Maybe we spend more time thinking about things than actually doing them. Maybe we procrastinate. Maybe we avoid any thoughts about what matters to us. Maybe we’re waiting for “the perfect time”. Maybe each time we would have time and space to do something important to ourselves we end up involving ourselves in drama (yours or others’) instead. Maybe we act as if our anxiety (”what if this terrible thing would happen to me? and this one? and that?”) isn’t about stories, but actual facts. Maybe we agonise over every details so much that we never even start, or stop ourselves midway because it’s not as we imagined it would be. Maybe we use self-deprecation and criticism until we feel so bad that we don’t even try. Maybe we keep looking and engaging in situations we know will make us give up/fail when it gets hard. Maybe we keep yourself so busy that we can’t even think or feel what makes you suffer. Maybe we numb ourselves each day with TV, food or substances. Maybe we keep finding things you “need” to do to be more prepared to do what really matters to us. Or any of the endless list of ways humans use to avoid facing who they are, what they feel and want.

I am myself guilty of a few of those. Most of us are when we are honest with ourselves. We also can be guilty of them, but not in every circumstance. Like : I will use excuses to avoid exercise (”it’s going to be too hard”, “I don’t feel motivated enough”...) that I would never accept from myself in an intellectual endeavour, where I would brush it off immediately (”yes it’s scary, it’s not a reason to stall, let’s go”).

A few questions to start you off : What do you think are the worst things to feel or situations to be in regarding change/doing new/hard things? What do you do to avoid feeling like this, even if it means you won’t achieve what you wanted? When you tried to persevere but didn’t : how did you stop yourself? What happened exactly before you gave up? When you tried to persevere, what personal flaws do you link to your failure to keep going?

We often think that reflecting on our weaknesses will make us feel bad and discouraged from even trying. It is actually the opposite. When we avoid facing them, they sneak up on us and devastate us. When we know how we sabotage ourselves and accept it, we then can plan how we are going to use this knowledge to our advantage.

3. Make contingency plans

This is SO SO important. Most of us start recovery or change as if it will be this perfect learning curve, without any mistake or hardship, or the need to change the way we do things. As if motivation was the only thing that matters.

But recovery and change are both messy businesses. And they both include to change the way we react to triggering or changing situations.

Since I started this challenge, I had to devise a few contingency plans. Instead of essays, when I am exhausted, completely depleted or very short on times, I will often resort to make lists that are helpful to me. That’s how you will find lists of things I love, for which I am grateful for the hardest days. I will write about topics that are more comfortable and easy for me, or require less brain power. I will start a longer essay so I don’t feel pressured to even reread myself since I won’t publish. I often write essays that 750-1000 words long. When it gets really hard, I don’t force myself to do more than 500 words, the minimum I decided to write everyday for that 100 days project.

All of those alternative plans have the same function : giving me a maximum of flexibility so I can persevere in a loving way, making permanent changes instead of performing change only for a while.

4. Cultivate mindful flexibility

This one is very linked to the former point. Anything that is too rigid is bound to lead us to failure. Life is messy, humanity is messy, therefore change can only be messy and chaotic.

I am not advocating for a perpetual change of goals, which is often a sign of a lack of commitment and avoidance. I am advocating for a change in the way we go towards those goals.

I started this challenge by publishing everyday, but since I am still writing long essays, it became more and more frustrating. Until I really couldn’t finish a post one night, was almost in tears about it, and realised that I had settle to write everyday, not post everyday. I then started writing each essay in 2 to 3 days, a rhythm much more adapted to my personality and current mental health and way of writing.

Now that I’ve done it for a few weeks in this new way, I noticed that : I love having a couple of days to write and reread myself, but I also love to strive towards writing shorter essays. Both ways taught me important things about myself and my process, and by accepting to change “the rules”, I made sure to learn way more than by forcing myself into one unique way of doing it.

That’s also why I chose to take a week off for the holidays : my last 100 days project left me exhausted and depleted. I clearly pushed myself too hard. I wanted to see what would happen to my momentum if I listened to my fatigue and made my process more flexible. I am so happy I did, the last month of the challenge feels so much more enriching that way (even if it was indeed a bit hard to go back at it).

Each time we focus more on how we want those challenges to help us become the person we really want to be and to grow instead of solely focusing on the challenge, we make those structures work for us, instead of the opposite, we make those processes more human.

5. Make it easy to get to the finish line

This challenge was so important to me, I wanted to write everyday about my job so badly, that of course, it was really scary to do so. As exciting as it could also be, and as satisfying as it can get get, doing things that matter to us carry a strong emotional charge.

Because of that, the more important something is to us, the more resistance we are probably going to have to fight on the way. Facing resistance can get really hard. We need to make sure we are loving towards ourselves to resist resistance on the long run.

If you want to set goals, start small, always. If I had tried this 100 days project even a few months before, I would have failed miserably. I created mini challenges and wrote about so many things I liked before this, for years actually.

I didn’t set up for writing as much as I coud everyday when I planned this challenge. I chose instead a minimum number of words I thought would be doable on a very long term. 500 words takes me about 20-50mn per day, that seemed doable for me given my lifestyle (see #1). If I would have experienced a lot of difficulties, I would have cut the word-count to 250 words, less if necessary. It was more important to find ways to stick to it than to have an actual number of words down everyday.

And all those former points making it easier for me absolutely made it possible on the way. When we take on challenges as if we need to be perfect, we make failure happen each and every time. Those challenges, or anything we want to persevere doing on the long term will make us face our deeply human imperfection.

Perseverance is hard because it asks us to face ourselves, often with a focus on our least favourite parts of ourselves.

When we don’t take it easy, all this discomfort will force us to quit, burnt out and disappointed because we did ask too much of ourselves. When we make it easier, we face our imperfection and tells it “it’s ok to be the way you are, now let’s find a way to make it work”.

By persevering in a loving way, we learn to love ourselves just as we are, perfectly human and therefore imperfect. We also make our dreams happen, even if most of them will include fear, discomfort and hardship. One step at the time.

Each mini goal we set up to attain and actually did will make us feel stronger, more confident and trusting our ability to create a life for ourselves that we actually enjoy.

So... What are you going to work with next?

See you soon, Love, L.

#perseverance #perfectionism #challenge #counselling #writers helping writers #psychologist #therapist #100 days project #100 days of writing #the happy mess project #writer

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theparaminds · 6 years

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We always ask for organic in music. Someone who is truly grassroots and honest in their come up, someone who has had to find every possible solution the roadblocks that they face on their artistic journey. Look no further than Jan Romina, the Philippines based artist doing it all on her own, building a world of sound from her bedroom, one track at a time.

Jan is constructing musical emotion to a degree few can match, bringing forth instrumental knowledge and intensity that few would expect but all are gladly impressed by. She understands the broken heart as much as she does a full one, as well as everything in between, as she traverses her fears of growing up by expressing it all in song.

She often worries that due to her location she may not be able to break through into the music scene and that possibly her efforts won’t go anywhere. But if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that her worries are completely irrational. Jan has the talent and emotional understanding to take herself anywhere, as long as she continues to stay honest and true to herself while releasing damn good music along the way.

PM: First question as always, how’s your day going?

JR: Well, although it’s 1:16 am where I am from right now, my day is going pretty well. I can’t sleep because as usual, I’m listening to music and discovering new bops.

PM: Oh yeah? What have you been listening to as of late?

JR: I’m listening to “Nobody” by Mitski! and Vansire’s new single, That I Miss You! And songs from the 80s, which is my favourite era of music.

PM: When creating your own music, how do you find yourself implementing your influences into your own sound?

JR: l think subconsciously when I am on the process of creating my music, I am implementing their style and sound. Artists like Phoenix, Miniature Tigers, Tennis, The Smiths, Cuco and other artists from the indie scene have contributed to how I want my music to sound like. I realize and find myself implementing the sound of my influences after I listen and internalize the song I created. Then after, I can recognize the similarities. I really enjoy “poppy synth” sounds and I think it was highly influenced by Phoenix's Bankrupt! album and Miniature Tigers’ Cruel Runnings.

PM: So how did you come to create the sound you have apart from through influences? Did your environment and location growing up bring you on this path or did you find people in your life nudging you towards this train of creativity?

JR: Definitely with the help of GarageBand and learning different instruments. I first started to create sounds in my phone and then leveled up using the mac. The different instruments that came with it really helped me to create my sound. I made use of what I had just so I could make music.

I think everything that was mentioned had a significant part in how I was brought into the musical path. Singing contests happen a lot here in the Philippines and my mom constantly pushes me to join. At first, I disliked it because I was a really shy girl but then I grew to love it. Growing up, I am already surrounded with music because of my mother who is also a musician. I also have a friend, Ed, who is beginning to make music and we are helping each other somehow. Also, my friends and family are very supportive of what I do so now, I am more than inspired to create more and follow this train of creativity. Special mention to Victor Internet, a very talented, kind and supportive person! I think my music wouldn’t be as known if he didn’t share it. So he’s also one of the people that nudged me in the music/ indie scene.

PM: What is it for you about the indie scene that resonates with you and your journey as an artist?

JR: The indie scene provides a diverse playground wherein creativity is encouraged and experimentation with different styles are accepted and appreciated. This makes the indie scene capable of fostering the freedom of making music that's really your own. There is also a beautiful simplicity as to how the indie genre presents itself. Personally, I find that this along with those I mentioned, relieves the pressure of being a novice. And it’s not just about the music that encompasses this scene, it’s also about the community that supports and participates in it. They encourage multi-cultural dialogue and a platform to discover and create music that has never been heard before.

PM: Absolutely, would you say the key there is that outsiders finally feel accepted into something larger than themselves? And if so, is that what you experienced in this scene compared to others?

JR: Yes. It’s an interesting feeling, having something as simple and as complex as music be a part of you and simultaneously make you feel like you’ve found your home. The community is warm and open to beginners such as myself, which makes my communication with other artists and listeners easier. I’m still new in the scene so I am not certain about how it has been for other artists but I’m sure they probably feel the same as I do.

PM: Going forward, what skills and improvements do you hope to add to yourself as an artist to continue growing and accomplishing artistically?

JR: I super want to improve my skills in producing, playing the keyboard and the guitar! Being in depth with music theory is also one of my goals because it is undoubtedly going to enhance my skills as a musician artistically and professionally. I feel like there’s so much more I need to learn and improve that is essential to my growth as a musician. I am actually going to study music in college, so hopefully, I’ll be able to achieve these goals.

PM: Those are such fantastic ideas to get to, apart from music theory and music school, what are 3 goals you have set up for yourself that you hope to achieve?

JR: Oh my, I’ve been thinking a lot lately on performing my songs live! When I move to the city I would really love to do live shows and gigs! I think it would be one of the best feelings in the world to perform and sing my songs live and reach out to people. Apart from that, I am planning to release an album by September, assuming school won’t hinder me from doing so. This coming August, I’m going to be releasing two songs! Lastly, I plan on collaborating with more artists!

PM: Let's talk a little bit more about moving and where you are now, is your current location limiting to your artistic endeavors and how do you hope moving will open doors for you?

JR: I’ve been living in Ilocos Norte, a province here in the Philippines and I think the only things that are limiting me is the inability to expand my music outside of the internet. Live shows aren’t much of a thing here. Although, as I’ve mentioned, when it comes to singing contests, I’m all in! But since I’m moving to the city of Manila, where you know, things happen, maybe I could grow as a musician by performing in shows. It is also going to be an advantage that I am going to be surrounded by musically inclined people constantly!

PM: Yeah! Changes like that can make a world of difference! As well, we’ve talked about those that influence you and your art, but I wonder who it is YOU hope to inspire and who you hope to speak to with your work?

JR: I think timeless music moves this way. From every walks of life, it exists. Further, I want my music to inspire young and beginning musicians like myself. I want them to know that we’re in this together!

I also don’t really hand pick people who I want my music to relate to or speak to because I want it to resonate with everyone regardless of who they are, their background and any other factors that might come in to play.

PM: That’s a beautiful way to put it. In your music, what topics and themes do you hope to talk about and why do they have significance to you as an artist?

JR: Aside from the usual romance content, since I am approaching a new life and things are inevitably going to change, it is going to fuel me to write about the experiences I am going to face may it be about friendships, sadness, love, really anything. I’m still young but I am growing older every day and I think it would be interesting to perhaps document this journey through my music and just be raw. It’s more of a narrative of what I am going to experience given this new change awaiting me. However, maybe someday I think I want to deliver more substance into my music meaning, I would want to share my views on advocacies and issues that are relevant to this era.

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PM: What would you say are the one album and one movie that has meant the most to you most and why?

JR: Oh I find this question hard to answer! But I have to say Louder Than Bombs and The Queen is Dead by The Smiths (I’m sorry I couldn’t choose haha) because I have this personal connection with the content of their songs. I first listened to them when I was 14? I think. I was just a really sad teen and when I discovered the band, I instantly fell in love with their sound and that the lyrics of their songs relate to me. They’re just brilliant and listening to them made me happy somehow. Anyways, I know came to think that the films that are close to my heart are Begin Again and Her! I also really enjoyed watching when I was younger was Almost Famous. I remember I kept rewatching it. Lately, though, I was mind blown by Hereditary. It was fun and I’d honestly watch it again.

PM: If you could design the ultimate creative space, what would it include and how would it look? What personally do you look for when wanting to be creative and inspired?

JR: Ahhh, I’ve been envisioning about this a lot! Well, I’d really want a cinema and a studio in my own home! I would really want the studio to be cozy, low light and my favorite albums would be plastered on the wall, something like that. And it would include the essential instruments and gears for producing and a food bar. This is just a dream for now. I’m really broke, like I’m going to be selling my electric guitar and I’m just borrowing my uncle’s microphone. Honestly, I don’t really look for anything. I just let myself be because I don’t want to force my art when I’m not feeling it. Some days, I wake up full of inspiration and creativity and when I am in that state, there’s not stopping for me. Some days, I just feel disconnected, but that’s okay.

PM: Agreed, you can’t ever force creativity. Now, what’s one book everyone reading this should pick and why?

JR: ‘Life’s Little Instruction Book’ by H. Jackson Brown Jr. It’s minimal but substantial.

PM: And final question: do you have anyone or anything to shout out or promote?

JR: NEW SONG NEXT WEEK (OR THE WEEK AFTER THAT), TITLED ‘CLOSE TO YOU’. ALSO, SHOUT OUT TO THE PEOPLE WHO’VE LISTENED AND SUPPORTED MY MUSIC! YOU GUYS ARE COOL!

Follow Jan Romina on Instagram and Twitter

Listen on Soundcloud and Spotify

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tecezeposts · 3 years

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Challenges marketers face in conversion optimization

Conversion Optimization – what is that? Conversion optimization is a modern must-do in internet marketing, which improves the percentage of web users who turn into customers or take the necessary actions. The method has its hurdles, although the advantages are solid. Marketers unfamiliar to conversion optimization should be prepared and plan accordingly for the following common potholes, recognizing that there are some trade-offs and tools that can be used to bypass them. Marketers from all sectors with a broad range of calls to action, including retailers looking for visitors to buy a product, professional services pursuing leads, and non-profits seeking donations, can exploit conversion optimization for impact. You ought to keep visitors there, in addition to taking users to your website. Also, you need to convert them into clients from interested prospects. Creating website traffic is about half the marketing equation. Conversion optimization is one of the most effective strategies for converting your existing web traffic into potential customers. In order to boost sales, you can influence additional traffic to your site, or you can increase the efficiency of your site with the same amount of traffic you currently receive. Formulating a hypothesis and then creating a new version of a web page or landing page to evaluate against the current version to see which one is more likely to succeed at subscribing or acquiring customers. In the end, you launch the variety that managed to convince a large number of individuals to purchase what you sell. You analyze the sales funnel of your website with conversion optimization to figure out ways you can optimize your site in order to achieve a greater number of customers to subscribe to your product or service.

Conversion optimization is beneficial to SEO – Reasons Conversion optimization has distinct benefits for SEO, while not strictly linked to obtaining organic website traffic or ranking on the search engine results page (SERP).Feedback from customers: Conversion Optimization will help to understand your target audience and figure out what content fits their needs best. It is all about identifying the perfect or appropriate customers for your business. If the target audience is not approached, then there is no point in expecting growth as a business entity. Promising ROI: Higher conversion rates imply that you have more resources available to explore. You shall expect a lot of conversions without having to put in more potential prospects or buyers by understanding how to get the most out of your acquisition and marketing efforts.

Scalability: Conversion optimization helps you to grow without running out of resources and future clients and the size of your target audience does not scale as your company expands. Also, audiences aren’t endless. You will be able to expand the company without running out of prospective customers by converting more visitors into clients.

Great user experience: At times when the users feel intellectual and sophisticated while visiting your website, they tend to stick around. Basically, conversion optimization analyses what works on your website. By understanding what works and how to enhance it, provides a much better user experience. Only users who feel empowered by your website tend to engage more and you never know, some users may even become your brand’s influencers.

Trust factor: Visitors have to sincerely trust your website enough to share their credit card, email, or any sort of personal information for that matter. The key salesperson is your website in this case. Your site needs to be professional, cordial, and capable of answering all the questions from your potential customers and clients, very much like an internal sales team.

Hurdles in Conversion Optimization

Getting a proper development resource

When teams have aligned themselves with the prototypes they intend to test, standard A/B testing procedures would require production resources to develop the pages. It can be a real struggle to secure valuable development hours to start with and then prioritize the conversion optimization test over other development priorities. Designing prototypes for testing can take a month or more, drastically slowing the process.

Obtaining the approval for your Brand

In an attempt to ensure everything meets the brand approval procedure, brand teams might stop optimization teams from exploring new and creative ways to gain customer attention and focus without realizing it. While designing page layouts for analysis, brand marketing, and design teams may find themselves in dispute with one another. It is important to recognize the consistency of the brand and voice as they are hugely beneficial and testing various copy, pictures, and landing page styles for the benefits of higher conversion is equally significant.

Keeping up with Compliance regulations

Every public-facing word has to be approved by law for certain businesses, particularly in the financial services world. This is also a back-and-forth mechanism of marketing pressing for better deals and attempting to scale back offers and features with zeal and integrity. However, when submitted through the approval procedure, the eloquence of the latest designs and content for conversion testing may be made less compelling.

Commitment to changes

The above hurdles can certainly escalate and overwhelm larger design tests and practically become intractable. Because of this, by only examining smaller products that do not require much attention, say, for instance, button color or maybe even a new copy line, many marketers just begin to bypass the brand, legal, and production constraints. Gradual testing leads to exponential conversion optimization outputs, as you can anticipate. Marketers would hopefully test at the boundaries of their comfort zone to achieve high growth and get artistic with ways to gain attention and engage with their intended customer base.

Time-consuming to get stable outcomes

After getting authorization, coded, and set for live testing, every marketer is left to face the ultimate question as to when will my test actually accomplish a greater significance that I would start to believe the end results? The answer to that solely depends on how much your website gets web traffic which includes a variety of other elements such as how many page variants you assess. As a result, unless they can see the actual results, marketers are likely to be confronted with several weeks or even months of live testing. It is better to refrain from calling the test results until achieving significance, in order to expedite the process, as last-minute changes in end results might also occur. Running with a thought with what you think would probably win defeats, to begin with, the purpose behind conversion optimization testing. Conversion optimization has shifted to the marketing landscape, giving out useful real-world, enforceable outcomes for those who use it to optimize their landing pages. These hurdles in conversion optimization hinder marketers from having the comfort to test the latest, innovative ideas which shall lead to substantial progress in conversion.

#teceze #coversion #optimizing

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