#really awesome channel in general

[krisp-xyz]

Was experimenting with halftone effects after watching this video and it almost has spiderverse vibes honestly. I actually learned some neat things about why printers use CMYK instead of just CMY so I thought I'd share !!

So in our optimal little computer space, Cyan (0,255,255), Magenta (255,0,255) and Yellow (255,255,0) all multiplied together gives us a perfect black (0,0,0) Awesome! The issue is that ink colors irl arent exactly perfect like this, and color is a bit more complicated irl compared to how computers represent it, so they aren't the greatest at combining into black if they aren't those perfect CMY values:

Left: CMY

Right: CMYK

(thats not even black, its a dark blue in the original image but dark colors just look so much richer)

An important step to make sure you arent doubling up on the black values though is to divide the image by it's own "value" (the max of all 3 color channels) that way the value is equal to 1 everywhere, and you're letting the black ink take care of the value on its own.

Left: CMY (normalized value)

Middle: K (black)

Right: Combined

Now obviously the grids of dots cant be aligned perfectly with each other because you'd just get a bunch of black dots in unwanted areas, but if the grids are misaligned, then some dots become more prominent than others which tints the whole image. This was an issue because older printing methods didn't have great accuracy and these grids were often misaligned.

The solution was to rotate these grids such that they can move around freely while getting rid of that tint effect if they aren't perfectly aligned :D

(I have no idea how they came up with these angles but that might be something to look into in the future who knows)

SPEAKING OF MISALIGNMENT

I wanted to implement that in my own filter to get some cool effects, and I discovered another reason CMYK is better than CMY for lots of stuff !!

With CMY, you're relying on the combination of 3 color channels to make the color black. This means if you have thin lines or just details in general, misalignment can make those details very fuzzy. Since CMYK uses a single color of ink to handle value, it reduces color fringing and improves clarity a lot even if you have the exact same misalignment as CMY!

Left: CMY

Right: You guessed it! CMYK

(yes these comparisons have the exact same color misalignment, the only difference is using a fourth ink color for black)

ANYWAY I just thought there was a lot of cool information in this tiny little day project, I also just think it looks really neat and wanted to share what I learned :3c

EDITING BECAUSE THERE'S ONE MORE THING I WANTED TO ADD

So, I talked about how to get K in addition to CMY instead of just CMY, but how exactly do you separate CMY from an image in the first place?

Well, CMY is a subtractive color space, meaning the "absence of color" is white, compared to RGB where it's black. This makes sense because ofc ink is printed on white paper. You can use dot product to get the "similarity" between two vectors, and this can be used to separate RGB actually! Using the dot product of a color and red (255,0,0) will give you just the red values of the image. This is cool though because if we get the dot product of our image and the color cyan (0,255,255), we can get the cyan values from our image too! If we first divide our colors by their value to separate the value from them, then separate CMY using those dot product values, and using K for our final black color value, our individual color passes end up looking like this:

While it's called a "subtractive" color space, I find it more intuitive to treat white as the absence of color here, and then multiply all these passes together. It makes it much easier to understand how the colors are combined imo. Notice how cyan is the opposite of red: (255,0,0) vs (0,255,255) and magenta and yellow are the opposites of green and blue respectively! This means you can actually kinda get away with separating the RGB values and just inverting some stuff to optimize this, but this example is much more intuitive and readable so I won't go too deep into that. THANKS FOR READING I know it's a very long post but I hope people find it interesting! I try my best to explain things in a clear and concise way :3

oh thank you I realized I should probably add an eyestrain tag

#halftone #shaders #long post #eyestrain

[sk3erkrou]

My Thoughts on Hogwarts Legacy

This is something that has been on my mind recently as more discourse about the topic is coming to the forefrunt of the internet. Hogwarts Legacy and, honestly, the Harry Potter franchise as a whole.

As I see things, there are 5 groups of people when it comes to "THAT wizard game."

"Hey, I don't want to play it because of my own personal reasons. But if you want to play it, I hope you have fun."

"Hey, I do want to play this game because of my own, personal reasons, but I understand that you're not interested. That's cool."

"This game gives money to a transphobe?! Awesome! I just bought two copies."

"You want to play this game for your own reasons? You're a transphobe piece of shit. I won't stop until you know you're a piece of shit."

"Harry Potter? Hogwarts Legacy? I haven't played video games since I lost 2 weeks of my life to Banjo Kazooie in 1998."

If you fall into either category 1, 2, or 5, then right on. You're doing the right thing. Keep it up.

However, if you fall into either category 3 or 4, you are a fucking problem and you need to cut the shit and grow up.

Personally, I fall into category 1. I feel I have made my views on the game and franchise fairly clear. But also, I have a good friend who learned to read because of Harry Potter. I grew up with the franchise and it was a huge part of my childhood, and recognizing that I no longer want to engage in the franchise felt like a huge loss to me, and took some time to reconcile with myself. But, again, I have made that decision based on the larger franchise and not simply this one game. And, also again, these are my OWN PERSONAL REASONS. If you're interested, I will gladly share my thoughts in a civil manner, and only ask that you understand my thinking, not that you agree with me, or try to convince me to change my mind.

Now, to address category 3. Deep breath, here.

If you are doing anything at all because you know it will make the lives of people worse, then fuck you right to hell. Yes, this group of people also generally goes hand in hand with a specific red hat and an orange demagogue. If you find yourself in this category, get help. Go to therapy and ask about this concept called "empathy."

Category 4.

I will repeat: if you are doing anything at all because you know it will make the lives of people worse, then fuck you right to hell. Setting up websites to track Twitch streamers to see who is playing Hogwarts Legacy? Going to channels and harrassing the streamers for wanting to play the game? I would argue that people in this category or worse than those in category 3 because while those in 3 as assholes, they are blowing money on something they don't actually care about to try triggering someone while people in this group are going out and actively attacking people for engaging something that they want to experience for, and repeat after me, THEIR OWN PERSONAL REASONS. I saw in one chat that someone mentioned they wished executions were legal because people were doing something they didn't like. Sounds an awful lot like some people who built some gallows outside of a notable large building in the US back in the beginning of January 2021, doesn't it?

Here's where things really boil down on Hogwarts Legacy. The game is made. It's done. Rowling has been paid or will be getting paid. You attacking people for enjoying the game isn't going to stop that. But there's a lot more people than just her in the mix, here. Think about all the hundreds of people who have spent YEARS working on making this game, and trying to make it the best game possible. They have also been paid and are continuing to get paid. Controversy has surrounded Hogwarts Legacy pretty much since it was announced. And it wasn't cancelled.

Here's where I see things going with the game: it is the outrage of the day. Somewhat surprisingly, the outrage of Hogwarts Legacy's release is overshadowing the much more recent information about Justin Roiland. People will continue to be upset by this game for a while, and eventually that will fade, as all outrage does.

But you know what won't pass? The hurt caused by people to other people over this game. Your friend, who you disagree with about the game, sitting in their home, playing the game, is not going to hurt you. Streamer playing the game and you don't want to watch it? THEN FUCKING DON'T. Full stop. For fuck's sake, people were buying subs to a twitch stream just so they could continue harrassing the streamers after they made the chat sub-only. Fuck you. Grow up. And like I told the people in group 3, get therapy.

Actually, everyone should go to therapy, but that isn't the point of this.

Here's what my point of view boils down to: let people enjoy what they enjoy and stop shitting on things just because people enjoy them. Yes, the situation here is more complex and nuanced than that, but every situation is. And if any part of this rambling has made you angry or upset for any reason, I'd like you to think about why that is. I am not advocating for people to play the game or not play the game. Honestly, I just couldn't give a fuck what you want to play in the privacy of your own home. I just want people to be better. Treat people better. Be better people. Recognize that everyone on this planet is, at the very least, deserving of being treated like a person and deserving of love. And if you can't understand that fact, did you really understand Harry Potter at all?

#hogwarts legacy #harry potter #video games

[patolemus]

Sterek fic recs: Time Travel AU Edition

As I promised @oldefashioned here is the start of my unending sterek fic reccing. I’ll go by category because this post will never end otherwise.

1. song of the phoenix by graveltotempo

In a last ditch effort to save Beacon Hills after everyone else has died, Stiles channels all of his energy and magic into cleansing the Nemeton and the magical core of the town. But he is more powerful than he knows, more connected to the Nemeton than anyone can guess, and a group of kids, teenagers and adults wakes up in the middle of the night ten years earlier with a second chance they didn't know they needed and a bond they don't understand. Stiles though? Stiles wakes up with a little more.

Notes: It's just. So good. It's kinda hard to explain but basically no one knows what's going on but at the same time it works. Kinda. They're working on it. Stiles is awesome in this, I especially love his relationship with the Hales, because of course I do. It's ongoing.

2. Twice And For All by novasillies

“Derek,” he said despite himself. The werewolf’s eyes sharpened. Scott gave him a distressed look. “Do I know you?” He asked tensely, and Stiles grinned in return. “Oh, no,” he answered, “Not yet.” - In which a well-timed conflict between the magic of the Ghost Riders and Stiles' spark sends him back to the day Scott got bitten. Stiles pointedly changes nothing and so God complexes, needlessly complex romantic drama, and pure, unbridled silliness ensue. (Updates every Thursday wink wonk)

Notes: This is to date one of my favorite time travel fics of all time, across multiple fandoms. Stiles in this one is just *chef's kiss*. Completely unhinged, I love him. Also, the sterek? Easily one of the best dynamics I've read. It's ongoing, only four chapters left!

3. Fly a Little Faster by mirrorkill

Everyone knows when you go back in time, you shouldn't step on an ant, just in case you accidentally kill your own grandparent or something. But what happens when you go back in time and, uh, accidentally interrupt the one event that apparently made the Grumpiest Alpha in Town into a ball of mindless manpain?  Well, if Marty McFly can do it, so can Stiles Stilinski. All he has to do is get Derek and Paige to fall in love before he gets pulled back to his own time. And before he makes anything worse. That's easy as pie, right? Right?

Notes: I liked this one because it's not the typical Stiles travels back in time after everyone else in the pack dies. It's got a different premise, still somewhat canon compliant (maybe??? canon enough), and it's amazingly done. It's complete.

4. Daybreak by TheObsidianQuill

"There . . ." Stiles swallowed and looked down at the bottle in his grasp as he slowly swirled the amber liquid inside. "There's really nothing left. For me. Everyone is . . . gone, and it feels like I haven't thought of tomorrow in years." His words rang in the air like a gunshot, he took another heavy drink. "I would trade every last breath I take to just have another shot—not even a guarantee, just a chance to make things right and bring back even one of them." ----- The pack was gone. He had nothing left. He had no one. With nothing to lose, Stiles puts everything on the line to go back in time to try to prevent the future from becoming his past. Broken, guarded, and haunted by his past, only one overgrown-pup of a wolf seems able to get past his defenses. Changing the future? Easy. Finding a place for himself in the Hale Pack? Impossible.

Notes: So good! Stiles is a traumatized bean and the Hales are just everything! It's complete.

5. The A Spark of Hope and the Butterfly Effect series by Phlinting

It's been eleven years since Scott was bitten by a feral werewolf and, despite his pack's many victories along the way, Gerard Argent's influence lives on. As the knowledge of the supernatural spread to the general population so did the hatred and fear of the unknown. The McCall pack has been picked off one by one and Stiles, Sheriff Stilinski, and Peter Hale are the only three left, on the run and barely surviving. But Stiles has found a spell. He has the magic, the spark, and his belief. He has his dad and Peter to help power it and he has the will and desperation to succeed. He's going back to the Hale fire and this time he's going to stop it ALL before it starts. It's the perfect solution. Too bad things never go quite according to plan...

Notes: The Sheriff and Peter are *chef's kiss* here! I really don't know how to explain all that happens here but it gets a little out of control in the best way. It's complete.

6. The The Long Way Round series by exclamation

A magical accident sends Stiles back in time. Now he's stuck in New York, living with Derek and Laura, and the only way to get back to his own time is to learn to use magic. Meanwhile, he must figure out how much he can tell them about their future. Can he warn them about the dangers they face? Can he change his own past?   And can he trust the creature known as Bookworm, who seems to know him better than he knows himself?

Notes: This series had me in a chokehold, I cried so much but it was absolutely worth it! Stiles doesn't plan to travel back in time on this one, this just... happen, and it all spirals a bit out of control. But don't worry! You may have no idea of what's going to happen, but the author certainly did and they did an amazing work. It's complete.

7. It’s Happening by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

Derek stopped listening to him, brain going a mile a minute.   Derek, it’s fucking happening! Derek, please!   He would recognize that fucking voice anywhere. Two years. Two fucking years had passed, and now this little shit was standing in front of him, speaking his name, and grinning like an idiot. “It’s you,” Derek said, earning him a confused look from Stiles. “The phone call. Two years ago. It was you.” (SNYE - January 2nd - Time Travel)

Notes: This is not canon compliant. It's a whole other universe, actually, and it's so good. Good ol' Derek is losing his mind over here, but it's alright! Things work out just fine. It's complete.

These ones are not time travel, but dimensional travel. It’s similar enough so here you go.

8. The play it again series by metisket

In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself. “Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggests bets have been placed.)”

Notes: I honestly don't know how to show the whole of my appreciation for this series. I think I've read this about five times since I found it last year. Stiles lands himself in a whole other dimension, where the Hale House fire never happened and Scott is human. It goes about as well as you can expect. It's technically not complete, but the main piece is.

9. The Home Across The Universe series by TricksterShi

You can lose your home and spend your whole life looking for it, sometimes you may even find bits of it again. But sometimes home goes out searching and finds you first. ~ The day he loses his father and his pack, Stiles is transported to a parallel world where his counterpart is nine years old and seemingly small changes have had a huge impact on the course of events in Beacon Hills. At first sticking to the shadows as a vigilante to protect his otherworld father and younger self, Stiles is soon drawn out into the light and onto a path that forces him to confront the traumas of his past so that he can make a place for himself in this new world.

Notes: Just. This absolute beast of a universe is seriously so well done, and so good. Imagine play it again, but much more depressing and waaaay longer. The angst is on point! The Stilinskis are the best in this one. And Derek and Laura have my heart, love my pookies. Stiles is not having the best times, but he'll be looked after, don't worry! Also technically not complete, but all the pieces in the series are done.

10. The Ley Lines series by forestofbabel

Stiles is back in town after many years, angry and bitter and disconnected from anything you might call pack. It might as well be a tradition at this point that he gets drunk and wakes up in the woods. Only, this time, something is different.  The ghosts that have weighed in his heart are alive and well, and Stiles gets to witness a life that could have been his. There is one thing he knows, though. No matter how much he may want to stay, he has to go home.  If the ley lines you should follow, and your dwelling at the end, and find your presence has been hollowed, your hereafter is to amend." *** Stiles is faced in this new world with someone he had been avoiding for a long time. Himself.  The Double Walker cannot survive where the Double Walker dwells *** Derek had an itch under his skin. There was something missing. He knew exactly what it was. Who it was. His regrets paraded themselves in a steady stream, and he had to watch as Stiles left time and time again, knowing it would be the only way to let the ley lines heal. That didn't make it hurt any less. Still, some part of Derek hoped.

Notes: I honestly just read the first part, but I thought I'd add the whole series so people know what they're getting into. The first part can be read as a stand alone, so if anyone wants to stop after that they absolutely can. The fic itself is a bit sad, but it has a happy ending! Stiles travels to another dimension, and shenanigans follow. The series is complete.

#hope you like this! #fic recs #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #eternal sterek #one day I'll come here and post my own time travel sterek fic #today is not that day #time travel au #teen wolf #sterek fanfic #ao3

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

are there any nonproblematic snake content creators youd recommend ?? feels like hell just trying to get some reptile serotonin and then whoop nevermind theyre doing a lot of shit wrong lol

Oof that is genuinely a tough question! I have a list in my pinned of creators I've reviewed on this channel, but even the ones at the top have some caveats to be aware of (for example, I like Clint's Reptiles, but he's supported breeding spider ball pythons in the past).

Here are some creators that I really like and can recommend with zero hesitation:

Lori Torrini. Her YouTube channel is great, both for awesome care and great snake training tips.

Green Room Pythons is another channel I've come to really love and one of my go-tos when I want some cute snake content. This one is great especially for guides for beginners and advocating for non-minamalist keeping.

Not quite snakes, but Dr. Earyn McGee's Instagram (afro_herper) is great, she posts lots of awesome and educational lizard and general herp content.

#not a rating #reptile youtubers #reptile creator rankings

[hansoeii]

Several things: -LOVE your art, it’s amazing! Especially the one with Crowley and Aziraphale under the umbrella - which software do you use? Your art always look SO gorgeous (cheeky quote from GO right there lol) - how did you get so good at drawing?And thank you for encouraging other people to keep drawing and being so kind as I sometimes can’t help but compare my sketches to others and feel silly, but I guess it’s just a learning curve… Thank you so much for bringing your art to the world!😊

Thank you so much!!

I use Clip Studio Paint for drawing and Photoshop for small adjustments!

2. Haha thanks! Honestly...it's the hyperfixations. I managed to improve a lot in just a year because I've been drawing SO much cos there's so many shows and movies I became obsessed with that I wanted to create art for. So by drawing a lot I just naturally improved. For example these two Illustrations are just a year apart:

I actually didn't actively try to improve, it's been a while since I did proper studies (I just don't really have the time for it between freelancing and art school), it just happened.

But I can absoluetly recommend going on YouTube and look for some art tutorials if you actively want to start improving! There's some channels that helped me so much back then:

moderndayjames

Incredible shape language and super insightful tutorials on all kinds of topics! I learned so much from him.

Ahmed Aldoori

So many awesome tutorials on so many different areas of art. Love it.

Marco Bucci

Incredible tutorials on color theory and understanding how color works in general! Learned SO much from him!

Sinix Design

The OG tutorials I began learning from. I watched his videos religiously as a teen. I adore his painterly style and adopted it in some way, haha.

Ethan Becker

This dude sometimes drops these tiny art tips that just completely blow my mind and that I adopt immedietly. He's super entertaining but also such a great teacher.

And I can also recommend checking out this book by James Gurney if you want to get better at colors!

And for anatomy I highly recommend the Morpho books!

But improvement doesn't only come from drawing a lot. A lot of the time I don't draw for a while and just study the world and artists around me and suddenly I improved when I get back to drawing. Don't ever overwork yourself to the point that you don't enjoy what you do anymore. Take breaks and listen to your body!

I learned to try and not compare myself to other artists, which helped a lot. Through conventions and social media I made so many lovely artist friends and realized how we're all struggling in a very similar way. A lot of us don't even really know what we're doing most of the time, haha. But we help each other out, it's such a wonderful community. I think when you're not actively part of the community it tends to feel like other, more successful artists are some kind of art gods that have perfected the craft and never struggle. But believe me, all the artists you admire go through rough times all. the. time. Sometimes what they do feels easy and natural, other times (more often than not) it feels like you have to try and learn how to walk all over again and you start to doubt your abilities. I personally go through that so many times.

So what I'm trying to say is that instead of comparing yourself to the artists you admire, learn from them instead. Ask questions, befriend fellow artists, study the artists you enjoy and just have fun with it!

And finally I thought it would be fun to share some of my horrendous Johnlock fanart from a decade ago for some motivation:

I hope my answer didn't overwhelm you, but I thoight it would be nice to give a more detailed answer!

Have a wonderful day and keep drawing! :)

#ask #my art #art tutorial #art resources #art help #digital art

[kaz-oooo]

I’ve already done music recommendations so, you can check out these posts (playlists and list of artists) if you’re looking for that specifically. But Wilbur made a lot of content over the years and idk, i figured I’d make a a list of recommendations for similar content to fill that void as well :)

Minecraft SMP’s (specifically DSMP)

The same SMP’s but other POV’s — I’ll just start with this cos it’s the most iffy. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had with these fandoms still, and I personally don’t think we need to let the actions of a couple shitty guys ruin the silly Minecraft roleplay we all enjoy. That said, if you aren’t comfy watching these anymore that’s perfectly valid as well, especially since Wilbur’s character will be lurking around in the background of plenty of these. But yeah, we can also uplift other creators by watching the fun stories they made, especially those who got buried by bigger creators at the time. So Dream SMP, QSMP, Origins SMP, SMP earth, SMPlive all have content you can enjoy.

Different, completely unrelated SMP’s — hermitcraft, the life series, empires SMP (shubble was involved in this one, I’m planning on watching her POV when I find some time) etc. I’ve had plenty of people recommend these to me before, from what I’ve seen they’re very enjoyable :)

Hamilton — not even joking, if you enjoyed the L’manberg era of DSMP and you didn’t watch Hamilton, I’d heartily recommend it. Great music, lots of politics but all in a fun and silly way, also tragic endings!

Editor Wilbur ARG (I’m a massive ARG fan so I have tonnes of recommendations here)

Generation Loss — Ranboo’s very awesome Horror project that they’ve been working very hard on!!! Ranboo’s been teasing new content lately as well so that’s exciting

Analog horror series — Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, Mandela Catalog, Kane Pixel’s Backrooms videos, etc. All very good and spooky videos, definetely an inspiration for Gen Loss, and I know Wilbur enjoyed this content as well (though the editor Wilbur arg predates a lot of this genre) those are some of the biggest on YouTube atm, and some of my personal favourites, but there’s plenty more to find (I recommend channels like Nightmind and Nexpo who do analysis videos for all this horror and ARG stuff if you wanna find more)

Marble Hornets — gets its own category! One of the original analog horror genres (predated the genre actually) it’s basically one of the biggest and most comprehensive Slenderman series out there. There’s a LOT of content here and lots of lore and mystery (though a lot of the game clues have been lost to time) (Jack Manifold also reacted to this on stream, it was very chill and good fun)

Horror podcasts — Magnus Archives and Magnus Protocol, Malevolent and Archive 81 are some of my favourites, but there’s plenty more out there to find and enjoy :). Also very spooky with lots of mystery to involved, the Magnus Protocol is very new as well so great time to get into that!

Just Chatting / Geoguessr / other chill content

Geoguessr streamers / YouTubers — honestly I genuinely didn’t watch much geoguessr content outside of Wilbur’s streams so, I don’t have many recommendations here. I know Eret has been doing geoguessr streams lately and their content is very good and chill. Jacksuckatlife plays as well and last I watched he was fairly good at it (like similar skill level to Wilbur), otherwise Rainbolt is a geoguessr legend, he terrifies me a little ngl.

Other streamers — I think the thing with the just chatting streams is that we watch for *that specific streamer’s* personality. It’s hard to really make recommendations other than just saying go watch more of the streamers you enjoy. Personally I enjoy Phil’s hardcore streams, and Sneegsnag’s Crime Time the most, but there’s plenty of other people both in this MCYT space and outside of it that you’ll probably enjoy :)

Sorry boys (unlike horror I don’t watch much comedy so, sorry, this’ll be lacking)

Just Roll With It — Charlie Slimecicle’s DND podcast. I’ve only listened to a little bit of this but it’s really good and REALLY silly (oh, and emotional sometimes, gotta have a bit of angst y’know) Wilbur was a guest on a couple of episodes, but you can always skip past those if you want.

Tommy’s videos — so Wilbur features in a lot of the early vlogs and *minecraft but* videos, but Tommy’s content has always been good fun, his recent stuff is excellent as well! He’s been doing a lot of comedy content lately, specifically a live show so definitely check that out if you want :)

Smosh pit — not something I’ve watched a lot of, but I’ve seen clips of their try not to laugh videos and they’re definitely on par with the bat shit improv you get from Sorry Boys.

Game changer — again, not something I’ve watched much, mostly consumed through osmosis, but the show is funny, the cast is always silly and it’s a lot of fun all round

Whatever else Sorry Boys make after this — judging by some of the responses to Wilbur’s “statement” I think it’s fair to assume if Sorry Boys do continue making content Wilbur will be cut from the group. Of course don’t feel obligated to stick around if you don’t want to, but Wilbur won’t be compensated if he’s kicked and the rest of the guys are still fun :)

YLYL and similar goofy stuff

Just… other streamers again — Jack Manifold does YLYL streams with his friends. James Marriott does a lot of reaction videos as well, sometimes YLYL, sometimes reacting to content his viewers send in (like TikTok’s and break up texts), those are my favourites atm.

YouTubers — that niche between video essay and reaction content, people like Danny Gonzales, Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner, Pinely, all good fun YouTube channels that make good, silly, and easy to consume content.

Other gaming streamers and YouTubers — Slimecicle, Ranboo, Games Grumps, RT games, and SneegSnag all play a wide variety of games, they’re all relatively chill but none of them take the games all that seriously either so it’s fun and goofy as well :)

And of course Fanfiction!!!

I might be a little bias here cos I write myself but fic is created by and for fans and it exists to give you even *more* content about the stories you love, whether it be reimagining canon events or just dumping your favourite characters into a silly au.

I know a lot of authors (myself included) are feeling super conflicted and weird about writing Wilbur in the future. Plenty of authors have been moving onto new fandoms so if you find something you enjoy make sure you check out the author’s other work and who knows, maybe you’ll find some cool new fandoms that way!

And do the same for artists and other creators, or even go check out some of your mutuals fandoms, you guys might have more in common than you originally thought!

#wilbur soot #dsmp #the sorry boys #editor wilbur arg

[earthnashes]

hey, sorry, but i was wondering how you started on your fitness journey? i'm in a similar spot that you were two years ago and i want so badly to make the progress you have. i keep trying to begin but stopping because i get too scared or nervous, it's so daunting. do you have any good resources like websites/videos/youtube channels/blogs/etc.? i would really appreciate it. you look awesome and your post was super inspiring.

No apologies needed! It is pretty daunting man because it's getting into it for the long run.

Before I finally stuck with it I started and stopped several times in the past as well. If I were to give short tips personally on how to get started based on how I did:

-Start with the most simple thing for you and focus on building a habit out of it. Whatever that is, do it even if you don't want to. For me, I started with a scheduled walk around a trackfield (one full loop around the track) twice a week.

-Take the time to really outline your goals. Make sure to include short term goals and not only long term ones! It helps to say "I'm gonna walk for 5 minutes" and building up to the goal of "I'm gonna walk for 60 minutes", for example. Additional: having something visual can help with tracking it.

-Take it slow, and keep it simple. You're in this for the longhaul. And it will be very slow, but trust the progress and focus on the present

------------------------

As for resources, these are what I used (with some notes if it helps!)

Jeremy Either's Youtube Channel

Great source of information in regards to many things, particularly muscle building. I already had a base understanding of working out due to my sports background, but he's great for complete newbies and for anyone who needs a refresher. I still watch his stuff today but I don't rely on it nearly as much now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

Hybrid Calisthenics Youtube Channel

Fantastic channel for complete beginners and for people looking to get into the swing of things again, but at a slower rate. He focuses on being genuinely positive and encouraging finding ways that'll work specifically for you. That includes doing variations of exercises that may be too hard at first, like variations of the pushup, or pullup. Simple routines to get you started without destroying yourself. Very good channel, honestly.

Sean Nalewanyj Youtube Channel

He was the first fella I followed before I found Jeremy. His content is short, punctual, and easy to understand, so if you're looking for much quicker advice without the super detailed explanations his YT Shorts would be recommended. You'll likely have to do a little more research on your own to supplement the knowledge though. Like Jeremy I still watch his content.

Jeff Nippard Youtube Channel

His content is chocked full of research based shit and sometimes can be a tiiiiny bit much to follow, so not really something I'd recommend for beginning lifters. That said, his content in general is downright fascinating and if you're looking for in-depth analysis on the world of bodybuilding, powerlifting, and so on, he's my go-to.

Leanbeefpatty Youtube Channel

Her content is far more vlog-ish, but she gives solid advice while simultaneously just being fun to watch. I like how much more relaxed her stuff is as well, so if you're looking for something that isn't as potentially stressful I'd recommend her over anyone else listed.

Eugene Teo Youtube Channel

I've only just started watching him a couple of months ago but he's been a joy to listen to. His content is relatively chill but he gives indepth explanations without getting too science-y with them. He also promotes things other than fitness that'll help with your goals; stuff like mindful hobbies, healthy food-relation habits (for example: there's no such thing as a good or bad food), so on.

----------------

Other sources I've used to help educate myself the more I got into it include MyFitnessPal (I use it to count my calories and macros), Healthline, countless other youtubes I won't list just so I don't talk your ears off, and asking for tips from fellow gym goers who attend the same gym I do.

I hope these are of some help to you! And keep up the grind; take it one step at a time, and if you need any more advice you think I can help with I'm all ears. I'm rootin' for ya! :)

#weightlifting #powerlifting #ash talks #earthsong talks #training tips #workout tips

[megachaoticstupid]

Side-quests

Author's note: I was really down several years ago and wrote this. It is purely super-indulgent and I wrote it to get out of my bad headspace. I hope you will enjoy it! Also, huge thanks to @gothdaddyissues for the headers and to @her-satanic-wiles for, as always, being awesome

You are hyper fixating and your lover, Papa Emeritus II, takes care of you.

You were always preoccupied with your current obsessions, your interests varying from learning all you could do about a certain topic at hand, spending countless hours watching documentaries, reading books and articles or doing something crafty. Your room had boxes full of projects in different states of being finished laid there collecting dust and making you feel guilty. You always promised to yourself to get your inspiration back and finish them. Usually, you never did.

And now, you were sitting behind your desk, shoulders tense as you worked on your new ambitious project: crocheting a big blanket for Papa Primo. It sounded really easy and it looked really easy. And after spending hours watching videos where people were crocheting things and it took them only several days to finish, you were greatly inspired to do the same. Your mind latched onto the opportunity to get a new source of dopamine even though you didn’t know how to hold a hook.

You wanted to make Primo cozy, to help him relax on the chilly nights under a warm blanket. So, for you the only logical and easy way to help him, was making it yourself. How long can it take? Two days? A week? You wanted to make a big blanket for him, 2 meters long and 1.8 meter wide. You saw people on the internet making bigger projects in less than a week, so you were certain you could do it with ease.

Spending hours on YouTube and watching videos from amazing creators, you couldn’t help yourself but go down further and further this rabbit hole, learning a lot about the yarn, how to differentiate between them, which hooks and materials are the best, you watched hundreds of tutorials on how to do this or that stitch, somehow you even landed on the crocheting drama channels that gossiped about scandals in this online community. And you were surprised with a ferocity of it and all of the drama people in such a peaceful hobby. It was amusing, it was wonderful and your mind was vibrating from all of this new information which you generously spilled to everyone willing to listen. Mostly to your lover, Secondo.

At the beginning of your peculiar relationship, he was sometimes greatly surprised with the way your mind worked. All of your conversations jumped from one topic to another, losing the initial thought completely and then returning to it thirty minutes later, as you rambled to him about everything. And he loved it greatly, being a listener, rather than a talker, getting dragged into your spiraling stories with a smile on his face. Sometimes he had to repeat his questions to you, noticing that you zoned out of the conversation with him or other people. It was adorable and he just silently accepted that you needed several reminders and notification about chores or that sometimes you can take a side quest doing your task, or loose your things that were mere minutes ago in your hands. He never minded to help you.

And after entering your new phase together, he didn’t want to admit it, but he just loved all of the petty drama people would come up with. And to your amusement he sometimes stopped in his tracks when you once again listened to one of those crocheting drama videos, hands on his hips, completely absorbed in the story, making small huffs of bewilderment. If you teased him, he scoffed at you, calling it all a nonsense and returned to his chores. But you know well that his ears were still perked up with interest and he never left the room until the video ended.

He always showered you in his affections, giving you small gifts and taking you out on the fancy and deliberate dates, giving you all the spare time he had. Sometimes he even joined in on your new hobby, helping you paint or making pottery with you. Usually, on the quiet evenings he read you out loud a book he was interested in, while you laid beside him, working on your project. Or he would listen to podcasts with you, humming to the interesting parts, hands lazily stroking your side. He never imposed, never questioned your sudden bursts of energy and for that alone you loved him so much.

And now you were sitting at your ambitious big project which had been due months ago and still wasn’t finished. The guilt you felt was matching your frustration. You liked to crochet, you liked to do stuff in general, but you were inexperienced and sometimes needed to redo your work because you made stiches too tight or too loose and it drove you mad.

It was fun at the beginning, the colors you chose for the patched blanket were nice and soothing, the yarn was soft and squares for a patched blanket were fun with different stitch for every color. But you had miscalculated the amount of each square you had to do, and now you had to make more black squares and needed to redo blue ones because they were too big and loose compared to the others. And some of them were with uneven sides because you forgot to count your every row.

To you it was a complete disaster. Your fingers itched and ached as you hunched at your work, cursing at yourself and this stupid blanket. You wanted it to be perfect while it was everything but perfect. You wanted to cry, working on this blanket through sheer willpower and stubbornness, wanting nothing more than to throw it all away. You swore at yourself, tears prickling your eyes as your mind spiraled. Today was not the best day to work on your crocheting hobby, punishing yourself for being so slow with it. And on top of that, it was the middle of summer and the yarn which was warm and nice in February now was too warm to your liking, making you sweat and even air conditioner couldn’t help you.

All you needed to do is to make five more white squares and put them all together in a desired order and be done with it. But in your frustration, you couldn’t concentrate, drifting off to other tasks in your thoughts or sometimes just spacing out looking at the tv. You put on play some restoration videos not a while ago and now they looked more interesting and inviting than your task at hand.

The door behind you opened and gently closed, footsteps were quietening by the floor carpet, but you still recognized them: Secondo returned from his duties. He came closer to you, putting his hand on your shoulder. His cologne filled your nose relaxing you as Secondo leaned slightly to look in your eyes. When he saw tears in them, he frowned. His hand gently cupped your cheek and brushed it

“What is wrong, amore? Did someone hurt you?”

You shook your head, ashamed of your emotions and bit on your bottom lip. His voice was tender and soft and it made you want to cry more. You placed your hand upon his, leaning your head to his touch and made a deep shaky breath. Secondo noticed the yarn on the floor and a wobbly white square on your lap. He sighed leaning closer and kissing your forehead.

“Did you eat today or even take a break, tesoro?”

You shook your head again and sighed looking guilty. He tugged you by your hands, making you stand up and rubbed them. His gaze was soft and tender as he kissed you briefly on your lips.

“I am hungry myself. Let’s eat together and then I will help you with your stuff, okay?”

“Thank you”

You said, hugging him close to you and hiding your face in his shoulder

“I am always so stupid and forget everything”

He kissed the top of your head and hugged you closer

“You are not stupid, tesoro, you are just really invested in everything you do. And I really love that about you”

He kissed you once again this time on the forehead and led you into the kitchen where he sat you down and started making dinner. You always loved the way he did it: the sleeves of his shirt rolled up revealing his forearms, the apron sat tight on his body and his strong hands worked on the table, preparing food. Sometimes you got too carried away with your thoughts and then the dinner was postponed, because your chef was too preoccupied with you rather than food. This time though, you just simply sat on the chair and let yourself relax, chatting with Secondo about his day and yours. The sound of the knife working on the cutting board was almost soothing.

After dinner, you helped him to wash the dishes and put them away, humming to the music from the radio. He pulled you into the dance in the middle of the chore and you giggled for the first time today, swaying to music and giving him all of the kisses you can give, his hands slid down your waist and rested on the hips, squeezing them tightly.

“So, what is with your blanket?”

He asked and your smile dropped as you remembered all of your failures. You shook your head

“It is a disaster, I hate it and I am already late for Primo’s birthday.”

“It is not that bad. I saw what you did and it looks really good, amore, you are too hard on yourself”

He tried to reassure you, kissing your cheek and smiling warmly at you. You smiled back weakly and stepped aside, hugging yourself.

“I really hate it already and hate that my mind just can’t focus on this, you know? And I feel stupid that I get distracted, loose count and ta-da I made it wrong and I need to redo this.”

You sighed exasperatedly, looking frustrated and he took you in his arms again

“Let’s do this then: we let it sit for some time, doing another hobby and then return to your blanket and finish it together, hm?”

The idea sounded tempting and you almost wanted to follow it, slightly relaxing in his embrace.

“I will forget about it if I put it away.”

“Good thing that I don’t forget about such things. We will relax together, maybe go to a party or on a date in a restaurant and later this week finish this present. Primo will be happy to receive it any time of the year.”

You hugged him tightly, whispering thanks to him. This week you went on dates and did his hobbies. Together you book binded the journals and had fun at his favourite club, baked pastries and went to a picnic. All of this helped you to let yourself go and when he suggested to help you crocheting, you didn’t argue, showing him how to make rows and basic stiches, needed for the white squares.

He learnt quickly, grumbling at the yarn when he pulled on it too tight or let it get looser than he wanted. You crocheted the blanket together, watching his favourite soap opera. You didn’t even notice when you finish all of your work and finally stitched together all of the squares, too preoccupied with the drama unfolding in the plot. Secondo was lying beside you on the bed, hook in his arm and eyes glued to the tv. He frowned and swore when the mother of one of the main heroes argued with his lover and splashed her face with water.

“Have you seen the audacity, amore? I hope Sarah will be with him out of spite.”

You chuckled at him, hugging him close and kissing him on the cheek. His arms circled around your waist and brought you closer to him. He made you feel so calm and at peace with his presence alone. Kissing him once again, you lay in his arms and sighed happily.

#secondo x reader #secondo #papa emeterius ii #papa emeterius ii x reader #papa emeterius fanfiction #the band ghost #the band ghost fanfiction #ghost bc #ghost band #ghost the band

[peppermintschnapps]

YOUTUBE BULLSHIT: a channel I'm subbed to made a really awesome video essay on the retro game "Baroque" made for the Sega Saturn in 1998 -- but because he used the word "murder" in it, YouTube decided to age restrict the video which removes it from searches and recommendations. Basically, YouTube killed any reach his video might have had, and as such he's been forced to reupload it with a sprinkling of tiny audio edits.

Dungeon Chill put a lot of time and effort into this really well crafted video and it must be sooo sore to have YouTube unfairly rip that away -- SO, maybe if cryptic surreal games are up your alley, or if you're into obscure/forgotten games in general, OR if a thoughtful retrospective on Baroque (1998) sounds interesting to you... perhaps you could watch the video, throw in a like, or a possible sub 👉👈🥺 etc.

I'm watching it a second time anyway, because it's genuinely just that good!

thank you for your time and consideration

#baroque #baroque 1998 #sega saturn #roguelite #roguelike #sega #retro games #retro gaming #Youtube #rpg #jrpg

[ohdeerfully]

OhDeerfully's Discord

I already have a post like this, but since it's been some time and the server has been flashed out a bit, I wanted to make a new post with more details!

Click to Join!!!

All About It

first of all, if you like my writing, the discord is a great place to get in touch with me! i love chatting with everybody. plus, i have my own little corner where i post sneak peaks to my fics and links to new posts as soon as they come out

we also accept all citizens of alastor nation

also just a general place to chat with other writers, get feedback for writing, request writing, etc. etc. all about writing!

the server has come a long way in just a week (or two i dont really know tbh), and still growing!! help me build this empire >:)

everybodys welcome! you dont have to write your own fanfiction to join or anything; just connect with other hellaverse fans!

also i may plan a hazbin hotel (or something else) watchparty later on, so u should totally join for that it would be awesome

Contents

as stated above, there are a handful of writing related channels from self-promotion, requests, feedback, etc.

share your art too! and OCs if you have them. we eat those up like crazy. theres a "share your OC" tax to joining the server btw (im joking)

fresh baked roles. standard color, gender, and interests roles but also choose which of the seven deadly sins you are, and where you are in the hellaverse hierarchy! fun stuff. we are overrun with overlords and its awesome

honestly just a fun, little growing community of real nice people who all share a passion for hazbin hotel, helluva boss, and fanfiction!!

^also we have this emoji specifically which i think is neat I JUST LOOKED AT THIS ON MOBILE AND REALIZED HOW HORRIBLE IT LOOKS IM SO SORRY

Really Simple Rules

rule #1 be awesome B)

also please be respectful. considering my blog is an 'x reader' type blog, there's no shortage of that! if that makes you uncomfortable (especially alastor x reader), this server may not be for you. if you still join, just be polite!

minors are welcome. i know hazbin is pretty NSFW, but please don't post anything explicitly nsfw. i can make an 18+ restricted channel if needed

tbh i trust yall to behave so i dont need to be more strict

Click to Join!!!

still not sure? no worries! you can easily access the link later on all of my fanfic posts! or, you can find this post under the '#ohdeerfully discord' tag

if you have any questions, feel free to DM me!

#ohdeerfully discord #ohdeerfully #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel discord #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor x reader #alastor headcanons #alastor x you #pls join we dont bite

[webs4ribs]

ATTENTION ALL MAGNUS PROTOCOL ENJOYERS!

We’re starting a TMA community and daily live-listen discord channel to get you ready for The Magnus Protocol!

You heard it here first, folks! A safe and interactive 15+ community created by TMA fans that hopes to harbor an awesome online space for artists, writers, theorists, newbies, and all other fans to come together and participate in a really cool fandom experience as the Magnus Protocol release approaches.

Read more about the server below the cut! (Reblogs appreciated)

We’re hoping to foster a community that can involve anyone and everyone: from hardcore TMA veterans to those who have never listened to the podcast before. We've got some epic channels that create fun spaces for artists, writers, theorists, and first-time listeners, along with those who’re just into chilling out. We can’t wait to experience the podcast with you all in a funky fresh new way.

Here’s some of what we have planned:

A daily one episode group live-listen accompanied by a live chat so you can listen to the original podcast in real time with other fans. We plan on beginning these live listens on Monday, March 27th so that we can finish the podcast in October on Friday the 13th! This’ll be around the same time that The Magnus Protocol releases.

Weekly collaborative whiteboards for artists to doodle together!

An artist focused space!

A writer focused space!

A theorist focused space!

A spoiler free space for first time listeners!

Open general chats, TMA chats, and VCs to hang out and meet other fans!

We have some lovely mods who take on the role as avatars dedicated to keeping the space friendly and fun! Feel free to use this link, or reach out to any of us (including myself) for an invite to the server!

Let’s get the word out! If you have any friends who’re looking to get into TMA, let them know that nows the time! Reblogs appreciated!

#my art #please dont feel scared to reach out if you're having trouble joining the server or if you have any questions! #we're really excited about this project and hopefully other folks are too! #tma #tma fanart #the magnus archives #the magnus protocol #magnus protocol #the magnus archives fanart #magnus archives #rusty quill tma #magnuspod #magpod #jonathan sims #jon tma #jonathan sims fanart #jon sims fanart #tim stoker #tim stoker fanart #martin blackwood #martin blackwood fanart #sasha james #sasha james fanart

[sunshineshifts]

last night I channeled one of my S/O's and it was so cool. it wasn't as vivid as I expected it to be I, and I sort of felt that there was a chance I was just talking to myself, but this morning I woke up with basically no doubts that it was real. I couldn't really hear him, but I got like. a general vibe of how he responded to whatever I was saying. And I asked him to hold my hand at some point and I swear I felt it, I felt a pressure and just. a sense that he was there. I just felt so comfortable talking to him... I felt the connection we have even though we were in entirely different realities. It was Awesome.

I also understand those couples now who when they call they're like "okay I'm hanging up now..." *continues talking* "okay for real this time I gotta go..." *continues talking* *this repeats several times* wkwkkwks

#reality shifting #shifting realities #shiftblr #shifting #shifting community #desired reality #quantum jumping #sunny ☀️ channels #sunny's ☀️ s/os #channeling

[pinesource]

Early Chris Pine is a trip to watch. You played a hard partier in an episode of "E.R." You cried in front of David Caruso in "CSI: Miami." At that time in your life, were you just going after anything?

Fuck yeah! Don't be a waiter. Actually, I was a host at a restaurant and just hated it. Could not have hated it anymore. I was not a people person. It was all about just getting work.

You started getting noticed thanks to romantic comedies — "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Just My Luck," "Blind Dating" — would you watch any of those titles now? Like, if you're in a hotel room flipping through the channels and it comes on.

I mean, not a chance. And that's for most of my films. It's too difficult because then you're thinking, "God, why did I fucking do that?" Or "Why did they pick that take?"

What I will say, though, is I get more people coming up to me about "Princess Diaries 2," and I think that's because it's played for so many generations of young girls now. So that's a trip.

Playing Captain Kirk in the "Star Trek" movies must have been daunting — not only were you taking on an iconic IP, but the actor who originated the character, William Shatner, is still so synonymous with Kirk. Were you ever comfortable in that role?

It's interesting. Karl Urban decided to go head first into McCoy because Karl loved "Star Trek." With Spock, you have to do Spock-like things, plus Zach [Quinto] kind of looked like Leonard [Nimoy]. And then Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don't want to occupy too much space. It's fine if they are doing a thing, but you don't want to. And J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing, though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun.

But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn't feel like I was trying too hard.

Has the ship sailed to do Kirk again?

I honestly don't know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with "Trek," I just wait and see.

"Unstoppable" is the moment, I feel, where you're not fucking around anymore. Tony Scott, working across from Denzel Washington —

Youth really is wasted on the young [laughs]. It's such an awesome moment. It's one of the biggest films of the year; all the lights are shining on you, all the possibility of you being able to do whatever you want. I really wish I took more effort to enjoy that moment.

I was reading a lot of scripts at the time, and I was on a plane when I read this one. And I didn't want to like it because it's a train. It's like, what is my job in this fucking film? The train is going to explode and then it's not. You know exactly what is going to happen.

But Mark Bomback wrote this incredible script, and I was on the plane, and I couldn't stop reading it. I would push it away — No. Buuut. No, nope. Buuut. I just could not turn away from it. Plus, Tony Scott was a god to me. He'd done "Days of Thunder" and "Top Gun," and then you add into that mix Denzel, plus that it's a two-hander that takes place in one location. From an acting class standpoint, I'm getting paid a lot of money to learn at the feet of one of the best who has ever done it. It was out of control cool. I learned more from that set about what it means to be a movie star than probably anything else.

Before "Hell or High Water," you'd worked with Ben Foster in "The Finest Hours." How much of the praise you received for that movie do you attribute to the comfort you two had in working together?

I think it's more than that. Taylor [Sheridan] wrote a banger script. That script is one of the five best scripts I've ever read in my entire life. So you have the writing. Then you have David [Mackenzie] coming off of making "Starred Up," which is an incredible film, and then you have the Jeff Bridges of it all.

I think I held my own there, but you have these two incredibly dynamic actors: Jeff is the legend, and Ben is a caged animal of an actor. I had a lot of fun because up until that point, I hadn't played a closed-off, non-talkative, non-charming leading man. So I was really stoked to take that on. I think it was all the pieces coming together, not just one thing.

By the time you did the "Wonder Woman" franchise, you had done your fair share of blockbusters. Was there a moment in filming the first movie when you realized this one was different than the others?

I got pitched the film and didn't want to do it. Patty came on board and I still didn't want to do it. I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle. Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, "Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is "Casablanca," that's the movie I want to make." And I was like, oh, now that is very cool, because when had you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing shit up.

For me, the pivotal moment is the scene on the tarmac; it's "Casablanca" by a different name. So when I saw that film, man. Film is not an actor's medium, it's a director's and editor's medium, and shit can go wrong really fast, and that was a movie where you're in the theater and you get lost in it. You forget you're in it. That's when you know it's gold.

Do you or Gal Gadot or Patty feel that there's unfinished business with the franchise not doing a third movie?

Me? No. Homie is dead. Steve is gonzo. It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back.

I'm stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere. I don't know what the reasoning was behind that; it's above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character, and Patty is such a thoughtful director. Even think of "Wonder Woman 1984" — that's a blockbuster movie that is a hero's journey not about revenge. I mean, wow. People poo-pooed it, but wow!

#chris pine #interview #news

[wilbursoot-updates]

LOVEJOY: “WE ALWAYS LIKE TO BE CONSTANTLY PUSHING OURSELVES”

Lovejoy is in this article!

We speak to the Brighton quartet about their recent US tour, their career so far, and what it was like being involved in Spotify’s recent Our Generation pop-up.

Nowadays, it can feel like an increasingly rare sight to see an independent guitar band rise rapidly through the album charts; so when Lovejoy’s EP ‘Pebble Brain’ reached Number 12 in late 2021, it certainly caused a few ripples.

The Brighton quartet - who recently released their new EP ‘Wake Up & It’s Over’ - have had the luxury of an in-built fanbase from day one, thanks to the sizeable audience that frontman William Gold had been able to build through his own Twitch and YouTube channels, but as their music so far indicates, Lovejoy are more than worth their early success.

Charged by their Top 40 single ‘Call Me What You Like’, there’s an infectious, ebullient energy to their music, spearheaded by the soaring riffs of lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith and the rock-solid rhythm of Ash Kabosu’s bass and Mark Boardman’s drums.

As if to cement the hype, last month, the band released a Spotify Singles project that included a stripped back version of ‘Call Me What You Like’, alongside a cover of beabadoobee’s ‘The Perfect Pair’, and they also played a rare, intimate acoustic show as part of Spotify’s Our Generation pop-up event in London.

We caught up with the band halfway through a string of US dates that are the biggest shows of their career to date, to discuss their recent shifts in sound, making sense of their early success and the joys of playing such small shows.

You’re in the middle of a US tour, playing the biggest shows of your careers so far out there. How’s it been going?

Will Gold: It’s been really cool, and very different. It’s really nice to be going to different states that we’ve never seen before. I never thought I’d ever see Tennessee, and yet here I am, sat in Tennessee!

Ash Kabosu: In Dallas last night, we had, I think, the loudest crowd we’ve ever had. On the decibel counter on the sound-desk, it hit over 120. The previous record was Glasgow. It was crazy.

Will: 120 is what you get when you’re stood next to a jet engine.

Ash: It’s fine, when we go back to Glasgow, they’re just going to have to scream louder.

What is life on the road like with Lovejoy, what’s a normal day in the life?

Mark Boarman: It’s really fun, we’re having a fucking blast. Nashville was awesome, we went out on Broadway and we watched a bunch of country bands, they were all really fucking talented. And just the vibes were great, everyone was just singing and dancing and having a fun time. Nashville just loves music and it was really cool to see that, but then also to play there. It really felt like a bit of a proving ground for us. To be able to put on a show there and actually impress people, that’s amazing. The calibre of stuff that they’re used to is very high, so that felt like a crowning moment, for me at least.

Can you sense the difference in crowds between the UK and US?

Will: I feel like I’m performing more in front of American crowds, which isn’t a better or worse feeling, but it’s very different. In Europe, especially when we were in France, it felt like a big party that I was invited to, whilst here I definitely feel a bit more of a ‘being on stage’ kind of vibe.

As we speak, your EP is about to be released, and it’s the first one you’ve released in 18 months. Do you think listeners will be surprised by what they hear from the new stuff – do you feel the band has moved on sonically since 2021?

Ash: Yes, very much so. This is an entirely new era of music for us. I think we’re pulling from some slightly different influences; overall, it’s a bit heavier and a bit dirtier and grungier than what came before. And it feels like we’re kind of back on track. It’s a lot closer to our first EP in tone and style. It feels like ‘Pebble Brain’ was perhaps a bit of an experiment into a more summery, playful sound, whereas this is a lot more, not serious, but cooler. We’re cool now!

You mentioned new influences – who did you have in mind?

Ash: I’d say we’ve always been inspired by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, but I feel like we’re really wearing that inspiration on our sleeve for at least a few of these new songs. And also bands like The Strokes. Especially with Joe’s guitar riffs, we’re very heavily inspired by those bands.

If you think back to when you guys first formed this band, is this what you imagined it was going to be like? Ash: I had no expectation at all! It’s far beyond anything that I thought would be possible.

Will: Exactly the same, we’ve been blown away by all the support. It feels humbling and it feels like we can’t owe it back to them enough for the support they’ve given us. At the same time, it’s validating for how much work we’ve put into our previous two records, to have this kind of support for the next one and to have all these people showing up. It’s really touching, all of our hard work is coming to fruition.

“The [Spotify Our Generation] gig opened our eyes a little bit to hopefully doing some more intimate shows in the future.”

— Ash Kabosu

One of the things that is particularly distinctive about Lovejoy is that you do have this huge and dedicated fanbase for the stage of career that you’re at. I guess that must also come with a certain level of pressure?

Ash: I guess that’s one of the reasons that it’s taken so long to get this next record out, we want it to be the best thing we can do.

Joe Goldsmith: We thrive on that kind of pressure. The desire to want to write songs for people that are fun and exciting is something that we like and enjoy. It pushes us, and hopefully we can make better songs as a result of that.

You’ve just released the Spotify Singles recently, and played a very intimate show for the Spotify Our Generation pop-up event. That’s a very artist-focused project, was that an enjoyable experience?

Ash: It was really cool to be given that opportunity. That gig was really nice. It opened our eyes a little bit to hopefully doing some more intimate shows in the future, maybe with acoustic setups. We’re obviously on this trajectory now of live shows where we’re slowly ramping up the size of the venues, but to play for maybe 70 or 100 people, it was really cool. We really, really enjoyed it. There will be more of those in the future.

What do you get from a crowd that size that you don’t get from a bigger one?

Ash: I think there’s a connection there. When you’re playing to a thousand people, there’s a certain level of detachment, it’s too many people for stupid monkey brain to process, and so it can be a bit overwhelming at times. But when there are fewer people in the room, you can actually make eye contact with them and engage with them on a much more personal level. You’re all singing the songs together and it’s just a lot tighter knit.

Are you constantly surprising yourselves? You’ve spoken about the shifts in sound over time and the growing live shows, do you feel like you’re still developing quite rapidly?

Will: I think art without experimentation is just formula. You’ve got to constantly experimenting and trying new things, or you start going a bit mad, or bland. We always like to be constantly pushing ourselves. Coming into the space with the audience almost already established – we dropped our first single and a lot of my previous audience moved across, and it was lovely of them to do so – I feel like we’ve almost done it backwards. Most bands have to write the good songs first, and then get the audience. We started with the audience first, and now we have to write good songs to prove ourselves.

Ash: It definitely is strange to be doing festival headline sets and playing on main stages when we’ve got twelve songs! We play our entire discography at every show.

#lovejoy #wilbur soot #ash kabosu #mark boardman #joe goldsmith #articles

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

love screaming about sonic!!

when i was a kid we moved a lot and didnt have cable but the one channel we got had sonic underground and I thought that was the coolest thing ever! me and my siblings made so many fan theories about how they would find their mother but were dismayed to discover it had been cancelled (this was like 2010, it had been dead in the water for a while)

sonic was in the background for a while but then i got into deep dive videos and video game history and started collecting nintendo ds/3ds games, systems, accessories, weird shit, ect!! my goal is to own every sonic game for the ds and 3ds (including sega titles that happen to have sonic on the cover)

i also have sonic generations for the xbox in my game collection which is weird bc i never had an xbox.

first sonic game i actually played was shadow the hedgehog! me and my brother had such a great time bc every time shadow slid off the road into the abyss he said ‘damn,, not here..”

i currently don’t have any 3ds sonic games but i have 7 ds titles, 3 switch titles, 2 wii titles, and the xbox game lmao

there are two(?) more ds games i dont have, sonic classics and sega classics

first thing i bought from hot topic was an eggman tshirt, got gifted several sonic shirts for holidays, spent my first paycheck on a handmade shadow the hedgehog doll, have several figurines, a rad hoodie that was less than 20 dollars and is super awesome, i diy’ed my own knuckles halloween costume and handsewed my own spiked gloves, i tried explaining archie lore to my grandparents but they did not understand

its really fascinating how sonic and the internet are so intertwined for the better and the worse

i filled two sketchbooks with sonic OCs and characters, also my friends as sonic characters, or any one who sat still long enough XD

SONIC UNDERGROUND???

[yridenergyridenergy]

Hiii, greetings from southeast asia! ❤️

i like your blog btw

And i wanna ask you as new fans of Dir, what do you think about all member? Please describe each member and tell me who is ur favorite?

Hello, sorry for the delay! I knew that this question required a thoughtful answer.

Welcome to Dir en grey! They're frickin' awesome.

Hm I'm terrible at describing people. Essentially, none of them are mean or offensive. They are all very considerate individuals. What's special about Dir en grey is that they are not social and they do not profusely share with fans, so whenever they do or that they interact among themselves, we all go gaga because by that point, we're craving for it hahah.

In terms of them individually, hm, I can't say that Toshiya imposes himself, but he is definitely not a passive bassist. He moves very emotionally to the songs and it's super heartwarming to see him smile on stage. Recently, he opened his online fan site and he seems very generous and, again, very thoughtful with what he gives to fans, after all those years of drought.

Die has a kind of mysterious air to him, but he is rather communicative and energetic. For years, apparently he has been sharing daily updates/pictures on his online fan club.

When it comes to Shinya, he's a stoic angel hahah. He really has his signature look and his facial expression remains neutral whenever he plays the drums, but he beats them like a beast. I love his compositions because they're so atypical and varied, you can never get bored of the melodies. I also love his style of humor, which you can see on his YouTube channel.

Kaoru gives the impression of really being serious, but he is quick to kind of fool around too. He is known as the leader but he is clearly super laidback. From what I know, he is rather generous and attentive with fans too, and his art is very cool and gloomy!

Over the years, I've come to love them all quickly enough, but Kyo was definitely my favourite member of Dir en grey from the start. At this point, it might be easier to find words that do not describe Kyo than limit myself to a few words that do describe him. His performance on stage is striking, his lyrics aren't necessarily genius but the way he delivers them, wow. I don't know any other singer who comes up with vocal melodies that are this diverse and so felt. And I've looked, I'm open to discoveries but nothing's a match for his creativity. What else to say without stretching this post on forever... Hm, I've definitely known him to be moody, but he just expects a raw and true response from people like what he gives us, and he can't be bothered to fake. As a last note, I'll make an honorable mention to every "smirky" thing he does, whether on stage or in his various other activities. He is not outright laughing while slapping his leg for example, but once in a while he does shenanigans and you can just imagine a smirk behind it. And if you love Kyo, please give his second band, sukekiyo, a chance! It's amazing and you can witness another side of Kyo!

Even though I gave myself some time to think of a reply, this is in no way perfect or eloquent... Please explore my posts from this year and the past ones and you should notice some traits from each member! Perhaps the compilations are a good starting point?

#Dir en grey #anon #ask