#making a word search online is really easy actually

[flowergirlmiwa]

first three words you notice describe your 2023!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

the girl next door 2

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as age gap, manipulation, chronic illness, noncon/dubcon, coercion, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: A new neighbour moves in and upends your already disarrayed life.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself.

This lewk but silverfox

You gnaw on your cheek as you read over the letter. Final warning. You really didn't think much of the first five but that word catches your worry; litigation.   

Your mother grunts and clicks her pen, dropping it as she curses under her breath. She tosses the crossword book away from the chair. For all your life, you remember her working on her puzzles. Now, she can hardly hold pen steady enough to put in a single clue.  

"Mom, you want another coke before I head out?" You ask.  

"Where are you 'headed out' to?" She scowls.  

"Just outside. Try to figure out the mower."  

"Piece of shit," she sneers and for a moment, you're not sure if she means the machine or you.  

"So..."  

"Just go," she snips.  

You purse your lips around the cut of her tone. You leave her in her recliner and you go down the hallway to the back door. You shove your feet into your stained vans and let yourself gently outside.  

You come down the steps and cross the overgrown grass to the garage. You prop the door open with an old paint can and drag put the mower. You haul it over to the little patch of pavement by the house as the sunlight raises beads of sweat across your forehead.  

You shade your eyes and squint. You don't get the thing. It's not even motorized, it just started catching. You can't push it hard enough to make it go. It only bounces uselessly across the ground.  

You squat and put it on its side. You examine the blades, nervous to dig between the mulching teeth. You grab a stick and poke around. It breaks and you rip it out.  

"Dang it," you whisper.  

You stand up. It's too hot to think. As much as you miss the sunshine in the grim winters, the heat is less than welcome.   

"Hey, excuse me," a voice startles you. You ignore it, thinking maybe it's just the neighbours on the other side of the fence. "Um, miss?"  

You turn towards the voice and find a man peeking through the loose slat in the fence. You sigh. Yeah,   

that needs to be fixed too.  

You stare dumbly. You recognise the man. It takes a few seconds to remember where you saw him. He was with the realtor. You hadn't see much yet, not that you ventured outside often. The sign changed to sold and that was that.  

"Hi, uh, so this," he touches the plank, swiveling it on the hanging nail.

You nod and go to the edge of the patch of pavement but no further. You nibble your lip and search for something to say. Talking to mom is easy, you know what to expect, but strangers are different.   

"Gonna fix it," you assure him flatly.  

"Yeah, well, I was actually thinking, I'm just doing a few touch ups right now and I could spare a couple nails or two."  

You tilt your head and bring your hands together, mashing your palms anxiously, "it's rotted."  

He wiggles the wood and little slivers fall away. He hums disappointed, "sure is." He smiles as his blue eyes shine in the sunlight, "no problem then. I'm sure I can find something at the hardware store."  

You hesitate. You should mention you can afford even half a plank. Grandma left you the house and enough to cover property taxes, but mom's monthly cheques are already stretched thin. If he doesn't ask, you won't offer.  

"Steve," he stretches his arm through the opening.  

You look at his hand. Your stomach flip flops. You don't want to be rude as much as you don't want to touch this strange man. Well, no use in making another enemy around here.  

You lift your feet as you trudge through the high grass. As you near, the sweat slakes down your back. You gently shake his hand, just for a second, and pull back.  

"And your name? Neighbour?" 

You stare at the collar of his grey tee shirt and eke your name out. 

“Is it just you over here?” He asks. 

You shake your head. You bend your arm to pick at your sleeve. You don’t mind introductions but you’re not much for conversation. You don’t need him prying into things. If anyone really saw inside those walls, they’d only feel bad for you. You’d rather their apathy. 

“Oh, you got kids? A husband?” 

You wince. It’s almost a flattering assumption yet a reminder of everything you don’t have. You’re not old enough to really think about all that anyway. 

You glance back at the side of the house. You should hose that down and get rid of the mildew. Another tick on the endless list. 

“Mom,” you say. 

“Ah, makes sense. You in school?” 

You shake your head again. He’s quiet. You sway listlessly. 

“Anyway...” he says. 

You put your head down and back away. You go back to the mower, bending down to fiddle with it again. You could see if anyone would lend you one but that means asking and as much as the neighbourhood paints itself in friendly smiles, they aren’t genuine. The letter on the kitchen table is proof of that. 

“Not working?” The man, Steve asks. You cringe and stand up. He’s still there. 

You shrug as you look at him. You turn back to the mower and lift it by the handles. You try to ignore the nosy neighbour and line it up with the grass. You push and it doesn’t move easy. You grunt and it rolls over the grass. You think maybe it’s working but as you turn, you notice the grass stands back up, only slightly bent. 

“You know, I got a nice electric one. Isn’t here yet but I can bring it tomorrow on the truck,” he offers, “I wouldn’t mind doing a once over, if you need.” 

You huff and push the mower over. 

“Can’t pay you,” you stomp back towards the house. 

“I didn’t say anything about money,” he chimes. 

You stop by the steps and cross your arms. You look at him, “too much.” 

“Well, if you change your mind, you can just come knock on my door,” he says. 

You nod and spin around again. You climb the steps, fighting to keep your steps even. You want to run inside and hide but you don’t want him to see how desperate you are to get away. 

The screen door snaps shut behind you. You kick off your shoes and go down the hall. Your mother huffs from her recliner. 

“You figure it out?” She asks. 

“No,” you flop onto the couch. 

“Knew ya wouldn’t,” she snorts as she stares out the window. “Man’s back. Musta bought the place.” 

“Uh, yeah,” you lean back, pulling the collar of your shirt over your face to sop up the sweat. “It’s hot.” 

“Nah, you’re just whiny,” she snickers. 

You don’t respond. You know better than that. You let her have her truth. Whatever she thinks of you, you can’t disprove. The world is she says it is. 

🏠

Your bedroom window shines yellow with the noon sun. The heat beams down on the folding table, warming your hands as you scratch charcoal onto thick paper. You still have grass stains on your fingers from another fruitless attempt at fixing the mower. Another day and you expect another letter isn’t far behind. 

As you focus on the lines and curves left by the pencil, your anxiety subsides. Drawing is the only thing that helps you forget. Really forget. You don’t think about the house or the lawn or the HOA or your mom. It’s just you and the pencil. 

You lean your forehead in your hand as you cross hatch the shadows. The chirping birds and the soft breeze deepen your trance. The world around you is distant and dim. You’re only awoken but the sudden and unfamiliar ‘ding dong’. 

You sit up. It takes a moment before you realise what it was. The doorbell? No one ever rings it. No, even Marge from the HOA waits until you come out to get the mail to accost you. 

You put the pencil down and get up. You go out and peek down the hallway. You creep along and stop at the doorway to the front room. You mom sniffs and wipes her eyes. She must have fallen asleep in her chair. 

“Who is it?” She snarls with grogginess in her throat. 

“I don’t know,” you go to the door and pull the curtain away from the long window beside it. You peek out at the figure on the porch and quickly hide behind the fabric. Too late. “It’s... the neighbour. I think he saw me.” 

“Ergh, don’t be stupid, girlie,” your mother barks, “help me up.” 

“Oh, uh, okay.” 

You go to her and offer your hand. You get her to her feet. She slightly hunched and slow but she makes her way to the door. She pauses and turns to the mirror above the little bench against the wall. She tidies her hair and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. 

She leans on the door as she grips the handle. She opens it and the man from next door, Steve, greets her with a grin. 

“Hello?” She sweetens her tone. 

“Hello, miss, sorry to bother you,” he says, “I just moved in next door and I’m getting settled in. I was just about to do some lawn work and I thought maybe I might offer to do yours? It’s no trouble, I just thought I’d offer.” 

“Oh, what a honey you are,” she preens, “of course, that would be lovely of you. My daughter,” she sighs and shakes her head, “I’ve been nagging her for weeks to get it done.” 

“Really, it’s not a bother,” he assures her, “I’m Steve by the way.” 

His smile is just as charming as his introduction. 

“Holly,” your mother returns, “I’ll make you some lemonade for your trouble. It’s a hot one, isn’t it?” 

“Sounds good,” he agrees, “I’ll try not to make too much noise.” 

You peek out from behind your mother. Steve’s eyes meet yours for an instant before she blocks her out, no doubt eager to hide the state of the house from him. You back up as she turns to you.  

“What’re you doing hanging on like a rodent?” She hisses, “go make some lemonade.” 

[strawbeerossi]

Smarty Pants

Pairing: Gender Neutral!Reader x Spencer Reid

Description: After you and your boyfriend get into an argument over some trivia questions at work and he acts high and mighty when proven right, you have just the way to set him straight.

Content/Warnings: Mentions of an argument, not too explicit smut, dumbification, sub!spencer, dom!reader.

Word Count: 0.6K

Kinktober Day Seven: Dumbification

Navigation || Kinktober Masterlist || AO3

You were in the middle of neglecting your work while doing trivia with the others who were crowded around your desk. “Which country consumes the chocolate per capita?” Emily asked, looking over the index card in her hand. You didn’t even know what prompted this little game but you and Derek were going up against one another and so far, you were killing it. That’s made you so confident about your answer.

“Easy. Germany.” You responded while leaning back against your chair, only rolling your eyes as you heard a soft scoff from the desk across from yours. “It’s right!” You huffed while causing Spencer to look up. “Actually Switzerland is the country that consumes the most chocolate. How did you not know that? Chocolate is literally something they are known for.” The male asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Switzerland is actually  renowned for its milk chocolate, the most consumed type of chocolate. Did you know that in 1875, a Swiss confectioner, Daniel Peter, developed the first solid milk chocolate using condensed milk, which had been invented by Henri Nestlé, who was Peter's neighbour in Vevey?” 

Like most info dumps Spencer had been known to give, this just made everyone stare at him with blank stares, besides you.. You were fucking livid. There was no way he was right. Just this once, he was wrong. There was no way.

“If you don’t believe me then you can look it up online.” He stated in a simple tone. He more than likely wasn’t meaning to but he agitated the hell out of you. So bad that you decided to quickly type up the trivia question in the search bar. Sure enough, he was fucking right. The look on your face made him smirk from being triumphant, turning back to the stack of files on his desk. “I told you so.” He stated, proud of himself.

The rest of the day, you were annoyed. You wanted to break his glasses, make hi blind until he could get his hands on contacts. You kept your composure through the work day.

Until you got home.

That’s why you were here now, perched on his cock while he was a blubbering mess on your living room couch. “You really felt so smart earlier but now you can't even form a coherent sentence. What happened to Dr. Spencer Reid, the genius who knows everything?” You’d taunted, hand having his hair tugged back to make him face you. His eyes were glossed over, the amount of edging you’d been doing for the past hour making him desperate. 

He’d been reduced to whines and begs of more, unable to even process the words that were being spoken by you. “Look at you, smart little Spencer Reid being fucked dumb. You don't have another statistic?” You taunted, now it being your turn to be satisfied as he was unable to respond. That IQ 187 had dropped to a staggering two as he had his glasses fogged up, sweat dripping from his forehead from all the stimulation.

“My beautiful, dumb baby boy.” You cooed, moving to cup his cheek with one hand. “Can’t even form the words to speak because I’ve turned that pretty brain to mush.” It was like the words went in one of his ears and out the other. “If only the office could see you now. Fucked to the point you can’t even process what I’m saying. Then again, they don’t deserve to see you like this..” You let your hand slide to his neck now, wrapping it so gently around his throat before giving it a squeeze.

“I like when my big and cocky smart boy is nothing but a little dumb fuck toy.”

[astrosirensblog]

Sirenas Astrology Observations

6

• 8th house synastry only works with two confident and emotionally intelligent people. One of the main reasons why 8th house synastry ends up toxic is jealousy and controlling issues from one side

• people who have aries in their 4th house know how to deeply hurt people fr fr

• some people with major Saturn and Mars influence tend to be real assholes, seriously these people have no chill and they think they served you karma by giving you lifelong trauma

• saturn synastry is really not easy when one side isn’t Interested in development

• you should be highly careful with 2nd house synastry, people who have many aspects to your second house could destroy your self-esteem and the recovery will take a long time

• Chiron synastry can be really beautiful and healing

• being a taurus is exhausting because we can’t let go of our damn grudges

• People calling earth signs (especially Taurus) materialistic is so tiring because everyone sees being materialistic as something bad. We just feel good when we get to treat ourselves with gifts, there is nothing wrong about that

• another point about 1, 2,7,8 and 12th house synastry is that narcissistic people will hurt you to the core. They will see everything that is good about you and turn it completely against you and duo to the energies you guys exchange in this synastry you will feel it really intensely and you will also feel like you are stuck in that situation and they will never leave you alone. So always be careful about the way people make you feel and how much they respect and value you as a person because strong synastry can be heaven or hell (I would also count 4th house synastry because the home is a place you feel save and sometimes don’t even realize that it’s actually not a good environment for you)

• the most goofiest synastry is definitely 3th house and 5th house (depending on the placements of course) but imagine having a friend or partner with who you have 3th house synastrie in mercury and 5th house venus or moon synastry. This kind of synastry is all about fun, free communication, the inner child feeling comfortable in the relationship. It just makes the relationship really easy going and peaceful

• Saturnian and Pluto midheavens are really precocious about how they appear to the world. You will think their appearance online and in real life is really natural and cool but they actually planned on their next moves 5 years ago. They exactly know how to react to certain things and what opportunities this will bring them. They already knew you will be working with them even before you knew about their existence

• Cancers can be really dangerous because they know what to do and say to smooth you, it’s hard to stay mad at them for too long

• Jupiterians really have the biggest audacity and I’m 100% sure they do know, their behaviors and words hurt people but they just don’t care. In fact these people can lack a lot of empathy (for example miley cyrus (a sag sun) used to bully hailey bieber when they were kids and hailey talked about it once openly and miley agreed on everything she said and then just said “well I made you stronger”, this is exactly what I am talking about 😭)

• Mercury ruled people love to give reviews, fr I think most people that go online and search for the restaurant they just eat in and give a detailed reviews are people with virgo and or gemini placements

• there is something about Lillith- Asc / Pluto people and their cry. You look at their eyes and you can see how their pain is transforming into something powerful, it’s like you directly see how they turn their pain into power (I recommend you, do not hurt these people, they will get you in ways you would have never thought anyone could)

• Capricorns flirt by telling you how much money they have lmao

• You will actually heal your Chiron wound by doing exactly what you did that has caused the wound in the first place, Kim Kardashian for example has her Chiron in Taurus 5th house. The 5th house is about creativity, being in the spotlight, acting, dating and all that jazz while taurus is more about sensuality, materialism, beauty etc. So Kim was always a fashion girl and she inspired to become a international It-Girl but after her Sex-tape Scandal she was shamed on all medias and she wasn’t really taken serious besides that she once talked about how they made fun of her in a show and she was really anxious about being in front of cameras afterwards. But she buckled up and still took part in kuwtk and did modeling jobs, was a video fixen and dated openly (often rich guys) who gave her even more opportunity’s. Even now after her divorce with Kanye and he trying to embarrass her on his twitter, she still does her thing which brings her many blessings. So do what scares you the most

[midnightsilver]

Tips for Spn Artists posting on Tumblr 😄👍🏻

I see a lot of new artists posting Spn art and it can be a struggle to get your art out there. Or you might be new to Tumblr and not sure how best to put yourself forward.

I post Spn art and do a lot of bangs when my health permits. And I have picked up some tips that I have found helpful for posting art tumblr 😄 so I thought I would share.

Please feel free to take any of these points or leave them as suits you!

✨Personalise your header and icon. Bots will often make posts with popular tags and stolen art, to try and gain followers before throwing out the spam links, but some clues the account is a bot is not having personalised headers and icons, not having a long history of posts (more than a few days), and not talking about their art or fandom. So make sure you don’t look like a bot 😄

✨Interact with accounts you enjoy. Like, comment and reblog your favourite accounts and they will likely return the favour and you will get more followers. The first way your post gets noticed is by your followers. Interacting isn’t always easy if one is an introvert or doesn’t have much time for social media, but do what you can where you can.

✨If don’t have many followers then the next best thing is to use tags more. People follow key tags to find new posts from blogs they are not aware of. I recommend using the ‘Spn fanart’ tag on all your art posts. Also be sure to include: common ship names, the character names, and key words like: cute, funny, angst, angel, wings, etc 👍🏻 😄 this will help people find your posts, so be sure to tag consistently!

✨Make a personal art tag, it could be ‘your name art’ or something as wacky as you like. But tag all your art with it! If someone sees your art post out in the Spn fanart tags and they like it, they can click your art tag to see the rest of your art posts.

✨Don’t include links to outside webpages unless absolutely necessary. If you are posting for a bang, reblog the bang master post for the story which has the links to ao3, but then make your own art post and only link to the tumblr master post. Tumblr often hides posts with links to outside webpages (so that the porn bots sending you to spam websites get minimised, but unfortunately this also minimises links to ao3 or shops 😔). Links to another post inside of tumblr are ok tho! So to keep your art post from being hidden from searches, only link back to the master tumblr post with the story info. If people want to read the story they can follow the ao3 link from there. But it’s better that they actually get to see your art (the ‘advert’ for the story) in the first place so that they know it exists!

Also keep this info in mind if you are linking to your shop or your other socials. Your direct followers will see your shop posts but because of the external links the post might be hidden from searches. Consider doing a mix of posts with direct shop links and ones that get the info out there but link back to a pinned tumblr post or bio post with the outside link.

✨Don’t crowd your art. Many people view tumblr on mobile so your pictures will look small. People can’t really see the details if you put 2 images side by side. Put one image on each line and consider making some cropped images to show close up details of your favourite bits. You need to catch people as they are quickly scrolling past, so be sure that you make it easy for them to see what you are offering.

✨And finally don’t be afraid to do reblogs. It isn’t rude to reblog your own work, it’s helpful. Dashboards can get very busy and even if people follow you, your post might be burried a long way down if they don’t get back online multiple times a day. Reblogs will give them a chance to see what they missed. As long as you are not posting on the hour every hour, most people appreciate 2 or 3 reblogs at different times to save them having to scrolled back for days! 😄 and don’t forget that tumblr is multinational. Time zone reblogs can be helpful.

✨oh I forgot one more thing! Don’t put yourself down! No piece of art is perfect! Ever! But Michelangelo doesn’t start off by apologising that the statue of David is out of proportion. And neither should you! Let your work shine where it shines and don’t bury it in put-downs before you even give others the chance to enjoy its triumphs! You deserve better and so do they!

Those are the main points my friends. If you have any other helpful tips that you want to share, feel free to reblog this and add on points. We were all new to this hellsite (affectionate) at some point. And life is already hard for us struggling artists so whatever we can do to help each other is a good thing 💛

Stay awesome my friends, and happy Arting 🙌🏼😄

[multiplicity-positivity]

Just saw you're post about the some people on the pro endo comunity being agressive. And I've actually have had the opposite expirience.

The anti endos in my life irl and online are kind of really mean?

I want to have a pro endo account but I'm scared of being harassed, fakeclaimed, etc. A lot (not everyone) of the people who are anti endo are so aggressive, and I'm not in a state where I can really receive that.

Any words of encouragement or tips?

Thank you, have a nice day!

gah, memory issues so we can’t recall what post exactly you’re referring to, sorry.

here are our tips for running a pro-endo account, or some sort of account where all system origins are accepted. it got kind of long and heavy, so we’re putting it under a cut.

1) when you first set up the blog, before you’ve made any post at all, go through some of the anti-endo tags and block those users from your new side blog. some tags to trawl/search through are “#anti endo,” “#endos fuck off,” “#endos aren’t real” and “#endos are trash.” just a heads up, you may see some violent, harmful, or potentially triggering posts in those tags. if you have the energy and capabilities for it, preemptively blocking a lot of users may save you some pain and difficulties down the line.

2) you may very well be harassed or fakeclaimed by running this account. we have been fakeclaimed by others on this blog, and have had users block evade, follow us to our personal accounts, and try to purposefully trigger us. it’s been rough, but this is one of the risks of running an inclusive blog online. some things to keep in mind:

- you can block any user who sends you anonymous asks. just hit the three dots at the top right of the ask page and hit “block anonymous.”

- having anonymous asks turned off entirely could greatly reduce the potential for you to receive hate and unkind messages. personally we like to leave anons on since lots of folks prefer to send asks anonymously, but if you’re worried or nervous, you can definitely turn them off.

- delete any negative comments on your posts as soon as you notice them, and block the users who make them from your side blog. we do this to help keep our posts positive.

- if any asker threatens to dox you, sends you gore or purposefully triggering content, won’t leave you alone, or is block evading, report them to tumblr. we have had to do this before, and tumblr’s been pretty good about banning genuinely harmful or dangerous users.

3) don’t pick fights, don’t cross post into anti-endo tags, and leave anti-endos alone. we only use anti-endo tags if we are tagging a post that mentions them for filtering purposes. if you refrain from engaging with those who you don’t want interacting with you, you’re much less likely to face harassment, in our experience.

4) try to remember that everyone posting on tumblr, regardless of whether or not they are pro-endo, is a person or human being. when someone fakeclaims you or sends you hate, it is probably coming from a place of insecurity and low self-esteem. they may be lashing out as a trauma response, or they may be having difficulties regulating their emotions. none of these things are an excuse or good reason to be an asshole to others, but it is something worth keeping in mind.

when we are fakeclaimed, it is more a poor reflection on the fakeclaimers than it is on who we are as a person or system. you know yourself and your system more than anyone else online, so when you are fakeclaimed, try to just chuckle with your headmates about it, let it roll off your shoulders, and block the user.

we hope this helps. if any of our followers run pro-endo blogs and have some advice for this anon, please share it by all means. and when you do make the blog, anon, feel free to drop the @ here so we can follow and boost your new account. best of luck to you with your future endeavors - running an inclusive blog is not always easy, but for us, it has been an incredibly rewarding and beneficial experience :)

[letoasai]

No one remembers Anime Spiral

What do kids even do on the internet? I'm genuinely asking. Everything revolves around social media and that's fine but what do they do. Are their cool things they can do anymore?

There used to be websites and you would just wander the internet on the family computer. Newgrounds. Gaia Online. Neopets. Yahoo Games. Quizzila. Live Journal... I'm not saying they were all great but they were something to do and... no i'll commit, they were great. I wasn't worried about posting pictures of myself when i was busy watching a flash animation of Dragonball Z that someone put painstaking hours into.

A lot of younger kids and teens don't know how to download something and save it to a particular folder on their computer because they've never used a computer. Meanwhile we were somehow... coding our Myspace pages to have a particular background. When did we acquire that knowledge?

In 2004/2005 i went looking for Inuyasha pictures, as one did, and i stumbled upon a site of people posting fanfiction? Sign me up... Anime Spiral was the wild west of chaos fanfic writers. People would make banners for their work that would sit in their summary sections. God help you, but those seizure inducing flashing colors were going to get your attention.

People would write anything, stories, poems, lyrics. People would post art and open commissions for people to ask for things in the comments, and the OP would just do it... There were frantic collaborations. Some were really good. Some were really bad.

There were chaotic originally stories with random anime characters thrown in for fun because who was going to tell them they couldn't? Some people just ranted to anime characters and i will always remember Ask Sesshomaru where you'd ask Sesshomaru a question in the comments and the next chapter he would answer every.single.question. The fact that it was probably a 16 year old girl writing that just didn't matter.

Some people just posted picture of anime characters. They did all the internet searches so you didn't have to! They were harder to find then.

The comment/response section to this day... was the best format i've seen on a fanfic site (imo). It was so easy. I miss it! I miss going to my word processing class and pulling up that site and chatting with people in the freaking comments of whatever...terrible story i'd posted at the time. I was probably so proud of it then but yikes...

The notification system was good and it was easy to talk to people without it feeling intrusive.

Maybe Anime Spiral was Tumblr before Tumblr.

I met two strangers on Anime Spiral a week apart. Internet dangers weren't as obvious then as they seem now. Those two strangers became two of my best friends. It's been nearly twenty years and they are still so prevalent in my life.

I met my best friend on that site. That seems so impossible to me now. We never would have met otherwise and i can't imagine my life without them. We were so upset when Anime Spiral went down. We missed the ugly green and mustard yellow template to this day.

It wasn't a great site, it had it's problems... It had a lot of problems but at the same time, it was a great site. It's hard to find people who even remember Anime Spiral anymore. Going to FF .net or Fiction Press afterwards felt like... a downgrade somehow. The systems overly complicated and it lacked...something.

I do enjoy the hell out of AO3, it actually checks all the boxes for a great writing site, but i'll always remember the chaotic nostalgia of Anime Spiral.

What do kids do on the internet now? Is it safe? Is it just selfies, gossip, and bullying? Do you have a little dragon you can take care of? Neopets could take up a lot of their attention. I don't think 2024 Neopets is the same as 2005 Neopets and that's a shame.

I have no idea. I feel old.

[raining-tulips]

hi! i just found your blog :) love your commonplace book scans! if you don’t mind me asking, could you give a more in-depth explanation of what commonplacing is exactly and what your process is? i’m intrigued and considering getting into it but i wouldn’t even know where to start! thanks a lot xx

Absolutely! So my commonplace is specifically all movies, qoutes, articles, tumblr/Instagram posts, book excerpts, etc. that either resonated with me or I think I'll want to reference later. That is the heart of what common placing is - saving things for later physically rather than digitally.

Some of these just pop up in my feed, and I'll hit the like or save button. If it's an article, it usually first pops up as a preview on my Instagram and I'll open the full article on my desktop than bookmark it in a specific folder for common placing.

Sometimes, when I want to actively find something out (say, about if perfume is really bad for the environment, or I want to look at author interviews because I just loved a book) I will go out and search for that information.

Then, usually once a week I compile everything I'd like to print - i print the sources bc my handwriting is messy - into a word document formatted for two columns. I try and hold off printing until i have a full page worth, or two full page worth.

For images, I have another word document (these are printed in color, and i usually have to jigsaw to fit as many images on the page as possible, so different word document). Same thing, I try and wait until I have a full page to print. Usually x2 a month. I sometimes will print with an HP sprocket but the quality is really bad and the pictures are thick so, it's for when I'm out of printer ink or I think a photo will look okay with a sorta...uneven look.

I use just a Staples brand journal, TruRed. Cheap and easy. I draw a line at the top so I can write the date, and in the future if I want to tag it with a colored sticker or something, I can. My layouts usually include divided space on either the left or right of a page. The article goes in the bigger open space, and then the source (always write your source!!) and any commentary goes in the smaller margins.

Commentary is usually why I wanted to print it, what it reminds me of or makes me think about, etc. What I think the argument was missing, etc. Can be as little or as much as you like. As emotional and deep or as plain-jane as you like. There are no rules!

I trim printed text and images with a 12 inch trimmer bc I've got wobbly hands, but some people just use a little (blanking on the name) exacto knife? Any 12 inch trimmer will do mine is expensive but I also scrapbook so I use it all the time.

I paste things in using a tape runner (again, because I scrapbook and found a tape runner and my mom sells scrapbook supplies they're very accessible to me). Some people use tape, washi tape, glue sticks (liquid glue I've never seen).

And yeah, then I just decorate and play around. It doesn't have to be pretty. It can be really pretty if you want - I'm motivated by aesthetics, so, I like mine to be a little pretty.

If you'd like to see how I actually put it together and why I print certain things, my YouTube channel is the place to go.

Some people tape in movie tickets, receipts from where they shopped or ate, pictures from daily life. Some people mix common-placing and journaling, so including diary entries about their day or about a topic they love, or their thoughts and feelings (I keep mine in a separate journal, explained in this video). Some people mix common-placing with bullet journal or planning. Some combine all three!

At the end I just use a printer scanner (HP Envy 5500, cheap) and post them online that way bc I love the look.

People who have other styles you might try and look at are @petite-gloom (an OG who inspired me and many others) @fakelavender , @teddybearsticker .

[finniestoncrane]

Like An Animal

Dano!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 4.5k an arrangement for anonymous fetish sex goes completely wrong when the sweet, shy guy you vibed with online is nasty little edward nashton 🐀💚 kinks are so multi-faceted. it's fine if this is interesting/arousing/scary/healing for you! you're normal, and you're completely valid 💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: non-con, dubcon, cnc elements, violence, threats, intense fear, this is nasty shit sodon't read if it makes you uncomfortable duh

It was an interesting arrangement. Beneficial to them both, as they explored the darker sides of their desires in completely privacy. She was amazed that he was the type. When he had answered her request for a partner in specific activities on the forum, she was already prepared to have to block several fake replies, some un-practiced boys trying to be daddies, men just desperate to have sex who would have overlooked her specifications around kinks and rules. But this one was different, formal, slightly reserved, but knowledgeable in the ‘lingo’ enough to let her know he might have enough experience. His questions were respectful, unemotional. Straight to business kind of, which was ok. It was actually her preference.

As someone with very little social skills outside of sex, it was difficult to approach someone in the first place, let alone get to a situation where she could ask them for exactly what she wanted. But, on the forums, it was transactional, formal. Everything could be pre-arranged with very little need for speaking when it came to the act. There had been several acts with the two of them now, and it was safe to assume that he was keen on the task-based nature of what they did together.

After the first few “dates” (basic vanilla sex to understand each other’s bodies and potential limits) they had an open discussion together, before deciding to explore the more intense kinks that they shared in common. He lamented that wasn’t experienced physically, which had been obvious at first, but that he knew what he liked and had done extensive research on the topics.

“I like to learn…to research.”

It was odd, she felt so attracted to him, despite his frankly plain appearance. He was average height, average build, average haircut, but his face was soft and round and filled with a naivety that drove her wild. So, they discussed moving things forward. Tonight was the big night, and it was her choice of activity.

He had arrived exactly on time, another habit she picked up on. He was organised and punctual, which only served the structured and emotionless nature of their ‘affair’. She liked that about him. Efficient, conscientious, respectful of her time and any boundaries. It was easy to feel safe with him, part of the reason she was so willing to allow him control this evening. And he was obviously prepared, dropping down his rucksack with a heavy thud, as his ‘tools’ settled on the floor at the bottom of the bag. She invited him into her dimly not romantically lit apartment where they met each time. Usually, he was dressed as though he had been working a 9-5 at an office. Suit trousers, a plain and ill-fitting shirt, boring tie, standard dress shoes, a navy blue puffer jacket shielding his thin body against the Gotham weather.

But tonight he looked almost militant. Prepared for action. He had on a green jacket, black combat pants and large combat boots. She took it in, interested more than anything else. Perhaps it was easier for him to get into character for what they had planned. She searched for the answer in his green eyes, obscured from her questioning by the lenses of his glasses. He coughed when she didn’t say anything, clearing his voice and stammering over his first word before relaxing into himself.

“I’m really glad that you wanted to try this. I’m…excited.”

“I’m glad too, it’s maybe a difficult thing for some people to enjoy, or to accept that they enjoy. But it’s the same as any other kink. Consenting adults working out their fucked up trauma some way or another, huh?”

He didn’t respond, he just gestured to the bathroom.

“Oh, go ahead! I can go get ready in the bedroom. I’ll see you in there, just come in when you’re done.”

She left him standing in the hall, and he watched her disappear into the room, closing the door behind her. She was wearing a t-shirt and some jeans. She hadn’t prepared at all. Not like him. He picked his bag up and went into the small bathroom. He settled the bag on her narrow sink counter, taking out the items from within it. Leather gloves, a roll of duct tape, a carpet tucker just for the threat, and the mask. His mask. He lent on the sink, knuckles white as he gripped the underside of it with his fingers, trying to stabilise himself.

While I’m here…

He rifled through the cabinets, quietly, searching for secrets about her. He had used the bathroom before, but always quickly. This time he had a reason to be in here longer. And, taking his time to be as silent as possible, he eventually found a stash of medicines, one of which he pocketed. A bottle of sleeping pills. Just in case he thought to himself. He donned the mask, fixing his hair underneath and placing his glasses back on top. Three deep breathes in and out as he looked at himself in the mirror. He could feel himself hardening just at his own image. He was a God in his regalia.

This is the practice run. How strong are you? What do you need to do? How best can you get them under control? And then, the reward for your efforts.

He gripped the door handle with his leather clad hand and took one further deep, slow breath before exiting as quietly as possible, standing outside the bedroom door and letting the anticipation linger, painfully, on his mind, body and soul.

She had been waiting, sitting on the bed, for him to finish in the bathroom. No flush, no sound of running water from the old, rusty pipes in her apartment building. She wondered what he was doing, but considered his position. What she had asked him for was intense, and though he was clearly interested and had been reading up on it, it must have been nerve-wracking for someone so inexperienced to build themselves up to this. To a rape fantasy. Not everyone could get on board with the idea of humiliation and violation, and she supposed it might be harder for the person dealing the punishment even. It was a moral and ethical line for some people, and she knew from experience that even if someone was interested in it, feeling able to participate was a whole other thing entirely.

She flipped over onto her stomach, reaching for her phone and making sure she hadn’t missed any texts from him. Maybe he just left? She hadn’t heard the door though, but he might have been trying to sneak out. Disappointment settled in her chest, she had been building up to this for months, desperate for it from the moment she met him. He was so meek looking, the idea of him even pretending to be able to exert any power over her, she was intensely hungry for that level of humiliation. Being degraded by someone she could easily beat up. Pathetic, she mewled softly as she felt a burning in her crotch, her chest tightening at the thought.

And then a sensation on her skin, around her ankles. Tight and forceful. She was turning herself round, aided by the grip, and as her eyes adjusted from the brightness of her phone screen to the darkness of her bedroom, a shape began to take form at the bottom of the bed. He was standing, hands pressed around her ankles, squeezing tight and easing up slightly. Not enough for her to be able to slip loose, she noted.

He's really getting into this.

“Hey are-”

He tugged her body and she fell off of her elbows, flat on the bed, air escaping from her in shock, anticipation. When she lifted her head to look at him, he placed one finger in front of the mouth of the mask, signalling her to be quiet. Her stomach clenched, thighs squeezing together as she realised how well he was at actually taking a controlling position. He loomed over here, the sensory combination of his endless stare combined with the scent of leather and plastic, his quick change from boring middle-manager to the perfect villain was sending her mind racing. She closed her lips together, squeezing them tight for emphasis so he knew she was prepared to be a very good girl.

She was so willing, her eagerness to please him, and to be pleased herself, was obviously clouding her judgement. He was certain that any normal person, anyone not so drunk with lust, would have should have taken one look at him and screamed. He hoped he was a vision of terror, and that she was just so interested in having him inside of her greedy cunt that she was willing to overlook the danger.

It's also possible she’s just that stupid, he laughed to himself. But he wanted to check. It would make it more satisfying for him to know the answer, as was his way.

“This is what I want. Is it what you want?”

“Well, yeah, you know that. We talked about it.”

“Ok. Well, I’m going to get on top of you now. I don’t want you to talk until I ask you to. Unless you need me to stop. Then you can use our agreed words. For now, though, I just want to feel you under me. I want you to get familiar with the weight of me. Test your strength.”

At her nod, he positioned one knee on the mattress, pressing down slowly and testing the strength of her shabby looking bed. It would do. He began to crawl towards her, settling his whole body onto hers, flat and still, his head turned away. She was looking up at the ceiling. It was awkward, it should have been embarrassing, but it felt strangely good to have him on top of her, effortlessly holding her to the bed. Stuck.

“I want you to feel like you’re in danger. I want you to struggle. Ok?”

She nodded, silent still, obeying his earlier commands, hoping to enthuse his sense of control. She lifted her hands to her front, between their bodies, palms flat against his stomach, and pushed, trying to lift him off of her. She grunted in faux effort, tiny whimpers as she pretending to struggle with him. She was enjoying this more than she had even thought possible. Pathetically grateful at the opportunity, she began to make a light weeping noise, more fake efforts at lifting him from her despite it being the last thing she wanted.

“Do you feel safe with me?”

She nodded, panting lightly, unable to get a full breath under his weight.

“I’m going to force myself inside of you, do you want that?”

It was all she wanted, all she could think about. A more enthusiastic nod this time. She opened her eyes to stare at him and smiled. She couldn’t see his face under the mask, but his eyes were wide. Very telling. And they weren’t reciprocating the smile.

He’s committed. Because I can definitely tell he’s enjoying this.

His length, hardening, rock solid against her thighs, twitching occasionally and tapping against her entrance as it did so. He moaned as she shifted below him, trying to get more comfortable.

“I want to make you feel good, you understand? I want you to be happy. I want you to enjoy this. I need you to tell me you trust me. Say it.”

“I trust you.”

“Struggle then.”

She wriggled her arms up to his chest, pushing lightly. Weak mewling poured from her lips, rehearsed and forced in an attempt to entice him further. Forcing her way up to his shoulders she grabbed the jacket and gave a playful shove. She yelped, pretending that the effort was too much, that he was just too big and strong for her. She wanted to feel him twitch at the noise. But it had the opposite effect to what she wanted, and her smile dropped completely as his hand, gloved and warm, made sharp and fast contact with the side of her face.

“Don’t pretend. Push me. Make some effort.”

She was taken back, but she had asked for degradation. Violation. And while she wasn’t sure he would have been able to commit to it, the slap had been very effective. It felt raw, emotional. Unrehearsed. She pushed harder, and a small pang of panic flitted through her mind as she realised that even giving all of her effort, he was actually too strong to push off of her. He was deceptively heavy, and oddly strong. He sank down harder onto her, seeming to weight more through sheer will power alone. The grunts were real now, as she used all of her force to try and shift him even slightly.

He groaned and grabbed her arms, holding them flat on the bed, straight above her head, his hands grasping the flesh just above her underarms. And so she resorted to using her legs, writhing and kicking from under him, thrashing in a way that was forceful, but careful not to hurt him.

“You’re not trying, are you? You’re making it so easy for me, too easy. Given up? Keep pushing, it’s not as much fun if you’re not struggling.”

She stopped for a moment, considering sulking at his attitude. She was trying, but he was too strong. He had overpowered her, which was the goal, but he didn’t have to be a dick about it.

“Struggle harder, use your legs you whore! You’re just lying there and taking it. Come on!”

Teeth clenched, seething at the insults, she thrashed her legs out, actively attempting to hurt him.

“That’s it! You’re so pretty when you struggle. Thrashing only makes me harder, but you better not stop.”

He pressed down on her, harder if that was even possible, panting heavily. His breath grew louder, hotter as he leaned his face to hers, planting a surprisingly tender kiss on the corner of her mouth, sloppily reaching for it in his haze, licking at her cheek and biting her chin. He followed the curve down to her neck, sucking and biting at it as he lay his body flat, still, on top of her. Occasionally bucking his hips into her when she let out a little yelp at the pain his teeth were inflicting on her tender skin.

He shifted, one hand on her arm still held above her head, the other hand on her hip, pushing it painfully into the mattress.

“Push me off.” He was commanding, serious. She gave a shove, straining against him to be able to put her weight into it.

“You can’t get me off, huh? Push harder, come on.”

She tried, with all her might, one last great heave, her whole body trying to arch off the bed and throw him off balance. But he didn’t budge, and she flopped back down in resignation, disappointed that she couldn’t offer him the fight he obviously wanted. She hoped he could still get off, that he wouldn’t call the whole thing off just as it was getting to the good part.

But instead, he sat up, straddling her. He pushed her shoulders, thudding her against the mattress again.

“Imagine being so pathetic” he spat the words out, “that you would let me hold you down without putting up a fight. Such a stupid little slut.”

Her abdomen tensed at the words, blood rushing to her cheeks, wetness forming in her underwear. She wondered, hopefully, how many times she might cum tonight. She was broken from the wishful thoughts as she heard a tearing sound from above her. He was ripping off a piece of duct tape, staring at the length he held from arm to arm. The way he held it, stared at in appreciation. It seemed ceremonious, like a ritual.

“Do you trust me?” She nodded. It was strange, but if anything, she trusted him more now than she had before. And she was desperate. This was all she had wanted for so long, a fantasy she had been building for years, never able to achieve a real orgasm because the lingering promise of what could have been, of this exact situation, was always there just out of reach. And now it was here. And she did trust him. She trusted him to deliver her pleasure. She trusted his abilities. She trusted their safe words.

“Grab onto the headboard.”

She took two of the spindles in her hands and he wrapped the duct tape around one wrist, tight and painful. She winced at it, but felt her clit throb in reaction. The other hand was wrapped swiftly after, and with nothing to push him with she began to twist her hips around under him, friction pressing against both of them, pushing them together, the heat unbearable.

“Oh Y/N this is…this is perfect.”

It was bliss to hear him call out-

Your name.

They hadn’t used each other’s names. They didn’t refer to each other at all, and the only time they had was when they confirmed their usernames to each other. Her username which had no tie to any other account, or her real name, or her email address even.

So how did he know? How did he know your name.

Panic twinged in her veins and her blood ran cold as she contemplated how safe she actually was right now. But before you could open her mouth, convinced already that saying the safe word would be futile, her mouth was covered with one, and then two, and then three strips of duct tape. Her breath was secured, trapped in her mouth. She had no option but to swallow it, eyes watering and wide at the fear now settling in her stomach. This wasn’t what she wanted. She let out a muffled whimper that led to a heavy sob, and from above her, settled on her abdomen now, she could hear him begin to laugh, stifling it as he began a tirade of fury aimed at her terrified face, spit frothing and hitting her as he spoke with an intense ferocity.

“Oh, poor Y/N. You poor, dumb thing. I lied to you, you fucking idiot! You’re such a stupid bitch, I almost felt sorry for you, actually. How were you to know? But then I thought you know what, normal women, respectable women don’t invite strangers into their home to fuck them, let alone ask them to tie them up and do bad and naughty things to them. So, if you think about it, you kind of deserve this.”

He smiled down at her, wiping his thumb under her eye and bringing it to his mouth to taste the tear on his tongue. His hands, still gloved, ran up and down her, and he shifted down her body again, straddling her, cock hard and pushed up against her thigh. He pressed his whole body against her, desperately, hands all over her arms, holding her against the bed, moving to her wrists where he teased at the duct tape, laughing at her.

His movements were clumsy, with a complete disregard to her body, laying underneath him. He kneed her as he shuffled down her body, sitting on her legs to keep them still. But yet, he demanded more from her.

“Come on, push me off of you! You’re not even trying, it’s like you want this. Is that it? You want it this way?”

She was shaking her head, desperately trying to find within him the reasonable man she had thought existed. But through the steamed glasses, there was nothing beyond the mask, and she became sickeningly aware that he had been in disguise the whole time.

“I know, there’s no point really. You can struggle as hard as you want, try and prove to me you don’t want it. But I know you do.”

He was unbuttoning her jeans, fumbling with his gloved hands. He snarled, growling as he pulled them down, little by little.

“And do you want to know something?” He was breathing heavily, panting at the effort he was exerting to remove her jeans as she squirmed. He grunted as he yanked them down, shifting them under his own body in an effort to keep her legs trapped beneath him.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

With a swift and rough movement he had pulled her jeans down completely, underwear coming down with them. He grabbed at them, pulling in an effort to rip them off, cutting at her legs as they refused to come off in the dramatic fashion he had hoped. She moved slightly, trying to shift and make it easier for him, but stopped in her tracks, like a hunted animal, as he groaned and pulled out a switch knife, quickly and all too carelessly slipping it under the fabric and pulling it up, cutting them in half, the fabric falling onto the bed below her. She was panting silent breaths. The nerves, visible on her face, her body, on the way her gasps fell out of her mouth. It all turned him on and he had to refocus on what he was trying to achieve, before he lost it and shot his load right there, watching her stare at him in terror, exposed. Soaked.

“God, you’re a mess, look how wet you are.”

He ran a finger up her slit, the sensation of the leather warm and rough. He retreated, both hands now slapping her thighs and grabbing them.

“I want to feel you. Skin to skin.” He bites at the gloves, pulling them off with his teeth. The way he moves is so animalistic, it pains her to know how arousing it all is.

“I want my fingerprints on you. If they find me, God I hope this is how they find me, I want them to find me. I want everyone to know who I am by finding out that you’re a pathetic whore who let me fuck you senseless.”

She whimpered at his words, tears falling from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She was ashamed of how much she was enjoying this, but she was entirely terrified, genuinely convinced that these moments were going to be her last. And part of her was ok with that, was trying to lean into it. Self-preservation? Her brain trying to numb her feelings? She wasn’t sure, but the tears poured forth despite trying to remain stoic in the face of her attacker.

“You’re so pretty when you’re crying. And you sound so good, so weak and small and desperate. Do you feel trapped?”

There was an effort of refusal, shifting below him and attempting to wriggle free from under his weight. He grunted, hands pushing her thighs apart as he settled between them, her legs unable to close over as he spread them out with his knees.

“I’m going to cum inside of you. I’m going to leave myself with you. I want you to remember this.”

He grunted, shifting his own trousers down, growling with a snarl on his face as he grabbed at his cock and smoothly pressed it against her thigh, moving to run it up her slit, edging slightly between her lips. He twitched and his voice caught in his throat as he felt her cum on his head. And with a final moan, he thrust himself in hard. She let out a muffled yelp, despite being incredibly wet he had still taken her by surprise by the swiftness of his entrance, and the dull ache as he forced himself up to the hilt was followed by floods of pleasure she no longer wanted.

“Look at me. Don’t blink, don’t shut your eyes, just look at me.”

She struggled against him, body trying to force its way further into the mattress so give some space between her and his body, to prevent him from getting so deep.

“Hey! I need you to look at me, look into my eyes and tell me you don’t want this.” He ripped the duct tape from her face. It smarted, her cheeks red underneath, some skin from her lips coming with it, tiny flecks of blood forming on them.

“Tell me you don’t want this. Come on, say it. If you don’t want it, say so. Ask me nicely.”

“Please, please stop.” She began to sob under him, irritated that she had allowed him to get the better of her. Disappointment at the fact he hadn’t stopped, when she’d asked him so nicely. Shame that she’d though he would in the first place.

“Don’t cry, idiot. Why would you think I would stop? Can you not feel how hard I am? You’re clenching around me. You like this too.”

He was slapping against her, the sharp sounds echoing around the room as she whined and moaned around him. The vibrations of her sobbing and shaking sending him over the edge. He pushed into her, harder and harder, making sure she could feel every single inch of him sliding into her, deep and painful. Sharp pains dulled by a bruising ache as he thudded inside of her over and over again, carelessly and angrily.

“Please…please don’t.”

“Please no, please stop, please don’t.” He was mocking her. “Pathetic, begging me. Look at me!”

She stared up at him, resolving to maintain eye contact. He seemed close, pressure building and his rutting become more frantic and ill-paced. She was going to make him watch her, see her face as he came. Remember the fear he instilled in someone. Though, in the back of her mind, she knew that was more pleasurable for him than a punishment.

“Oh God, I’m going…to cum…” His voice was weaker, softer. And in a turn that took her by complete surprise, he brought his hands around her back and kissed her, lifting her slightly and holding him to her. The sickly sweet action made her stomach turn.

“Tell me you like it. Tell me…you want…this…Tell me…I’m good.”

She couldn’t get any words out between panting and sobbing. If anything, his swift change in direction to needy and desperate had only fuelled her terror more. He was entirely unhinged. A mad man, on top of her, inside of her.

“Tell me…you love me! Tell…me…you love…me! Look me…in the eyes…and say it…”

At her silence, he grabbed her throat, tensing his fingers against the sides.

“I love you” she managed to get out, gasping and wheezing against his crushing pressure. And at her words, he came. A high-pitched scream that sounded more like pain than pleasure. He was breathing heavily, air squealing in his throat as he panted, filled with complete ecstasy and maybe misery. But he managed to catch his breath and he lay back down on her, completely flat, cock falling out of her, cum spilling on to the sheets below her. She was pinned down again.

“I love you too. I’m so glad we met.”

He knew where she lived. He knew her name. She had let her guard down too easily, charmed by what she now realised was the mask he was wearing when they first met. This was his real face. A figure shrouded in green.

[artofpoeticjustice]

Websites for authors

Hello, lovely people!

Sometimes it's not easy to find certain things. You search and somehow only a few know.

It took me a long time to find good websites, and today I'm sharing them with you.

Google Maps → Most people don’t know, but you are able to create your own map on Google. It’s a little complicated, that’s why I suggest you to google it – otherwise write me, and I’ll try to help you. It’s very helpful and if your story is based in this world, you can easily mark places or change them. I love it!

Canva.com → You need a Cover, but don’t know how to start? This site gives you the opportunity to use fonts, templates and much more. Sometimes it automatically offers you pictures from pixabay.com, which are free to use. If not, you can also visit this site and check out if a picture matches your wishes. Play with it and watch how you create your own book cover. (It offers even more than covers, but I’m not going to talk about it in this post.)

Familyecho.com → If you want to create a family tree without much work, this will help you. It’s a great site, and you can actually see how everyone is related.

Korrekturen.de → This is a German site, and I’m not sure, how good it is for English. BUT for German writers, this is almost a must-have. It’ll correct your writing prompts and help you to think more about your text. You just have to remember one thing: It only allows you to correct 1.5k words at a time. If your writing is longer, you have to copy and paste all the time (like me!).

Lanuagetool.org → This is the alternative for every other language (including German). You can apply it on your browser, download it, or just use it online.

Worldanvil.com → If you want to create a whole new world, this site will help you. I haven’t checked it out in detail till now, but I really like it. You can create a history of a world, an atlas, encyclopedia and areas and a map – it offers everything.

Nuclearsecrecy.com → If you’re writing a story, where a bomb is exploding, you can use this. You can select the type of bomb, and then you’ll see how much it will destroy. Great thing, if you’re going to write a dystopian story.

Mattbierbaum.github.io/zombies-usa/ → Another great site for zombie stories is this. I only found and used it for the USA, but I’m sure you can get it for other parts of the world as well. Here you can place a zombie and check how much time it’ll take till he comes to a certain place. Furthermore, you can simulate how fast he’ll spread the virus in a certain time. It’s a very interesting thing, and you can practically watch how quick the apocalypse will take down a country.

Oldmapsonline.org → If you are writing a story, which takes place in the past, this site might help you. You can check out old maps and furthermore, you can place them in today's world map and get an idea of how it used to be back then.

Tvtropes.org → You don’t know what kind of story you write? Well, there’s a name for everything. A list of tropes can be found here. Have fun and feel free to tell others what you’re writing.

Nanowrimo.org → I’m not such a fan of this site, BUT as a motivation it might help you to connect with other writers during the nanowrimo – the months in which writing is THE topic! You don’t upload anything there, but you talk to others and share your word counts!

Dafont.com → Most people are using the same font over and over. Sometimes a change in look, can motivate you so much! You can download every kind of font here, and almost everything is for free! (Remember the talk about covers? You can use those fonts for them.)

YouTube → Everybody knows it, but only a little people use it. You can create playlists and make a great soundtrack for your story.

Messletters.com → it’s a great site, if you need a different kind of writing and the page you’re writing only offers a few. You can copy them easily and use them. Furthermore, this site also has a lot of symbols. Check it out and see if it satisfies your aesthetic heart.

DeepL.com → if you require translations, use this one instead of Google translator. You can also upload PPTX data and much more.

Ko-Fi.com → if you want to sell stuff or just a tip from your readers, this site will help you. You can easily create an account and your readers can give you little money as a support.

Timeanddate.com → You want to know what kind of weather it was on a certain date at a certain place? This site will help you.

Hopefully this will help you. Have fun and follow me for more.

Justice. ♥

[maypop-the-dragon]

PSA: Free Software

Reading this may really save your time, privacy, and money! Reblog or share to spread awareness!

Folks often use software that’s expensive and sometimes even inferior because they don’t know there are alternatives. So to those unfamiliar: basically, free and open-source (FOSS) or "libre" software is free to use and anyone can access the original code to make their own version or work on fixing problems.

That does not mean anyone can randomly add a virus and give it to everyone—any respectable libre project has checks in place to make sure changes to the official version are good! Libre software is typically developed by communities who really care about the quality of the software as a goal in itself.

There are libre alternatives to many well-known programs that do everything an average user needs (find out more under the cut!) for free with no DRM, license keys, or subscriptions.

Using libre software when possible is an easy way to fight against and free yourself from corporate greed while actually being more convenient in many cases! If you need an app to do something, perhaps try searching online for things like:

foss [whatever it is]

libre [whatever it is]

open source [whatever it is]

Feel free to recommend more libre software in the tags, replies, comments, or whatever you freaks like to do!

Some Libre Software I Personally Enjoy…

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is an office suite, much like Microsoft Office. It includes equivalents for apps like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, which can view and edit files created for those apps.

I can't say I've used it much myself yet. I do not personally like using office software except when I have to for school.

OpenShot

OpenShot Video Editor is, as the name suggests, a video editing program. It has industry-standard features like splicing, layering, transitions, and greenscreen.

I've only made one video with it so far, but I'm already very happy with it. I had already paid for a video editor (Cyberlink PowerDirector Pro), but I needed to reinstall it and I didn't remember how. Out of desperation, I searched up "FOSS video editor" and I'm so glad I did. There's no launcher, there's no promotion of other apps and asset packs—it's just a video editor with a normal installer.

GIMP

GNU Image Manipulation Program is an image editor, much like Photoshop. Originally created for Linux but also available for Windows and MacOS, it provides plenty of functionality for editing images. It is a bit unintuitive to learn at first, though.

I've used it to create and modify images for years, including logos, really bad traceover art, and Minecraft textures. It doesn't have certain advanced tech like AI paint-in, but it has served my purposes well and it might just work for yours!

(Be sure to go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Colors. I have no idea why that's not enabled by default.)

Audacity

Audacity is an audio editing program. It can record, load, splice, and layer audio files and apply effects to them.

Audacity is another program I've used for a long time. It is not designed to compose music, but it is great for podcasts, simple edits, and loading legacy MS Paint to hear cool noises.

7-Zip

7-Zip is a file manager and archive tool. It supports many archive types including ZIP, RAR, TAR, and its own format, 7Z. It can view and modify the contents of archives, encrypt and decrypt archives, and all that good stuff.

Personally, I use 7-Zip to look inside JAR files for Minecraft reasons. I must admit that its UI is ugly.

Firefox

Firefox is an internet browser, much like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. While browsers are free, many of them include tracking or other anti-consumer practices. For example, Google plans to release an update to Chromium (the base that most browsers are built from these days) that makes ad blockers less effective by removing the APIs they currently rely on.

Aside from fighting monopolies, benefits include: support for animated themes (the one in the picture is Purple Night Theme), good ad blockers forever, an (albeit hidden) compact UI option (available on about:config), and a cute fox icon.

uBlock Origin

As far as I know, uBlock Origin is one of the best ad blockers there is.

I was on a sketchy website with my brother, and he was using Opera GX's ad blocker. Much of the time when he clicked on anything, it would take us to a random sponsored page. I suggested that he try uBlock Origin, and with uBlock Origin, that didn't happen anymore.

Linux

Linux is a kernel, but the term is often used to refer to operating systems (much like Windows or MacOS) built on it. There are many different Linux-based operating systems (or "distros") to choose from, but apps made for Linux usually work on most popular distros. You can also use many normally Windows-only apps on Linux through compatibility layers like WINE.

I don't have all four of these, so the images are from Wikipedia. I tried to show a variety of Linux distros made for different kinds of users.

If you want to replace your operating system, I recommend being very careful because you can end up breaking things. Many computer manufacturers don't care about supporting Linux, meaning that things may not work (Nvidia graphic cards notoriously have issues on Linux, for example).

Personally, I tried installing Pop!_OS on a laptop, and the sound output mysteriously doesn't work. I may try switching to Arch Linux, since it is extremely customizable and I might be able to experiment until I find a configuration where the audio works.

Many Linux distros offer "Live USB" functionality, which works as both a demo and an installer. You should thoroughly test your distro on a Live USB session before you actually install it to be absolutely sure that everything works. Even if it seems fine, you should probably look into dual-booting with your existing operating system, just in case you need it for some reason.

Happy computering!

[starry-eyed-extraterrestrial]

So I said I had a one shot in mind for if Nikki didn't make his usual Mick birthday tweet, and it's already quite late so I don't think it's happening (late in America anyway, over here it's already seven am the next day) so here's that angst fic I promised.

It's six thirty when Mick finally decides to open twitter. He's just had cake with Seriana that she made herself along with his favourite kind of pasta and earlier that same day they'd gone out on a bit of a nature walk together, no real words shared between them just comfortable silence and the enjoyment of each other's company. And now, with his love in the kitchen washing the dishes,it was time to look through all the birthday wishes he'd gotten on social media today and thank everyone for taking time out of their day to think about him and congratulate him on becoming even more ancient then he already was.

He squints his eyes then adjusts his glasses on his face and pulls his iPad off the dining room table and closer to his face to actually be able to read what the people said. Shit, he probably needed to renew his glasses soon and get a stronger lens. Besides that little annoyance, the birthday wishes make him very happy and he can't help the smile that slips onto his face at the sheer amount of people who care about an old fossil like him.

After looking through most of the messages and posts Mick gets his keyboard out and ready to make a tweet of his own. He types the message out using two fingers and posts it right away.

“Thank you everybody for the happy birthday luv. Also many many thank you's for liking my solo stuff as well. 

Peace and love back to all of you👽”

He feels so glad in this moment and leans back in his chair to  just take a second to appreciate everything he has and everything he's accomplished.

The easy smile is wiped from his face however when a tiny intrusive thought slips into his mind. He looks down at his tablet again. Should he look…

No, it was stupid Nikki would have tagged him like he does every year when he wishes him happy birthday and since he didn't see Nikki's post between any of the other birthday posts and messages he knows he's not getting one this year. Or likely any year after this with how pissed Nikki is at him.

Mick and Nikki are the same in a lot of ways, but in one place they differ. Mick gets over things quickly and Nikki may forgive but he never forgets. So it's safe to say that the years of Nikki's annual birthday posts for him are just lost to time forever. 

That thought makes him.. uncomfortable is the only way he can describe it, not sad exactly, he'd known what he was getting himself into with the lawsuit in the first place,he just feels kinda weird about the whole situation. 

Does this mean he shouldn't wish him a happy birthday this year either- would it be weird now? Would his birthday wish to Nikki feel more like a birthday wish from a stranger to him? Mick contemplates this, but not for very long as he pulls his tablet closer to his face again.

Just to be safe, Mick searches Nikki's name in the spacebar, he's typing a lot slower then he usually would, he knows that it's because he doesn't want to see. Doesn't want to confirm that their relationship is so frayed that Nikki can't even wish him happy birthday online, nevermind to his face by FaceTiming him for a minute.

He doesn't want to know that he and Nikki will most likely never be close again and that their relationship will most likely never return to even a quarter of what it was, even if they did make up. He and Nikki would become like Tommy and Vince, the two of them best friends at some point only to years later only really speak to each other for business reasons and in interviews to save face in public. He didn't want that for him and Nikki, but if it had to be so then…he supposes it has to be so. He's certainly not gonna go crawling back to Nikki and apologise for something he's not even in the wrong for.

When Mick finally opens Nikki's page, he's not surprised to see no mention of him and he suddenly feels very stupid for thinking that there would be any message waiting for him at all. He's suing them for Christ sake, Nikki's hardly gonna jump at the chance to even think about him let alone wish him a happy birthday. 

Mick decides that that's enough internet for him for one day. He sets the tablet down on the table and suddenly feels quite out of sorts. He then feels two warm arms wrap around his shoulders.

“Hey baby, what's wrong?” Seriana whispered in his ear, making chills go up his spine. He feels better almost instantly.

“Nothing now that you're here” he says and he knows it's cheesy and he can feel serianna roll her eyes in amusement at his half joke.

The rest of the night Mick doesn't even think about it. Why should he?There's nothing he can physically do to change the outcome he just received, it's his own fault that it's like this anyway, so why complain really. 

But later that night when he's in bed and midnight rolled around, he was up staring at the ceiling, letting the knowledge that he and Nikki weren't friends anymore sink in and when it does all he can think about is how he probably shouldn't send a birthday wish to Nikki on his birthday. 

He knows Nikki doesn't like it when strangers get his number and message him.

[absolutebl]

Hi ABL!! This is more of a data question then anything but it might not actually be answerable.

How does the world of BL define a successful show? Is it money made on ads revenue? Streams? Trending hashtags??

Granted in North American media I also couldn’t answer this question, but I could gage based on…article reviews or critical acclaim. Or something.

I see soooooo many people saying something flopped or was massively successful, but truly. How on earth are we making those benchmarks?

I figure you might have at least a tiny sliver of insight into how this works! Or at least a key word I can take to google LOL. Thanks as always!!!!!

Hum.

Well for GMMTV et al, it's YT views. So that's easy. We can see those eyeballs outright.

The streaming platforms obfuscate data (that is one of the reasons SAG is still on strike) but we can see things like where it's ranked on their internal leader boards (what's "popular on Viki" for example). How many reviews something has. How many collections and lists it's on. How many people on MDL have it listed as "currently watching"

More key is how much chatter a show is getting. How many comments. But also...

Literally when you do a Google search for that IP:

How are the hit returns?

How many top spots does it hold above the fold on Google main (using private or incognito mode).

Are people blogging about it? Think pieces?

Are there reaction vids?

FMVs?

Reddit chatter?

BTS's?

Interviews with actors?

The amount of fan content generated around an IP tells you a lot about the number of viewers - since it is all a numbers game. Commenters (those who visibly/trackably react to content) are more common than (content) creators. Ghosts (passive consumers) are more common than commenters.

There are those in EntDA working on formulas for predictive fan base numbers sourced in the ratios of these.

Lemme try to explain...

In other words, the fans who create content for IPs (fanfic, art, meta analysis, FMVs, etc...) are the rarest. Those who interact with the content, leave star reviews, comment on the above fan-made content, engage in discourse, leave YT comments, are the second rarest. Those who tend to do nothing more than ... well, ghost (maybe have a subscription, maybe save the vid to a playlist or on MDL, maybe read this on Tumblr but don't react to it). They are the largest contingent but hardest to track.

If we could get a good handle on the first 2, there's usually a predictable ratio that can be drawn for the fan base as a whole, the largest number 3 - ghosts.

For example:

For every 1 creator there are 100 commenters and 1000 ghosts. Something like that. However the nature of this ratio is dependent on venue and vocality of the fan base (often a generational thing). So like, most Kpop stans are vocal, but 4th gen stans tend to be more noisy online, even though 3rd gen groups tend to have bigger overall fan bases. (Superstars, like super hits, are non-viable non-predictive outliers. There can never be another KP, or 2g, and we can't use their numbers to predict anything. Just like Taylor Swift or BTS can't be used to predict/estimate the success of a new pop venture).

back to the BL fandom

Here on Tumblr you can tell what's popular by which ones are getting the most gifsets.

That's how we know Only Friends is out performing Dangerous Romance. (I mean I could check the numbers on YT but I don't really have to.)

Also, I bet you good money Kiseki is garnering more eyeballs than You Are Mine. Again, I can say that with confidence just based on the content that's being created for that IP in this one venue.

On a practical level, in the ET industry, if there is chatter about a BL outside of BL circles (as happened with KP) you know it's gotten HUGE (by BL standards).

The moral of this story, incidentally, is if you like a thing, doesn't matter how shy you are, if you want it to continue, get a second season, whatever, you gotta NOT JUST WATCH IT BUT TALK about it. Online, where careers are made and broken. Squeaky wheel and all that.

Entertainment is about attention. More money is always thrown at the thing getting the most attention.

Just like politics.

Okay, I done now.

[blairwritingscript]

"Partners in Crime p1"

WORD COUNT: 2.1K

PAIRINGS: Venom/Eddie x Reader

SUMMARY: It all comes down to you being a very nonchalant bounty hunter desperate for a vacation or distraction, you got what you asked for and found... a partner?

WARNINGS: Mentions of fighting. little cursing. little alcohol.

A/N: B/N = bounty's name imma leave the name to your imagination. Venom's text is written like this :) also I DO take requests.

* Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 *

♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪:;;;:♪

God did you want a vacation, but sadly your job didn't really work that way. It was your third bounty this month and it was only the 8th. Normally you would be hunting the lesser dangerous kind of people such as drug dealers or small gangs.

Your previous and first bounty this month was an example, it was someone who was illegally shipping stolen objects for a little while. It was rather easy since he was quite sloppy in "erasing" any traces.

this one was different. it felt.. different.

it took you long before you got a lead about B/N's whereabouts, but you found one anyways. It was all the way over in San Francisco though. At least it was a city with mostly little crimes so there shouldn't have been anything major to worry about.

As soon as you arrived at the airport you ordered a cap to a hotel downtown. Being a bounty hunter has its perks such as having quite a great loan. you didn't go to a 5-star hotel, you didn't want to have to much attention on you right away so you went for the slightly less expensive 4 star hotel.

Immediately plugging in your laptop you search the web a bit, news and blogs mostly helped you with finding locations of sketchy places.

Apparently it wasn't your lucky day cause you found absolutely nothing. Looking outside of your window you saw that the sun had already began to set. then your eyes moved to the bed and boy did it look comfortable right now.

You stood up from your spot on the sofa and and went through suitcase, picking up short and a thin tank top.

the night went by fast, too fast for your liking if you had to be honest.

You stayed in your improvised pajama's as you spend yet another part of your day looking online. it finally payed off when you saw something about suspected dealing in a bar only a few streets away from your hotel. you decided to go there later in the evening.

Well later came. You had dressed up nicely and went ahead on your 'mission' to find more info or perhaps find your bounty right away.

When you arrived at the bar you sat down at the higher stools on the right corner of where the bartender was toying around with the drinks, from this angle you could keep the whole place in check. Thinking you totally deserved it you ordered a Bloody Mary for yourself as well.

There were a few loners sitting around (probably trying to drink their problems away) you also spotted 2 couples and a little party in the other corner of the bar. You sighed quietly and sipped your drink.

"Eddie"

Eddie flinches slightly at the sudden voice in his head. "what?" He whispered.

"I'm sensing a weird smell in this place" Venom told him making Eddie look around a bit.

"I don't smell anything, maybe you smell the beer or something" Eddie dismissed venom's sense.

"You don't smell it because you're an idiot, Eddie"

Eddie frowned "ouch" he whispered annoyed. He on the other hand was already working on his 7th glass. "quit it man" he continued grumpily

Venom really wanted to smack Eddie right there and then. instead of doing that he just casually used Eddie to look at where the smell could be coming from.

Eventually he traced it to.. you. at first he wasn't sure if it actually came from you or the spot where you were currently seated. For now he's just gonna stay low.

Back to you and lady luck seemed to be on your side again. a man entered from one of the doors behind the bar. he wasn't much taller then you, blond hair, tattoo on his wrist and he definitely did not skip arm day!

Of course you have dealt with worse then him, even going as far as hunting down some sort of robot from Sokovia? But that didn't mean you could underestimate anyone that came in your path.

When he was about to walk out you paid for your drink and followed him from a few feet away.

Venom noticed it and he just left, not even feeling the slightest of guild for the bartender whatsoever. First as Eddie since he was out because of his low tolerance for alcohol.

When he was outside he walked after you a little wobbly and then went into an alley and became himself. climbing up a building and following you from up there.

After some minutes of following B/N he finally went into an alley himself. you thought nothing of it and did the same. big mistake.

Right when you turn the corner he holds out a knife towards you. "You think i'm so stupid that i wouldn't notice you tracking me, doll?"

you frowned at the little nickname, taking out a pair of daggers. you moved a bit so that your back wasn't vulnerable from behind as it was turned to the main street.

The guy put on a scowl when he didn't get an answer from you. He charged at you, his blade swinging every way except yours. you were better at dodging then fighting and that gave you countless opportunities to take him down.

you had to counter his blade with yours a few times but managed to make him run head first into the wall, giving you all the time you need to grab the handcuffs out of your pocket that you had carefully tucked there before you left your room.

It went all so smoothly, but all of a sudden something made a loud thud sound behind you. you were ready to turn around and face whoever was standing there. that was the original second plan but then you were roughly (and rudely) shoved against the wall. it took you a second to get your vision back, you looked at where you bounty is supposed to be but of course! he was just running away! escaping you just when you were so close to having the job done!

You shook your head and looked the direction of whoever or whatever made that happen.

that's when you say it.. him? her?

"You shouldn't do bad things, but i'm sure you'll make a good sn-"

honestly you didn't even care at this point. you stomped towards it like an angry toddler. pointing up at him aggressively.

"What is your problem!? Now my bounty is GONE because of YOU!"

Venom's eyes widened, not having expected a reaction like that from.. well.. anyone. he was frozen in place.

"i don't know what you are but have you ever heard of minding your own business?!" you shoved your finger into his chest, making him stumble back a little bit.

Everything hit him then. You're a hunter for bad people, like them.

"i am sorry" He said. it was so out of the blue that now you were frozen.

your shoulders slowly relaxed, a deep and bottled up sigh coming from you while rubbing your face in frustration. it was kinda cute to the symbiote.

you gave it one last glare before turning around and walking away.

Venom followed you, he made at first sure that there weren't any (or at least not a lot) of people walking in the street.

"you're not scared?" he asked quietly, walking a few meters behind you. it was annoying but it was a distraction from the silence that the night brought.

"why would i be? you're just an ass who messed up my hunt" you actually were a little freaked out because it's not on a regular base that you get followed around by an alien or whatever that thing is.

"i said i am sorry" venom got closer.

"you already said that but sorry doesn't make this situation better" you check your phone if there is anything on someone with maybe half a concussion walking through the street but yet again nothing show up.

"where are we going?" venom was now beside you, staring at you with those eyes?

you stopped "we?" you asked genuinely confused. "why would you want to come wherever i go?"

"i want to make up for it, that and you are interesting" you squinted your eyes, looking him up and down. interesting? you weren't sure if you had to take that as a complement, but besides his earlier attempt to do who knows what he seemed to be calm right now, friendly even.

"I'm going back to the hotel i stay in" you continued to walk again, it wasn't far and you were only a couple of streets away now but you were tired of today's events even when you stayed in your pj's for half of it.

"Do you want a lift?" Venom offered. "a lift?" you thought.

"but yo-" you started but were cut off when venom picked you up bridal style. He jumped up and latched onto a flat with his free arm. you hid your face from the wind and the only place to do that was his chest.

You wanted to scream your lungs out as venom casually hopped building after building. Your stomach began to feel like it wanted to scream too. You tapped Venom against his chest, hoping he would see it as a sign to stop. he did stop only not because of your tapping.

He looked down at you. "which hotel are you staying in?"

"first put me down please" you rubbed the bridge of your nose.

He did as you asked, you stepped closer to the edge of the roof. "Be careful" it was kinda sweet that he cared about your safety so you backed away for him. "501 Geary St, you know where that is?"

he nodded and was about to pick you up again. "ho ho, wait a second" you put your hands in front of you, gesturing to not do that.

"What's your name big guy?" you ask as you cock your head to the right.

"We are Venom" He said with confidence.

"We?" you questioned.

"ehh don't worry about it" He gives you a toothy smile. just the fact that you know that that is a smile considering how he almost always looks like he's smiling.

"okay? anyways, can i hold onto your back this time?" you smiled back.

He turns just like that, his back towards someone who is used to hunting people down (both legally and illegally). though you do have to admit that you wouldn't just try to hurt or capture some alien out of nowhere.

You climbed onto his back and we took off into the right direction this time. it was already past 1.30 am by the time you finally arrived at the window to your room. you opened it an got inside, happy when the warmth of it hit you cold skin.

the smile from before had returned to your face, hair a bit messy from the ride "you have anywhere you can stay, Venom?"

It took him a second to reply "i do, but it's very late" is what he said because he didn't want to admit that he didn't want to go, not even for Eddie who was still out cold.

you step aside, making room for him to come inside "then stay here"

He looked around. Eddie would have never been able to afford this. it was a large room with everything someone would need including a massive bed and TV.

you watched him admire the place, a small smirk forming onto your lips. you wanted to offer him the sofa but the you remembered his size. you sighed "you can take the bed if you want, i will sleep on the sofa"

Venom wanted to protest but he understood your decision. "thank you"

"lemme change real quick" you rushed over to your suitcase that was neatly placed on a rocking chair next to your bed, grabbing the pj's your wore the night before. you excused yourself again as you went to the bathroom to put them on.

Meanwhile Venom walked around until he got reminded that he was still with Eddie. He heard a soft grunt coming from the man within. feeling that he hadn't woken up he continued waiting patiently for you to come back.

as soon as you came back you flopped down onto the sofa, sleepiness overtaking you making you almost forget about your guest. you looked up "you can go to sleep if you want, or you can do.. ehm.. whatever you do?" you yawned halfway through that sentence.

"Goodnight" he passed you the bed's blanket which you happily accepted "Goodnight, V". he lay down on the bed. you wrapped yourself up in the blanket and fell asleep some minutes later while Venom was indulging in your smell that was printed in the bed. He smiled at himself and closed his eyes, ready to dream.

[leftistcrap]

Hi, dyou have any suggestions for theory to read? If considered my self a leftist for several years now, but bcuz of personal circumstances I’ve not read any theory. I’m a little self conscious about it and I’m not sure how to start, overly complicated writing and long obscure words make it very hard for me to pay attention and actually digest what I’m reading. I’m looking for nuance and a better understanding of the world I guess, I just really don’t have any idea where to go with that. I know it sounds silly but I’d also be interested in theory podcasts, if that’s a thing.

I don't know of any podcasts about theory. There are plenty of audiobooks out there though. If you want to start with the absolute basics, you can read The Communist Manifesto and from there you can read their other influential works, a good selection being found on the Marxists Internet Archive's "Beginner's Guide to Marxism" page.

https://www.marxists.org/subject/students/index.htm

They also have a great encyclopedia where you can look up definitions of the various terms used. That and any online dictionary can help a lot if you're having trouble with obscure words.

The entire library at marxists.org is filled with works from all sorts of left-wing traditions, not just Marxism. If you go to their index of authors, you can browse through and pick whoever seems interesting to you. They've marked authors they consider particularly important with stars, but you can choose whoever you want to read. For instance, Kropotkin doesn't have a star on this page, but his Conquest of Bread is a very popular and easy to read introduction to anarchist communism. There's also an audiobook section on their site, and you can often find audiobooks simply by searching Youtube, the Internet Archive, or Librivox.

For more modern writers, I would recommend in no particular order Angela Davis ("Are Prisons Obsolete?" is a great introduction to prison abolition), Frantz Fanon, Michael Parenti, Judith Butler, and David Graeber. And he's more of an analyst than a theorist, but Jason Hickel has done a lot of great work exposing the failures of modern capitalism and how economic institutions cover them up and downplay them.

Depending on your interests, you can also check out libcom.org which contains a lot of reading material from a left-libertarian perspective, bannedthought.net which has a lot of Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist texts, and theanarchistlibrary.org which is a repository for a wide variety of mostly self-published anarchist materials.

There's certainly more that I've forgotten, and people are welcome to share their own suggestions on this post.

[youngtomhardy]

LoveSexDrugs (2023) canvas shot by Isaac Luna

I grew up online. I really enjoy talking to fans, making genuine connections/friendships with them, over sharing. I even like making content as much as TikTok drives me up the wall. Recently I’ve started searching my name a little more frequently since I started gaining more attention. It’s very exciting. Listeners on Spotify grow every day, even with no editorial support. With that, of course, comes more negativity. I’m sensitive, but I’ve been through a lot, I’ve got thick skin. I don’t take hate to heart. I’m extremely confident in my music, branding, looks, etc. I feel I’ve gotten it all figured out and will only grow from here.

What I do take to heart is constructive criticism, even if it’s only meant to be criticism. Recently i’ve seen words circulating about the way I present myself on socials. I think maybe I put myself out there too much sometimes. Maybe I’m just not at a point where I need to try so hard, but nothing has ever come easy to me in this business so it’s my default. I realize my content might be attention grabby, may rub people the wrong way even and I stand by my decisions 99% of the time. But I have to draw a line in the sand when it starts to taint the listeners experience.

So I plan to be a little more removed in the future. Finally realize that my music actually stands on its own for the first time since I started this. I’ve grown more now posting infrequently on tiktok. Those advice tiktoks are full of shit btw, nobody wants to see you post 6 times a day. Like. Be serious 🤦‍♂️ but I just want things so bad sometimes that i’ll try anything. The pressure to blow up is so insane once you’ve met a new label and have the ceos hovering you for that success. None of my critics understand that… but they’re also not entirely wrong and that’s the part that sticks with me. I watched ethel cain go from like 200k to over 1M on spotify. All she had to do was be herself. I guess that’s my lesson here… why am I trying to show a version of myself that I’m not proud of? I refuse to do that anymore.