#(at least 2 work for the usps)

[sarah-dipitous]

I needed my two treats that are supposed to arrive in the mail when I got home, and it doesn’t seem like they will be

[mariana-oconnor]

Types of AO3 Summary

Option 1 - The Excerpt:

The quickest, the easiest! Find a section of your fic that contains the main premise of said fic and also showcases your writing. Copy paste that into the summary box. BOOM! Done.

Best used for any fic, unless it's so short the excerpt would be the whole fic.

Option 2 - The No Frills:

Just a description of the fic. No need for drama. No need to complicate matters. Keep it simple, keep it safe.

Example: "A short character exploration of Blorbo's thoughts after Daisy leaves."

Best used for short fics, poems and fics where the style/format is more important than the plot. Or fics that tie directly into a scene/episode from canon or another fanfic.

Option 3 - The Hook:

Draw the reader's interest by giving them a set up with no conclusion. Introduce the main character(s), introduce the status quo, describe an inciting incident, leave a question in the reader's mind.

Example: "Blorbo is a barista at a coffee shop, struggling to pay their bills, but after handsome rockstar Obrolb walks into their coffee shop they find that they have to decide whether a chance at love is worth the cost of fame."

Best used for mid to long fic where there's a strong premise and follow through. Especially good for AUs. Can be expanded for more complex plots or used multiple times in one summary for multiple characters or subplots.

Option 4 - The Sitcom One-Liner:

"The one in which [over simplified description of one of the main plotlines]" This is essentially 'boil your plot down to the very simplest statement you can, oversimplify if possible. The more bizarre or unhelpful the better.

Example: "The one in which Blorbo learns to like cake".

Best used for fics with at least a little humour in them.

Option 5 - The Rule of Three:

Three is a magic number. Find three key moments in your fic and just list them. That's it. Often ends with 'not necessarily in that order' if used for comic effect. If it's an AU, establish that quickly (i.e. 'Star NHL player Blorbo…').

Example: "Blorbo makes a friend, falls in love, and almost burns to death, not necessarily in that order."

Best used for anything, really. Three is a magic number. The human brain loves things that come in threes.

Option 6 - The Trope Lure:

Why bother describing the plot? We all know AO3 readers are here for the tropes. Similar to The Sitcom One-Liner just using tropes instead of plot. Often followed by the phrase 'that nobody asked for'.

Example: "The Space western / A/B/O / Mail Order Bride fic that nobody asked for."

Often tacked on to the end of The Hook or The Excerpt as a tl;dr.

Best used for fic that plays its tropes straight with no shame or second guessing.

Option 7 - The Pre-emptive Strike:

(Not recommended) You just wrote this fic, the self doubt is consuming you. You feel the need to apologise profusely for your existence for no apparently reason. You feel cringe, you think the fic is cringe, you want everyone to know that you think the fic is cringe in case they don't like it and judge you for it.

Example: "So I fell in love with this pairing and had to write this. It's weird and terrible. Lol! I suck at summaries! Sorry!"

Best used for no fics ever. I cannot stress this enough.

(Seriously, I am begging you, don't do this. If you're planning to use this option, rethink it and do one of the others. I guarantee you more people will want to read your fic.)

Sometimes added on to any other summary as a strange disclaimer. (srsly. don't.)

Option 8 - The Unapology:

Embrace the mayhem, embrace the deep dark depths of your soul. The opposite of The Pre-emptive Strike. A combination of The No Frills and The Trope Lure that truly gives no fucks.

You have committed crimes and you are proud of them. You know what your USP is and you're going to make sure your target market finds you. Look upon my works, ye readers, and despair!

Example: "There aren't enough tentacle fics in this pairing, so I had to write one myself!"

Best used for fics with controversial/polarising tropes with all relevant details already clearly stated in the tags.

Option 9 - The Interrogation:

What if you wrote a summary entirely in questions? What if your readers had to read the fic to discover the answers? Who knows what will happen if you do this?

Example: "What happens when Blorbo McBlorbo gets his wish and Daisy doesn't make it to the plane on time? What happens when Obrolb finds out? How will this change Daisy and Blorbo's friendship?"

Best used for... I honestly don't know. This style of summary does not vibe with me. Mystery fic maybe? Sorry guys.

Option 10 - The Multipack:

Got a bunch of shorter fics in one work? No way of summarising them all without a wall of text larger than the Great Wall of China? This one is similar to The No Frills in that you're not describing the plots themselves and similar to The Trope Lure in that often broader genres and tropes are mentioned. What links those fics? Are they all in the same fandom? The same pairing? The same challenge? Just slap that right in the summary. A chapter list with 1-2 word trope/pairing summaries can be included or not.

Example: "A collection of Blorbo/Daisy/Obrolb fics based on Tumblr prompts. Chapter 1: Regency AU Chapter 2: Werewolves vs vampires Chapter 3: Ghost!Daisy Chapter 4: Space pirates!"

Best used for (obviously) works that are compilations of fic.

Option ? - The Void:

I said The Excerpt was the quickest and easiest summary to do. I lied, well... I didn't exactly lie. What is quicker and easier than not having a summary at all? After all, that's what the tags are for.

Example:

Best used for... nothing? Write a summary, guys. Please?

[noideabutsims]

Donut Co.'s Sidewalk Chalk Creations P.2

Simmers, Get Ready for Round Two of Sidewalk Shenanigans!

Donut Co. is back with another Simblreen surprise, and this time, we're doubling down on the chalk-tastic fun! We're proud to be part of Simblreen this year, bringing a touch of playful creativity to your spooky celebrations.

Donut Co.'s Sidewalk Chalk Creations P.2 is here, bringing even more fun and creativity to your Sims' world. This jam-packed expansion features 60 fresh designs, perfect for unleashing the inner artist in Sims of all ages!

From the tiniest toddlers scribbling their first masterpieces to masterful teens crafting intricate designs, there's a chalk creation here for everyone. Watch your little Sims giggle with glee as they create colorful hopscotch grids and jump rope rhymes, while their older siblings design elaborate castles and underwater worlds. And who can resist the charm of a wobbly rainbow or a lopsided smiley face drawn by your Sim's littlest artist?

With vibrant colors, playful themes, and endless possibilities for imaginative play, Donut Co.'s Sidewalk Chalk Creations P.2 will transform your Sims' sidewalks into a canvas for self-expression and pure joy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Tiny Hiccup for working hopscotch items...

We're trying to make the hopscotch swatches compatible with the "Growing Together" hopscotch functional items, but for now, they're purely decorative. If i can find a workaround, it'll be posted ASAP. But hey, who needs frustration when you have imagination? Let your Sims create their own games and challenges with these vibrant sidewalk doodles!

So, grab your chalk and let your Sims' creativity run wild! Donut Co.'s Sidewalk Chalk Creations P.2 is here to transform your Sims' sidewalks into a vibrant celebration of childhood joy and imagination. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most images have my reshade on*** In game images that are more blue are NO reshade. You can find images for this project with no reshade on the curseforge, or patreon. If you are interested in my reshade you can find it here: https://www.tumblr.com/noideabutsims/763209634729345024/remember-those-days-reshade-preset-guess-what?source=share ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Has 60 swatches New mesh If you cannot see all the swatches, place it down and then change the color swatch!

All of our CC can be found by typing " Donut " into the search bar! Name: Donut Co.'s Sidewalk Chalk Creations P.2 Buy Mode Description: The chalk-tastic fun continues with Donut Co.'s Sidewalk Chalk Creations P.2! This vibrant collection adds 60 new doodles to your Sims' sidewalk repertoire. From playful hopscotch grids and quirky characters to whimsical scenes and dazzling rainbows, these chalk creations are bursting with personality. Let your Sims' imaginations run wild and transform their sidewalks into a colorful canvas of creativity! Will be releasing more content soon! stay tuned! ❤️ (NOT affiliated with EA or Maxis in any way! We just make CC!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DOWNLOAD: Curseforge: https://legacy.curseforge.com/sims4/build-buy/donut-co-s-sidewalk-chalk-creations-p-2 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/114281443 Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i_FR2944HIQcYez5sXY8hbmXiTjZpNVe/view?usp=sharing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Due to financial issues and our promise of never paywalling our content; We have to ask that you guys download on our curseforge if you are willing and able. Just using their site to download makes us be able to have at least a small income that helps us when things get tough - however no matter where you download; we genuinely appreciate every download regardless!! If you can, you can find our curseforge here!: https://legacy.curseforge.com/members/the_lady_gaia/projects

@alwaysfreecc

[ash-says]

hiii ! i love your post about being audacious 🩷 do you have any tips about improving people skills/ being more charismatic? thank youuuu 🤭

Hello girlll!!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the audacious post. It's one of my fav tbh I literally came up with it while I was cooking. So coming to your question let me see how I can help you out tbh I share my opinions and what has worked for me so far. So practice discernment and take everything with a pinch of salt✨✨

Tips to improve People Skills/ Being more Charismatic:

1) Find your USP:

USP means Unique Selling Proposition. What makes you unique and I mean it in a personality sense more here. You can extend it to your looks but start from a personality trait cause it will be forever and very personal to you. Even if someone copies it, it will always be a cheap one.

I will elaborate on this with an example:

One of my ex colleagues was really good at socializing. He was 27 years old but I kid you not he looked like a 20 year old or even younger at times. He had a boyish charm and he used it to his full advantage. He literally had a child's energy and would jump here and there in the office, act like a literal child when not working. He had a refreshing energy to him the type that reminds you of your childhood days. Heck after a meeting with the CEO he used to watch cartoons to destress and made us watch it too so we could also relax but when it came to work he was smart, efficient and knew how to use his easy going socializing energy to generate sales. So you get my point right?? Find what attracts people to you or what value you can offer to them.

2) Knowledge. Education.

I personally swear by this. Be as disgustingly educated as possible. Know about various topics at least the basics of current trends or what's hot and some off topics. This adds dimension to your personality and helps you to hold a conversation with anyone. Plus you never run out of topics to speak on.

3) Confidence. No elaboration needed.

4)Sense of humour.

Why bore people to death by reciting the merciless nature of Julius Caesar when you could present it as a joke when something relatable comes up??? People are more likely to find you charismatic if you can make them laugh.

5) Master the art of Storytelling

This!!! Right here is a cheat code I tell you. You don't have much knowledge to speak on for now? Fine as you gradually work on it hold conversations by sharing bits of your life in a colorful way. Engage people with your life stories. Make them fun and a little dramatic. I am not advising you to lie. There's always a way you can convey something in an entertaining manner. Master it. I personally use it a lot and it's fun to connect with people cause they too loosen up and share their stories and then you link it up with your sense of humour by adding a nice comment or comeback.

Warning : Never share details that are very personal to you. Only share funny incidents and situations that won't bring you in trouble if gossiped about. Practice with discernment.

6) Learn positive body language and develop empathy. Empathy truly helps you in connecting with people on a deeper level and creating a bond based on trust and emotions.

7) Smile. Don't grin like a fool but when you see someone you know make a note to address them. Wish them good morning ,etc . Pass a genuine smile towards them. Be polite.

8) Be genuinely interested in other people but not in a nosy way instead in a healthy way. Help them out if you can. A good deed never goes to waste.

9) Have a positive outlook on everything. No one wants a pessimistic person around them. Even on days you can't. You know the mantra ," Fake it till you make it".

10) Support people. Be kind. Soft spoken. Know your place. Don't downplay yourself in front of people who are clearly not at your level and don't overestimate yourself in front of people who are professionals in those fields. Get a grip on how to act with whom. You won't know it until and unless you won't do it. Have a strong sense of self, be opinionated, confident and be witty. It's fun that way. Push your limits and don't be afraid to network with new people and talk to strangers. Who knows what will happen??

Possibilities are endless.

I hope this helps you out✨✨

[porcelana-r0ta]

The Curse of Sight, Part 3

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 4]

Summary: When Wes Weston meets Tim Drake-Wayne, the dots start connecting. And those dots form a Bat.

Ao3 Link (available only to Ao3 members)

When Wes gets home that night, he cuts off the part of Tim’s note with his name. His contact information has already been added to his phone, so he tears that part of the note up and then trashes it. The part containing his signature, Wes dumps into an envelope and scribbles out a note on a different sheet of paper: 

You owe me one. 

                —Wes

Wes seals the envelope, stamps it, and writes Tucker’s address in the center, and uses one of his mom’s fancy returning address stickers so he doesn’t have to write anymore. Then he rushes out the townhouse and drops it off at the USPS outgoing mailbox, and rushes back inside before the powers that be decide Wes should be mugged again.

Tucker may be one of the Gaslighting Trio, but he was still nice enough to help Wes in their computers class. 

xxXxx

Wes: Hi, it’s Wes! You gave me your number yesterday so I could give you coffee next time I went on a coffee run?

The reply comes unexpectedly fast for someone who runs a Fortune 500 company and is a whole entire vigilante, but maybe the coffee addiction is just that strong.

Tim: Wes! Yes, please. Have you left yet?

Wes: No, I haven’t even made the mobile order yet. Wanted to give you time to respond. Why?

Tim: Just a sec

Wes stares at his phone from his place in his mom’s office, where he sits in a brown suede chair that sits in front of her desk. His mom is typing away on her computer, a look of concentration on her face. 

“Huh,” he says to himself, then exits the chat to return to putting in orders. He’d like to just click on a past order and reuse it, but Felix and Kourtnie are always changing their orders. He’s convinced it’s because they hate him, but maybe it’s that he’s letting his experience with Jade color his vision. 

“What is it, sweetie?” his mom asks without pausing in his work. 

“Well, Tim asked me to text him next time I went to get coffee. And like, I did. And he answered, but then told me to wait a sec.”

“Can’t ignore orders from the big boss,” his mom says, and Wes nods. 

“Yeah, but I think Kourtnie will die if she waits too long for her caffeine fix.”

“She’ll have to get over it, or stop by Batbucks before she comes in.”

“I don’t think she wakes up early enough for that….”

His mom snorts, “You’re right on that front. How did you even meet Mr. Drake?”

He shrugs and looks back to his phone, “I dunno. He pressed the elevator button for me a few days ago, and now suddenly all of this—” he gestures to everything, “—is a thing.”

“Teenagers,” his mom mutters under her breath. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing. Just that you suck at describing things.” 

“You’re mean. I’m disowning you as my mother.”

“Have fun on the streets of Gotham.”

“I’ll sell your credit card numbers online to buy a bus ticket back to Amity.”

“Greyhounds don’t go to Amity. Try again.”

“I’ll hitchhike and get serial killed by a semi-truck driver to get back to Amity. Then I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt you and Gotham.” 

“Not Amity Park?”

“No, they have other problems.” Like the Guys In White. Gotham has issues, but at least they aren’t government-mandated war crimes type of issues. 

His mom goes to say something, but a knock at her office door stops her. She finally looks up from her computer and makes eye contact with the interrupter, and says, “Oh, come in, Mr. Drake.”

Wes has to physically stop himself from whipping around, “Oh, hey, Tim! What’s up?” 

This is it. He’s finally figured out what I figured out and now he’s come for my kneecaps.

Okay, that was dramatic, even for him. He was making the Bats sound like a little family of mob members. Really, they were just superheroes. They couldn’t do anything harmful to Wes. At least not physically.

….Would they erase his memories? Is mind-fucking considered physical harm? 

Wes breaks into a nervous sweat. 

“I just want to help Wes out with his coffee run,” Tim explains with that charming Wayne smile that wins the hearts of anyone who feels. “I hope you don’t mind me going out with your son, Penny?” 

“Not at all,” his mom answers. “Have fun, boys. Oh, and Mr. Drake?”

“Yes?”

“Tell your brother to stop flipping off the cameras every time he spots paparazzi.” 

Tim winces, “I’ll send the message, but we can’t really run a business and control Jason at the same time.”

Jason Todd. As in Red Hood, the second Robin. The one who was pronounced dead overseas, but was miraculously found safe and somewhat sound several years later. Fantastic.

Wonder how much of that death was real? Wes has had enough ecto-exposure thanks to his stalking hijinks in Amity Park to know when he’s around others who have been touched by Death. He’s about 60% sure he could clock that in Jason Todd if he ever happened to get near him. 

Hopefully while in his civilian persona. Wes is uninterested in meeting any more vigilantes, thank you very much. 

They say their goodbyes to his mom and he gets up to follow after Tim, his knees a little wobbly. How long can he pretend to be nervous about hanging out with the guy who signs not just his paycheck, but his mom’s? 

They walk through the PR Department and make it to the elevator, painstakingly going through the motions of small talk. Wes is aware of every word he utters, carefully asking himself what could be taken the wrong way, and what is innocuous enough to say. 

“So what did you want from Batbucks?” he asks as the elevator lowers. 

“Oh, the same as what you got last time,” Tim answers, and Wes abides by that request with a single press of a button. Their conversation moves to favorite TV shows as they leave WE and head to the crosswalk to make it to the Batbucks across the street, and once there, Wes pushes the check-in button to signal to the baristas that he’s there for pickup whenever the order is finished, and they take a seat against a wall and far from the windows. 

“A Trekkie, huh?” Tim asks when Wes tells him his top five TV shows. “And a crime fan, too.”

Wes shrugs, fiddling with his fingers, “I like to figure out the ending before the characters do, and honestly, I just like George Takei.”

Tim tilts his head, “That’s fair. I like crime shows, too.”

Haha yeah, I bet you do.

“What’s your favorite?” Wes obligingly asks. 

“Oh, Criminal Minds, easily. Spencer’s a great character.” 

Wes wonders how a person with two full-time jobs like Tim has time for hobbies that include 40-minute episodes. 

“You just like seeing characters in pain, don’t you?” 

“I do not!” Tim protests, affronted. “I just think he’s a good character! With good development!” 

“That’s what I’d say, too,” Wes teases. 

Tim shakes his head, “You’re impossible. He’s just a good character! He’s so smart and awkward. What’s not to love?” 

Wes gives a half-shrug, “I mean, I guess that’s fair. He is a good character. But I’m more of a Garcia person.”

“They really make the show,” Tim agrees. “Their dynamic is iconic.”

“Speaking of iconic….” Wes takes a deep breath disguised as a sigh. Okay, so if he were going to be interrogated, it would have happened by now. So it’s probably not happening unless he’s going to see a Bat on the fire escape tonight. But if he can just reveal a tiny bit of his hand—just a little smidge—maybe he can avoid suspect altogether. 

“Yeah?” 

“I have to ask,” Wes says nervously. “It’s definitely not my business, but yesterday, when I dropped off the coffees…. I kind of saw the picture of that villain? And I was wondering… who told Mr. Wayne that the villain had a sticker of a My Immortal quote? Who had to explain to him what My Immortal is?” 

Because surely Tim knows, if not from having read the infamous fic then from doing research about the villain. 

Tim smirks and says, “That’s the best part, Wes. Bruce already knew.” 

He choked on air, “You’re kidding me!”

“I’m not. I’m really, really not. You didn’t hear this from me, but,” Tim pauses, giving a playful, sneaking look around for any listeners, and he whispers, “my brother Dick referenced it so much that Bruce read it himself.” 

“Bruce Wayne. Read My Immortal.” The fucking Batman read My Immortal? Willingly? 

“Oh yeah, he did.” 

“Did… did he recognize the quote? Did he remember?” 

“No, but he did when Dick said, ‘Damn, I hope Batman puts his middle finger up at that prep villain.’” 

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Wes knows he’s getting a modified version of what really happened, but he can fill in the gaps. Nightwing quoted My Immortal to Batman. And Batman recognized it because he once read the fic in an effort to relate to his teenage son. 

Well, vigilantes are human, too. Why shouldn’t Batman know who Vampire and Bloody Mary are? 

The next few minutes pass in friendly conversation before their order name is called, and both get up to collect. Wes tries to get two out of the three carton holders, but Tim intercepts. 

“Tim,” he says, half-chastising. 

“I just like helping! And this is getting me out of a board meeting.” 

Wes’s face screws up in distaste. “Well, that’s fair, then.” 

They make their way back to the 73rd floor of Wayne Enterprises and they are hounded in the way that has become so expected for Wes. A new addition to the coffee delivery is Rebecca’s eyes lighting up upon seeing that Tim is helping Wes. 

“Did you like last night’s meme, Mr. Drake?” Rebecca asks, collecting her venti iced mocha latte.

Tim nods, “I did. Nice work on the Photoshop. And the filming equipment should be down today.” 

Wes watches as Rebecca does her best not to squeal in excitement, “Thank you, sir!” 

He nods and turns to Wes, “I’ll see you later, yeah?” His black bangs do nothing to hide the way his eyes crinkle at the corners.

Wes nods wordlessly, his throat suddenly tight and full. Tim’s smile widens and he leaves for the elevator. 

When the doors close on his figure, Rebecca jams her index and middle fingers into Wes’s ribs, “Oh my god, were you two on a coffee date?” 

“Ow, Rebecca, what? No! He just wanted to escape the board.” Wes rubs his ribs comfortingly, his muscles stinging. “That hurt, what the hell?”

“Sorry!” She’s not sorry at all. “Do you think we can get him to do a TikTok for us?” 

He spares a glance at the elevator, which has long since taken Tim up to whatever floor he haunts. “Maybe? It’d make sense, considering the whole CEO thing. Why wouldn’t he be in a TikTok at some point?”

“No reason,” she says, but there’s a fire in her eyes and a mischievous cut to her grin that she fails to hide behind her coffee. Wes’s gut curdles in dread. 

“You terrify me.”

“Thanks! Now come to my office. You need to practice your lines for the TikTok.”

“I feel like my mom has to sign some kind of release form if I’m going to be on the WE TikTok,” he warns, but dutifully follows after her. “Also, you have a cubicle. Not an office.” 

“Hush, or I’ll take away your stool. And your mom already signed one, so ha.” 

“Hushing.” He mimes the action of locking his lips and throwing away the key. 

“Ugh, you’re adorable.” 

They get to the cubicle and each takes a seat, Rebecca immediately sorting through several stacks of papers before making a triumphant noise and handing him a sheet. Wes takes it and stares at it uncomprehendingly for a few seconds. 

“Rebecca, this is just stage directions and the lines to that Cunk on Earth audio.” 

She nods, “And if we get the TikTok approved fast enough, maybe we’ll even post it when the trend is still semi-popular.” 

“And what will I be actually saying?” 

“Don’t worry about that. Just focus on being able to lip sync.” 

“Oh boy."

xxXxx

Wes had thought he would have at least a few days to get used to the idea of having his face plastered all over the internet. Unfortunately, it would seem he underestimated Rebecca’s work ethic when it came to something she wanted because she only made him do three retakes, and then she made quick work of editing. Wayne Enterprises' first-ever TikTok would be ready to go live in the morning with his mother’s and Tim’s approval. 

The TikTok in question is Wes standing in the Wayne Enterprises lobby, smiling wide and happy at the camera when he first begins talking: “It’s hard to believe I’m walking through the ruins of the first ever city.” He pauses, drops the smile, and says, “Because I’m not: that’s in Iraq, which is miles away, and fucking dangerous.” Then, he holds up two cartons of coffee into the camera frame, all filled with (secretly) empty paper venti cups, and is swarmed by various WE employees who volunteered (or were coerced by Rebecca) to be in the TikTok. 

Rebecca doesn’t let him see exactly how she subtitled the video, but he can guess. And sure enough, when the TikTok profile and video simultaneously go live the next day and Wes sees it, he is proven mostly right. 

“It’s hard to believe I’m the new face of Wayne Enterprises’ official TikTok. Because I’m not: I’m just an intern, and I get the f*cking coffee.” 

Rebecca had even captioned it as if he were the one writing and posting: It’s at least a paid internship. The words are then followed by a string of hashtags. Well, that just goes to show that you can’t trust corporations’ social media, even if they do try to come across as real and friendly and like a person who could be your friend. Parasocial relationships are dangerous, who knew?

“The likes and comments are coming in fast,” Rebecca says, staring down at the WE phone that Tim had sent down with the filming equipment to use for the WE TikTok. She’s also done more than she needed to with it, downloading other social media and logging into them on her personal profiles. Wes didn’t comment on it, even if he did think it was not the smartest move, but she said it was so she could get away with “studying” current trends easier. 

“It is Wayne Enterprises,” he remarks. “It’d be like if, I dunno, if Superman finally downloaded TikTok. But, like, this is more corporate greed than ‘protecting humanity’ type of thing.”

“That’s true,” she nodded. “But I mean, the Waynes are pretty generous. I make more here than I would anywhere else.”

“Yeah, fair. And paid internships aren’t exactly common, either.” 

Wes wouldn’t admit it, but while he’d given up on proving the Fenton-Phantom conspiracy and other identities, he did still have a bit of a stalking problem. So when Google sent him a news alert about the Waynes making a press statement about the break-in, he immediately hit it to read the article while Rebecca read new comments on TikTok aloud for him to hear. 

The Waynes Speak About Break-in At WE

The article discusses how grateful they were to Batman and his flock for stopping the break-in, even if they hadn’t caught the new villain. Really, it’s just a puff piece about the Princes of Gotham’s perception of the Knights of Gotham. And considering Wes’s insider knowledge, the article comes across as a little condescending and self-praising, and he’s close to exiting the website when a throwaway comment near the end of the article catches his eye, and he reads on. 

VV: And are you at liberty to say what the villain was looking for? Is it something we should have our eyes on?

BW: [laughs] Well, it’s something that has been spoken about before, I believe? I think Tim could tell you more about it than me. He’s definitely got the brains. You know, when he was—

TDW: Haha, thanks, B! I can’t give too much away because the lead scientist on the project, Dr. Michelle Amir, will get upset, but I can say that we’re expecting a breakthrough in renewable energy. 

VV: Are you sure that’s all you can tell us? 

TDW: I’m afraid so. Dr. Amir is very protective of her research.

VV: And it would seem with good reason! It’s a good thing Gotham’s own….

…And the interview returns to preaching the Batfamily’s praises.

Wes has to roll his eyes at the Brucie Wayne persona trying to take every conceivable opportunity to gush about his children. 

Still, he recognizes that the article was published just a few hours after the TikTok started to go viral. Any reports about the WE break-in will be buried under tabloids dissecting the new TikTok profile and what this means for future WE advertisements. Clever, and exactly what he expects from the Bats. 

As he exits the website, a text notification pops up at the top of his screen. It’s from Tucker Foley and all it says is, “YOU!” in all caps. 

He sighs as a rush of other texts hit his phone from his classmates at Casper High, some even including the link to the TikTok. 

And so it begins. 

xxXxx

Tag List: 

@theamazingfox @quietlyscared @lumosfeather18581  @blankliferain @amercurio @gin2212 @starscreamlover @hoarder-of-gender

If you want to be added to the Tag List, just ask in the replies 💙

[stilesgrace159]

Reddie Roleplay Ideas

These are my RP ideas for Reddie. Please feel free to ask for more info. These are just general ideas. If you’re really interested in a concept, I’ll go into more detail. If you want to add onto a concept or tweak it a bit, feel free to let me know. I prefer to play them in their 20s or at least 18 for teenage stuff. And obviously in their early 40s for any chapter 2 related stuff. Mostly because of smut reasons. I also frequently like to do crossover with other fandoms, so feel free to ask about that as well. My Discord is Olliegee21.

Medieval Royalty AU

This can just be normal, or incorporate Vampires and Werewolves

Maybe a Knight and a Prince

Rival Kingdom/Romeo and Juliet AU

Arranged Marriage/Enemies to Lovers AU

Pirate!Richie x Siren!Eddie - Richie is a pirate on a ship and Eddie is just a little siren who tries to crash ships and eat pirates. A sweet little enemies to lovers AU.

Prince!Eddie x Pirate!Richie - Richie kidnaps a prince for ransom, but Eddie starts falling in love with the freedom of the open seas… as well as his captain.

Vampire & Werewolf AUs

Werewolf!Richie AU - The werewolf turns Richie

1800s British Vampire Period Drama (ft Vampire Eddie or Richie)

80’s Teen Wolf Movie AU - More Werewolf Richie

Vampire!Eddie x Werewolf!Richie - Monster AU/Enemies to Lovers? (Or vice versa) Could be in the 80s, could be modern, could be in any other time period.

A vampire slayer AU - could be modern, could be 80s, could be mixed with the period drama au. Who knows?

The Medieval AUs mentioned before

Other AUs

Reddie/Byler AU - Mike and Richie are cousins (or twins) and Will and Mike go on a trip to Derry to visit. Just 4 boys getting jealous and talking about their feelings.

Ghosts TV Series AU - Richie has had so many brushes with death, he can see ghosts, so he is able to see ghost Eddie.

Neibolt AU - very violent and gory au. Basically, they're just evil and in love. Kind of rough with each other, but it's what they like. They care about each other deep down. They’d murder for each other. They probably have. Maggots and goo.

Beetlejuice AU - In which Eddie is Lydia and Richie is Beetlejuice

Eddie Lives AU - Eddie makes it out. Either we can do this where it’s angsty and fluffy. Or, it can always be a slow turning zombie kind of thing too.

Band AU - Richie in a band. Like Finn in Calpurnia or The Aubreys.

Just a cute 80s high school au.

Norman Bates AU - Eddie is like Norman. I mean, it works. He has mommy issues.

Christine AU - Richie buys a fancy new car to work on but the car has a dark secret. Eddie is worried about how attached his best friend is getting to the car.

Clown AU - Crazy little psycho clown boys. Idk. I saw fanart and loved it.

Losers 7 Deadly Sins - In which the losers are the 7 deadly sins.

Superhero AU - Richie is an evil supervillain and Eddie is an adorable but mouthy superhero. Lots of unresolved sexy tension.

Lisa Frankenstein AU - Eddie has mommy issues and wants to get away but accidentally brings the cute boy from the cemetery back from the dead and there's lots of killing.

Angel Eddie x Demon Richie - cute antics, very good omens

Addams Family AU - It's like the Addams Family Values movie. Eddie is like Wednesday and Richie is like Joel and they meet at summer camp.

Greaser Richie x Prep Eddie - it's the 50s. Ignore time period homophobia for the most part. Think or Grease or The Outsiders. Also… maybe even a touch of Christine?

Another Villain au - basically, my brain likes evil people. Evil scientist Richie, evil sidekick with powers Eddie. Lots of fighting lots of sex.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KKxPAQkg4Uv0qSY8RLX3sABHWND4dp_Nll1hzEcs1Nw/edit?usp=drivesdk

[swampgallows]

like obv if there was no rona i would be shadowing again and trying to do dentistry. when we got groceries the other day my dad was trying to be encouraging telling me to do art like i said earlier but he shot down the other things i wanted to do/was trying to do. "postal thing, the dentistry thing, dont do that. those arent for you. youre an artist, you should be making art". again i understand what a privileged position that is but 1. i dont fucking make art anymore and havent wanted to since i was a high school freshman and 2. i genuinely wanted to work for usps and got the offer and my whole family talked me out of it, and also yes the hours would have been brutal but what else am i doing instead??? the answer is nothing 3. they already decided for me that i shouldnt do dentistry which is another field im passionate about esp where it interacts with mental health & servicing underserved communities. so i dunno to me it's like the inverse of 'you cant make any money doing art you need to be a doctor!' my parents met through their art of course they want me to be an artist too. but it's like everyone else in my family decided it for me. it becomes difficult to try to figure out what i actually want and who i actually am. like they would rather me be "stuck here" (this is what my mom said yesterday, "since youre stuck here you should be writing a book!") unemployed and miserable under the guise of being a 'struggling artist' than for me to like. i dont even know what. do something 'below my station' even if it's something i think i would enjoy, like usps or making pizzas or decorating cakes or something. like sure if i try it and find out i hate it then ostensibly i'll have at least tried it and ended up here, back where i began. but theyd rather see me not try anything at all than try and fail. they dont even know that i tried and failed [redacted] so lol. though its generous to say i even tried honestly

[danganronpa96]

idk if this is the right place to ask but what was the planned story of despair gang? (if you're okay with answering!)

At this point I have to be honest with myself and realise that no, I’m probably never going to go back to that fic considering all the plans I have for myself for the future (lol)

In that case, I’m finally going share what was going to happen in the rest of the plot (fun fact chapter 6 had already been half written before I stopped working on it rip)

So, for anyone curious, I’m going to leave a link to the unfinished chapter 6 (with some extra notes and art) and the rest of the plot under the cut

So, I kind of split the story into 5 acts and an epilogue, and chapter 6 was the start of act 2. Bear in mind I only wrote down a vague plan of the story as the majority of it was in my head at the time.

Chapter 6: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p8uFhqoSiFgyAz5PYmYn1O7EHHVPkZXF3xMi_d4b7to/edit?usp=sharing

When it cuts back to the gang, before making it to the apartments, they come across a basketball court full of Monokumas in their way. They deal with them together as a team.

They then have a round of basketball together (Rin and Papyrus vs. Hajime and Matt) — Hajime manages to score the final dunk only because of the help of Izuru, who he quickly attempts to repress as the others cheer for him.

Afterwards, they find the apartments and settle into one that’s the least destroyed and messy.

Rest of Act 2:

At one point, the gang find a playground where Rin and Matt go on the swings. They talk about what they should do after the tragedy, mentioning theme parks, which sparks Hajime to chime in. Rin and Matt then go to the bathroom, leaving Hajime and Papyrus alone. Papyrus tries to talk to Hajime about what happened at the basketball court.

Another day, Hajime and Papyrus go out to find entertainment for Rin and Matt after the two complain about having nothing to do. Hajime gets his leg slashed by a Monokuma during an ambush, so Papyrus carries him to a bookstore where he can safety bandage him. He then gives Hajime a pep talk about his confidence. Hajime wants to say something back, but Monokumas once again catch them off guard, forcing them to flee back to the apartment.

Another day, Papyrus and Rin go out on a supply run while Hajime heals from his injury. During this time, Hajime gets to know Matt better, where he talks about his time working for Despair Melody (and puppy crush on Parappa).

There was going to be a scene where Hajime and Papyrus end up in an arena similar to the UDG game but instead of fighting a child, Gumi invites them into the middle of the arena for a challenge, demanding she gets Rin if she wins. However, Hajime and Papyrus manage to win, so Gumi cuts off her finger much to their horror.

The end of Act 2 would have the gang’s apartment being found and burned, forcing them to flee into the sewers.

Act 3:

After navigating the sewers for a while, they come onto land again where they realise they’ve ended up in a district all about Miku: billboards, flyers, merch stores, and music all around. They would go onto infiltrate Despair Melody’s base (which is the Parappa Town school). I think this was because they were going to use it to gain good reception to contact Future Foundation (and talk to Nagito and Parappa).

Act 4:

In an act of defiance and manic, Gumi kills Sunny. The gang wait atop the rooftop (of the school I’m assuming, perhaps to be picked up by Future Foundation) but are ambushed by Gumi, who they see has replaced her chopped off finger with Miku’s somehow. They would then flee through riots in the streets (probably Despair Melody’s doing) where they loose Matt during the escape. However, Izuru finally manifests, allowing Papyrus and Rin to be captured while he flees.

(I don’t remember what act this was going to be, but at one point while sitting alone, Hajime would finally gain the courage to tell Papyrus about Sans, but to his surprise, Papyrus figures it out himself. The two then have a hurt/comfort moment about it.)

Act 5:

Hajime is awoken/saved by AI Teto (was gonna be a whole other plot thing lol). Hajime then locates and saves Papyrus. As the two go to find Rin, AI Teto would take over a Monokuma and ensue some hijinks. Gumi would tell Rin the truth about Len: that he’s dead. He was the body that Miku used in the 3rd case of the 69th killing game that they dressed up as Miku (yes this is actually canon when Teto says “I didn’t want Miku to kidnap—” but cuts herself off in the 6th trial, she was going to spill that they kidnapped Len for that case). They save Rin and confront Gumi. Izuru manifests again, but this time to finish off Gumi himself by slashing her stomach.

I don’t know how this happens but in the plan it then says ‘the building explodes as the three are rescued by a Future Foundation helicopter’.

(I also assume this is the act where Hajime is finally true with his feelings towards Papyrus and is 100% reciprocated c’mon c’mon reverse sansmaeda real and true)

Epilogue:

The gang (I srsly don’t know what happened to Matt at this point maybe he was already on the helicopter that would be cool) join Future Foundation as the world starts to be rebuilt together. Gumi, who didn’t die, is put into the hope rehabilitation program.

Bonus: Hajime and Papyrus adopt Rin and Matt and now live as a family because a human and a skeleton can fall in love and raise a singing robot girl and a dog boy. The end :)

Also for anyone wondering, the participants of Sunny’s killing game were all planned to just die in the explosion, but hey wouldn’t it be funny if they were all found and rescued at the end instead 👍

[compo67]

having a better day today. i woke up early, earlier than my alarm, and spent the morning listening to an audiobook (gay cowboys! "His Fresh Start Cowboy") and knitting.

my copy of Salt for H got here last night. i'm excited to go through it and mark my favorite poems.

this morning i got dressed and went to PT, arrived on time. i wasn't rushing like i normally am. my pain was at a 4 when we started and it dropped down to a 3 afterwards. i can't express how grateful i am for PT and my PT specifically.

after that, i stopped at starbies as a treat. i also forgot my water, so i needed something to sip while i was out. i made my way to Michael's and bought 1 yard of fabric to make something for H when i see the gals on friday. then i went to the dollar store to buy candy for K's care package. i may have also bought some kit-kats for myself. >_>

now i am home, in pajamas, feeling good. my cousin got a job interview and he used the resume i made for him when he applied. KP got a 2nd interview with the library and i made the connection for her with the HR person. i called the aging/caregivers services place to see if i can be my dad's paid caregiver. and i ordered more (free!) shipping boxes from USPS to get ready for the holidays.

today is a much better day than yesterday and i am super grateful for that. tomorrow i have to take my dad to a doctor's appt, but that's the only thing we have on the books.

okay, time to write and/or knit. i'm wearing my finger splints, so everything i do depends on how i work with them on. i need to have them on at least 2-4 hours a day. i'm on hour 1. T_T

i hope y'all are having a good day, too. <3

[thegameartist03]

PIZZA TOWER WERETOON AU PILOT EPISODE AUDITIONS

Hello, Gamma here with an audition offer for a pilot episode I wrote. I've been working on this passion project with a bunch of other people for a little while now, we have a set script at this point so I'm looking to get it dubbed. !!THIS IS AN UNPAID POSITION!! If the dub gets posted, your name will be in the credits! I completely understand if this isn't enough. Everyone is welcome to submit an audition for the characters! Even if you think your voice doesn't fit, try it anyway! Microphone quality will be a factor in who gets a position. You don't have to have a whole expensive setup, but your voice has to at least sound mostly clear. Give it your best shot! The worst that can happen is you don't get the part but you do get some experience! AUDITIONS WILL CLOSE SATURDAY 4/15 Auditions will be open for the foreseeable future! Auditions permanently closed. Thank you to everyone who auditioned

Questions? Shoot me a message on discord (Onyx#6678) or Instagram (thegameartist03)

Details under the cut

Full script (TW FOR BODY HORROR AND GORE) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YSEaLN4Nm2P8_OBTSJo5J6S0XtGAZU4CiLRFklBj6e0/edit?usp=sharing Submit your audition here! https://forms.gle/ETT5WFZWfrvPTPat9

How to Audition

1. Choose a character or characters you want the part for

2. Record yourself reading their lines (marked with “” below the descriptions/requirements)

3. Fill out the above form

4. Wait to hear back!

Characters Gustavo (he/him) Peppino's closest friend, optimistic even in the worst of times, aims to be kind but you'd better not disappoint him. Very fond of Peppino. This is the position with the most lines! If you're not comfortable doing lots of talking, I wouldn't recommend it. Requirements: - Masculine/deep voice - Italian or able to do a convincing Italian accent (annoyed) “Ugh, I hate these Cheesey-Cheese Pizza Company commercials.” “Oh, I love this show! They must have the best animators in the world, the characters look so real!” (comforting) “Come on, migliore amico. Just a few more hours, we’ll manage.” (choked up) “Peppino- Peppino you’re alright! When I saw the blood I thought…”

Virgil (he/him) A goon and wannabe cowboy who's not afraid to get the job done. Fond of Peter. Requirements: - Masculine voice - Able to do a convincing cowboy accent “Should be. His scooter’s still outside. Jee-sus that’s a lot of blood, the h*ll did boss do to ‘im?” “I’ve got a good word from a… reliable source that you boys should just drop this case.”

Peter (any pronouns) A goon and failed artist who acts as the strongman to Virgil's sharpshooting. Still loves to paint. Fond of Virgil. “Ooh, Virgil look, a tip jar!” “Ugh, I just hope we won’t be dealing with all that blood again. My shoes are ruined!”

Mr. Stick (any pronouns) Peppino's strict landlord, mostly bark and no bite. “Ba-ba-ba, I don’t want to hear your excuses, Peppino. Your rent is three months overdue.” “You’d better! Just ‘cause I’ve been nice to you so far doesn’t mean you won’t find an eviction notice taped to your door!”

Freddy (he/him they/them) Part of Peppino's "fanclub", he's in a band. Very energetic. “Eyy, if no one got me I know Peppino the Pizzaman got me!” “It’s true! I have never tasted a better pizza than what I get here. You da bomb Peppino!”

Lisa (she/her) Part of Peppino's "fanclub", she's quiet but likes to participate in her friends' antics. “Ah, you know how it is. The CEO is cool, some of the employees? Not so much. It’s nice that we get a break to go out and eat some real food.”

Rayen (any pronouns) Part of Peppino's "fanclub", she's energetic and usually the one to get the group out of trouble. “Heyyy, Gustavo! Whassup man?” “Oooh, gimme gimme gimme!”

Vinh (he/him) Part of Peppino's "fanclub", he keeps the group grounded and is always finding ways to make his friends laugh. “Woah, careful Freddy! You’re gonna make me fall, man.”

Shouty Lady A semi-frequent customer at Peppino's who loudly complains about her food whenever she eats there. Requirements: - You can scream without blowing out your mic “EXCUSE ME SIR! I ordered a CHEESE PIZZA with EXTRA CHEESE, and I got a CHEESE PIZZA with the REGULAR AMOUNT CHEESE!!” “WHAT KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE RUNNING HERE?!”

The Cops Rude, they'll make you want to scream ACAB. Cop 1 “Did you see how freaked out that Gus guy was? Ha!”

Cop 2 “Yeah! And when he, like, full sprinted just to go hug that other dude? Like sheesh, get a room!”

Cop 3 “Ha! I knew he was sketchy! What do you guys think, should we go bag him for insurance fraud?”

Scientist “I just got the results back from CODIS on the blood samples we took, turns out it belongs to the owner of the restaurant.”

Tired Person Are they high or just tired? Who knows. "What."

Voice 1 “Did you see that?”

Voice 2 “Yeah, I think it came from over here!”

[stormsthatrage]

Let's Thank the AO3 Staff

The DDoS attack has me, once again, realizing how much fandom owes to the volunteers at OTW. They truly have provided a safe haven for fanworks, and have allowed our communities to flourish without censorship or judgement in a way that is incredibly important and so, so rare.

Anyway, I sincerely doubt this is going to get enough attention to go anywhere, but I wanted to at least send the vibes out: collaborative thank you note to ao3 staff

Because the staff at A03 is doing something incredible, and they're doing it for free, and sometimes it's nice to tell people you appreciate them.

(Desktop works better than mobile for signing the card)

(Raw link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dFS4a5iDLc0yjPce67xcSJ1HW0nVFn3WP-oyv64eFoE/edit?usp=sharing)

P.S. I am not a graphic designer, or a particularly technologically skilled person. If this does somehow manage to gain traction, I welcome any graphic designers to improve the card, or people with brains to improve the management of it.

P.P.S. Tumblr gods, if you're listening, please let more then 2 people see this before it gets buried.

[evrea]

Unleashing the centuries 

Do you hate when you’re playing with Sims but get bored easily? Do you want to go through each century and see how the Sims could’ve been in the old times?

 Boy, then I have a challenge for you

Welcome to Centuries Legacy Challenge, a generation challenge that focuses on the different eras and new ways to learn about the centuries 

Required mods:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CVGdH4YsfBbVDGd9zooYTGVbEzEUcjJH3NbJdDoJVW0/edit?usp=sharing

Basic rules:

1.each heir must represent the colour of the generation (I.e. hair, makeup, clothing) you may use any clothing you want but we suggest downloading clothing for each century 

2. The colour of the spouse doesn’t matter as they aren’t part of the challenge 

3.money cheats can’t be used though you can use the freerealestate for your first home but nothing after that 

4. you may live wherever you please unless something is specified in the rules of a generation 

5. every generation is supposed to complete both the career and aspiration of the heir unless explicitly stated otherwise 

6. keep the lifespan on normal (p.s. no heir should die until all tasks are complete)

7.if you play and want to share it with us go ahead and post with

#Unleashingthecenturies 

_______________________________

My friend @lifea16 and I created this challenge after seeing the not-so-berry challenge and thought we could create our own but based on centuries. We wanted to make a challenge that includes stuff we’ve never tried before in the sims4. Hopefully, everyone can enjoy the challenge as much as we do.

inspired by the not-so-berry challenge made by  @alwaysimming and @lilsimsie

__________________________________________________________

Era 1(19th century)

Generation One: Purple 

Right after your parents passed away you moved into one of their expensive estates right next to the goths, who’ve always had an eye of taking your family’s money. Your obsession with luxury always gets the best of you and you’ve never had real friends because of your family’s riches 

Traits: egotistical, loner, determined, snob, teasing 

Aspiration:mansion baron

Career: business 

Rules 

 Gain at least two promotions

 Complete both party animal and mansion baron aspirations

Complete charisma skill

______________________________________________________________

Generation two: Blue

You had quite a good childhood but you often feared the worst. And as an adult that nagging feeling has just gotten worse. So you decided to move somewhere more calm. You inherited your parent's self-confidence but are more likely to be embarrassed than them

traits: self-conscious, Melancholic, pessimistic, awkward, physically weak( feeble)

Aspiration: neighborhood confidante

career: writer

Rules

publish at least one book before having a child

raise at least one child who gains a happy childhood reward trait(basically be a good parent)

reach the author promotion in the writer career

______________________________________________________________

Generation three: green

Thanks to Blue’s efforts you had an amazing childhood! As a child, you were always fascinated with the concepts of life and death and decided you’d be an actor when you grew up. Well, now you’re grown up, and now you’ll face all the challenges of being an actor in the 19th century.

traits: vegetarian, absolute pitch, envious, excitable, Ambitious

aspiration: Joke Star

Career: Entertainer [If you have Get famous then Actor]

Rules

master entertainer/actor career

max out piano and violin skill

have only two children

______________________________________________________________

Generation four: Gold

Green was always too busy with work to give you much appreciation, but she almost always gave you money if she was home, so you move back to your old estate and continue the family business which no one has worked on since purple, it is now your job to keep the business afloat

traits: repressed, logical, Materialistic, Ambitious, unpredictable

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Career: business 

Rules

master business career

earn 500,000 simoleons

______________________________________________________________

Generation five: red

You never really got to express your emotions as a child, and you’ve had anger issues all your life, but you’ve had to bottle it up for everyone else’s sake. Now, it’s not controllable and you often lash out at others. You also happen to be quite the flirty type who’s quite nice to anyone you’re dating. Will you be able to get through your inner turmoil and be able to support the next generation?

traits: romantic, darling, reserved, hostile, childish

Aspiration: serial romantic/ soulmate

career: painter

Rules

After completing step 1 of the Serial Romantic Aspiration, switch your aspiration to soulmate

raise at least one child who gains a happy childhood reward trait(basically be a good parent)

______________________________________________________________

Generation six: silver

You've always gotten everything you wanted as a child but when you see someone with something better than you your blood boils. But who said you had to play fair? You decided that you’d take anything you want if you can’t get it yourself.

traits: music lover, non-comital, envious, kleptomaniac, perfectionist

aspiration: public enemy

career: criminal

Rules

Get promoted in the criminal career at least once

Live till you acquire a grandchild

_____________________________________________________________

Era 2 coming soon!!

[abwatt]

Robert's Rules - Constitution & Bylaws

I've just done my fourth or fifth deep-read of Robert's Rules of Order, originally published in 1876, and lately (2020) published in the 12th edition newly revised. I found so many gems for future magical practice. As I read, I attached these little tabs to the book.

One of them is something that I wish more magical groups knew: that there's a formal framework called a Constitution and Bylaws for defining the framework of a voluntary association (like a temple or a lodge or a druid grove or an astrologer's circle or a coven).

Writing a Constitution and Bylaws doesn't actually obligate your group to file articles of incorporation, or put in filing fees with your state or get a tax ID number (in the US, at least), as long as no money changes hands. It's just a guide to how you're planning on running things. If you decide to file paperwork later, you need a Corporate Charter which probably needs to be drafted by a lawyer.

The Constitution and Bylaws is nine (and a half) articles long:

Article I - The name of the organization

Article II - the purpose of the organization.

Article III - The Members - who are they, what are their rights and duties, how do they join, how do they leave.

Article IV - The Officers - who are they, what are their rights and duties, how are they elected, what do they have to do, how long do they serve, how do you replace them? (Most groups need three - a president, a VP of some kind and a Secretary... give 'em any title you like, but those are their functions).

Article V - Meetings - What kinds of meetings are there (usually either a. program, b. regular business, c. special business, or d. emergency business), who gets to decide when they happen, how far in advance do you have to inform members that there's a meeting, what can happen at each kind of meeting, how the date-time-place confluence is chosen, when those date-time-place elements can change, who can change them, and most importantly, what's Quorum or the minimum membership for a meeting's actions to be valid.

Note -- a program meeting is one at which there is a ritual or educational event, but no business (i.e., no money is spent or collected, no votes are held, no discussion of business is made. Regular Meetings are for money/discussion/voting. Special Meetings are for issues that will take a long time; Emergency Meetings are when the floor of your meeting place caves in and you have to decide what to do about it right now while meeting at a different place than usual.

Article VI - Executive Committee - Who's on it, how often do they meet, what can they do without the permission of the members, and what their quorum is when meeting on their own.

Article VII - Committees - in addition to the executive committee, what other committees exist, and how does someone get on them? What do they do, and who (on the executive committee) leads them? Are special committees (ad-hoc) allowed, and if so who appoints them, and how is their business handled?

Article VIII - Parliamentary Authority - if the group has a weird situation come up that might be solved by referencing a manual on group procedure (like Robert's Rules of Order), what book will be used?

Article VIII.5 - (this is the half-article). ANYTHING ELSE that your group thinks belongs in the bylaws.

Article IX — Amendments — when you want to change any of the preceding articles, how do you do it? Usually the requirement is a minimum number of days written notice (plus whether it has to be via USPS, email, etc) of a meeting at which the discussion and vote will be taken + the exact wording of the change you want to make and where in the constitution and bylaws + the minimum number of members who have to vote for the change expressed as a fraction, e.g., 2/3s majority of members, for it to occur.

And you might look at this all, and think, wow, that's way too much business for me and the folks I do spiritual work with. But Henry Martyn Robert wrote Robert's Rules of Order in part so that Americans would learn how to conduct themselves as citizens in citizen-led meetings, using a shared set of guidelines and principles. This is a grimoire quite unlike any you've ever worked with, because it not only teaches you how to organize people... it shows you how to run the government(s) you live under.

[ckerouac]

It’s been a goddamn week™️

Honestly it’s been a goddamn three weeks.

It’s appeal season so I’ve been working on this goddamn mailing for a month, but didn’t build in time for the comms director to absolutely HATE everything I’d set up. So I had to start from scratch last Monday. Which then I had to drop that on Wed to take my mother for surgery but can we do it in town? Nooo, it needs a specialist so we have to go 2 hours away so I take her while my brother stays home with my dad. Working on a new concept while my mom is in surgery and recovering in between making sure she’s taking her meds.

Finally get her back home Fri and I stay until Sun night. Go back to my home for 36 hours while my brother stays because I have a full day workshop cause we’re switching CRMs and I’m part of that process (while redoing this appeal while I’m on the zoom call). Find out that the USPS can’t find our new lockbox in their system aka where all this money I’m raising is supposed to be mailed so add in yelling at the Bank and the Postal Service to WORK IT OUT because I need this settled before the mailing goes out.

Back to the parents on Tuesday morning. New version of creative. Comms hates it less, still not great. The office in London doesn’t want to share their diagrams (we’re the same goddamn org, give me the art files). It’s already into Nov and this is going to land around Thanksgiving which is LESS THAN IDEAL. Third version of a letter. Second database workshop. Now Dad needs to go get bloodwork so I take him, another few hours out of the afternoon.

Wednesday my laptop decides that it no longer recognizes the concept of WiFi, so I’m in a corner of my parents house on the floor plugged into the router until my IT guy has space in his schedule to figure out what happened. Fourth version of the letter, replacing 50% of what was in there yesterday. IT cancels on me. Blows off my 6:30am meeting because I haven’t slept in a week at the UK staff can’t be arsed to schedule this during our overlapping working hours because ‘it just works better for us at this time’. It’s a nonessential meeting I’ve been given permission to skip for the next two months. Get yelled at. Dad has a doctors appt but at least Mom is feeling better. Another couple hours in the afternoon at that appt. I’m late to the second IT meeting cause Dad has to fucking socialize, then he gets grumpy I don’t have time to get him food well WE HAVE FOOD AT HOME cause I did the grocery shopping last night.

Get verbally slapped down by my boss because of course. Finally have approved pieces, but the mailing list just came in so I’m doing that this weekend because of course I am.

I’ve had stress dreams every night - but like stupid ones that I’m aware of while they’re happening but have big ‘well this might as well happen’ energy during the five hours I’ve been able to sleep.

The thread I’m hanging on by right now is really fucking thin. But maybe maybe I’ll get some sleep tonight?

If not this may be my villain origin moment.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), January 2024

Welcome to my first commerce news update of 2024!

Now that we are through the intensity of the holiday rush, I plan on getting a few of these out each month. Please follow me on Bluesky or on LinkedIn if you want more timely updates. (New ways to get updates coming soon!)

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Some Etsy listings now have a link which displays some shop owners' names and home addresses under the seller contact info, which says “Meet your seller”. This may be legally required in some jurisdictions, including within the US if you don’t have a proper location on your shop, but here is how to remove it if you don’t need it. Here’s some of the info on the US INFORM Act which could require disclosure of your information; the EU and UK are other jurisdictions which sometimes may require this info if you sell to them. 

Reminder that UK small sellers may end up having their taxable income reported by the platforms they sell on starting for 2024. “The first deadline for firms to report details of transactions is the end of January 2025 – a year after the rules come into force. Bank account details and the cost of transactions made by sellers with sizable trading activity must be reported.” Etsy reminded shop owners that there is no change in taxes owed in the UK; the changes force platforms to report income so that people can’t evade taxes as easily. 

In case you missed it, many USPS rates, as well as forever stamps, went up again on January 21. Some label services such as eBay may actually offer decreases in certain categories, however.

ETSY NEWS 

Etsy announced 2 (very different) “privacy” changes at the beginning of January: limiting some third-party apps from receiving buyer email addresses, and making the Etsy forum a seller-only site in the near future. Shops will have to log in to read anything other than Announcements and the Technical Issues sections. We are not yet sure if this applies to shops in long-term vacation mode. 

Etsy teased a promotional announcement on Jan. 16, which is likely that the site will be launching Gift Mode [post by me with a link to another post with screenshots]. I’ll write more on that once it is officially released, but here is one of my screenshots from today, with lots of infringement. Also, the site is apparently buying a Super Bowl ad. This year’s ads are expected to cost at least $7 million USD. Etsy forum thread discussing both topics here. 

Etsy chose not to respond to this article about AI art sold as indigenous creations. “Etsy has a policy that prohibits users from selling items falsely listed as being produced by Indigenous peoples — but only in Northern America, and allows “Indigenous-style” products by non-Indigenous people.”

Some shop owners from Turkey claim their shops are being shut down at a high rate, with no explanation. At least some had issues with items that cannot be sold on Etsy, and there appeared to be some with ID or financial anomalies. I am still interested in hearing more, if anyone knows anything. 

EcommerceBytes covered the Etsy problems with the domestic pricing tool charging some international buyers domestic prices, which have been going on since May 2023. While some sellers have managed to get refunds from the company, others report no such luck. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

General

The Indie Sellers Guild is running a virtual convention in April; read the panel ideas here. 

Amazon

Amazon product pages now have a link to get AI-answers to your questions. Expect to see a lot more of this on many types of sites. 

There are several keyword tools that can help you optimize your Amazon products; 5 are discussed here, but note that some may be pricy.

The latest layoffs at Amazon include people working for the “Buy with Prime” department. 

Amazon’s difficult-to-navigate system for suspensions and other punishments has led to entire law firms dedicated to supporting shops that have been closed or have had listings removed. 

BigCommerce

BigCommerce sites can now have a marketplace component, meaning that a single business site can now have other sellers on it. 

eBay

eBay had to pay $3 million over its behaviour in the cyberstalking case against Ina and David Steiner, owners of EcommerceBytes. The Steiners issued a victim impact statement; the civil lawsuit in this matter goes to trial in March 2025. 

eBay’s discounted Tracked Packet rate from Canada Post has been extended to March 31, 2024. 

Buyers and sellers are getting annoyed with long delays in product authentication. 

eBay called a few sellers and pushed them to offer cheaper shipping rates, based on the discounted rates for eBay’s labels. (They seem to have forgotten that they charge fees on those shipping rates.)

Poshmark

Poshmark’s recent policy changes included a class action waiver. Changes are effective February 5. 

All Other Marketplaces

Depop released its first Trends Report, similar to those put out by its parent company, Etsy. 

Bonanza is introducing a combo website builder/inventory integration and accounting platform called Vercado. Price will be $99 a month, so I strongly suggest investigating what - if any - advantages it provides over its competitors. 

Payment Processing

PayPal and Venmo are teasing some big ecommerce plans for this year, to be announced on Jan. 25. It involves use of AI, and the possibility of improving engagement rates. 

Shipping 

There have been numerous reports of major USPS shipping delays, especially in Texas.

[grahazine]

Inspiration Zine Update 3

Thank you for your support of this project! As of this time, we have multiple important developments that we would like to review with you.

Important links are hyperlinked in the relevant section(s) of the email, as well as listed at the bottom for ease of access. If any of the links do not work, or you have any difficulty accessing them, please contact us so a moderator can assist you.

Below is a breakdown of all production updates up to November 30th, 2022.

Twitter Instability Due to the ongoing issues with Twitter since the advent of Elon's Bad Decisions Bingo, we've elected to make a back-up Tumblr blog to house updates and other project info in tandem with our Twitter account. Check it out here!

Additionally, all update emails will have their contents cross-posted on Tumblr for ease of access. We've struggled to get MailChimp and other mailing services to work for this type of correspondence, but every service we've tried has missed at least 50~ people despite them being in the mailing list and listed as "active" rather than "unsubscribed." We hope that this helps everyone access the info they need with ease, whether or not it arrives in your email Inbox or Tumblr Dashboard.

Production & Proofing As of this time, all of our merch items are now in production and our zines are in the proofing stage. Our Product Photo Twitter thread updates regularly as product arrives. The thread includes photos & video of samples as we receive them from the manufacturers. It also lists any product revisions that affect customers (ie. Tote bag finishing change). The estimated manufacturing time varies by product. Below are loose estimates of when the production for each category of product should be complete. These estimates do not include shipping time or any potential reprints.

Paper Merch - 1-2 weeks (RECEIVED)

Acrylic Merch - 4-8 weeks (SHIPPED)

Music Boxes - 6-8 weeks ( RECEIVED )

Tote Bags - 4-6 weeks (RECEIVED)

Enamel Pins - 3-6 weeks (RECEIVED)

Washi Tape, Sticky Notes, Lanyards, Zippered Pouches - 4-8 weeks (SHIPPED)

As our remaining merch items are shipping to us from overseas during the holiday season, we expect them to arrive within the next 3-4 weeks, rather than the manufacturer's estimate of 15-20 days (as that is based on standard shipping times and not the holiday rush). Photos of the arrivals will be posted once they've been disinfected and checked to ensure that product is up to spec. We'll make sure to post updates to Twitter as soon as the merch packages arrive (which will be long before the end of December, we hope).

As of the current time, our zines have been submitted to the printer and are in production. Unfortunately, the paper stock being used for the book interiors is in backorder and we have been informed by the printer that our order will be delayed until they receive the paper stock we need for the remainder of the books. The good news: the books should be done by Jan 1-15th at the latest! The bad news: all standard orders will definitely not be on the way in time for your holiday(s) of choice.

Updated Schedule

Aug 30th: all product is ordered (COMPLETE)

Sept 20th: product photos from manus are available

Oct 30th: all (if not most) product has arrived

Nov 14-Dec 30: shipping begins (totes & music box orders only)

December 2-9: digital fulfillment sent out in batches

Jan-Feb: shipping for all remaining orders completed

If you need to update your shipping address at any point prior to the shipping period, please use the Address Update Form available here.

The information submitted via this form is secure and will only be seen by Mod Kiri as part of the product fulfillment process. Your address and other private information will not be shared, redistributed, or publicized in any way (with the exception of submitting to USPS for shipping purposes).

Important Links

Address Update Form

Customer Feedback Form

Product Photos Thread

Thank you for your support and patience! We can't wait to show you the zine! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via DM, Askbox, or send us an email.