#2019 is largely dependent on if i get the ones i want the first time or not

[matan4il]

Hi. I'm Polish and I want to educate myself. Last week I went to The Polish Jews Museum Polin in Warsaw, Poland.

I also read a lot of online leftist stuff.

Cam you tell me what were 2019 Gaza protests about? Why are you calling them "protests"? I thought they were largely peaceful.

Hi! Sorry it took me a moment to reply. You might have noticed that I'm getting a lot of asks, and I do try to research some things before replying. I'm glad you're trying to educate yourself, I hope you do so by more than just reading whatever anti-Israeli blogs are posting here, posts which de-humanize Israelis and Jews, and justify the violence and murder of our people.

Here's a few pics from the events you're asking me about, organized by the terrorist organization Hamas. In the first pic, please note that each "peaceful protester" is holding a weapon, including an axe (you mentioned the Holocaust... ever since I guided at our museum a Holocaust survivor from Libya, who was attacked by axe-wielding local Arabs half a year after the end of WWII, forever scarring his head and his hands, I never look at an axe in the same way):

And here's some of those "peaceful protesters" with cutters that would allow them to try and breach the fence on Israel's border:

If there's any doubt what would these Hamas terrorists have done if they had succeeded back then in crossing into Israel, we got the answer during the massacre of Oct 7.

On the surface, these "protests" were about Palestinian liberation. But on Apr 9, 2018 Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, admitted that he was staging these riots to divert attention away from the failure of the Palestinian Hamas and Fatah to reconcile. An internal Palestinian matter erupted as violence targeting Israel, allowing Hamas to depict itself as THE leader in Palestinian society.

Anyone telling you that these border riots were peaceful is trying to sell you something. Beyond selling you hatred for Israel, the biggest Jewish community in the world today, it's also meant to sell you an alibi. According to this, Hamas' terrorists supposedly had to use violence, 'coz they tried protesting peacefully, and that failed. But these were not actually peaceful protests. Hamas has never tried peace, and has never wanted to, since it's an antisemitic organization committed to the murder of all Jews. It's the same people who murdered over 1,400 people in Israel on Oct 7, who brutally raped, beheaded, tortured, cut off limbs, cut off intimate parts, burned people alive, and all in the name of an ideology that strives to kill every Jew in the world.

Does it sound like "protests" organized by this entity along the border of the Jewish state could have ever been peaceful?

The riots lasted continuously for almost two years, from Mar 30, 2018 to Dec 27, 2019. Since then, there were more riots by the fence, but they had been sporadic. So most of the time, people refer to that period when the riots were a constant. Here's a report on the violence taking place during the riots, released on Mar 27, 2019 (almost a year after they started. Click the pic for better quality):

Again, since you mentioned educating yourself on the Holocaust, I'll point out the swastika that these Hamas terrorists drew on that arson kite that you can see in the above screenshot. I can give you many more examples of how they use the swastika, for now I'll just include one more:

I found another report for you, from an intelligence and terrorism research center. It's from a much earlier point during the riots, posted on May 28, 2018. It mentions the violent nature of the riots, but it also identifies most of those killed when trying to breach Israel's fence up until that point. They're overwhelmingly members of terrorist organizations (not just Hamas). A report from Jan 21, 2019 had similar findings.

Something else to take note of is that Hamas actually paid people to join these violent riots. How much would people get paid depended on how bad their fate would be. Think about how cruel Hamas is being to its own Palestinian people... Hamas is estimated to be one of the richest terrorist organizations in the world (with most of the money going to Hamas' leaders). Here's a reminder that Hamas spent A LOT of money on the Oct 7 massacre, which it could have spent on the Gazans. A little over half of the Gaza population is kept in a state of poverty (the rest are Hamas members or affiliated with it, such as the wives and kids of Hamas terrorists). So, this terrorist organization intentionally keeps the people in Gaza poor, then offers to pay them if they go try to breach the border, and get injured or killed. That gives people motivation not just to participate, but to be violent, in the hope of attracting gunfire from the IDF. Hamas actively encouraged the Palestinians in Gaza to be violent, and to die.

Another piece of evidence that the riots were violent is that there were eight Israelis killed and over 380 injured during these "peaceful protests." If they had been peaceful events, and had been kept to the Gazan side of the border, there should have been no casualties on the Israeli side. This is Barel Chadaria Shmueli (on the right), who was killed by a Palestinian that got close enough to an IDF post along the fence to shoot him point blank:

There are also lots of vids showing the violent nature of the riots, here are two that I can embed, and one I can only link you to, and which reports on over 100 explosive devices thrown at IDF soldiers during that one day alone...

One last, but crucial thing that I'm going to add here... How do you think Hamas managed to breach the Israeli border fence on Oct 7? Hamas used the "peaceful protests" to study the fence and the soldiers guarding it, figure out where there were weaknesses and blind spots, and use that information to infiltrate Israel and massacre over 1,000 innocent civilians here (and over 340 soldiers trying to protect them). Without these "peaceful protests," all of those people would have been alive. In fact, according to one report, some of the explosive devices along the fence that were blown up by Hamas on the day of the massacre might have been planted there secretly during one of the more recent riots along the border.

I hope I managed to answer your question? Let me know if anything wasn't clear!

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Gonna be SO honest, i've stopped reading most of the snippets you post, especially for the fics i'm most excited about, bc i don't wanna spoil myself too much and i prefer waiting for the actual update, HOWEVER i think i'm doing all of us a favor by doing this

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Thanks a million and happy writing!💕

That is so so fair! Some of them have been quite spoilery.

BUT THANK YOU!

Here are 75 new sentences for vamp!Eddie:

---

Buck doesn’t sleep well. 

It’s not just readjusting to his old friend, the Diaz couch. Though that proves uncomfortable. Largely, it’s any noise, insignificant or not, that rips him from any small sleep he manages to find. Sophia getting up to use the washroom. Eddie shifting in bed. The buzz of the fridge from the kitchen. A car rolling down the street outside the house. 

Last time Eddie was under this roof, vulnerable, Buck had slept too soundly. 

This time, fearing he will evaporate like smoke and be gone by sunrise, Buck hardly sleeps at all. 

He wakes early, with the sun. He cracks open Eddie’s door ever so slightly, just to confirm he’s still there. Real, not a phantom. Not a wish so frantically wanted, that his brain allowed him to slip into delusion. Eddie lays very still under the covers. Breathing a touch rigid. He’s real. He’s changed, but he’s real. 

Buck does something he has rare occasions for these days. Something he needs to get back into the habit of, with Chris coming home. While the Diazes sleep, he cooks a full breakfast. Eggs, bacon, pancakes. He uses the good coffee beans, even. All the stops. They have a hard conversation ahead of them, today. One that won’t be made easier by an unsatisfied stomach. And, besides, who knows how long it’s been since Eddie had a good meal. He’s looking a little haggard. 

Cooking rouses Eddie and Sophia within minutes. Typical. Both of them. And Chris. All drawn to the smell of pancakes like beagles. He’d put on Adriana being the same way, even though he has only met her briefly, on two occasions, in 2019. 

“Morning,” Buck says to Eddie, who emerges first. “Sleep okay?”

He pretends that seeing him, walking towards him, doesn’t make his knees shake. 

Eddie nods. “Yeah. I was really tired.”

“I’ll bet,” Buck replies gently, ignoring the heaviness behind his own eyes. 

Buck grabs a mug and reaches for the coffee pot when Eddie stops him.

“No coffee, please. Do you have tea? Herbal?”

Buck looks at him like he’s an alien. 

Eddie’s lips quirk. “Caffeine has no effect. Uh, and it doesn’t actually taste that fantastic when you aren’t dependent.”

Buck blinks. “I didn’t know that.”

“Why would you?” Eddie asks. 

Well, because Buck has made it his mission to know everything. 

He shrugs, instead of saying so. “Lemon ginger okay? Or, I think Soph has cinnamon.”

“Oh, ginger please.”

“Okay,” Buck mumbles, then reaches for the electric kettle. 

“Sorry,” Eddie says quietly, as Buck fills it with water.

“For what?” Buck asks.

“Um…” Eddie struggles for an answer. “Not being the same, I guess.” 

“That’s hardly your fault.” Buck says. But he doesn’t look at Eddie as he says it. Instead, he searches the cupboards for tea. “You’ll still eat my pancakes though? I know you need to eat.”

“It’s food or the other thing,” Eddie says. “So, yes to pancakes.”

“Does it taste the same?” Buck asks.

“No.” 

Buck’s stomach twists. “Sorry. That sucks.”

“Not bad. Just different. Each ingredient is a bit stronger. More separate.”

“I think that’s how dogs experience smell,” Buck muses.

Eddie snorts. “So I’m like a dog?”

[mybrainismelted]

Weekly tag Wednesday!! 🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to Elle @suchagallabitch for putting it together this week!!

1. if you could switch bodies with anybody for only one hour who would it be and what would you do? geez, ok... making me think right out of the gate. Let's go with Elon Musk. Totally screw with him. Sell twitter. Give everyone at Tesla raises. Obviously send myself large amounts of money somehow.... Basically drain him dry with charitable donations and acts of goodwill.

2. what's your most trivial / dumbest hot take? oh gosh. Ummm.... I don't have kids, so I should be allowed to take extra time off because my cat needs me

3. if you had to teach a college course what would it be in? Probably something boring and work-related

4. season 12 of shameless is suddenly happen and youve been put in charge! what plot point(s) are you gonna make happen? ok, so first, Liam living with Ian and Mickey because it makes way more sense. Obviously more of the soft and happy side of Gallavich that we all love. Lip and Tami are separated and trying to juggle co-parenting their kids, and the return of Brad.

5. who would be your godly parent? (can be any mythology). wow... really making me think today. ok.... Persephone maybe?

6. what’s something you love about yourself? I can bring groups of people together and force them to bond. lol

7. describe your day in 5 emojis: 🥱💻🖼️😲🦥

8. what shameless character do you think you could beat in a fight? Franny? Freddie?

9. tell us 2 truths and a lie, we’ll try to guess the lie!

I love seafood

I have a pizza addiction

I once ate a giant container of chocolate covered cherries and then puked them back up

10. do you have a pet(s). if so how did they get their name? I have one adorable kitty named Savvy. She is a rescue, and that was what they named her at the shelter. She had already had the name for over a year so I didn't want to confuse her.

11. show us a meme (or picture) that captures your essence

12. whats your typical coffee / tea / beverage order? depends where I am, really. I get different stuff just about every time. But I love a good chai latte.

13. use a song to describe the last 5 years of your life?

2019- I'm like a bird - Nelly Furtado

2020- Bad Day - Daniel Powter

2021- Basket Case - Green Day

2022- Every Day is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow

2023- It's My Life - Bon Jovi

Phew! That took awhile. Tagging in some peeps to play along! @juliakayyy, @krystallouwho, @jrooc, @creepkinginc, @crossmydna, @ian-galagher, @dynamic-power, @heymrspatel, @lingy910y, @rayrayor, @such-a-barbarian

[pixeldotgamer]

✨All My WIP Projects✨

Since the results of that Twitter poll I did show people REALLY wanna know what I'm working on, I figured I'd just announce/summarize most of the things I have in development right now!

This will be pretty long so it's getting tucked under a read more!

Don't Tell My Wife / DTMW (Game, Horror VN) Status: Active Development

DTMW is my entry for SuNoFes2024 on Itchio! Folks may actually recognize this one as I streamed some concept art a while back, and even posted some as well!

This game focuses on a Husband and Wife in the woods. Specifically, the Husband and something he's been trying to plan for a while. Now there's only one week left and his Wife has taken notice.

"You have one week to get your plans sorted. You thought you had more time than this. Don't let her find out."

---

Treacherous Flesh (Game, RPGMaker Horror) Status: Research & Writing

TF follows the story of Ila, a woman who contracts a deadly illness and must wait 8 months for treatment. The game follows her over that time as her symptoms worsen, and her body turns against her.

Like many of my projects, TF pulls from a personal feeling. This game is an outlet for my own ongoing health problems. I started working on this game after being told I had to wait 8 months for an ultrasound I need for diagnosis. It's month 4 of 8 now.

Probably the most outright depressing thing I'm working on, this game actually means a lot to me. This is an outlet, but I'm also hoping it resonates with people who may be going through what I am.

---

Dead Girl's Club (Game, VN) Status: Research & Writing

DGC follows a girl from a religious cult town tracking down the male "murderers" of girls from said town. The game is a very blatant look at the transmasc experience tackling themes of family, community, passing, more.

---

Computer Angel (Game, Point & Click/Interactive Fiction, Horror) Status: Concept Development

Computer Angel comes from my own fascination with the concept of "angels speaking to you through your screens" and such, whether for horror or comfort.

In CA, your aunt has just passed away suddenly and you end up with her computer. As you investigate the machine to use for yourself, you realize there's something in the computer. Something that would very much like to make your acquaintance.

With 3 narrative paths depending on your choices, I want CA to be a spooky and surreal little game! While the concept has been fleshed out, this one is on the back burner until I dedicate myself to learning GameMaker which is the engine I want to use.

---

Pop-Rock & Curly (Game, Point & Click) Status: Research & Writing

A brainchild of mine from 2019, where I said to myself "What if I made a detective/robber OCs but they're lesbians?" and then PR & C just. existed in my brain?

After just having them rattling around in my brain but never drawing them more than once, I decided to adapt them into a game! I've always had a love of P&C games, so it only makes sense I take a stab at one (Art from 2019)

The game follows detective Pop-Rock, who is personally requested by Curly to help as she rats out her no good boyfriend who has stolen a big flashy item. Using this as a chance to improve her reputation, PR ventures into the cities criminal underworld.

---

Juno Law (Game, VN) Status: Pre-Dev Done, Art Concepts Started

Juno is what I'd call my first "modern" game idea, the first game idea I can pinpoint where looking at it I could go "Wait this could actually be a game!" Basically a "what if I made an PWAA game" type deal

We got lawyers, punny names, gimmicky designs, and more! While not what I would call a fangame, Juno is meant to be my love letter to Ace Attorney that I started cooking up after playing the main 6 games. I actually was pursuing this as my first game!

Juno is a LARGE game. The biggest of anything even on this list in scale. Because of that, I've had it on the back burner since I finished the full game notes back a few years ago. The game is completely outlined! All characters, trials, plot lines, all of it!

I'm really passionate about Juno, but I knew I had to be honest with myself; This is just too much for my first game! My weakest skill, in my opinion, is my writing. So, starting out with massive narrative VN? Maybe not, haha. Someday though, I want to make it.

---

7. Cleopocha (Game, ???) Status: Concept Development

Cleopocha is about an android idol named Chapel, who starts dreaming of their past personas. It's a game largely about identity and asking what do we own those who came before us, especially when we don't remember them?

My current sticking point with Cleopocha is actually genre! The story I want to tell needs breathing room in a way a VN can't provide, but I'm unsure if an RPGMaker type game is quite right. What should the gameplay even be? Those kinda questions 🤔

---

A2amB (Podcast, Liminal Space Horror) Status: Research & Writing

I've had this fascination with doing some kind of story based podcast as far back as 2019, where the title A2amB comes from! The name is a placeholder from the idea I had way back then. (Art from 2019)

The story now is WAY different than the first concept. Salvaging characters and concepts from a MOTW campaign I was running, the podcast is now about a liminal space mall and the people stuck within it. (Art from Aug 2023)

Casey Day, local computer repairmen and burnout, gets dragged into the liminal mall and is stuck fumbling around trying to get out again. Besides twisting halls, a mannequin cult, and unpleasant personalities - Casey will also be haunted by his own issues.

I've been on a steady dev pace with A2amB, but I'm still figuring out what I want from the story, as well as how I want to deliver it. So currently I'm just locking down the pacing and themes in a way I find satisfying. I'll probably have to trim a lot of ideas..

---

And there's the bulk of what I'm working on! I need to refine my pitch process a bit, but I honestly just love gabbing about ideas!! I have no set release dates for these projects, they'll happen when they happen! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

[agirlandherquill]

(This is alwri-tes because you can't send an ask from a sideblog oof-) Your writing snippets are sooo good! Are they part of a larger story? If so, what is the overview of this story?

allow me to just make sure my quill's filled with ink - oh, it is? right then, here I go,

hi! thank you so much for asking this - and to answer it, yes, my writing snippets are part of a larger story (or in my case two, which I will explain momentarily) - before joining tumblr about two months ago i had never heard someone use the term 'writing snippets' except for myself, so thank you writeblr for the giggle it gives me every time i see it - anywho, moving on to the larger story, well technically stories;

there are two novels from which i take snippets and post:

'Ruin's Reprisal' - the posts that include the title and usually a chapter number stem from this

The second is 'A Deal of Daggers' - this one is a little trickier for me to reference a chapter seeing as i'm in the stage of what I like to call joyful chaos, I have a scrivener document stuffed to the brim with snippets, some short, others significantly larger, as you can probably tell from the varying lengths of my posts; I haven't yet gotten around to writing this novel in order, seeing as I'm undergoing a complete rewrite of what was an incomplete manuscript (an incomplete 500-paged manuscript, may i add), but I'm slowly getting around to doing so,

and to respond to the second question - the overviews: Ruin's Reprisal is undergoing edits at the moment, i'm roughly on chapter 7/42, but in terms of plot it's there, it's all good to go and eager to be spilled from the confines of my mind and the very large scrivener doc (I'm at 210k words at this moment in time), and so without further ado, the overview:

'Disgrace. Servant. Murderer.

Three people with nothing in common, except that they were wronged.

And now, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. Which means taking the one thing that their society rests on; its sins, its saints, its deaths and broken dreams.

The unlikely band of criminals are going to steal the crown.

Everything depends on one heist. Take the crown. Free themselves.

Will any of them survive? Or will they fall to the country that took everything from them? 

Only time will tell.

And they’re running out of it.'

incredibly vague I know, but it's a little blurb i enjoyed coming up with, and as for the plot, well, that's slowly unravelling itself on Tumblr, as and when I find myself with the time to write, but one day hopefully I'll be an indie author - knowing me i'll stick the novel on ao3, (wouldn't be the first time), or if I get incredibly lucky, a published one,

but truth be told, 'Ruin's Reprisal' has grown up with me, it's been a labour of love since around 2019 I believe, it's undergone many, many changes, and I only completed the first draft as part of nanowrimo last year (and then some, I completed the full draft on New Year's Eve which was funny timing) and it's a story of loss, of growth, discovery and new beginnings - something that relates a little to the likes of youth itself, and there are moments in this story when the characters lose it, and in all honesty, I did too, but it's thriving and I hope to complete the novel by the summer (a rather ambitious deadline I might add, not to mention the many I've tried and surpassed long ago),

and as for 'A Deal of Daggers', i came up with the idea a couple of years ago, I wanted to write something a little darker than 'Ruin's Reprisal', with characters that had more matureness, more rawness to their beings, I craved a story that left me clinging to my keyboard for dear life at times as I wrote it and in many ways, it has. Even though it's a skeleton idea, it has cemented its place in my heart for eternity, and the more I write the more I come to love it and the characters, Reid and Isolde, to name the main few.

As for the overview, well, as I mentioned before it's in a state of joyful chaos, but, I can tell you it involves a contract, a murder, a betrayal, treason and of course danger - dangers of the heart included, because who doesn't adore a little tension every now and then?

and as a final note I'd like to say thank you, not only for asking this but for liking my writing too, this goes to everyone who has seen my posts and enjoyed them - there's nothing nicer than knowing that not only do I enjoy something that I do, but others enjoy it too,

and so I will send this off into the world of writeblr and disappear back into the fever-dream of life, scrivener, chaos and music forever playing in my ears,

~ A Girl and Her Quill

[raytorosaurus]

Hello! I’m going to one of the MCR shows in Brisbane and i was wondering if you could give me some info on the venue/etiquette over there (I’m from Puerto Rico). Do you know if they’ll do the wristband system for GA or if you’ll have to queue all day? Are pits particularly rowdy or anything like that? I’m so excited to go to Australia for the first time! Any tips on what to do/eat would also be welcomed 😅 thanks!

heyy!! sorry this took a while for me to get to, i wanted to give you a decent answer. first of all, that's really exciting that you're coming from pr!!!! hope you enjoy your trip <333

okay so you didn't specifically ask this but just as a general heads up because i worry about it - one thing for i know for sure is that overnight camping at this venue is strictly prohibited. it's also not actually possible at all, because the venue is in a large gated-off area that's locked at night and borders/is surrounded by swampy wilderness lol. so as a heads up to anyone attending the brisbane show, please please do not camp overnight it's not only illegal but very unsafe. you'll also literally be eaten alive by bugs lol it's a huge mosquito breeding ground. i promise you'll regret it lmaooo.

okay the rest of the answer is under a cut bc it got rambly lol sorry. but if anyone else is travelling to brisvegas 🤘🤘 for the show/s, here's a little crash course for you if you want lol

so to answer your original question, i highly doubt there'll be any kind of wristband system organised by the venue tbh, i've just never heard about a precedent for that here (though i haven't been to this particular venue since before covid so i guess i could be wrong). their website says you can queue "outside the turnstiles" on the day, so i think it'll just be down to who shows up tbh! also as a reminder, the venue is kind of out of the way and there isn't much in the way of food/water nearby to purchase so if you do do that, come prepared! and bring plenty of sunscreen and probably insect repellent. remember it will almost definitely still be quite hot in march down here. i'm not really expecting a very serious queue myself - i'm thinking there'll be maybe a dozen or two dedicated people who show up in the morning at most, and the rest won't show up until maybe a few hours in advance. i could be wrong though!! i'm personally not planning on getting up really early, i'd rather be rested for the show. maybe late morning? who knows i might change my mind

it's also not exactly the easiest venue to get to by public transport lol, your best bet is the nearby train station (boondall station). but on the plus side it's close to the airport!

as for pit rowdiness, it's really hard to say, i reckon it just varies from show to show. i'm honestly really curious myself as to what the crowds will be like because from what i can tell mcr aren't really as popular over here in general as they are in america/the uk (not so sure about europe). i already know a couple of people who are going who don't actually know much of their music they were just like oh huh mcr, i remember them LOL. for reference there are two shows in each city, one that was announced in 2019 and one that was added the second or third time they rescheduled, and in every city that second show still hasn't sold out. so i don't thiiiink the pit will be very rowdy at these particular shows, no. but same as always - if you're worried, just avoid standing front and centre!

as for what to do/eat - now this really depends on where you're staying and how long you're staying for! the best place for that kind of stuff is obvs around the centre of brisbane, whereas the mcr venue, like i said, is pretty close to the airport. if you want to really see brisbane and eat out in nicer restaurants/bars, southbank (most tourist-friendly place, accessible and genuinely nice to wander around along the river), the fortitude valley (which is also the nightlife district and chinatown), and west end (pretty heavily gentrified 'hip' youth area - lots of vegan food and brunch places, farmer's markets and the like) are probably your best bets, though not the cheapest. brisbane does actually have a good foodie culture so there's plenty around - it's hard to go wrong with asian food here thanks to australia's pretty high asian population! if your budget is smaller than that - dude trust me. go to any brumby's bakery or to any pie face and get a proper meat pie. and a lamington while you're at it.

if your stay is short and you just want to find cheaper accommodation close to the airport, honestly the aforementioned swampy wilderness that the entertainment centre is in is part of a national park (boondall wetlands environment centre) that's quite nice to walk around if you're into that kind of thing! it's a mangrove system which is a really fascinating ecosystem if you haven't seen them (though i think pr has plenty lol), lots of native birds and shit. the nearby suburbs of sandgate and shorncliffe are a great place for some classic fish and chips and to walk along/sit by the water (though don't get excited, they're not a 'real' aussie beach, it's a sheltered bay so the water is flat and the sand is brown).

depending how long you're staying and whether you'll have a car, there are lots of very beautiful "real" beaches surrounding brisbane an hour or two in either direction - the gold coast to the south is for the touristy ones (good if you like shopping/nightlife, more accessible by public transport), and the sunshine coast to the north is quieter and prettier. there's also lots of nice hiking trails around if you're into that but you would need a car.

anyway. sorry this is long, i hope i answered your question!! you're welcome to dm me if you want specific clarification on anything :)))

[nerdnag]

How much do you plot out your stories before you write them?

More than I used to!

Up until maybe 2019 I almost never plotted out stories beforehand. Therefore I have a LOT of started docs saved with little random ideas: some of which never became more than a page, some of which went haywire after a while and never recovered. And there are some entire "books" or fics that were completely improvised as I wrote them. That used to be how I wrote when I wrote for my own enjoyment only.

I tried my hand on an overarching structure for an original work back in 2017/18, but that was probably my real first planning for any story I'd ever written.

And then I think it was @alienducky who really got me into plotting and got me stuck on it for real. We worked on a fic together, and it would have been practically impossible to do that without some kind of joint plan. I remember she started a table at the top of the doc where she listed all the scenes, and I was like yeah, that's a good idea, and it was. After that I started plotting out my own fics in a similar manner too, and now I never want to go back to how I did it before. The stories just turn out so much better when I know where I'm going from the beginning. But I plot in a way that still lets me be creative with the plot along the way.

So this is how I do it nowadays:

Scribble any little initial idea I have - sometimes in a single sentence, sometimes in a paragraph, sometimes in random loose sentences here and there that only make sense to me.

Place the bits I know I want into some kind of organised scene structure - if I don't already know which order things will happen in, I'll get a first sketch on that now. I usually structure this into actual chapter titles (placeholder titles that just give me an idea of what the scene is about) so that step 5 becomes a bit easier later.

Loosely figure out what kind of ending I want - just so I have something to aim for. Usually I have two large threads going and then a number of subthreads; the main threads (like a fantasy conflict or a romantic struggle) have to be clearly solved at the end imo, but some of the subthreads can be more loosely handled. At this point in the process though it's all just a rough sketch.

Slowly fit more pieces I want into the puzzle - any scenes that are necessary to bring me to the end somehow, or even scenes that bring me joy to think about, as long as they don't stray too far from the main threads. I also make sure to always add in early on which pov I think I want for every scene.

When I have a beginning, an end, and a number of scenes that seem to coherently bring me from one to the other, I start fleshing out parts. This usually means that I start writing bits and pieces here and there. Often I wrote the first handful of chapter first before I go on to the rest of the story, so I have a basic idea for myself of what the characters want and how they should be acting. But after the first few chapters, I usually jump from scene to scene depending on what mood I am in and what feels more joyful at any point in time. So I might write half a scene in chapter 7 one day to then write an entire chapter 22 the next day, only to then jot down a few paragraphs into chapter 16 after that. (This is my adhd working, I let it because it's worked out pretty well for me so far.)

Along the way I may come up with new ideas and adjust things, I flesh out scenes that were very barebone in the beginning, I solve and change things that turned out not to work, and when I reach the latter chapters that I wrote early on (for example ch 22, if I wrote that straight after ch 7), I'll usually have changed enough things that I need to rewrite large parts of that chapter. That is fine by me, it's all part of the process.

I should also add that if I've started posting it on for example Ao3 along the way, I sometimes - very rarely, but it happens - adjust my plans depending on what people comment. This is usually only if someone comments something that is so genius or otherwise so perfectly natural for the story that I just cannot let it go by without doing something with it, and only if it fits into the plot somehow. One example of this is when I noticed that several people were suspecting a particular character of having hidden motives. Up until that point I hadn't planned on doing much at all with that character, but when I realized that what I'd already written was leading very naturally to their conclusion, I decided to give that character more space from there on out and even played into the whole hidden agenda idea (but with a twist). That kind of thing can be really fun to do, but I don't do it if I don't think it will work for the plot I already have.

There have also been occasions where conversations with @alienducky have led me to change things in similar ways. One example of this is when I sent her a first overarching plot of my entire then upcoming fic series back in... 2020 I think? And she's great with noticing details, so she asked me how the characters would be able to send letters to each other if they didn't know where the other person was. I told her there was a magically enhanced wolf in there that would be used to bring letters back and forth. She was so into the idea of this wolf, and asked what would happen to it later in the story, that I simply had to make it part of the main cast, and in the end it even played a very important part in a reveal down the line. XD Throwaway details that grow larger like that are also very fun.

Omg I actually found our old convo from back then, I can't not add it in here.

TLDR; I plot out an overarching story with beginning, end and bits and pieces in-between, then adjust as I go.

[wyrddogs]

Hello!

I am interested in getting my pup involved in a sport* and possibly a breed club. Your posts about that world have helped build the courage I needed to explore this world, so I wanted to ask a few questions.

I've been looking into the breed clubs for my dog, and there are a few large ones, but nothing obvious in my area. I suspect some of these issues are breed related - he's a Pomsky - but am hoping that I'm just not looking effectively. With that in mind, I had two questions for you:

1. How do you vet a breed club? Or, when you are looking at different options, what factors do you take into account?

2. How do you find local clubs? I have tried mostly various Google searches, as well as checking the individual larger associations for local chapters with no luck.

Thank you! I appreciate your time and knowledge. (photo of the boy in question attached)

*We have tried some agility and some scent but haven't committed significant time to either one yet, he is enthusiastic about both. He is enthusiastic about most activities.

What a cutie! Welcome to dogworld!

You didn't say what country you are in, so since I am American, I will answer using American clubs since that is what I am familiar with. People in other countries are very welcome to weigh in.

Also, for full disclosure, I consider myself still a noob in the breed/sport club world. I've been a member of terv club since 2017 and a board member since 2020. I joined dachshund club in 2021 and left at the end of 2022. I've been in an agility club since... 2020? 2019? I'm an honorary member of a racing club but don't pay dues so don't have voting rights. I was in a couple of obedience clubs in 2011/2012 but quit because I find competitive obedience boring. So I don't have tons of experience, but I'll share what I know.

Placing this under a cut because it got long!

If you're interested in joining a breed club, their first goal is going to be the preservation and celebration of the breed. What that means will vary from club to club. Some are focused purely on conformation, others will include sports and/or celebration of the breed's historical use. Some breed clubs only allow members that are active breeders. So that will be something to look into when you're checking them out.

There are also clubs that don't focus on one specific breed and are instead dedicated to one or more sports. It's a great way to get involved with people who enjoy the same activities that you do.

In the US, there are two levels of breed club. There is the national level (example: American Belgian Tervuren Club, or Dachshund Club of America), and then the local clubs (may be by state, county, city, etc.). A good way to find local clubs is by going onto the national club website and seeing if there are any in your state. Depending on the rarity of the breed and the size of the state, there may be zero or more than one. Then you can just use the contact info listed on the website to email the club and ask if you can come to an event.

To find a local sports club, I googled "agility club [city]" to find one close to me. You can go to events that they host to see how they run things.

You can also go onto AKC's website to see what agility (or other sport) events are being held in your area to see what clubs are hosting. If any of the clubs look interesting, you can contact them. (You can also do this for CPE, NADAC, USDAA, etc., and other sports venues.)

Also, never underestimate word of mouth. Talk to your trainer and fellow students about being interested in joining a club. They may have ideas! Go to dog events and talk to exhibitors and workers (when they aren't busy). I have landed every single one of my really good trainers via word of mouth, not google. Recommendations count for a lot. If you're nervous, that's okay! Everyone was new once, and I have found people to be largely super helpful and kind.

For vetting... I don't know. XD I want a tervuren, so I cold emailed terv club and they invited me to a tracking event. They were extremely welcoming and enthusiastic about their breed, and about me joining. The club is very tightly run, with quarterly newsletters, frequent meetings (both in person and via zoom), and a variety of events and fun days every year. Even though I don't have a terv yet, they have featured both Bindi and Kermit in their newsletters, and take an active interest in Kermit's competition career.

I attended a few dachshund club field trials and then applied to join. The club is very poorly run, both passively and actively hostile to new members, and the people are gatekeepy and incompetent. I've been involved in dogworld for over a decade at this point so I am deeply unimpressed. So I left.

So basically all you can do is go to events and see if the people seem like assholes or not. XD And if they are, don't let it get under your skin. The problem does not lie with you; it's with the asshole. For some reason some hardcore dog people (in conformation and in sports) feel threatened by new blood, so they feel like they need to lash out to feel powerful. They are not worth your time.

And even though there are assholes out there, there are also really wonderful and kind people. I've met so many good people through dogs. It might take a bit of searching, but you can find your group. It's worth it.

Good luck! I hope you have fun, and wish you and your buddy the best of luck!

[chaoticcutiewhirl]

Zetaverse Entry: VoxPop

Voxpop - Vox Populi - Voice of the People

Voxpop is a character from the Transformers IDW continuities, in 2005 he was a background character who appeared once in RID issue 1 and he later appeared in the IDW 2019 continuity as a reuse of this guy’s great design and now we have a name for him, I hope Voxpop can pop off into a bigger role. but into my own version of him:

Voxpop is a Cybertronian who was born well before the reign of Sentinel Prime as the so called Chosen representative of Cybertronians but comes from a time well after Nova Prime, during a time when functionist rulers and the city states were often infighting, keeping Cybertron from going leaps and bounds through the cosmos as they usually have had. Fortunately, Voxpop was from the city state of Pellechrome, far enough inland from the Iacon-Kaon proxy wars around the sea of rust and its many archipeligos, not being burden by the functionists that often dictated the high courts of Iacon and its neighbors like Altihex, Uraya, and Praxus. However, from the same factor, Voxpop was often wondering about the world at large, even the galaxy, Vox specifically of the two minds was more curious about the greater gears of the universe and how the grand mechanism of Primus turned while the more pragmatic mind of Pop kept them more focused as apart of Cybertron due to how Cybertronians can be feared with the history of wrath that primes like Nova Prime had wrought in their wake. That was the daily for Voxpop, the two minds being divided between pragmatism and ambition, one pulling to the stars, the other wanting to be binded to the ground before they could drift away. 

When the Cybertronian civil war began, Vox and Pop both agreed on the fact that they would not be of help to either side, the violence of the decepticons and the Autobots having good intentions but ultimately served to the cause that began the war in the first place even if many who instigated the violence were some of the earliest deaths in it all like Codexa who had an inability to act without the justification she could see to push for it, or Ratbat and his troubled games as soon as he left the grasp of Spector’s Kaon. Without good faith in either side, Voxpop sat idle and watched, being inspired by an Autobot radio technician by the name Blaster to pick up the aspect himself and soon Voxpop became the voice of independent cybertronians.

With every bit of good news Vox reported, Pop reported every bit of bad, especially as the exodus began with the Star Seekers, who tried their best to be a fortress to Decepticon onslaught in their independent movement, to the grasp of independent ships, autobots and decepticons with many of the millions on Cybertron’s surface leaving to the stars. Voxpop specifically left on his own with a small group of others, and by the time the Autobots began their war on Earth, every frequency in the galaxy could hear the update of every Cybertronian action from Voxpop themself, aboard an ancient titan who never made it to their destination as a frequency boost and a way to watch from afar, to give hope and despair to any who seek solace. Ultimately advocating the good fight when times get rough, just like the stories of a man who resports from the wastes of the interwebs in 2008.

.

As for me... if you want a simple character submission like this, just dm me and I am willing to do it for like 10 bucks depending on the design

[my-practiceblog]

If I could start all over pt 2

I had posted a while back on if I started back at age 12 knowing everything I know now, what changes I would make.  That was a long post, but I have a lot more to add, and this probably will not be my last post on the topic either.  This post will focus on money.

Currently we’re still at middle/high school.  I turned 12 in 2007.  As we all know, the recession came in 2008.  I did not have much money at the time, obviously, but I did have some from money my grandpa left me when he died, as well as small savings from allowance, babysitting, birthdays, etc.  After the recession hit I would invest everything I had, leaving myself maybe $100 in savings (I’d be a kid, what do I really need more than that for) in a mix of index funds and FAANG companies.  I would continue babysitting, and attempt to get a job as a lifeguard once I am old enough, and continue putting money into stocks.  As I got a bit older until I graduated college I would leave myself more money in savings for things like eating out and other activities with my friends.  

I would take all my money out of investments the summer of 2019.  I would reinvest everything March 2020.  I would take it all out again fall 2021.  I would slowly reinvest it, putting a bit in each week into Index funds starting September 2022.

I currently have both a Roth IRA and two 401ks (once with my current, one with my former employer).  I believe I started my Roth IRA in 2018 (and have maxed it out each year since), but I actually started working in 2017.  I should have started, and maxed out my Roth IRA in 2017 (even if that means taking money out of my other investments to fund my IRA).  I did, and continue to put a large chunk of my paycheck into my 401k, but I wish I put in even more.  Going back I would get as close to maxing out my 401k as I could without it impacting my spending.  I don’t want to have to lower my standard of living to save more, especially since my standard of living wasn't all that high when I first graduated, but pretty much anything outside of my spending + maybe $200 a month in savings should go to my 401k until it is maxed out  (at least until 2020).  Dependent of how much money I am making in this “new life” if may be much easier for me to max out my 401k, or have way more than $200 leftover for savings, but this is just given that I end up in the same jobs I had, and the content creation career (that I will talk about in my next post) does not go anywhere.

I was very hesitant to spend money when I was in college.  I knew my money was finite, because I didn’t have a job (outside of the summer and a few small paid things throughout the year) so I was always nervous to deplete it.  However, I didn’t realize my entire lifesavings to age 22 I would easily be able to double in just a few paychecks once I got my first real job (or if everything went right with this redo, way sooner than that).  Going back I would have been more willing to spend on fun things with my friends, especially since my parents covered all of my necessities. I wouldn’t want to go overboard or anything, but at least going out to eat with my friends whenever they asked.  Once I get my first job and am earning a real paycheck I would figure out an actual spending plan.

I bought a condo in the winter of 2021.  While ideally if I started over I would have way more money/options, no matter what I still would buy this same condo exactly when I did.  The only change I would make is putting in an offer sooner and maybe for $5000 less than what I bought it for.  Currently I share this apartment with a roommate.  If I do end up at my same job with my same salary I would want to keep that the same, only putting stricter cleaning rules in to place when she first moved in.  But she’s moving out this summer and while she’s lived here she has traveled a ton and I have regularly had the apartment to myself which has been great, especially since living with her hasn’t had any big issues.  However, if I had much more money I would still want to have bought this apartment with the interest rate I got it for, but instead I would not live here and rent the whole apartment out.  I would live either in the city or somewhere warm, but I will get into that in a future post I’m sure.

Not going to get into it, but I would also warn my dad against his former partner, and encourage him to break up that partnership as soon as possible (at least by my sophomore year).  If that were the case certain things I paid for my parents probably would have instead, and other things they would not have struggled with.

Okay that’s it on this one, I’m sure money will come up more down the line, but here are all the big things.

[lu-lus-dicks]

Nobody expects Russian spies! But there's one here.

I'm sorry, yesterday was a difficult day, so I didn't do daily interaction with you, my Georgian supervised. So, second day, twice the dose!

Do you like taking things apart and putting things back together for absolutely no reason?

Have you ever been given an electric shock?

Light. Artificial or natural?

Two small ones or one large one (no specific items, just curious)?

Do you like indoor plants?

Do you wear glasses?

Are you a perfectionist or not? Procrastinator or not?

Have you played D&D? If so, Lawful Evil or Chaotic Good?

Have you been abroad?

Have you been to prison?

Are you political or apolitical?

Answers.

Yes. A lot. A damn lot.

Fortunately or unfortunately, yes. A little though.

Natural.

One large one.

Yes. I have cactus that is around 2.5 meters height.

Yes. I have relatively small myopia.

Perfectionist? No. Procrastinator? Absolutely.

Yes. With my friends. And my choice is Chaotic Good.

Yes. In Latvia in 2019 (or 2018???).

No and thank whoever up there.

Political. I have gift or curse to slowly change topic of every relatively long conversation into damn political debates.

You don't need to interract with me daily for us to be homies y'know. Take care of yourself first bby <3

I do but unfortunately I can't a lot of the time. I took apart and put back together an old laptop once and it was so fun

Yes? Very light ones from electrical outlets. I once kept shocking people (static electricity) and I joked how I should be plugged in an outlet, would save the bills

Depends on the item but usually one large over two small ones. (I'm thinking of apples specifically as I write this lmao)

I hate indoor plants because my mom makes me water them. Other than that, no. They supply me with oxygen and that's sexy. Plants are sexy

No goasses, though my eyesight could use some. I used to have a superpower with my vision when I was younger and now I need to move my phone up to my nose to read text

Hard to say weather I am or not since I avoid completing tasks. I could be avoiding them because I'm lazy or because I'm a perfectionist and the thought of not living up to my expectations makes me quit. Either could fit

100% a procrastinator. Just coded a game last night while procrastinating on a fanfic, which I was procrastinating on my homework with.

Haven't played it but I'd be a chaotic good probably

No, but I really wanna, especially to canada.

Nope. Haven't been to prison. They probably banned me from there because of the posts I make on here

Apolitical. Constant yelling at my house about politics gets annoying so I choose to completely ignore it's existance. I like the idea of anarchy though, but not the "let me do what I want" kind, more the "I believe in the good in humanity and if we let ourselfs do whatever we'd be much better off without all the wars and politics bullshit. Everyone should help eachother out"

Was the shock coming across my blog? (I'm curious on what exactly shocked you)

Good thing I'm used to dealing with people who get extremely political. You're easy compared to my parents tbh

[omamervt]

When I was a freshman in High school was I think the first time I heard Taylor Swift's name, would have been 14 in like 2010, Romeo & Juliet was played twice on the bus ride to school for some insane reason, and like, yeah I wasn't a fan of her music at the time, which is fine, not the target audience obviously, but like, that was the theme through high school, I just didn't like her music but didn't really think about her more than I had to. Thought it was weird that she could go on an interview claiming she never had a boyfriend but it was also weird that everyone made sure I knew about every new boyfriend she had, you know?

That changed when she pulled out of Spotify. And I've had various different reasons for hating that over the years but for every justification I heard, some of which were very good, I could never wrap my head around one thing: If Spotify's terms were so bad, especially for the small artists her fans insisted she was standing up for, why was she the only one leaving?

And now that I no longer believe in capitalism and also because for the past 3 years I can barely go a day without hearing about some thing she did, the good, the bad, the framed-as-good, I have come to understand the issue is that Taylor Swift, who... when did that Spotify thing happen? Like 10 years ago at this point, right? Anyway who was already one of the most iconic pop stars of our era when she did that, didn't even make a display of solidarity. She didn't try and organize with her fellow top 40 musicians, she didn't publicize how little she was making in comparison to other streaming services or digital sales, (probably because even if her cut was significantly worse it was still mind-mindbogglingly large), there was nothing. She pulled her music from the platform and that was the end of it. Her fans were already the type to follow her anywhere so her fortune was secure.

And if that doesn't summarize every single other issue she's spoken out on, I don't know what does. If you SEE her speaking out on something, it's almost guaranteed to be an attempt to center herself so that she can get what she wants, even if nobody else gets it, and as soon as she has what she wants, she's out.

Most famously, her incredibly tone-deaf gay pride song in 2019 lead to the rise in popularity, if not formation, of the Gaylor conspiracy. Which, like with many things, is dependent upon you believing that one of the most savvy businesswomen and influential public figures of our era could be TOLD not to do something, like she's a child that needs to be managed. Meanwhile she got exactly what she wanted out of it - a one-time statement that her conservative fans can easily ignore, and the undying support of closeted gay kids who are CONVINCED that she must be one of them. And all she had to do was ride that wave until it was big enough it started negatively impacting her public image.

[imspardagus]

When a PM came in sight offering winter fuel

I don’t mean to boast but by comparison with the majority of people around me I am comfortably off. For the present. I am aware of the utility companies’ efforts to impoverish me but so far I have enough income to cover their parasitical demands.

I am a pensioner. After 45 years of continuous employment, I retired to live out my days not so much in the lap of luxury, nor, conversely, what my Mum had termed “genteel poverty” but with an income large enough, after tax, to ensure that my small house was heated and that I could keep myself clothed and shod and maintain a reasonable supply of good food. And there is generally sufficient for an occasional therapeutic visit to my friends at the local pub.

It is just as well because my daughter has, for much of the last 3 years, been unable to work because a bite from a false black widow spider triggered complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in her right (dominant) arm that ended her ability to continue as a care worker and her ability to drive or find other work. DWP’s “support” through this was so pitiful that she could not begin to survive on it let alone live on her own, so she became dependent on my income too. We managed.

Thankfully, my daughter has now recovered sufficient use of her arm to be able to operate a keyboard in short bursts and has found gainful, if not generously remunerated, employment. This took some of the pressure off my resources in time for the rapacious energy companies to line their already bulging pockets at the nation’s expense (patriotism means different things in this country depending, it seems, on how rich you want to be).

Where am I going with this? Well Christmas is coming and the cats are getting fat and that brings to mind the much loved carol:

“Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen…”

Now, there may be little prospect this year of snow even falling this winter, let alone laying around “deep and crisp and even”. But a letter arrived for me this week from the same caring DWP that deprives, hassles and then hounds benefit recipients at enormous expense to us the taxpayers. Its purpose appeared to be to appease the reader of the Daily Express, to name but one, possibly the Tory Party’s last supporter, if you discount Keir Starmer. It informed me that I have qualified for a “Winter Fuel Payment” of £500.

I am blessed, or perhaps cursed, with a mind that finds connections, whether I like it or not, and immediately I read this letter the last lines of the first verse of that beloved carol sprang into view:

“When a poor man came in sight Gathering winter fuel.”

It didn’t take more than an instant for the word “payments” to join “winter fuel”.

The letter went on, in splendidly self-congratulatory mode, to inform me that “[My] £500 also includes extra money from the government to help with the cost of living.”

Now, I don’t want to cavil, but there are several points of objection here if you were to want to make them. Where to start? How about with that “from the government” schtick. Because it is not “extra money from the government” is it? Not for me. It’s a selective tax rebate. It is a return of money they have already levied – levied, that is, on the pension that I contributed towards for 45 years while paying tax. The government likes to portray itself as “Lady Bountiful” – “We are providing record levels of funding for this or that” is a standard response to the mostly genuine concerns voiced about our public services being deprived of what they need to work effectively. But the truth, pedantic as it may seem, is that this is OUR money they are splashing around, not theirs. And while we are about it, throwing that money at their friends and donors turns out to be no guarantee that the money is going where it is needed. Patently, when you factor in the extraordinary levels of corruption that have attended almost all “government” spending since 2019, most of what this government has done is about as focused and productive as a drunk spending his pay packet of buying rounds for his inebriate friends at his local while his wife and children wait starving at home.

That “cost of living” aspect rankles too. Who is most to blame for the current levels of inflation and the cost of living, eh? The government of the day, that’s who. Even if you accept the impact of Covid and Putin’s illegal war on the world’s economies, the gross mismanagement of the UK’s affairs, from Brexit onwards has been the single most disastrous factor in our current state of near destitution. At a time when tax is at its highest level since the Second World War. So it is a bit rich for the Government to try to claim kudos for offering a modicum of respite, in the form of tax relief disguised as a handout, to those, like me, who are in fact doing better than most. The only sense, apart from the combined wealth of today’s Cabinet of All the Clowns, in which it is a bit rich, to be honest.

And then there is the next issue. As I said at the outset, I am relatively comfortably off. I don’t need that £500. But there are many people around me who could genuinely use it just now. I want to say this payment is indiscriminate, but actually it is more pernicious than that. Apparently (according to the letter) the only qualification that I needed to fulfil to get this kickback was being “born on or before 24 September 1957”. I could be a millionaire Non-dom tax avoider and qualify. Or I could be in the majority in this country and be struggling to survive and miss out on it. 

But even if this shoddy bunch of spivs and chancers, having squandered tens of billions of pounds on worthless and sometimes criminal procurements, does not want to help out those whom its egregious and at times wilful incompetence has reduced to penury, there are other, better things to be doing with this money. There are schools and hospitals up and down the country literally crumbling because of the Treasury’s historical and constitutional incapacity to distinguish price from value when awarding contracts, to name but one.

So what actually is their game? If I were a cynical man, I would mention here that pensioners have a tendency to vote Tory. Poor struggling workers don’t. But surely this cannot be a factor in the government’s decision making? Can it?

The buying of votes – “electoral treating” – has been illegal in many democracies for quite some time. Sadly, England is not among them. So we cannot rule it out. 

Like Good King Wenceslas, I can’t just sit in my warm castle looking out as the needy rake around in the freezing cruelty of Tory England for the means to survive. As in previous years, my conscience will probably require me to pass all or most of this indefensible bung to one of the (too) many charities around here fighting to keep as many families as they can from severe poverty. But even as I do, I will only feel anger that it has been left to me to do this. Looking after the vulnerable in society is, whether these entitled creeps accept it or not, what we keep government for. Charity as the only refuge from destitution is a mark of failure not success in an advanced society. If only there was a party in the UK that believed this to be true.

Instead we have a PM offering winter fuel payments (to comfortable pensioners). It doesn’t even scan.

[originalwindycity]

Listening back through all of them to decide, and felt like trying to make my own personal ranking of them while trying to figure out my favorite

(Hoping it's not impolite to do this directly in a reblog of a post by the person who made them The post itself is asking to pick a favorite, so hopefully this is fine If I should've kept my thoughts to myself I apologize!!)

(Also to be clear I do like all of them—even if for some of them I might focus more on the parts I didn't like, ultimately I would gladly go back and listen to each one multiple times over and take a probably unreasonable amount of time before I get tired of it)

8. 2016 but all the best memes happen at the same time

I think this one starts off really awkwardly—I feel like the beat doesn't quite line up between "We Are Number One" and "File Select" (SM64), so it's hard to start getting into the music until "Bouncy Ball" kicks in

I really enjoy the bit from ~0:24 to 1:00, but after that I think it gets harder to listen to for the remainder of the mashup

Overall a noble first installment in the series, and I'm sure the things that I'm not a fan of are largely due to a lack of prior experience making mashups like this

7. oh, 2017?

The intro to this is interesting, but I feel like it happened awfully early into this series? Idk, maybe there's something I'm missing (I think actually it'd have even fit better in 2016, establishing itself as the first finannual meme mashup in the series?)

If we treat the mashup as starting around 12 seconds in, I think "Jump Up, Super Star!" is a really fun way to start things off

I think I don't have anything particularly negative to say about any of the rest of it?

The bit starting at like 1:49 is really fun I think :D

6. let's get this 2018

I think this has one of my favorite introductions out of all of them? It starts off with Steamed Hams audio, tying it together really nicely with the end of "oh, 2017?", and "Well Seymour, I made it. Des—pacito" is such a smooth transition I love it so much

The pause in the middle, with the second half starting off quite slowly, I think messes with the momentum built up by the rest of the mashup (I can sort of understand the idea behind a slower section in a longer mashup, but this one isn't even 4 minutes, so I don't think it was necessary?), but I think the part after that does a good job of building that momentum back up

Overall, I think it works nicely, definitely stronger than the ones that came before it, but compared to the ones that came after it I can't really place it any higher

5. 😳what if we kissed​😳​in 2019😳

(Trying not to talk in too much detail about this, because I'm conscious of how long this post is getting and I want to try and rein myself in some, given how long this mashup is)

I think I expected this to be one of my favorites of the list, but it seems like it ended up being more in the middle? Wondering if the length has something to do with it

I think I disagree with what I said for 2018—I think the slow sections in both of these do just get rid of the momentum that's built up, and I think in this case it does take longer to regain that momentum (maybe because the slow section goes on for like 2 minutes)

4. 2023 extract

Okay, so like, I'm sure recency bias plays into my ranking some, but I think for what it is it still is really nice?

I think the singing did feel out of place at first in the context of the rest of these (nothing against your voice, I just wasn't expecting it), but it didn't take very long to get used to, and the fact that it is almost all just you singing over "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" makes it feel really unified, which is something I think a lot of the others in this list have struggled with

Of course this has the fewest memes out of any mashup (4 or 5, depending on how you count), but that's not at all the fault of the mashup, and I think it doesn't take away too much from the experience—it just makes the experience different

3. 2020 has progressed past the need for months

At first I wanted to rank this slightly below 2018 because I felt like the speaking at the beginning went on for too long on its own, but after thinking about it for longer I think it contributes really well with the overall tone of this one in comparison to previous mashups (which I think also fits well with the year itself), and the instrumental coming in under the speaking nearly 20 seconds before the rest of the mashup gets going helps to smooth things out more (like how in musicals you might have the characters speaking while the instrumental comes in, to smooth out the transition between speaking and singing)

I think it's still a slow start, but I think the rest of the mashup is still strong enough to make up for it, and I think I prefer it to having a break in the middle

2. hey, don't cry. 2022 meme mashup ok?

I had a hard time deciding whether I liked this or 2021 more. I think overall this is my favorite, because it just works so well musically I feel like? It's probably the best musical experience

But at the same time, it doesn't necessarily feel quite as like, meme-y as 2021? I understand this is due to a shortage of memes from that year, but I think 2021 reads more as meme mashup than 2022 does

I love both of them either way, though, if given the option I'd have ranked them both in first (but I need to pick one for the poll sdlkfjghsd)

1. there are many benefits to being at the end of 2021

The first half or so feels like the most frantic that any of these mashups get¹ (probably the combination of "BIG SHOT" and everything else feeling like it's sped up to fit with "BIG SHOT"), and placing "Welcome to the Internet" in the middle of that I think works very well—at that point it really feels like "a little bit of everything all of the time"

The second half, with "Hot Milk", is significantly slower, but something about it feels like it fits so well together with the first half? I have no idea what exactly, it just feels like something about it clicks

I think it's like, rather than completely stopping all the momentum by switching to something slower (like I feel like 2018 and 2019 did), it's like all of the speed of the first half gets channeled into "Hot Milk", so rather than letting go of the energy and momentum that's been built up, it just turns it into a different form, switching things up without making it feel like it's completely disconnected from the earlier part

Throughout the second half, the energy feels like it gradually swells up and then simmers back down as "Hot Milk" builds up in intensity and we move through different memes, before we're left with just "Hot Milk" and "Astronaut in the Ocean"

Overall very smooth in execution I think, there isn't anything I'd want to change

(¹To be clear, I don't mean this as a negative thing, I wouldn't be putting this one so high if I did mean that negatively)

====================

(lskjdfhglskjdhglsdf in hindsight spending 2 hours on this before having breakfast was probably not the wisest idea—oh well)

[near-tampa--fl]

Varela Westshore Apartments in Tampa, FL

These days, one of the best ways to experience a luxurious lifestyle is to live in an apartment in the city. However, it’s necessary that the apartment should be safe, comfortable, and luxurious such as those safe apartments in Tampa, FL area. Through Varela Westshore Apartments, you can experience such an exciting way to live in the city. At present, it’s obvious that there's something about life in Tampa that demands a higher level of luxury. Besides, residents of the community can enjoy access to a sprawling 25,000 square foot clubhouse, complete with resident wine vault. Well, it’s a remarkable way to enjoy apartment living.

Varela Westshore Apartments

If you research about Varela Westshore Apartments, it would be easier for you to find the perfect living space. The said apartment complex is popular, too. Varela Westshore Apartments provides astonishing apartments in Westshore area nowadays. In addition to the clubhouse, a 2,500 square foot exercise facility with separate weight and yoga rooms add additional convenience. This is perfect for those who want to relax after work. Aside from that, you can work out with your friends before coming home to your luxury apartment for the night. Lastly, they offer studio, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom luxury apartment homes for rent in the unparalleled Westshore district of Tampa.

Tampa, FL

Are you eager to study about the early settlers of the Tampa, FL area? At present, many people want to familiar with the city, especially those who want to move there. First, the shores of Tampa Bay have been inhabited for thousands of years. Then, a variant of the Weeden Island culture developed in the area by about 2000 years ago, with archeological evidence suggesting that these residents relied on the sea for most of their resources, as a vast majority of inhabited sites have been found on or near the shoreline and there is little evidence of farming. Besides, several chiefdoms of the Safety Harbor culture dominated the area at the time of European contact in the early 16th century.

The Florida Aquarium

Are you fond of visiting aquarium spots these days? In the Tampa, FL area, The Florida Aquarium is one of the well-known travel destinations. The Florida Aquarium is a non-profit organization, publicly operated institution located in downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. Aside from that, it is a large scale, 250,000-square-foot aquarium and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In addition, this means they are a leader in conservation and education and as well as supporting programs for wildlife. Lastly, they have also a strong educational component in the forms of summer camps, school trips, group excursions, and more.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor leaves Hillsborough transit agency board

There are many thought-provoking news reports in Tampa, FL. One of the said stories is about the Tampa Mayor who left Hillsborough transit agency board. Based on a recent news report, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has left the board overseeing public transit in Hillsborough County. Well, it’s a position she has held since winning her 2019 election and vowed to “fight for every neighborhood to have the dependable bus system they deserve.” In addition, her departure comes as the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority faces a renewed spotlight for its impeding fiscal cliff, threadbare service and a revolving door of senior staff.

Link to maps

The Florida Aquarium 701 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602, United States Take Channelside Dr to E Kennedy Blvd 4 min (0.6 mi) Continue on E Kennedy Blvd to E Kay St 6 min (1.4 mi) Get on I-275 S 55 sec (0.3 mi) Continue on I-275 S to W Cypress St. Take exit 40 B from I-275 S 3 min (2.9 mi) Drive to N Lois Ave 2 min (0.6 mi) Varela Westshore 1701 N Lois Ave, Tampa, FL 33607, United States

[masonpelt]

Advertising Demon, And Other Stories

People like getting services at no direct cost, advertisers like selling to those people. While most want services at no cost to them, they don’t like being tracked. Modern ad tech puts people into a kind of human terrarium. Large tech platforms from Alphabet (once Google) and Meta (once Facebook) down the line gather and cross connect absurd levels of data about consumers.

When I write about advertising, I cite as my credential that I’m a demon at an ad agency. When I am quoted in media, like Texas Observer, I am a managing director of Push ROI. Most people will not view those titles very differently.

For most tech platforms advertising is both Samson's hair and Achilles' heel. The source of strength and the single largest vulnerability. All that data collection, benefits the platforms, but no one else. I’ll explain more but first…

House Keeping

I’m trying a new approach to content syndication.

I typically write and publish 1-4 weekly articles. I once syndicated the full text of these articles on large online platforms where people already spent time. In concept so doing maximized distribution while maintaining control over the work.

However, as large platforms continue eating the web, it is clear unfettered broad syndication of everything I publish is just feeding a machine I don’t like.

This article was written for broad syndication, along with links to my other recent work. I’m also linking to some interesting things I’ve been reading as I believe doing so makes the internet less platform dependent.

Recent Articles

Brands As People, People As Brands

This article and read by AI podcast is a eulogy to Google+, and a lament about how on social media brands want to be people, while totally normal people stress out over their brand image.

People strive to be brands creating a loss of self, and often a loss of any potential brand. Brands try to be people, in programmatic and contrived ways. Both are organic as a Twinkie asking how the fellow kids are doing.

Twitter Is Not A Tentpole Traffic Driver For NPR

For Push ROI I wrote that NPR as an organization ceasing its use of Twitter will have negligible impact on NPR.org’s monthly traffic. The site seemingly receives about 1.68% of it’s traffic from Twitter, and NPR’s owned Twitter accounts likely drive under 0.20% of NPR.org’s monthly traffic.

Not in the article: Twitter is losing a lot. NPR podcasts collectively garner over 20 million monthly listeners, and in broadcast NPR stations reach 23.5M listeners each week. The value of many of those shows simply saying “follow us on Twitter” almost assuredly drove more traffic to Twitter than Twitter ever sent NPR.

Back To The Story

We're on the precipice of 80% of digital advertising spend routing through four companies, Alphabet, Meta, ByteDance (TikTok), and Amazon. These companies have a lot of first party data, and a lot of information from data brokers. But these ads aren’t better for media companies.

In an empirical study on the impacts of behaviorally targeted advertising on online publishers’ revenue, researchers at the University of Minnesota, University of California, Irvine, and Carnegie Mellon University found that publishers only earn about 4% more revenue for ad impressions that had cookies enabled than for ones that don't. The study is from 2019, so cookies are mentioned a lot. But I have seen no evidence that the conclusions were false in 2019, or that anything has changed as of 2023.

The targeted ads aren’t really better for advertisers, at least not like they once were. Next month I’m giving a talk about advertising to a group of small business owners. I was asked if I could speak about Facebook ads for small business. A topic I frequently offered trainings for from late 2012 until 2015. I’m not speaking about Facebook ads, specifically because the ads platform got nerfed.

Facebook — in part because people like me talked about how much data could be found on the ads platform — has hidden a lot of options. The company has more data than ever, but advertisers cannot directly access and control that targeting. This keeps Facebook from being scrutinized by watchdogs, it also helps Facebook earn more.

Advertising via Facebook once allowed incredibly granular control over ads targeting. Now ads on Meta is simplified, and machine learning attempts to improve ads performance obfuscating much of the process. The ads are also more expensive now.

In 2022, U.S. District Judge James Donato ruled that a lawsuit first filed in 2018 accusing Meta of deceiving advertisers about “potential reach” of ads could proceed as a class action. Having seen Facebook inflate audience sizes since 2013 I fully believe Meta did so, and did so deliberately. If an advertiser wants to target 100 people, but Meta charges them to show the ad to 200, Meta earns more.

This is something Cory Doctorow calls enshittification. A pattern of platforms he describes like this,

Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.Author Name

For ads platforms the more simple the UI, and less transparent they can make the process of ad buying the more money they make. That’s why I called it Samson's hair and Achilles' heel. Consumers gave up so much data, all so advertisers could pay extra for microtargeted highly relevant ads, that are deliberately being served to people outside the targeting block.

TikTok is not a benevolent and wonderful actor, but the reason U.S. big tech wants them ban from the country is to protect existing monopolies. I’m not proposing the solution to every problem with big tech and ads surveillance, but it seems like neither is anyone in government. Breaking up monopolies, or creating comprehensive privacy legislation are solutions. U.S. leaders are asking about Wi-Fi, and Sci-Fi.

Bookmarks

Like many I used social sites, mostly as a means of amplifying, and saving interesting articles, and videos. After my unofficial banishment from Twitter I added a section on my personal site where I keep bookmarks and notes for the same function. These are the direct links to a handful of the articles I took note of this week.

What The Heck is Happening At Uber? (Alex Kantrowitz / Big Technology)

Dril Is Everyone. More Specifically, He’s a Guy Named Paul (Nate Rogers / The Ringer)

Italy’s new rules for ChatGPT could become a template for the rest of the EU (Ioanna Lykiardopoulou / The Next Web)

Banning TikTok could weaken personal cybersecurity (Robert Olson / The Conversation)

Tesla sued over creepy spying voyeur employees (Louis Rossmann / YouTube)

Social

Substack – Tumblr –Mastodon – Post News 

Podcast (audio articles) 

I’ve been adapting more of my articles as podcasts for accessibility and ease of consumption. These are available in most of the normal places. 

Apple Podcasts –Spotify –Google Podcasts – Stitcher

Article by Mason Pelt of Push ROI. First published in MasonPelt.com on April 18, 2023. Photo by The Public Domain Review, Public Domain Mark 1.0 [modified]