#Just a quick poll to test stuff

[kakusu-shipping]

[oneknightstand-if]

One Knight Stand Update 4

Chapter 2 Part 3 - The Forest & the Warehouse

Featuring...

Merlin's Guide to Minor Neutral Parties

New text messages and phone calls from non-dead people you haven't ghosted. And maybe some not-so-living ones too.

MC may appear on TV! This might not be a good thing. And they aren't the only one, cameo appearances from a future RO

Duel of AoE spells while frolicking through the magical forest. Your past decisions totally can't bite you in the ass here.

Attempt to summon Cthulhu. Dance the macarena. Have I mentioned posterior-biting consequences here?

Also an abandoned industrial warehouse is the best place for a leisurely stopover.

Icebreaker games stop staring at the noises with mini stat boosts as prizes!

Oh yeah, RO #4 finally joins the crew.

Before you play the game with an old save, you'll want to clear your cache for the oneknightstand.co website and then check that the game's frontpage is displaying Version 0.23. Then after loading the save, check the Status Page to make sure that your stats haven't reset back to the default ?¿?¿?¿.

If your variables have reset back to the default, then unfortunately that save file has corrupted (it happens to the best of us for unfathomable reasons) and you'll have to reload another save file. It you try to play the game through a corrupted save, you'll just get a bunch of non-existent errors. Please do the entire clear cache + confirm non-corrupted save file before reporting any potential errors. Then report the errors... all the errors!

Play the Updated Beta Test

(Since there were bugs & typos still reported & fixed throughout Chapter 1 & 2, your current saves are probably going to reset to the beginning of each section of the game. If things get too wonky, you might want to try restarting from the beginning. )

Additional Word Count (Sans Code): 84,000+

Additional Word Count (With Code): 107,000+

New Total Word Count (Sans Code): 900,000+

New Total Word Count (With Code): 1,227,000+

Average Playthrough: ~70,000+ words

Note: You can view the game code on my site the same way you do on Dashingdon just add /scenes to the end of the URL.

Link to New Polls on the Update (Which don't auto close in a week like the Tumblr ones)

Next Update

Merlin's Guide to Minor Unavailable (the final part of the guide! 🥳)

The first appearance of the Free Time Hub (god help me) Featuring...

Getting romantic with Merlin

Having The Relationship Talk with Adrian

Doing stuff with RO #4 because they're totally here now

Getting help with that entire changeling, amnesiac, lucid dreamer thing

Researching suspicious things you've noticed up to this point

Boosting those stats (with the help of the ROs if you can't bear to be away from them for a few minutes)

Also quick reminder that the Alpha Build of the game on Patreon updates as I complete each section, so the first part of Merlin's Free Time section is already available.

[afreakingdork]

Writing Request: OC x Donnie and 👅

Let's keep this request train rolling! This time we got @grumpytheunicorn and her OC, Jun, along with Donnie getting his soul sucked out.

From now until the poll closes if you can prove to me that you voted hassan/mikey in this poll then I will write any short 100-400 word request like below or draw you a doodle of your choosing!

ᴰᶦˢᶜˡᵃᶦᵐᵉʳ: ᴵ ᵃᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ ᶦⁿ ᵃⁿʸʷᵃʸ ᵃˢˢᵒᶜᶦᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵒʳ ᵉⁿᵈᵒʳˢᵉᵈ ᵇʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᵖᵉᵗᶦᵗᶦᵒⁿ ᵒʳ ᶦᵗˢ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉˢᵗᵃⁿᵗˢ.

Minors DNI, we got 🍋 below:

And she was between his legs.

He knew she would be, but she was really there.

Through the fiery blush on his face from when he accepted her not so timid request, Donnie wasn't sure where the time had gone. They kissed, he was sure of that much as that unmistakable sweet taste of her still lingered on his lips, but he had no idea when his pants has come off. He was now indelicately sat with his bare thighs on the couch with the love of his life staring up at him with those huge brown eyes and a smile that transcended time and space itself with how lewd it was.

He was no stranger to her hunger, but right now she was positively starving in a way that made him fear he would be left a eunuch.

No, the moment that tongue of hers unfurled, he dropped in exact time.

That incredible appendage haunted him. Not in any negative sense, but it was the stuff of his very dreams. She was the realized version of things he hadn't known he wanted since puberty struck him down with a bondage bat. Meeting her shifted his very type and she somehow also fit the mold of his deepest desires before he even knew such a thing was possible.

Her tongue was endless feeding now and testing the airspace around his cock like a prehensile organ.

It was, to a point, and she had certainly made use of it. She used it without second thought to snap books down from shelves and he was left wondering how much of it could be used to tie him up. She could swallow him down in one gulp as he had seen her do with many a quick snacks while on the run and he'd happily run through the luxuriously soft folds of her tummy. He'd wind through and around her to sustain her with whatever nutrients she needed and, oh, she was testing his glans.

With the bulbed tip of her tongue, she swiped curious at his taste and the embarrassing leaking of pre that was already dribbling there. He usually had better faith in his ability to last, but that too was something she swept away from him. With her natural skill and talent for simply being her, she was going to make him cum fast and all he was left to do was hope it was long enough that she found enjoyment out of it.

He met her eye to check again and she was positively euphoric.

Hearts could have exploded in those dark, liquid amber orbs and he would believe it was part of her physiology. She appeared to be slurping down some ancient taste made for her buds and it just so happened to be attached to his body.

Then her tongue spun. Like the coil of a bobbin, his foot tapped the pedal as the pink membrane went round and round. It circled and tasted every crevice and crease of his ridged cock and continued to spiral still. It engulfed him, turning the purple hues into something wholly hers to devour and she shot him one last look that he could only think of as a warning show.

In a single drop of her head, she took his straight down her throat.

Even on his best days he tried to get his tongue back there, but never could.

Now she was swallow inches of him with nary a gag in sight.

She came up all drool and the dripping heat threatened him right there.

He'd spray her face full of cum so thick it would get her pregnant through osmosis alone. It would travel through her poisonous skin and deep down into her veins. The circulatory system would take his swimmers on a fast pipeline and further. They would move beyond science, unaffected by her white blood cells because this was her staked claim and by miracle it would make it to her womb and eggs.

She descended again and her tongue bounced like a spring.

It was equal and opposite some basal shredded thought begged him to understand since he seemingly kept forgetting to hear the many, many warning signs that were right in front of him.

She sucked.

She sucked so hard she might as well have been an industrial vacuum.

She sucked so hard so scooped back up some of her own tongue and must have swallowed it.

She sucked so hard, he swore he felt his balls, an internal structure with no mechanism to release, get jostled in the process.

Eunuch was right.

He wasn't going to leave this transaction with a cock.

He never thought he'd be castrated like this.

He always thought it would be for something more banal.

For never fixing his posture.

For always sneaking a few smokes.

For forgetting his hear medication when he was on a role.

No, she was simply going to suck his cock straight off his body and that would nourish her soul. It would feed that starvation she always exhibited and she would finally be at peace. He liked that for her, he thought somewhere in the clouds. She deserved that. He always thought she deserved that. He wanted nothing, but the best for her.

While he was already skirting the stratosphere, the second suck summoned his cum.

He saw it outside his body through x-ray vision without the use of his goggles.

It traveled from the shriveled raisins that were once his balls and through heavy globules up the track of his cock. It was an agonizing queue of a line moving pleasantly fast and it disappeared into her.

Those sperm had no hope of anything.

She gulped them straight down and with that third suck, he passed out.

So enlightenment was purgatory.

He had always wondered what true peace was.

It was his.

It was Jun.

Through time and space though, his soulmate reached him.

She sighed so happy like she had chugged an icy beverage on a nice day and was refreshed on a fundamental level.

"That was... amazing..." She was as jubilant as her name implied. "Think you could..." That joy seeped with dark crawling ichor. "... go again?"

Then to her horror, his new emotion of sorrow, and her terror, she realized he was no longer of this Earth and sought to save him.

She would.

He just needed a minute.

[beautifulhigh]

Wanna get angry on this Saturday? Cool. Come join me on this.

I think Miguel hacked Alex's emails way before the leak.

Alex wouldn't be able to just "drop by" somewhere for coffee. It would have to be cleared, vetted, all the usual stuff. So he will have a routine that he follows, a routine which includes (at least) one Secret Service member. And when you have a routine and protection like that, schedules will be sent out confirming who is with Alex and what the plan is for the day. Sent out by email. And OH LOOK he's in the coffee shop...

Alex tells Zahra that he "emailed senior campaign staff" three weeks ago with his Texas memo. A memo that Miguel has read by the State DInner. He says he "quite literally has his sources" and... well.

The email leak. Miguel has his article written and published within hours of them being put on Reddit and he is called out on how quick that is.

So when did Miguel hack Alex's email?

"We made out once, on the campaign..."

Ellen Claremont was on the verge of making history (huh). The first female president, in a mixed race marriage with a biracial, bilingual son. The Lometa Longshot going all the way to the White House. Getting the inside track on that would have been one hell of a scoop and when you have her son, desperate to do more, be more in this world, then that's an in you can manage. Get some details about the campaign, how things are going. But also finding out about the people behind it - film!Oscar and his own political campaigns. Alex, the up and coming law student.

Little flirting, little making out "fully naked, in a hot tub"... You gotta wonder where Alex's phone was at that time and whether Miguel got his hands on it.

From day one, the central mission of POLITICO has been to help sustain and vastly expand nonpartisan political and policy journalism by winning the audience. (From Politco's "About" page)

Alex talks about how he's good for "photo ops and New Year's parties and stupid shit like that" and so there is an interest in Alex, the First Son. He's good looking - the party is filled with the "who's who of eligible young women" and we know from Henry's first text that he attends events with a plus one. And Miguel has a line into that, to win the audience for Politico with updates about Alex doing more, being more, working as part of his mother's campaign.

So yeah. I think Miguel got access to Alex's emails back on the first campaign trial which makes it all the more horrible as he watched those emails come through in real time. He knew what was going on when he was in New York, making comments about them being in the same hotel.

"Do you really think we're ever hooking up again?" "Well I don't anymore"

is his reply in a lovely bit of equivocation because Alex is clearly shutting him down this time... but maybe he also knows about Henry. The Henry who walks in through the door moments later. Miguel knows he won't be hooking up with Alex because someone else is, and maybe the comment was a way to test the water. Would Alex turn him down and say or suggest he was seeing someone?

In the book more emails are exchanged following the storming of Kensington: there is no clear timeline in the movie: Labor Day is at the start of September (Lake House), it's a week before Alex flies to London (so mid-September), and the election is at the start of November. They are outed the week before polling (Zahra says "we'll find out next week" following Alex's speech) which makes it around mid to end of October when they're outed. That's about one month in which they would have been in touch, likely through emails, fully committed to this relationship and making it work.

Dropping the bomb before the election is one way to get traction because all eyes are on the White House at that time. Plus a month to pull off the emails, to get them sorted, make a plan for Reddit, start working on your article...? Taking each new message as it comes in?

Miguel hacked Alex's emails WAY before the leak and I'm pretty sure I'm willing to die on this hill.

[leafofkudzu]

Screeches to a halt in a cloud of dust HELLO I'M LATE I'M SORRY. The first Saturday of a fresh month is tomorrow, which means it's time for another community art party hosted by [VS] Verdant Shield! Last week I ran a(n also late) poll and the winner was Rata Sum, a place we haven't been since the very first small test party all the way back in January!

For those who haven't heard of them before, art parties are an idea carried over from Final Fantasy XIV - big (or small!) get-togethers for artists/writers/creatives of all kinds to hang out, chat, and create together! Put together your most eye-catching look, find someone who inspires you, and get to work! Afterwards, everyone uses the party-specific tag (ours is #VSArtParty) to share their creations so others can see and spread the love around via reblogs! The tl;dr I always say for these is this: the 'goal' of an art party isn't to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

Party details are in the image above, but I'll toss an expanded text version under the cut with things like /squadjoin information!

Location Details:

A guildmate suggested we have the party down by the docks this time so we could have a boat party, and I totally agree! I may have put Antidawn Anchorage as the primary land point, but if you have a skiff feel free to take to the water as well! Worth noting that in order to interact with others' skiffs you must be in the same party or squad, and you do not need to have a skiff of your own to interact with a party/squad member's one!

Now, for those not familiar with Rata Sum, here's a quick image of the spot in question, which can be reached by taking the Antidawn Anchorage or Dawnside Quay asura gates nearby the Magicat Court (Antidawn) and Metrical Court (Dawnside) Waypoints:

Time & Squad Details:

As always, the party will consist of two separate events, with an hour break in between (though technically people jump from one to the other immediately anyway so the NA one tends to 'start' earlier than the scheduled time).

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Summer Time (aka 3pm Eastern Daylight Time or 5 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting on my EU alt account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Toxicologist Mosse for an invite.

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time (aka 1am Central European Summer Time or 1 hour before in-game reset). This one I’ll be hosting on my main account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Teekzi for an invite.

IMPORTANT NOTE (mostly for the NA party): If you join and the squad is at or above 45 members, please just taxi into the right map and then hop out of squad to allow others to do the same! Essentially all conversation now happens in say chat so you won’t miss out on anything by being outside of squad!

Closing Words:

My apologies for the extremely short notice on this one everyone, I've been slapped with a bunch of IRL stuff (it's nothing bad, don't worry!) that's kept me out of the game for longer than I'd hoped. With all the exciting game news buzzing around lately though, I might just have to set aside some proper time to let myself get invested in this again, we'll see! Anyway, as always, thank you so much to everyone who comes out to these events and helps make them so special - I can't wait to see you all again tomorrow night! ♥

[utahlive]

No episode today (i have a test i gotta study for booo) :( However in usual “no episode today” style, I’ve got some behind the scenes stuff! (+ answering asks). I’m really glad you guys like hearing about this part of the blog :D

It’s a little long so I’m putting it under the cut

So my latest method of answering asks is to write a quick outline/reply and save it in drafts (as opposed to what I was doing, which was copy pasting asks into the notes app and writing replies there. dont ask whats wrong with me; I dont know). Anyway this specific comic had its first ‘script’ (shoutout to @/ghostburface for the ask)

I usually draw out what I imagine happening and then add text to hit the points im aiming for, but I did the opposite in this one. I had a lot of trouble figuring out the actual visuals for this one

(For the record I tried to find the original price of the glasses on the las Nevadas merch page but it wasn’t there. I remember losing my mind over the price tho)

attempt/draft 2 (sort of) since I wasn’t sure about the layout. I was really hoping to just have three panels (as you can see by the “if 3 that would be epic” note above)

And then I transferred it digitally! I did go over the script in DMs with my friend so it ended up as it did I did see one person pointing out the whole “rose colored glasses” thing (shout out to you fr !!). I had a lot of meaning I was going for with this one but I have a hard time finding a middle ground between “so obscure its not there” and “way too obvious”

I also wanted to answer some asks (as per usual :3 because I love talking with you guys)

I wish he would grow it out!! However as anyone who’s gone from short to long hair... the awkward phase is NOT pretty. I did hear on one of his streams he might cut it when the EP comes out rather than the album. because he’s a coward (but I can’t blame him)

who doesnt feel like ripping up their pillow though, amiright fellas? Shout out to all the utahlive fictives out there (I’ve heard of reported sightings). Would love to talk to you guys some day <3 It still baffles my mind that this blog leaves any sort of lasting impression on people (for reals though, I hope you guys are ok!!)

this one isnt directed at me but I just think its funny you say this because summer 2022 I went to the Winchester house with my friends, but we all decided it wasn’t worth the price so we just checked out the gift shop and walked around the outside for about two hours. it’s actually very pretty! super cool architecture

this one is under the “what would you recommend I get at the gas station”

It’s also not a question but I think it would be funny to let you know I wrote and queued that post (and the other one posted that day) at like 5am I don’t know how I missed it because I usually check my posts the next morning before they get posted I know it’s bad I’m trying real hard to get my sleep schedule to be normal (this post is sponsored by melatonin tablets)

GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY 🤺🤺🤺

I assume you’re talking about the mcytblr sexyman poll?? Im already making predictions and bets in my head on this one but Ill be fighting for MY meowmeows till my last breath

[mariacallous]

Are you an election denier who’s just not satisfied with the number of conspiracies about Wi-Fi-connected voting machines or reports about floods of illegal immigrants stuffing ballots into drop boxes on TikTok or Instagram? Do you pine for a place to share and learn even more? Want to connect with like-minded election deniers?

Well, with just 60 days until the 2024 presidential election, and with efforts to undermine the outcome of the vote already well underway, there’s now an app just for you—and no, it’s not Elon Musk’s X.

Facebook for Election Deniers

VoteAlert is a new app from the election conspiracy group True the Vote, a company with a rich history of combining tech with election conspiracies only to come up with nothing. In 2022, True the Vote claimed to have evidence showing that so-called ballot mules were being used to stuff drop boxes to sway the 2020 election in Joe Biden’s favor. Earlier this year they admitted in court they had no such evidence.

But that didn’t slow them down. The group has already rolled out one online tool this election season called IV3 to facilitate mass voter roll challenges, and with VoteAlert, the group now wants to give election workers and poll watchers the chance to get in on the action.

VoteAlert is designed to be a one-stop shop for all your election conspiracy needs, featuring a scrollable feed of the latest voting-related alerts, the ability to report your own claims, and even, apparently, a 24/7 hotline.

The app isn’t available in Apple’s or Google’s app stores, but is available as a web app, so people can still join. Catherine Engelbrecht, cofounder of True the Vote, did indicate in online meetings in recent weeks that the apps would be available on the major platforms, but it’s unclear right now when that will happen. True the Vote did not respond to a request for comment about VoteAlert.

Before you sign in, the app asks you to agree to a disclaimer that’s a little different from those of most apps: “It is up to you to use VoteAlert responsibly. Federal law prohibits actions that can be viewed as voter intimidation, including photo, video, or audio recording of voters while inside protected polling place boundaries.”

Users of the app are then presented with what looks like a typical social media feed of text, images, and videos. But instead of lime-green memes about Kamala, Instagram cooking videos, or “very demure” videos on TikTok, initial indications suggest the feed will be filled with livestreams of drop boxes in Wisconsin or reports of Wi-Fi-connected voting machines in Arizona.

While the app isn’t really up and running yet, we’ve got a glimpse into its possible future thanks to test posts from Engelbrecht’s team that cover the wide gamut of conspiracies the group has been pushing.

“It says I already voted by mail?” asks D from Loudoun County, Virginia, in a test post that popped up in my feed. “I just moved a few months ago and went to get my voter registration and address updated. They told me that I have already voted by mail—but I haven't.”

Meanwhile, JR in Kent County, Delaware, claimed in another test post that someone was having a bake sale “trying to get people to vote for certain candidates.” (There is a very clear sign on the cookie table with the prices; a quick reverse image search shows the image dates back to at least 2017.)

Meg Denning, who works with True the Vote, has also posted, claiming: “​​All the machines went down and there was a wifi [sic] connection,” referring to a favorite conspiracy among election deniers that the internet itself has been used to conduct voter fraud on a mass scale.

Though these are just test posts, the section of the app that allows users to report their own claims shows just how focused True the Vote is on promoting election conspiracies.

The app also allows users to indicate their location, precinct number, and whether they are an election worker or poll watcher. It also helpfully offers you a predefined list of possible voting issues to report, including “ballot harvesting or trafficking” and “non-citizen voting,” which are concerns that groups like True the Vote have been baselessly promoting in recent months.

If you believe your situation is life or death, the app even has a built-in emergency 24/7 hotline you can call to report your outrage. “Thank you for calling True the Vote,” the chirpy automated female voice responds after a couple of rings. “We appreciate your commitment to liberty.”

No one picked up when I called.

The automated voice did tell me to send an email or leave a voicemail before signing off: “Ever onward.”

[sincerely-sofie]

still cant get over travailshipping. i remember when you first tested the waters with it (which i believe was some time before the tpiag chapters started coming out?) and at first i thought it was pretty funny. ark slowly but surely falling headfirst for twig, who if she had a tagline it would be "if i could turn my feelings into weapons, mine would be a goddamn nuclear bomb", and her at first just being oblivious to it and thinking that the letters that expressed love and care that were written in cursive in her mailbox were just funny and she wanted to show them to ark with the guy just looking at her with the most "well that backfired in the weirdest way possible". but when tpiag finally ended i finally connected the dots as to why these two are just. augh. i wont go into detail here in your askbox but i wanna know is: HOW DID YOU DO IT. HOW DO YOU KEEP MAKING SUCH GOOD IDEAS FOR THE FUNNY DIGITAL ANIMALS. TELL ME.

(thinking to myself) "Ugh I should stop posting so much travailshipping stuff... It's probably so annoying to everyone who sees it. I feel bad for my poor followers. I'll check my inbox real quick and then commit to shaking up my content by—" *gets obliterated by your niceness*

Oh man. I remember posting that poll where I hesitantly described a possible Darkrai/Twig pairing in the tags while proposing Twig/Kip as an alternative route, despite it not being the direction I wanted to take the characters, because I was so scared of what people’s reactions might be. If I remember right, I posted it a little bit before I had just barely reached 5k words in the first draft of TPiaG.

I've been trying to write up detailed responses to how I come up with good ideas for travailshipping in particular, but there's one rule I use that defines everything after it and speaks for all of them: I have fun with the characters.

That's it. That's the rule. If I don't want to write a subject, I don't. I stick with what I find enjoyable and resonant. Does a joke make me laugh? Does a scene make me cry? Does a villain make me punch a hole in my wall? Does a cute gesture make me squeal? If so, then into the project it goes. I think people can feel when someone is having fun with their work, and that fun radiates out into their own experience consuming that work. It's like laughter— joy is something we're sharing with others as long as we feel it. Fun is contagious.

Also: when you don't force yourself to make things you hate, you attract people who like the same things as you. These people will find your work even more fun— because not only did you have fun making it, they're having double fun consuming it.

An important tangent I'll go off on is that I think that every creative project idea is a good idea. There's so many beloved bizarro ideas in the world, even the ones who try to be cool about how weird their premises are. There's this weird show where the main character works as a service industry worker in an underwater setting that's ruled by a Roman deity— he lives in a piece of fruit, and his pet gastropod makes cat noises. This show sounds like word salad garbage on paper and could be tossed out for its nonsensical nature, and yet SpongeBob SquarePants has made Nickelodeon over $13 billion dollars and is a treasured part of many childhoods. There's also a character who spends his time locked in intellectual and physical combat with a wannabe clown and wears a costume with bat ears while doing it. Batman's been an icon for over 80 years.

All of this is to say:

Ideas are always good ideas by virtue of existing. They don't derive their goodness from external sources. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Make more of what you love. Don't make things you hate making.

If you have fun while making the thing, people will have fun while they consume the thing's content.

I hope this makes sense. I didn't touch on idea generation as much as embracing existing ideas. Fingers crossed that was the right response. I'd just woken up from a nap as I was writing it, so hopefully it's not too meandering and managed to answer the question and—

— Oh shoot. Was that a hypothetical question??? Uh. Sorry if I went off on this rant when you were just trying to voice your niceness. Oops. 🫥

[whumpsday]

Whump of March 2023!

i decided i'm going to experimentally make a post at the end of each month going over my favorite whump that was new & prominent that month. as a general rule i'll mostly only include series that have had at least 2 updates in the month and started fairly recently.

so, here's some AMAZING series to check out! and yes it's mostly vampires because it's my rec list and i love vampires. 🧛

-

Several new series by @zillastar13, all of which are included at the same link. Personal favorites are Our Man Flint, where a vampyr hunter grapples with being turned into a vampyr himself; Eden, a pet whump story where the whumpee goes stockholm fast; and Blood Sacrifices (18+), about a vampyr who poses as a god and very much abuses that position.

Things End | People Change by @whumpcloud, about a vampire whumper who's been tortured by hunters finally at the mercy of his former victim. (my favorite trope obviously)

An Earthly Cosmological Redshift by @quietly-by-myself, about a vampire mafia underboss and his lover find themselves in a dismal situation.

Poisoned Ivy by @whumpshaped, academia whump! As if whump couldn't get any more harrowing, now it involves being forced to do schoolwork. (Under the Bell Jar, about a tiny whumpee waking up trapped and alone, was also just completed!) This is one of the only two non-vampire entries on this list.

Blood Bag AU by @emmettnet, a fresh vampiric twist with a widely-beloved (now bloodbag) whumpee and his vampiric carewhumper. He's also put out some amazing art this month!

A New Beginning by @a-crumb-of-whump, about a vampire pet whumpee recovering with the now-grown child of his whumpers, isn't really new (though it's also had some great updates this month). But its poll-based spinoff Carlos & Bailey: An Interactive Story is! Now you get 2 vampire pet whumpees.

Magnanimous Moonrise & Savage Sunset (18+) by @not-a-space-alien, about a vampire being experimented on for weapons testing and the hunters who take pity on him, is in a similar boat. It's had some great updates this month along with a brand-new interactive adventure, Savage Sunset CYOA!

Pick Your Poison by @thebluejayswhump, about someone who gets lost in the woods and increasingly strange things occurring while an uncanny sense of dread rises, is another interactive adventure! The second of two non-vampire things on here.

Some quick picks from ongoing series that have made appearances this month:

Emil's Story by @obsessedwithegos (and animatic!)

The Scry by @deluxewhump

The Enclave by @lumpofwhump

Born to Live by @whitehairandblood (also a whump artist!)

General Kieran by @whumpycries

i've put out some stuff this month too!

And whump some artists not previously mentioned who have put out some amazing work this month! Check them out for whump art!

@befuddled-calico-whump (art tag)

@terriblywhumpy (art tag)

@dontworrycomics (art tag)

@whump-blog (art tag)

I also want to thank @amonthofwhump for hosting the March Trope-A-Thon! It was a wonderful writing event that livened up the last days of winter and I can't wait to participate again next year!

Happy reading! :)

[sylwanin-was-right]

I attended my first classroom lesson in Kelutral and it was rlly nice!

It was the first time the two teachers (ma Tekre and ma Wllìm) tried that type of lesson, which was mainly a vocab lesson where they chose a general theme—this theme was "feelings"—and looked at a list of 20 common words related to that theme (we, then, applied those words to basic grammar lessons and did a v small bit of listening and speaking practice).

Apparently it was only supposed to be an hr lesson, but aside from time taken to correct ppl on using spoilers (LMAO), and some repeating of lesson mayerial for ppl would couldnt keep up, it was v engaging and i liked it! It honestly didnt even feel like 2 hrs.

I know a lot already, at least abt the grammar, and i actually accidentally clicked the notif for the lesson bc i thought it was just a post instead of a notif abt vc lesson lol. But i stayed cuz i figured it would be engaging and also productive at least somewhat. It rlly was for me cuz i study grammar more than i study vocab lol (i didnt actually know a lot of the 20 words!).

I rlly liked the formatting of this lesson and I hope they do it again! A few suggestions that come to mind for the next lesson like this:

An in-chat moderator to answer questions so the main speaking teacher can be interrupted as little as possible for backlogged questions or ppl who need help w miscillanious things, like finding links, asking where we are, or using discord features like spoilers or technical issues (at one point i got off task bc i had to ask if Tekre was still screensharing bc it didnt appear on my phone bc my app was glitchinng and losing connection rlly badly).

A disclaimer, verbal check, and class participatory test to make sure everyone knows how to use discord features related to excersies lol - there was a lot of time and a bit of frustration from ppl not knowing how to use spoilers for the first listening assignment, which is understandable bc not everyon knows computer stuff beyond the basic interface, and it was distracting and defeated the point of the lesson (which was to listen for words and write down what u thought u heard to practice phonetic and spelling skills, but spoilered so others wouldnt see ur answer). Eventually the ppl who couldnt understand or find the right commands or keys to spoiler did so and things went along a lot smoother. So perhaps before the lesson begins, a poll comment can be created in the chat by the mods/teachers for ppl to react to to see if anyone needs a short toturial for using discord features. Then everyone in the class can do something engaging like writing a simple sentence (regardless of mistakes) or word abt the theme in spoilers or whatever the task is in the chat. I understand this sounds shorter in theory than it does in practice so maybe an period of 10-15 mins before the official lesson begins can be used to ensure ppl know how to do the task.

A short guideline for the day's lesson plan written and pinned to maybe a classroom channel so ppl have an idea of how things go? A lil iffy on this one cuz i usually have classroom stuff muted until now and i never signed up for any classes cuz i do study work on my own, so idk if this or similar was done. I did like that we used the google document for the lesson but perhaps an overview or just quick bullet point of the class events and instructions could be of use, esp for timing!

Overall i rlly enjoyed the lesson and want to attend more now! I made a practice paragraph that ma Tekre reviewed and corrected for a few errors i made (i cant find it anymore rip, but i did a pretty good job w a few case ending errors). Sivako!

[aparticularbandit]

Loaded God Complex (VI)

Summary: The problem with designing a Game that ends in your death during your most desperate hour is that sometimes things can get better.

…and then you still have to play a Game that ends in your death.

Or: The woman we know as Tsumugi has probably the best birthday of her life at what is probably the worst time to have it.

NOTE: Because this is pre-game, Tsumugi’s name is different. In this, she is primarily referred to as Tsukasa Yuki instead of Shirogane Tsumugi. Despite names you might recognize, every other character in this is an OC. Think of it as a reverse reference; Yuki seeded her scripts and games with references to people she knew and loved. We’re just seeing that in reverse.

Chapter Rating: T. Fic Rating: M for brief nudity.

AO3

previous chapter

“Are you ready?”

Usagi tightens the tie of Yuki’s sailor uniform and pats it twice before stepping back.  “The new batch of actors are all in their starting positions.  Everything’s just waiting on you, Tsukasa-sama.  We won’t start filming until you give the okay.”  She won’t meet Yuki’s eyes.  She’s never been good about meeting Yuki’s eyes.

“I just plain need to fix the first flashback light,” Yuki says, patting down her pleated skirt.  It’s been a few years since she’s worn anything like this – since that Haruhi cosplay Ryoko convinced her to wear.  Or maybe the KyoSaya pair.  No, no, Haruhi came after—

Yuki gives herself a mental shake.  She can’t think about Ryoko right now.  (She can’t think about Ryoko at all.  If she thinks about Ryoko too much, she’ll fail.  She can’t fail.  She started this thing, and she’s going to finish it.  Even if….  Even though….)  Instead, she looks up and offers Usagi the same smile she’s always offered her, ever since she hired her so many years ago.  “K1-B0’s hooked up to the polls?”

“Mmhm.”  Usagi nods.  She flips through a few screens on her Monopad.  “I got the back door working for you.  Tested it a few times just to make sure.  Put another station in that classroom just like you asked, in case you need one faster.”  Her brow furrows.  “You won’t, um, try to use that when someone’s nearby, right?  I put in some stuff that’ll hide it super quick if someone shows up, but—”

“And the final trial room?” Yuki asks, removing her glasses and gently cleaning them with a fold of her shirt.  Then she places them on the tip of her nose and pushes them back up the same way she always does, the way that makes her happiest with herself.  (She's about to be an anime villain, isn’t she?  It’s not her fault that no one caught it.)  “Everything’s set?”

Usagi nods again.  “Yes, Tsukasa-sama.”  She averts her gaze.  “I…I just wanted to say that it’s been…”  She swallows.  “It’s been a real honor working with you this season.”

“You make it sound like I’m going to die, Usa-chan.  I assure you, that just plain isn’t going to happen.”

It’s easy to lie to Usagi.  Harder to lie to Ryoko.

(So she didn’t.  She just didn’t say anything that would make Ryoko want to ask questions, to make her think that anything was different than it normally is.  This is just a Game like any other Game.  That’s all.)

Yuki takes Usagi’s free hand in both of hers and gives it a little squeeze, startling Usagi so much that she nearly drops her Monopad.  “Thank you, Usa-chan,” she says, meeting Usagi’s eyes and giving her the most encouraging smile that she can.  “This season would be too plain without you.  After Mitsuki, I didn’t think we would ever—”

“Thank you, Tsukasa-sama,” Usagi murmurs, cutting her off.  She brushes her long, strawberry blonde hair back out of her face, gaze dropping.  “That means a lot, coming from you.  But....”  Her lips press together.  “Mitsuki—”

“Mitsuki was plainly one of a kind.”  Yuki sighs and drops Usagi’s hand.  Her gaze flicks to the door across from them, the one that will disappear as soon as she walks through it.  Then she takes a deep breath to steady herself.  “I’ll see you on the other side.”

(She won’t, but it’s important to keep up appearances when you want to burn the world down.)

~

Each flashback light directly downloads the script into their victims’ heads.

Sure, the audience will see a general overview of some of the scenes included – the memories that the victims will regain – but they won’t see the script.  K1-B0 will have a system of polls to which he gains access as they reach different points in the story’s progression: who to spend free time with, for instance, or what gifts to give them.  A little bit like playing a visual novel.  There may be some choices, but they don’t really change the overall plot, even if they look like they might.  He’s all about anticipating what people will do once they collectively have control, and after being in so many fandom spaces over the years—

That’s not important.

Yuki doesn’t use the back door immediately.  She can make minor changes here at the beginning, but the bulk of the changes will come later, after the season has so much footage aired that they can’t backtrack anything.  But right now, she needs to make two name changes.

~

There are hundreds of thousands of applicants each year.

They pare them down before auditions to less than a thousand and then set them before a panel of official Team Danganronpa creators.  Yuki has been part of this process for years now, her plain face kept hidden from the potential contestants so that none of them can track her down later.

Applicant 154 doesn’t have anything particularly interesting about him, other than that stupid hat.  He wants to be a detective, but they’d brought back Kyoko during the 50th Anniversary Game.  It’s only been two seasons since then, so it’ll be a hard sale.  But he has a certain look to him.  He fits with the image of the characters she has in mind.

Doesn’t mean he’ll be useful, though.

Yuki tries not to yawn – she hasn’t been sleeping well since moving into her office, but that was inevitable – and on an impulse that she can’t quite explain, she leans forward and asks, “You mentioned loving the detective characters.  Is one of them your favorite?”

“Oh – no, ma’am!”  154 gives a sheepish look but doesn’t turn away.  “I see myself in them a lot more, but…but Saihara Mitsuki was my favorite!  I know she’s one of the newer characters, but…but her relationships with the others, especially Otonashi-san, and then her death scene?  I…I never really got over it, ma’am.  Never really got over her,” he corrects.

Yuki doesn’t say anything else during his audition, but after he leaves, she says, calm and plain as anything, “I want him.”

~

Yuki’s always known what his last name would be, of course, but if she’d put that in the script, she never would have gotten away with it.  Having him say it live means they don’t get a chance to change or correct her.

Then the pianist.

Yuki’s finger hesitates over the keys, but she makes the change anyway.  The viewers will pick up on Saihara, but they won’t know to theorize over Kaede.  That one’s just for the rest of the Team.

Then she takes a final breath, rolls her shoulders, and drops as much of Tsukasa Yuki as she can before handing the now completed first flashback light to Monotaro.  “Make it look like a mistake,” she says.  “Make it look like you plainly screwed up.”

As he scurries off, she steps into the role of Shirogane Tsumugi.  A little earlier than the others, perhaps, but that should be fine.

They’ll all die anyhow.

(She hides the ring in her breast pocket.  It’ll get moved to an inside pocket of Tsumugi’s jacket during the magical girl style transformation sequence.  She won’t forget.  But that’s for late nights and early mornings when she’s hidden away in her room.  It’s not like anyone will see inside of those this season anyway.  She made very sure of that.)

~

At the very beginning, when they meet in the gym, when the Monokubs have screwed everything up, when they aren’t in their proper outfits, when the other victims don’t know why they’re there or what they’re doing, when that first (and only) transformation rips their old lives away in the form of clothes and replaces them with new ones, when that first flashback light goes off—

Tsumugi looks plainly forward, where she knows the camera will be looking (K1-B0 is a gimmick; he can’t be the eyes of the viewers the entire time because the story can’t be left up to fandom control), and pushes her glasses up, the thin Utena ring she’d swiped from Ryoko’s jewelry box glimmering on her middle finger.

(I love you, she thinks.  I just plain love you, and I’m sorry.

You plainly deserve so much better than this.)

((None of them deserve better. That’s the point of the Game.))

[randomaccessmike]

Reading, Writing, but maybe not ‘Rithmetic

Greetings starfighters. It’s time for another edition of “10 Things” worth sharing with you. It’s almost the end of the school year here in the Bluegrass, and my thoughts turn to summer and to my daughter’s impending move to middle school. I’m old. Anyway, I hope your life is just as interesting. Perhaps some of these shares will make it even more so. 10 Things Worth Sharing -I read around 100ish books per year, but as a doctoral student, I’m having to read more. Here are some tips from two experts on how you can read more than you thought possible. -If you’re in grad school, these books will help you get through and maintain your sanity. -Some thoughts on how we can avoid raising machines (hint: let’s stop standardized testing) and raise humans. -I put together some quick resources on Juneteenth that you may find helpful. I know most schools aren’t in session by the time Juneteenth rolls around, but we can’t overlook teaching this important date. -One of my elementary teachers (and Future Shift Fellowship cohort member) created a podcast with her students. Actually, the students did all the work. It’s pretty awesome. -Friend and professor John Nash, Ph.D., has done some amazing work with AI in his classes. In a recent episode of his podcast, he talks about testing AI and what does and doesn’t work. -Fun stuff: if you’re of a certain age, you may remember The Midnight Special. What you may not know is that the show is back, thanks to the official YouTube channel. -Have you ever seen a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio? Here’s your chance. -How Makerspaces in Schools Can Support Student Mental Health -Final thoughts: Daft Punk released a tenth-anniversary edition of Random Access Memories, including what may be the “last Daft Punk song ever” and I’m totally not over it yet. BONUS: As I was compiling this list, I got the notification that you can now provide input on the National Educational Technology Plan. Polls are open for K-12 Educators and Families. Please take some time to let your voice be heard. This is the first time since COVID-19 hit that this important policy document is getting an update. You can access the links to either poll right here. Thanks for reading. The end of the school year means we’re officially in the “dads and grads” gifting season. I’ve put together a couple of book lists for quick and easy gifting. Here’s one for dads and one for grads. Enjoy! Read the full article

[pocketramblr]

other main character meta- Ochako, pt 1

<part 2>

“Could you send me there?” you ask, while i blink, confused. “The world where someone else is the main character? not because i have any hypocritical biases against the one i got, just curious how the fandom meta changes.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” I nod, thinking, before tapping my wand against your forehead. “Let’s start with Ochako.”

"I'm going to warn you now- I will have to slightly adjust the plot like I did with Mirio, just to actually let her be the main character."

"Yeah, that checks out." You nod, thinking about certain arcs where the female fighting teams get no coverage while the dudes get four different backstory reveals and full fight focus.

"Very well."

The show begins with a brief narration by the girl of quirks and super hero fights- all flashy. Then it zooms out to show the destruction, and a small construction team moving in as Ochako explains that just as there are new careers in society for heroes, there's also a bigger market for construction companies, one of which her own family runs.

"I've always wanted to help them with it, and my quirk would be useful"- a tiny, adorable Ochako finally appears, making rocks in a park float- "but to get a work license like that is expensive and selective- you've got to make a lot of court appearances and convince them why is a good idea and won't destroy the economy. It's much easier to get a hero license."

Then she explains: "Of course, once you have a hero license, you can make a lot more money than just by helping the company. Especially if... Your family company isn't doing very well." A series of tired but loving parents are shown working all hours to make ends meet.

"I want to help them- my parents. They've done everything for me, and they deserve a break. So that's why I'm going to be a hero- their hero."

The training montage is quick, using her quirk during school in training, after school in secret, around the house. She saves up money too, and studies, aiming for a scholarship.

She applies and tests for many hero schools, and the exams all vary widely.

The first episode ends with her looking up at UA, her final one, the one she really hopes to get into.

"Oh, that's nice." You nod. "And we even get to know her parents' quirks here."

"Yep." I agree. "In general, there's a lot more of a look at the financial side. It's pretty interesting."

"And the fandom?"

"Well, certain people get praised for the bare minimum, but I'll admit having a female lead is super uncommon for shonen jump." It's an improvement, though it's up in the air how much of one it will be. "There's also, because we saw a lot more hero schools, a ton of "students at different school" fics, either because they were expelled or because of the danger UA gets into."

"I do kinda feel like this universe is lucky for that sort of world building." You nod.

"It's very cool to see the takes on the aus. But, I will say there's a cost for this world building- the AfO stuff reeeeally comes out of nowhere and tends to not be popular with fans."

The next episode starts, and Ochako helps a boy from falling. "Love interest alert!" The fans notice quickly when the cute boy blushes and doesn't manage to say much before she walks away.

"They caught on quick." You note.

"And they aren't wrong." Not that it's any real feat to be right.

The exam starts, and Ochako is off in a flash. You see a few glimpses of future classmates- Iida, Aoyama, Kirishima.

She does well, racking up villain points and rescue points, until she's a little too ambitious and falls into the rubble. Her nausea is well established by now, everyone knows she's at her limit.

She can't get up.

The green haired boy comes back and stops the zero pointer.

And breaks every bone in the process.

Ochako saves him in return, lifting up the rubble and stopping his fall.

And then vomits violently afterwards.

"You know, I think quirks suck, actually." The fandom tends to agree on this after that episode/chapter. "But it is interesting that there's such a price for the powers, balances it really well."

"Ha." You shake your head. "They caught onto that, quicker."

"Yep." I can't even say it's more highlighted here, it's the exact same way it was shown in our universe- down to the sparkling rainbow puke.

"Though..." You can't quite imagine that's the only thing the fandom is saying isn't actually that great.

"Ding ding ding." I nod. "Did our own main character get treated just like a damsel in distress? Sure, she saved him back, but that just meant she could have floated away on her own in that time, even if it made her sick. Better that than dead. Is it the sexism?" I shrug. "Most decide to wait and see a bit, and by the time they work together in the first battle exercise figure it's a pretty even split between them saving each other."

"So no sexism?" You get happy at that thought.

I cough. "Ah, no. Both in the show and the fandom. You wouldn't believe how many grown men complain about the lady mc, even as they keep watching."

"And have her body pillow."

"Please don't make me think about that." I cover my eyes, but don't deny that it's true. "Anyway, yeah. Get ready for a lot of people to point out that even though the main character is a girl, every single other girl is flat as cardboard so far and that she only has developed friends that are guys."

"Hey, they aren't flat-"

"In the first season? Yeah they are. Unless you meant, physically, in which case..."

"I didn't." You protest. "But I guess I can see your point, at the start."

"Right. Let's continue on."

Uraraka goes to Present Mic to offer her points. The man pats her on the head, and skyrockets to the position of fandom dad.

"It's all about Dadmic and then Dadzawa here," I explain. "The fans were very disappointed to learn Mic wasn't her homeroom teacher, but yeah... He got a huge head start before Dadzawa fics got going."

"Nice. And it's all fanon?"

"Yeah, it may be a good thing he's not actually in it much, or they might realize how much they just made up on their own."

Then she gets accepted in, on hero and rescue points- she's third place overall, and she gets the scholarship.

On the first day of school, she actually gets to know her love interest's name- Midoriya!

There's also the quirk assessment, which really leads to the "expelled to another school" au and the "fire Aizawa and replace him with better Mic" aus, the first of which lasts much longer in the fandom use, but the second one was just as passionate for a while.

Iida becomes the second friend, and gives her the "Infinity Girl" nickname- which actually is the fandom assumption of what her hero name will be for quite a while, a la 'ground zero'.

Then it's time for All Might's first appearance on screen, to much applause of the students, and the announcement that they get their costumes.

During the first battle exercise, there's a lot more lingering camera work in the changing rooms. Ochako gets to expand a lot more on how she didn't want her costume to be that tight. It's uncomfortable, especially when she thinks about wearing it in front of everyone.

"Oh, I forgot she didn't like it at first... Does she just, get used to it here?" It sounds horrible for the plot to just say 'get used to it' to the main character being sexualized by costume makers outside of her control, especially as a child.

"Not on my watch." I mumble, waving the wand. "Don't worry, she'll actually get more costume changes each time, like some other characters."

"Oh good."

Mineta, regrettably, still exists. You find the fandom manages to be even more violent in his removal.

The battle does even out the opinions on Midoriya, as well as lead to a boost in Iida's with his charming little attempt at thinking villainously.

And cements Bakugo as rather hated. No one has really liked him, when the first thing he did was blow up at Midoriya, then get revealed to have called him a cruel nickname all this time. And then specifically hunt him down because all he cares about it beating him up.

"Yeah he's not gonna get a lot of fans here huh."

"He sure never gets first place in the popularity poll." I agree. "Most consider him the subversion of the rival trope to show is just stupid and violent and in real life, people like that don't go anywhere."

"Most?"

I look away. "How dumb of a discourse do you think you could see today?"

"Oh please, show me." You lean in. "It's nice to not have to deal with it in my universe, so I don't care."

The discourse is such.

Bakugo is gay-coded for Midoriya, the violence is a result of him being shoved off for a girl's love interest when she should be single and independent, and the homophobic creator is vilifying all gay people by saying they are predatory to poor straight boys with refused.

"They............... What."

"If it makes you feel better, that's a very brief minority of the fandom. My favorite response to it was "he's not gay-coded, he's bully coded you sanctimonious sumph of a shmuck.""

"Oh good," you sigh. "I'm glad we don't have to deal with actual queerphobic tropes like that."

I stare at you.

"What?"

I sigh. "Nothing, put a pin in that until I bring up the predatory bi thing with Toga."

Your eyes widen, and you start to have some regrets.

"Anyway, we can talk shipping later. Time for more."

The 'exit sign Iida' gives him a boost in being shipped with Ochako, (as well as Yaoyorozu) and also the general idea that "Ochako has two hands."

That one hand can have a boyfriend with a lot of cash to spare for her and the other is also played with.

"I missed the main trio, like this." You smile as they walk off into the sunset after school.

"Yeah." I agree. "Anyway, time for some near death experiences."

The USJ marks the start of the gradual, gradual growth of Dadzawa fics. It also focuses far more on Ochako, Mina, Sero, and Iida having to think strategically to get around Kurogiri. It's only after Iida escapes that we cut back to a slightly abridged version of how Midoriya was doing, then the other kids, before help arrives.

He does still through his first non bone breaking punch though, which makes the audience happy.

All Might saves the day. Aizawa is battered afterwards. Many fans start out by saying they were disappointed, since this was supposed to be the first big fight, and the kids didn't do much. Many others say in response that's the point- we're looking at first years, they had to think and help each other, but in the end they had to rely on adults.

And then the sports festival is announced. They want to do well, because this is how they get work-week placements, which could become internship offers.

Ochako thinks about Hado Nejire, the only intern of a top ten hero, and senior at UA, along with a few others who are on the up and up. She's determined.

"Really? You're bringing in the big three early?" You ask, glancing at my wand.

It's not sparkling.

I cross my arms with a huff. "Look. Nejire is at this point the only intern in the top ten, she would have been recognizable to the students for that, even if they didn't recognize the big three (which really means that they aren't actually called the Big Three by everyone, or at least not a wide enough group for it to be as big a deal as it's treated. Anyway.) But she wasn't, even if she should have been the most famous of the bunch, considering the coverage the first years got in just their first night. That's because a certain someone doesn't actually think of his female characters much, but he has to in this universe, so."

"Ok, yeah, that's fair. So does that change the sports festival?"

"Not... Much." I admit.

“What?”

“Well, keep in mind in the first universe, our main character didn’t make it past the second round in the one-on-one’s. So she’s not exactly guaranteed a win here either.”

You have to nod, admitting that is true.

“And the conflict isn’t so much about having to live up to any predecessor or breaking down some people’s walls via breaking bones.” I tap my wand against my chin, thinking. “There really is two- one about Midoriya, and one about Ochako’s parents.”

“Oh?”

“One, there’s been the Uraraka’s not happy about how much danger Ochako’s been in. Its been hinted at in the phone calls, but really shows up when we get to see them at home before the SF for the first time since she moved for school. They aren’t sure if she can stay there herself, or if the right thing to do would be to pull her out and maybe try a smaller school.”

“I suppose that's fair, if they haven't been able to actually see her or her progress.”

“Right. The second one is- well. in this, Izuku’s win of the first round, and then breaking out of brainwashing, is more about really piling on how good his mind is- all that brain power. This adds more pressure when we see Ochako being offered a plan from him to beat Bakugo.”

“Oh that does sound neat.”

“Yep- but of course, she still refuses. It’s held up as a worse thing, strategically, initially- but then she comes up with a plan that Midoriya confirms in the stands is better than his, and proves to her parents that she’s smart and skilled enough to handle continuing at the school.”

You smile. “That is a cool arc to do, i guess, if very not traditional. But what about all the character setup and growth with Shinsou and Todoroki?”

“Oh, Shinsou’s largely gets delegated all the way later for the joint training arc, where Ochako’s team is directly against him. Todoroki...” I begin to giggle.

You wait for me to answer, getting more concerned the longer i laugh.

“Pocket?”

“Sorry, sorry, yeah. He actually tells her himself in this canon, a bit after stain. Oh! right, i forgot- the cheerleader incident.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. of course they need this merch opportunity! But yes, it happens. The... shall we say, non-body-pillow portion of the fandom, generally saw it as the end of any goodwill to Kaminari, who had previously been seen as a tertiary possible love interest, since he’d flirted with her on the first day. Flirt, but harmless, and unlikely to be important. Then there was that breach of trust and international embarrassment, and anyway he’s basically the second least likely in 1a to be shipped with her now.”

“Wow. So none of that changed?”

“Well, the setup wasn’t under narration from Todoroki about how his mother was bought for her body and how much that sucked and impacted her and the family while on screen we see multiple girls tricked into barring their bodies and its treated as a laugh instead?”

You stare at me. “I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.”

“Neither am I.”

“So, the Todoroki reveal?”

“Right. So, first you need to know the Stain thing- the claims he has against ‘false’ heroes focusing on money is better spotlighted. After Stain’s arrest, Ochako hears a couple of sidekicks at Gunhead’s agency-”

“Wait!” you interrupt. “She still interned with Gunhead? Then what was the point of showing Nejire and Ryukyuu earlier?”

I try not to massage my forehead. “To build up to it. She only made it to the first of the final round, she couldn’t get an internship with a top tenner yet. She’s also got to learn how to disarm someone who fights with a knife. These things build up over more time, small steps.”

“Ah.” You’re satisfied, and let me continue.

“Right, so, Overhears a couple of them talking about Stain’s philosophy and ends up just feeling really bad about it for a bit, trying to figure out if she’s actually being selfish or a bad hero for, you know, wanting her family to not be crushed due to capitalism.”

“Poor girl.” You shake your head in sympathy, the freeze. “Oh. did not intend that pun.”

“It’s alright, i know what you mean. And yeah, she bottles it up for a bit, until the second day back at school. Then Iida reminds her that him bottling things up last week got several kids in mortal danger, and she begrudgingly admits that he has a point and tells them about what has been bugging her.”

“And they comfort her?”

“Well, Todoroki also offers to tell off Kaminari because at this point his mention of stain upset both her and iida, but yes, A lot of reassurances.”

You squint. “I feel like shippers.”

“You’re learning! Yes, Todoroki is just a bit behind Iida in terms of popularity shipping with her. and she does basically get shipped A Lot with each girl in her class too, like imagine double to triple the amount with each girl now, and for the minor guys- but yeah. There’s a lottttt of ships. This was basically called ‘todoroki’s introduction into ochako’s harem’ in the fandom.”

Shipping. fandom just can’t escape it.

“So, then she learns about Todoroki’s past? oh, and what about Hosu? Does she- and everyone else- actually think Endeavor saved the three??”

I snort. “Oh, no. Todoroki’s flat ‘yeah my father totally helped us, as you read on the official report’ basically tipped the fandom off that something else had. But nothing confirmed either, you know? Filling in the hosu gap is another trope in fics that is pretty common.”

“Neat.”

“Yep. But yeah Todoroki tells her his backstory a bit after his introduction into her ‘harem’ of friends. It’s really played up more to caution Ochako- its alright for her to want to help her family, and to work for money to do that. But Rei accepted the marriage offer for money for her family too, and it ended up breaking her. Ochako has to accept a balance- she can work to help her family, and its good, but there are some things she cannot morally do to help them, and other things that she shouldn’t do because she has to take care of her own health first.”

“Ohhhh.” You hadn’t quite expected that, but you sorta liked it, now that you thought about it.

I smile. “It is pretty neat, yeah.” I glance at my watch. “Look, i hate to cut you off, but this post is gonna end up thrice the length of Mirio’s and i think tumblr might stop me, so we’re gonna have to do a two-parter.”

“That’s fine.” You are gracious for what you’ve gotten so far, and do have questions that you’re excited to see answered for the rest of the series. “It’s been fun.”

“It has been.” I agree. “Lets take a break, but you can ask me any questions too, before I return for part two.”

<part 2>

[dramarising-replacement]

G1 Hoarder Revamp and the Mountain of Salt

Can we all just acknowledge how much of a total fuck up the new G1 ping system is? I feel bad because they obviously went through so much work and beta testing for this system but it’s absolutely garbage in practice. This isn’t meant as a huge roast (even though I do think the creators could do with getting knocked down a few pegs given how poorly they’ve treated people through this entire process, oops) but I hope they at least see this and see things that they can work on. Obviously, going to them and sharing this stuff in person isn’t possible since L from arcane is notorious for gossiping and overall not super trustworthy, so anon route we go. I’ll give credit where credit is due: they definitely tried to go on the right path and the coding is good in theory. The big issue here is that they tried to fix something that was not great but worked with something that is not great and barely works. Sure there are some good things about the new ping system: if it’s not busy it’s not longer than six or seven minutes to do all of it for a few dragons, which, compared to the previous method? Pretty good timing. Helps automatically tag some colorgroups without having people confused about if their dragon counts or not, and uh... probably something else. The cons far outweigh the pros though: -sheet can only be used one at a time: terrible in theory, terrible in practice, there’s no queue system either so you’re not even guaranteed to go next even if you’ve been waiting ages. This becomes a nightmare around any holiday, as we’ve seen around notn, since everyone flocks to the ping generator and then quickly abandons after seeing the mess there. This should have been something that they found a way to work with from the start, especially since the previous spreadsheet, despite how long it took to sift through if you were actually assed to do all the specifics, could still be used by multiple people. -userface issues: going into the spreadsheet and it may all just be blank, does this mean someone’s using it? Someone isn’t? If you go ahead and assume not you’re going to get warned that you overrode someone since they get the ID to your dragon, if you don’t assume then you end up waiting for ages like an idiot and someone else swoops up the opportunity. The loading bar on the side doesn’t help give that info either since it constantly reloads due to the poorly planned code. Where users have their cells selected also doesn’t help since that isn’t always accurate. There are many times where the loading bar isn’t seen going, there isn’t any visible text on the screen, no comment in the box, but it’s still in use. This isn’t viable for anyone, especially not people who don’t fully understand how the system works. If you’re going to make it for only one person’s use at a time, you need to ensure it’s easier to see what’s going on for everyone. -laggy as all get out: sure, I don’t have to go through 15 pages of different types of pings on the old G1 pinglist and shovel through all the duplicates and specifics list people, but having more than 13 dragons or even doing a bigger lair sale (or even just anything during notn) means you get to wait for the program to chug away for ages (as well as the easy chance for someone to just cut in halfway through a load and have you start all over again or wait) and hope that the three people behind you don’t get impatient or angry as you have to do three separate input sessions rather than massing them all together as you could with the previous spreadsheet. -poorly designed aesthetically: maybe this may sound petty to some, but the design of the system is pretty terrible in terms of layout and color choice. This isn’t to say it’s just ugly though; after speaking about it with people who aren’t neurotypical, have disordered thinking processes, and/or have generalized issues reading things (autism spectrum, dyslexia, semi-visually impaired, etc.) it’s pretty clear that the entire thing is not accessible whatsoever for anyone who can’t immediately decipher what anything is. Black text on bright red is not a good thing for most people beyond old MySpace edgies. If you, as someone without reading or comprehension difficulties, are having a difficult time focusing on it: maybe consider how difficult it’d be for anyone else. The way the rules or tutorial section is laid out also does not help in terms of accessibility! It’s clunky and hard to read, does not flow well, and doesn’t explain as thoroughly as you may think. If you’re someone who uses coded spreadsheets often? Yeah sure, it might be understood. If you’re not? Welp. Good luck kiddo. -very poor user help: this is on the mods or creators more than the spreadsheet itself. If someone has a problem, the first thing you should do is talk with them to find the difficulty and tackle it from there. I’ve seen, multiple times now, where either N (plague) or L (arcane) straight up tell people that they can’t help them and that they should just read the guide on the front page. Like sure, they read them, but something is tricky for them and they’re asking for help. They can read the rules and guide again but without outside help, guess what? Not gonna help them. If you just keep linking them the forum or telling them to read the first page it won’t actually help anyone! One of your jobs as the creators here is to help the community that you made it for, not just parrot that they need to read. Be better. Add that to a system which is not forgiving of any mistakes whatsoever and it becomes a terrible little cocktail. Also does not help that, despite their sugar attitude about having people test it in discord servers, the creators l and r/p (both arcane) don’t actually help people who need help using it. -wait times/queue: this ties in to an earlier point, but there’s no way to organize who goes next. Sure, it might sound strange, but when you have to wait ages to get access despite you being there ahead of anon llama/drama/dingdong/animal because they can all hop in ahead of you, it becomes frustrating. People don’t always type in that itty bitty box to say what they’re doing, and people easily erase it or write over it, or they just outright ignore it. Obviously not everyone is going to do that, but it’s way too easy for people who are greedy/entitled to step over those who are being polite and patient. -no quick ping options this is also kind of minor, but at least with the old spreadsheet you could just click in and say “okay, I just want to ping XXY general for this because I have a quick sale.” Guess what: nah. You have to go through the entire chugging process and queue and everything else just to get that snippet of information on who to ping. What once took maybe five clicks is now five minutes to thirty depending on how many people are using it. Wanna quick check if a dragon with XYZ colours you hatched is one that someone wants specifically? Nah, fuck you. You have to input all the data and wait instead of just doing what was once a super easy quick search. There is so much other shit wrong with this system and I’m honestly surprised N (plague) allowed them to do this. Sure, the old pinglist could have done with some updating, but that should have been done in the form of clearing redundant double pings, maybe a way to sort through specifics like ‘male only’ and mass copy names there. Quality of life things, not this just... total mess. I understand that L and R/P got it into their heads that they needed to fix it and that they wanted to take over the entire system themselves, but they should have kept their pride out of it for once. The sheet to input what dragons you want is also another entire nightmare. It’s frustrating to go through the google poll a dozen times to say exactly what colors/eyes/gender/pasta-shape/siesta-fiesta under the sun you want rather than have a quick way to input it by drop-downs or even just a text based option like the old one had. It’s so easy to forget what you put in or which one you want to put in this time, so easy to end up making mistakes that you don’t see, etc. It’s just not an effective system. It’s great in theory, and sure, it’s all sparkly and new, but it’s like admiring an aluminum trash can. Shiny and sparkly under the sun, still holding a whole lot of hot garbage though. I understand that some people may find it easier, and that’s great! I’ve used it for a few things and yeah, it’s okay, but I wish the old one was back given all the grief and frustration this one has caused. Obviously I’m not in the place to be like DO THIS OR DO THAT since I’m not the one making the sheet here, but I do feel like the people who use it have every right to give commentary and feedback where possible. Even moreso when the creators and team aren’t actually as welcoming as they try to appear to be. As much as it sucks, a lot of L and R/P’s (primarily L) false niceties have kind of come to the surface lately which makes this whole situation just that much more awkward. If people don’t feel like they can approach you because they know you’ll rip into them here or on the anon site immediately, maybe you shouldn’t be a main creator of something for the user base or a mod for a bigger group. Just some side-thought to all this other stuff. Big post, big rambles, I can’t bring myself to organise it though because I’m pretty fed up and tired. Take from this what you may, but basically fix your shit new G1 Hoarder peeps.

[iloveyou3thousand]

pepterony with pepper getting pregant but there were two eggs one each fertilized by tony and peter

let me just preface this by saying this is in no way medically accurate. I tried to read up on paternity tests and stuff to make it somewhat accurate but then I figured... it’s fiction. I can do whatever I want! So I did >:)

————————————————————————

When they first found out that Pepper was pregnant with twins, it felt like a funny coincidence. Two lovers, two babies. They joked among themselves that it was the universe’s way of letting them know that whatever entity was out there supported the relationship they had, or that they had to have two babies or it wouldn’t be fair for the two fathers.

There was never any doubt in neither Tony nor Peter’s mind that the baby was theirs, whatever that meant, whoever the biological father really was. They didn’t exactly keep up with who did what when in the bedroom, and so they couldn’t trace it all back to the moment it must have happened. Not to mention that they liked to have fun on a pretty regular basis, so that would make it hard to tell especially.

But as time progressed, they became more and more curious. It never mattered to any of them, but curiosity was a strong driving factor. And, well. They were going to have to write down one name to represent the father on the birth certificates, so that seemed like a valid option to consider.

They talked about it over and over again, each time making sure that not one of them would end up feeling bad about it. Whatever happened, it wouldn’t make the non-biological father any less of a parent. What mattered was involvement, and love, and both Tony and Peter had plenty. It would be their baby, regardless of what the DNA said.

At their next appointment at the hospital, they opted not to know the genders of the babies, but instead requested a prenatal paternity test. It was over quickly, and the DNA was sent on its way, and with haste. Naturally, Tony had ensured that the samples would be sent toward a lab that would get them the results within the next few days, and then all that was left for them to do was go home, and go about their lives as normally as they could, until eventually the results came as a bundle in an envelope.

Peter was the first to find the package, and he brought it up to their penthouse and tried his best to distract himself for the next few hours until Pepper came back from work, and Tony decided to call it a day down in the workshop as well.

It wasn’t easy. Not with the jitters of excitement at the prospect of finding out whose DNA had beat the other’s to the polls. It might not have mattered, but that didn’t make anyone’s curiosity any easier to handle.

Pepper was the second to arrive, giving Peter a kiss and moving into the kitchen immediately to make herself a cup of tea before she’d even noticed the thick envelope on their dinner table. That was a good thing, too, because the second that she did, she could hardly take her eyes off it.

Together, Peter and Pepper waited for Tony to decide to call it a night, distracting themselves as best as they could with a bit of television and chatting between themselves about their day.

Tony accused them that they could have called him or gone to get him sooner when he inevitably also showed up just as Peter and Pepper were in the kitchen, with Peter at the stove and Pepper sitting at the kitchen island cutting up vegetables for the dinner they were preparing.

But, dinner had to wait, they decided. Pepper wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to keep anything down, what with the nerves and the way their happy little accidents were settled nice and cozily against her stomach.

So they sat down, the three of them, and wasted little time opening the envelope. It quickly became clear which of the sheets held the actual results, while the others provided the thruple with more information on potential further testing – although they could already say with certainty that something like that wasn’t going to be necessary or desired.

Upon closer inspection, however… The actual sheet with the test results held a lot more information than they had initially expected.

It had to be pretty easy, right? A little graph of the two samples of DNA, possibly some information that people without a medical degree likely wouldn’t be able to figure out, and then a short section where the samples are compared and it is explained that either it is a match, or it is not a match.

Except it took the three of them a little while to figure out exactly what was going on on their result sheet.

Pepper got frustrated and threw in the towel, Tony had to excuse himself to go get his reading glasses, but Peter stopped him before he could leave the table.

“It’s both,” he blurted out, and was greeted by a puzzled look from both Tony and Pepper. He looked up at them. “I mean, the DNA. It’s—It’s from the both of us. Here.”

“But that’s impossible,” Tony argued after a beat of silence, squinting once again at the papers Peter was holding up for him, “Biologically speaking. That can’t be right. We’ll have to get a second opinion.” He already sounded exasperated, and he had every reason to be. Even with two babies in Pepper’s belly, it didn’t have to be so hard to determine who the biological father was. Right?

“Maybe we shouldn’t have insisted they take a sample from both babies,” Pepper melancholized, “It’s not like there’s going to be a difference anyway. It seems we only made it more complicated.”

“No,” Peter argued with a quick shake of his head, sounding progressively more enthusiastic as he realized what he was reading, “I swear, it says it right here. One of the babies matches my DNA, and one of the babies matches Tony’s. One baby is mine, and one baby is yours!”

“And both are mine,” Pepper teased, passing a loving hand over her bump.

Tony, on the other hand, was frowning.

“Two babies… Two fathers,” he contemplated under his breath, shaking his head to himself as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Two babies, two fathers,” Pepper echoed, and although there was still disbelief in her voice, Peter’s enthusiasm was infectious, and the way he was practically vibrating in his chair right next to her was rubbing off on her.

Peter grinned, and slapped a hand on Tony’s shoulder before pulling him into a hug. And Tony, in turn, despite the astounding, wonderful news, seemed to slowly be coming to terms with what this meant. Because while they might have discussed this over and over, and the fact that they had reassured each other countless of times that the results of this test didn’t mean anything, there was still always that anxiety of never being good enough.

But now, none of them had to worry. About anything. So Tony grinned, too.

“Two babies, two fathers.”

[vorgues]

50 Best Ways To Make Money Online

Making extra money doesn’t have to be hard. You don't always have to spend money to make money. There are lots of money-making opportunities out there.

One of the best things you can do to make money fast is to invest in your networking at work, spend time learning as much as possible, and get a raise or promotion. This alone could help you to make an extra $100 a day in no time. and get a raise or promotion. This alone could help you to make an extra $100 a day in no time. I am not going to lie: the reality is that you will have to put in some work to earn cash. But there are some clever real ways to make money out there if you are up for the challenge! This is what making more money can do for you:

Help you to save money and pay off your debt.

Pay your bills at the end of the month.

Help you stop living paycheck to paycheck.

Allow you to reach financial freedom.

It can even help you to leave a job you hate.

Plus, you could retire sooner if you want to. But remember: If you want to reach your goal of making $100 or more a day online (or offline), simply combine a number of these money-making ideas.

Whether you’re between jobs, a stay-at-home parent or just want to make some extra money without leaving the house, these work-from-home jobs and tasks can boost your income, helping you make ends meet, pay down debt or reach savings goals. Legitimate work-from-home jobs do exist but beware of scams that require you to pay upfront for the chance to earn extra money. Instead, check out these ways you can easily make extra money from home.

Let’s dive into it: here are the best ways to make money in 2021. No matter what your skills are, you can find something that’s right up your alley.

1. Sell Stock Photographs If you have a knack for capturing the perfect shot, you could turn those pictures into extra money. Sites like Shutterstock, Fotolia and Adobe Stock enable users to upload images and get paid when people purchase them. You’ll receive a fraction of the sales price — and a good picture can earn you thousands of dollars if it’s downloaded a lot. You must have the exclusive rights to the photos, and you must include signed releases for any recognizable people or private property in the images. 2. Use the Right Account for Your Money You shouldn’t settle for any old checking account when you’re looking for somewhere to keep your money. Instead, you should find one that pays you back. PenFed’s Access America Checking account does just that thanks to its annual percentage yield of 0.20% or 0.40%1 — depending on the daily balance — with a monthly direct deposit of $500 or more. By using an account that pays a higher APY, your money will grow more quickly while it sits until you need it. And if you’re able to avoid monthly fees, there’s no reason not to take advantage of a perk like this. 1APY (annual percentage yield) is accurate as of Sept. 18, 2020, and is subject to change at any time. Federally insured by NCUA. 3. Pet Sit If you love animals, getting paid to watch other people’s pets is a dream job. Sites like Rover connect pet sitters with pet owners. You’ll need to set up a profile explaining why you’d be a great pet sitter, but once you’re approved, you can set your own rates and hours. You could earn up to $1,000 per month, according to Rover. 4. Transcribe Audio Clips If you can type quickly and accurately, you can earn money by transcribing audio clips in your free time and turn it into a sweet side hustle. Companies like TranscribeMe! pay about $20 per hour, and top earners can earn $2,200 a month from these work-from-home jobs. If you have a specialized background like medical or legal training, you can earn higher rates. 5. Sell Unused Stuff If you’re looking for quick cash, consider selling items around your house, including your CDs, DVDs, games or books on the site Decluttr. Just enter the barcode, and Decluttr will tell you how much it’ll pay you for it. 6. Take Paid Surveys Online Various online websites will pay you for sharing your opinions on a range of topics. For example, e-Rewards is open to anyone older than 13. You’ll earn e-Rewards currency for each survey you complete, which you can redeem for gift cards. Other options include GlobalTestMarket and Harris Poll Online. The amount you make depends on how many paid surveys you’re eligible for and how quickly you complete them. 7. Become a Remote Sales Agent If you have a smooth voice and like talking to customers, sign up as a sales agent. You’ll take calls like you would in a physical call center, but some sales agent positions are remote jobs. For example, you can sign up with the company LiveOps to take calls for 30-minute blocks. First, you must apply, be accepted and complete a company training course, which takes about two weeks. Depending on the job, you could be paid an average of 25 cents per minute and/or commission and receive incentives for selling certain products. 8. Make an Online Business Out of Creating Online Courses If you have specialized knowledge, use it to create an online course. If you partner with a site like Udemy, you can set your price — between $20 and $200 per course — and keep a portion of the earnings based on whether you drive the traffic to the site or Udemy’s advertising attracts the students. 9. Surf the Internet There are dozens of ways to win money online. For example, companies want to know what you’re doing online, so they pay data aggregators like Nielsen to collect that information. To do this, Nielsen incentivizes people to share details about their computer and mobile phone usage by installing an app. You can earn rewards for each mobile device, plus sweepstakes entries. Nielsen gives away $10,000 each month to its Computer and Mobile Panel participants. 10. Serve as

an E-Juror You can make extra cash by serving as a mock juror so attorneys can practice their arguments and judge the value of their cases. Sites like eJury recruit U.S. citizens over 18 who haven’t been convicted of a felony. You can’t be an attorney, paralegal or legal assistant — or closely related to an attorney or employed by a law firm. Expect to make between $5 and $10 for each verdict. 11. Rent Out Your Car Renting out your car is one of the many ways you can make money off of tourists in your city. When you’re sitting at home, you’re not using your car, so consider making money from home by renting it to someone else. Companies like Getaround enable you to offer your car to someone who wants to rent it when you’re not using it. Getaround offers car owners top-rated insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance — so you’re fully protected. Active car owners can earn about $10,000 per year, according to Getaround. Smart Money Moves: 35 Useless Expenses You Need To Slash From Your Budget Now 12. Get Cash Back When You Shop Sign up with Ebates to get cash back when you shop online. Ebates has negotiated deals with more than 2,500 companies. Each time you click through the Ebates site to partner sites, the company pays a referral fee to Ebates, and Ebates shares it with you. You can also earn $25 for each friend you refer to Ebates. 13. Become an English Proficiency Test Grader To test for English proficiency, foreign students take tests that include writing paragraphs, which need to be scored. Companies like EditFast need people to grade the tests, and you can earn between $18 and $25 per hour. You must be a native or native-like English speaker, have a four-year college degree, pass proficiency exams and complete the training. Then, after making this extra money, you can grow it even more by putting it in a checking account like the one from PenFed. With an APY that can pay up to 10 times1 more than the average checking account, it can do more for your money. If you’re looking for an easy way to improve your financial situation, don’t overlook something as simple as your checking account. 1Sourced directly from: www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/rates as of Sept. 18, 2020. 14. Host Dinner for Guests If you like to cook — and others like to eat your food — you could make money by hosting dinners at your home. Companies like Eatwith coordinate guests for your dinner parties. You must apply and host a demo event so the company can verify your culinary and hosting abilities. If you’re accepted, you’ll be on your way to making up to $1,100 per dinner. 15. Recycle for Cash Recycling helps the Earth by reducing pollution, but it can also put some cash in your pocket. Some states implement a bottle deposit you can get back when you turn in the used bottles at a collection center. For example, in California, you can earn 5 cents for most glass and aluminum cans and 10 cents for 24-ounce or larger bottles. 16. Watch Promotional Videos Some companies put together videos they want consumers to watch — and sites like InboxDollars find and reward consumers willing to do it. You’ll earn a little cash for each video you watch. If there aren’t any videos available to watch, InboxDollars also pays members to take surveys and online shop. 17. Turn Your Home Into a Bed and Breakfast If you don’t mind sharing your home with people, you can sign up to rent it to vacationers. On sites like Airbnb, you can list your space, set your rate and wait for guests to sign up. You have the flexibility to rent when you want and close up shop when you want your house to yourself. 18. Share Your Spending History Companies want to know what you’re spending money on. Snap pictures of your receipts, and upload them to the ReceiptPal app to earn entries into sweepstakes and points you can redeem for gift cards. 19. Test Websites If you like surfing the internet, consider becoming a website tester for UserTesting. Companies that are launching new sites will pay you to provide feedback about them and perform tasks to make sure they’re

functioning properly. You can expect to make $10 for each website you review. 20. Sell Coupons Online If you have any coupons around you know you won’t use, someone else might be willing to pay for them. For example, if someone is planning to buy a new laptop, a 10-percent-off coupon could save them a substantial amount, which might motivate them to pay you a portion of what they’d save to get the coupon. EBay does have some restrictions on coupon sales, however. You can never sell coupons for free items, and you can sell only 25 coupons — or up to $100 worth — each month. 21. Trade Cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies are currencies electronically created and controlled in a decentralized manner instead of by a government. Types of cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin and Litecoin. Trading cryptocurrencies can be lucrative — Bitcoin went up considerably between January 2017 and December 2017. Trading cryptocurrencies has its risks. If the price plummets — as Bitcoin’s price has in the past — you could lose your investment. 22. Create Slogans for Companies Companies love catchy slogans because they help sell products. If you have a knack for coming up with creative sayings, enter slogan contests. At Slogan Slingers, companies offer a reward of between $200 and $999 for slogans. If a company selects your slogan as the winner, you keep the prize, minus a small administration fee. 23. Lend Money to People If you have extra money, you can earn an average of 4% to 6% per year in profit by investing in peer-to-peer lending. Sites like LendingClub allow you to invest in small portions of loans — as little as $25 per loan — to other people. If the borrower defaults, however, you lose your investment. You must make a minimum opening deposit of $1,000 and meet the suitability requirements set by your state. For many states, that means you must have an annual income of at least $70,000 or a net worth of at least $250,000. 24. Tutor Students Online If you have a knack for explaining difficult subjects and helping students get better grades, consider tutoring online. You can find your own students and set your own rates to create an online business, or you can sign up to tutor with an existing company like Tutor.com. Tutor.com requires you to be at least a college sophomore, and you must be a subject matter expert in the areas you want to tutor. You must work at least five hours per week at Tutor.com. The site does not list the pay for tutors on its website, but with Chegg you can make $20 or more per hour of tutoring. 25. Host Direct-Sales Parties Direct sales companies like Mary Kay pay representatives to host parties and sell their products. You host events and invite friends, family and neighbors over to see and buy a company’s products — and you keep a portion of the sales. If you work for a single-level, direct-sales company, you can expect to earn an average commission of 20% to 25% of what you sell. 26. Rent Out Office Space in Your Home If you have home office space you don’t need to use, it could be worth money to someone who wants an office outside of their home but doesn’t want the associated cost or inflexibility of a traditional office space lease. You can set your own prices and decide when and for how long you want to rent your space. 27. Provide Tech Support Online If you get excited about fixing computer problems, sign up to get rewarded for being tech-savvy. Through companies like Upwork, you can complete lucrative freelance gigs online to earn cash and rewards by helping people fix their technology products. 28. Search the Web With Bing Switching your search engine is an easy way to make money from home. Microsoft, for example, will reward you for using Bing to search the internet. You earn points for activities like searches, which you can redeem for movies, games and gift cards. 29. Become a Virtual Fitness Instructor If you like helping people get in shape but don’t like traveling to the gym or other people’s homes, consider marketing yourself as a virtual fitness instructor. You might need to get

certifications to gain credibility with clients so you can oversee their workouts via webcam or other technology. Alternatively, you can have short, online meetings with clients and provide them with workouts to do on their own. Either way, you can work from home. 30. Sell Your Hair If your friends tell you they wish they had your hair, you might have a source of income growing right on your head. Sites like HairSellon provide an easy way to make money from home: You can list your hair for sale, and the site even has a calculator to help you set a reasonable price depending on its length, thickness and color. 31. Be a Virtual Assistant People will pay you to assist them with a range of tasks from canceling cable to scheduling appointments. “Virtual business assistance is an opportunity with so much variety and need that many people are able to find a place here,” said Angie Nelson of The Work At Home Wife. “In-demand skills can run the gamut from customer service and email management to optimizing eBay listings and setting up email funnels.” At Fancy Hands, the pay ranges from $3 to $7 per task — the faster you complete tasks, the higher your earning potential. 32. Sign Up for Credit Cards Credit card companies want to get their cards in your hands, and they often offer substantial bonuses to sign up. Many sign-up bonuses for credit cards are in excess of $1,000 — but you might have to spend a certain amount in a short period of time to qualify. Check that the card’s annual fee doesn’t offset the sign-up bonus. 33. Perform Tasks on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk Website Amazon has created a huge marketplace for tasks that require human intelligence for completion: Amazon Mechanical Turk. Businesses post tasks and how much the pay is for completing them. Tasks include identifying pictures or videos, transcribing audio recordings and conducting research. Depending on the task, you might have to prove your qualifications before you can claim it. The faster you complete tasks, the more you can make. 34. Adjust Your Home’s Temperature You can increase your bottom line by reducing your heating and cooling costs. Even if you’re always home, you can save up to 14% on your electricity bill if you set your thermostat 2 degrees higher and use a ceiling fan, according to Energy Star. You can also save money by dialing back the heat or air conditioning while you’re asleep. 35. Make and Sell Crafts If you’re a crafty person, selling some of your online handiwork might top your list of ways to make money at home. Sites like Etsy make it easy: You pay no monthly fee, just a 20-cent listing fee. Once your item sells, Etsy takes a 5% transaction fee, making selling you handmade creations and vintage goods in your Etsy shop, mostly painless. 36. Sell Video Footage to News Shows If you often find yourself in the right place at the right time to capture big events, let your video camera roll. News shows will pay you to use the footage for their broadcasts. You can use a site like ScoopBroker to sell your footage to a media outlet for exclusive or nonexclusive rights to it. 37. Write a Book Thanks to the advent of online publishing, you don’t need to have a connection with a big publishing house to deliver your story to the public. In fact, you can publish an e-book digitally through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. You can set your own price and earn up to 70% of it in royalty payments. 38. Pay Your Car Insurance in Full Instead of relying on monthly payments, save up to $120 a year by paying your annual car insurance premium in full, according to Lifehacker. As long as your insurance company has a website, you can boost your bottom line from the comfort of your favorite chair. More Opportunities: These Side Jobs Will Be the Most Popular in the US 39. Empty Your Closet If you have a closet full of clothes that you rarely wear, resell those clothes and put some cash in your pocket. Sites like Tradesy allow you to list items that are in great condition as well as authentic. You won’t pay a listing fee, but you will pay a 19.8%

commission on sold items totaling $50 or more and a flat fee of $7.50 on sold items totaling less than $50. 40. Assist With Political Action Campaigns If you’re a good communicator, consider putting your skills to work as a writer or organizer for political change as a way to make money from home. Sites like NextWave Advocacy recruit qualified applicants — often those with a background in writing who are interested in politics — and train them to work for clients on a range of political issues. 41. Negotiate Your Interest Rates If you have credit card balances, calling your credit card company to try to lower your interest rate works 80% of the time, according to CNBC. Even a small decrease in your rate can save you money. For example, say you carry a $10,000 balance: A 3% rate reduction would save you $300. Leverage how long you’ve been a customer and how you pay on time to increase your chances of success. 42. Use an App To Find Price Rebates Many stores have price guarantees, but it’s a hassle to track them all down and potentially even more of a hassle to file the paperwork. Now, you can get price rebates from the comfort of your own home. For example, sign up for Paribus via email, and the service will track the rebates you’re owed by scanning the receipts sent to your email address. It will seek out the lower price and request a rebate on your behalf if you qualify. 43. Review Computer Software Nobody wants to buy software only to find out it doesn’t work well. To help people avoid that disaster, you can write software reviews and get paid for them. SoftwareJudge will pay you up to $50 per review. 44. Watch TV You can make money from home watching TV: Download the Viggle app and earn one point for every minute you watch shows on subscription services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, plus bonuses for certain shows. You can redeem points for cash or gift cards. Although it might not be the most profitable activity, if you’re going to watch TV anyway, you might as well get rewarded with this easy way to make money from home. 45. Answer Questions via Text If you’re good at finding answers quickly, consider becoming a member at 1Q, a site that enables customers to ask questions and get answers quickly. After you’ve signed up, you’ll receive 50 cents per answer. The number of questions you receive depends on your demographics and location, so keep your profile updated so you don’t miss out on questions. 46. Create an Online Business Translating Foreign Documents If you speak more than one language, you can make money working from home translating documents. ProZ.com acts as a marketplace for translators to connect with people and companies who need translation services. On ProZ.com, clients request applications for translations and select the translator they want to conduct at-home jobs. 47. Take Stock of Your Memberships Cutting unnecessary memberships is as valuable to your budget as generating extra income. Go through all of your current memberships and subscriptions to make sure they’re worth what you’re paying. To help find lurking expenses, consider an app like Trim, which shows your recurring costs and can even cancel subscriptions for you. 48. Share Your Knowledge If you have specialized knowledge, you can monetize it by signing up as an expert to help others online. For example, JustAnswer will pay you to share your expertise. You must apply for each category you feel you’re qualified to provide answers for, and you need to have a degree or certification in that area. The amount you earn depends on how in-demand your area of expertise is. 49. Bet On Your Ability To Get In Shape Did you know you can get paid to sweat? Getting healthy can help you win money by competing in health challenges. Sites like DietBet allow you to compete with others in weight loss challenges. You must upload pictures to verify your starting and finishing weight. You’ll pay an entry fee, but the fees go into a pot that everyone who meets the goal splits. You’ll never lose money as long as you meet your goal. 50. Accept

Packages for Neighbors If you’ve ever missed a package, you know how difficult it can be to reschedule your delivery. That’s why people use eNeighbr to get packages accepted for them. If you’re going to be home anyway, consider signing up to receive packages for your neighbors. Packages will be sent directly to you, and the customer will pick them up. You can expect to make $3.50 per package.