#Smart Web review

[brightpanel24]

Smart Web Solutions 2024 With Best Chat Bot’s Extra Convenient Facilities

[nottsangel]

i would loveee to see pervy!stalker!art

i’m thinking like on a joe level 🫣

UGHHH I LOVE THIS !!!! thinking about how the first time you meet art is when he ‘accidentally’ bumps into you in the stanford hallways, causing your school books to plummet to the ground. faux shock paints his face as he utters a string of apologies while he helps you pick up your scattered books, and god, you can’t help but notice how attractive, kind and dreamy he is as he flashes you a charming grin. little do you know this isn’t the first time he has seen you— he had been watching your every step over the past few months.

from the moment art spotted you strolling through the hallways of stanford, he knew he had to have you. it was odd— this feeling of knowing someone without a single word exchanged, but from that moment on, you were all he could think about. you disrupted his daily routine, his friendships, school results and hell, he even lost interest in tennis. you replaced all of it, and he felt a magnetic, undeniable pull drawing him closer, feeling the need to take care of you— to protect you.

and over these months, art has collected a significant amount of your belongings, locked away in a box under his bed. not only that, he knew your routines— the precise times you left for classes, the coffee you ordered before going to the library, even the names of your childhood friends long forgotten. he also tracked every single digital footprint you left on the web, such as a bad google review you gave to an unknown restaurant you visited five years ago on vacation. but art was smart, calculated, and knew not to get ahead of himself when he sneaked into your dorm room and pressed your worn underwear against his nose, inhaling the heavenly scent, while imagining all the ways he wanted you.

it was difficult, but bumping into you is just the first step to getting close to you. in the end, art donaldson always gets what he wants— it just requires a bit of patience and persistence.

ੈ♡˳

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Top 12 Favorite Anime of 2023 (and more)!

This was a great year for anime, so here's a long list of my top 12 (including some bonus great anime). If you get tired of clicking the review links, check out my anime overview collection for all of them here.  You can also check out my list of favorite manga here!

Some of these are ongoing, so consider those only a review of the first cour-- no official endorsement on the rest because it hasn't aired yet!

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (Season 2)

When I listed G-Witch in last year's top anime list, I prayed the show wouldn't betray me. Fortunately, it didn't! Though the final half of the show was a bit rushed, it remained must-see, compelling sci-fi full of exciting twists and turns. And I adore the well developed romance between the robot-piloting protagonist and precious girl, Suletta, and her fierce fiancé, Miorine.  Whether you’re here for starcrossed queer lovers, robots wrecking each other, tense battles between opposing political factions, or morally-horrifying moms on a revenge spree, you’re in for a treat.

See my full review here.

Yuri is my Job!

Hime is roped into working at a cafe where the waitresses playact as students of the fictional all girl’s school from a beloved novel series. However, Hime finds her co-worker, Mitsuki, has an inexplicable grudge against her. Thus begins a tangled web of romance and wounded feelings among the girls in the cafe! Yuri is My Job seems like a fun comedy boasting a cast full of quirky lesbians, but then reveals itself to be a complicated and fascinating examination of performance- as it intersects with queerness, girlhood,  and the desire to be “likeable” and “cute". It's top-tier lesbian drama full of fraught relationships and it's absolutely worth a watch.

See my full review here.

The Apothecary Diaries (still ongoing, review is for the first cour)

Though it's still going, I have to sing the praises of this dazzling anime about a saavy apothecary who uses her medical expertise to solve the many murders and betrayals in the Emperor's palace. MaoMao is a fantastic lead, a poison-obsessed gremlin who's whip-smart, deadpan, and fun to follow. The Apothecary Diaries has intrigue, well-developed characters, and an impeccable atmosphere. It tells a great range of stories, from romantic triumph, to bittersweet tales of recovering from grief, to pure tragedies. I'm totally hooked.

See my full review here.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

When Euphie is dumped by her fiance at a ball, the oddball princess Anis rescues her.  Euphie becomes Anis' assistant in her quest to develop magical tools. The girls also start to develop feelings for each other, while discovering a conspiracy among the nobility. I'm always desperately in need of cool lesbians having action-packed fantasy adventures, and Magirevo delivers. The characters grow in entertaining ways, we get to see them fight dragons in killer action scenes, and the romantic development is completely satisfying. It's a simple story at its core, but the lovable characters, joyous queerness and jubilant execution make it a great watch.

See my full review here.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story (Season 2)

In the second season of the anime about girls homoerotically golfing while dealing with the mafia and ludicrous family drama, Birdie Wing remains a bombastically absurd sports anime that is fun all the way through. Please come watch these girls get ridiculous sports  injuries, scream their super golf attacks, experience extremely extra plot twists--and be super gay with each other, of course. The finale didn't go quite as hard as I wanted (and the romance is more subtexual than I wanted), but you need to allow yourself to experience the madness of Birdie Wing.

See full review here.

Skip and Loafer

An endearingly dorky, earnest, and driven girl moves from her small town to Tokyo. While she struggles to adjust, she befriends a nice popular boy who's got some baggage. Skip and Loafer is a show that’s like a warm hug. It's sweet, entertaining and funny. It handles adolescent struggles with tender nuance. There's a emphasis on kindness, connection, and looking past stereotypes and misconceptions. It also includes a trans character who's treated with respect (and is a great character in general!) Let this show touch your heart.

See my full review here.

Undead Murder Farce

An immortal woman has had most of her body stolen by a mysterious man. Reduced to a head carried around by her maid, she teams up with a half-demon man to track the thief down while solving supernatural mysteries all across Victorian England.

This a fun, campy mystery series starring three asshole weirdo protagonists,  it’s bursting with supernatural creatures and literary references. We've got Sherlock Holmes, The Phantom of the Opera, Carmilla and more...along with a vampire murders and werewolf drama galore. UDM is a wonderful romp with stylish, slick direction... and it’s unexpectedly really gay.  I’m aching to see more of these scrappy misfits and their adventures.

See my full review here.

Migi & Dali

A story of twins who are pretending to be one kid in order to fool their foster parents and find out who killed their mother. It starts out as an utterly absurd comedy becomes a impressive and genuinely tense murder mystery that is incredibly moving at times, all while keeping up it’s signature brand of goofiness. There’s genuine commentary on abuse, the damage you can do to children by forcing perfection on them, the struggle of being a foster kid, grief and recovery and more. There's also some great character development. It's a weird one, but it's absolutely worth sticking with.

See full review here.

Pluto

Somebody is killing the most advanced robots in the  world and murdering humans alongside them. A robot detective is trying to track this killer down, but he might be compromised as well. Pluto is a tense, tense, tightly plotted robot murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Through robots, it explores the idea of being a tool in a corrupt system, and tackles subjects like war, imperialism, and the nature of hatred. It's a masterful psychological thriller with stunning animation and a rich story.

See my full review here.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

This anime approaches the story of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona's seven evil exes from a brands new angle, and the results are great. We get a exploration of relationships and regrets, the messiness of communication and connection, the trials of becoming an adult, all with the signature goofy video game antics. Characters neglected in previous iterations finally get their due, new facets of the story are explored, queer relationships are delved into more, girls kiss...and it's all accompanied by phenomenal animation and a killer soundtrack.

See my full review here

Soaring Sky! Precure

Sora lives in a world called Skyland and wants to be a great hero. When rescuing the kidnapped baby princess, she falls through a portal to earth. There she meets her fellow magical warriors, and as Precure they protect the princess from the villains!

This vibrant, warm-hearted adventure got me back on the Precure train! This series boasts a lot exciting firsts for the franchise--the first official male cure, the first main cure that's eighteen years old- but above all, it has a lively team of characters with who have an entertaining dynamic and enjoyable individual journeys. It's often very funny, the baby has a surprisingly good character arc, and it's bursting with magical girl (and boy) goodness! It's also not afraid to give you an emotional gutpunch when you've been lured into a false sense of security by all the fun times. If you're new to Precure, this is a great jumping on point, and if you've watched it before, this is a series you won't want to miss.

I'm in Love with the Villainess

Rae is reincarnated as the heroine of her favorite dating sim. But she has no interest in romancing any of the boys- she’s head over heels for Claire Francois, the snooty villainess.

Villainess may not be as polished--storywise or animation-wise-- as these other entries. It's a messy series, it has plenty of problems...but it's also very fun, and it touched my queer little heart like no other. Queer people get to indulge in our imperfect faves too, and the silly shenanigans, blatant lesbian wish fulfillment, honest advocacy for queer people, and the joy and earnestness of the series works for me!

See my full review here.

Some Other Great Anime:

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (still ongoing, review is for the first cour)

Frieren is a long-lived elf who was once part of an adventuring party that saved the world from the Demon Lord. But now her friends are passing away and the world is moving on. She decides to retrace her old party's journey so she can understand what she's feeling.

Frieren is both an interesting examination of what happens after the hero saves the world, as well as a meditation on mortality, grief,  and the endless march of time. It takes you on a quiet, beautiful and sometimes touching journey though a pastoral fantasy world. There's some breath-taking animation and excellent atmosphere to enjoy.

See my review here.

Spy x Family (Season 3)

Spy x Family is pretty much staying the course from when we last checked in,  though this season gives a lot more attention to Yor, and I love the cruise ship arc and all the ridiculous fights she gets into a lot! That arc contains some of my favorite gags of the series too (like Loid’s  attempts to be a cool dad). Otherwise, Spyfam has settled into a series that intends to be around for the long haul, so don’t expect too much forward plot momentum. And Yuri (the man, not the genre) unfortunately still exists. Overall it was good season and remains a fun  adaptation. Yor, please step on me.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Lovely Runner (2024)

Lovely Runner it's undoubtedly one of the best dramas of 2024.

It has all the elements that make a drama a mega hit: comedy, romance, time travel, well written characters (both leads and supporting ones) and an engaging plot line that never bores you. Starring Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok, adapted from the web novel The Best of Tomorrow by screenwriter Lee Shi Eun and directed by Yoon Jong Ho and Kim Tae Yub, the Lovely Runner team achieved a perfect execution in front and behind the camera.

I think the true star of this drama it's the writing and on this I can't commend Lee Si Eun enough. I had already seen her potential in dramas like True Beauty but here she really manages to shine through a well crafted, smart and cohesive story with no loose ends. I'm incredibly impressed by her talent.

The writing was perfectly complemented by the directors's outstanding work in leading a film crew that was on every detail of each part of the story, in each timeline, never missing a beat. Always delivering their A+++ game. But there was also great work done from the directors part in helping the actors get the comedic timing exactly right, the more emotional scenes to deliver and the team work among cast and crew to be flawless.

Lovely Runner might be a big hit now, but it's actually a sleeper hit. The lack of promotion this drama had was embarrassing and if it wasn't for the devoted fans, studio executives would have never realized they had a gem in their hands. So, it's not only a great drama with a super fandom that really fought for this story, it's also becoming yet another prime example in the list of films and tv that achieved all of it by themselves because artists delivered nothing short of excellence.

On this point I can't ignore the incredible performances given by the entire cast. Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok are definitely the standouts, they stole the show, this is their story and the actors chemistry it's electrifying. But the way supportive actors would show up in a scene and push the story forward in a coherent way and even make it better, it's wild to me. The chemistry this cast had it's a rare feat for an ensamble cast and how they managed to transition seamlessly through different phases of their characters's lives and relationships when events, in each timeline, were changing because of the things our leads did they still remain truthful. So, not only the leads are well developed in this drama but also every single character that shows up, no matter how small the role is.

The best example of this it's actor Heo Hyeong-Gyu who has been working for sixteen years, playing very minor characters, finally having a breakthrough in the industry because of his role in this drama. And while his presence was prominent and important to the story, he barely had lines. So his entire performance is mainly based on micro-expressions or physical stunts.

I also fully expect the actors like Song Geon-Hee, Lee Seung-Hyub, Song Ji-Ho or Seo Hye-won to receive a lot of what korean entertainment industry calls "love calls" aka commercials, dramas and films, among other things.

Experiencing watching Lovely Runner alongside the fandom, waiting every week for a new episode, it's a big part of what made this drama so good. Healthy and good loving fun people, clowning, poking fun at our faves and crying at heartbreak. It's been a long time since I have been able to engage in this way with other fans and I am thankful for them, the cast and crew for all these amazing weeks of fun.

Rating: 10/10

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke

4.75/5. Releases 2/5/2025.

The Vibes:

—dislike to FWB to lovers

—reproductive freedom

—he wants to prove society wrong; she's outside society

—the rake to stupid in love pipeline

The Basics:

Controversial duke Apollo has never gotten along with doctor (and secret women's health provider) Aurora—though this doesn't stop them from wanting each other. But when he offers to help Aurora care for her patients—a task that puts her life at risk—their attraction gives way to an emotional connection that could be the ruin of both...

The Review:

Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series has been quite strong throughout, and she saved the best for last(?). There's been this steady build to Apollo, the (understandably) embittered, seductive heir to a dukedom and Aurora, a strident do-gooder who wants nothing and everything to do with him. And trust me when I say they don't take long to throw themselves at each other.

Which is a very, very good thing.

But Herrera gets exactly what makes my beloved "fuck first, feelings later" trope so good. Apollo and Aurora jump into bed together quickly, but then there's all the emotional melting that needs to happen—and that takes a bit longer, in a sizzling tension of words left unsaid. All in all? This is a pretty damn romantic book. He's smitten; she's resistant. (And she has her reasons, very valid.)

The emotional piece here is really a web of character development, and Herrera makes each beat heartfelt and believable. It's a feeeeeeelings book. But there's a good chunk of plot in here as well. A lot of what has Apollo going—a chip on his shoulder, as he's the son of a white, horrible duke and a Black woman who was essentially tossed aside by his father—was covered in A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, and I do recommend reading that book in particular first. (Though An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is extremely worth reading as well.) He wants to conquer English society because he hates it, wants to make them feel stupid and lesser. Again, totally valid.

But it's not as much of a centerpiece as I expected—which isn't a bad thing. Because the centerpiece, aside from the love story, is Aurora's dedication to her calling as a doctor and a women's healthcare provider. This novel deeply deals with reproductive freedom and the importance of a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion. And I won't lie—that aspect is pretty emotional, now more than ever.

One thing I loved as well was Apollo's progression. Initially, he's really just worried about Aurora's safety and the risk of her getting in legal trouble. In other words, he's a progressive man of his era, but he's still a man of his era—and he isn't vilified for that, but instead given the opportunity to grow and really come through for Aurora, providing himself.

This has all the things you want from an Adriana Herrera book—it's funny, it's scorching hot, it's smart. But it's also perhaps the most emotionally resonant book I've read by her, wherein I was just dying for these two to make it work. And that made it my favorite novel she's released so far.

The Sex:

But also, this was super hot.

There's honestly a lot of sex on the page here. Maybe 6ish full scenes, I think? And a lot of very, very well-written oral. You get no-strings sex, you get passionate hookups, you get in loooooooooooove sex. It's all deliciously written, it's all great, thank you for your service Adriana Herrera.

There was ONE thing she hinted at but didn't go into (haha) that I wish would've been expanded on a bit.... But hey, I can't complain too much.

Conclusion:

Right now, a lot of historical romances feel very safe. Very tame. They lack a punch. This not only packs a punch—it goes straight for your heart. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[alexanderwales]

Book Review: Time to Orbit: Unknown

My habit of putting colons in my review titles bites me for the first but probably not last time.

Spoilers for the whole thing follow, and I think you should take that seriously, because this is largely a mystery. I'm going to assume that you read it.

Time to Orbit: Unknown is a scifi web serial by Derin Edala. The meme pitch is that this is a Very Normal Spaceship where Nothing Goes Wrong. The more conventional pitch is that our protagonist Aspen Greaves wakes up from chronostasis on a damaged colony ship with no crew in sight and has to figure things out from there.

I read TTOU basically straight through, binging rather than getting weekly installments, and some of this review will probably reflect that. Pacing is a difficult thing to start with, but it's way more difficult when you're trying to pace for two different audiences who are receiving the text in very different ways. As a binge reader, I thought the pacing was mostly fine, though did suffer a little from being formatted for serial chapters, particularly the implied cliffhanger ending to most chapters e.g. "I could only hope that everything would be fine ...". There's also a little bit of reiteration, where characters are going over what the open questions and issues are, which felt to me like it was in service of the weekly reader. As a binge reader, it was often just going over things I had read half an hour ago.

TTOU starts as a mystery. Why was Aspen woken up with no one to help them with chronostasis? Why is there no crew? Why have they been chosen to become captain in spite of their nearly complete lack of qualifications? Why are the crew dead? Where are the dead bodies?

As a mystery, the starts off really well, with a nice sequence of reveals and further questions. Aspen talks to the ship's AI, goes on some adventures around the ship, gets answers and more questions, and we gradually learn just how many weird problems this ship has.

Eventually though, the story starts running into a problem, which is that too many pressing problems get solved, and the ticking clock stops ticking. This isn't great for the pacing, and the sense of momentum temporarily leaves the story, especially because these big questions have been what's propelling it forward. As soon as it feels like we're not unraveling those, my interest started to wane. This was particularly true when characters would say "well, that's actually not a problem right now, guess we'll figure it out later".

Aspen doesn't stay alone for terribly long, and soon starts reviving other people from chronostasis, which is where we get the rest of our cast of characters from. I enjoyed these additions, though this is also the part where the serial gets very talky. There are, of course, some mysteries associated with the new crew, and I think here is where I need to talk about how TTOU handles mysteries.

To my mind, mysteries are at their best when there's a singular moment when everything snaps into focus. I like epiphanies, not necessarily from the characters, but from myself. The pieces have been presented to me, and in theory I could have solved it early on my own, but instead I get to solve it concurrently with the final piece being pushed into place. A good mystery author dangles the mystery in front of you, feeds you pieces, and then gets you to share the epiphany or at least feel smart when the protagonist rips off the villain's mask or whatever.

TTOU sometimes does this in exactly that way. There were a handful of times when I thought to myself "ah ha!" right at exactly the correct moment, which is just prior to the reveal after I had been led there by the nose.

There are other times when the reveal doesn't feel like things are snapping into place, it comes with caveats and bumps and occasionally, an admission that this was not actually a mystery at all. I might be projecting here, but writing a web serial is hard, and sometimes I would get a whiff of either course correction or bailing out. I'm tempted to go through everything I would label a "mystery" and then go through resolutions one by one, but I think that would require a partial reread of the story, would possibly not be illuminating, and might just be a matter of my own personal preferences and experience of reading. I'll give two examples though:

There's an enduring mystery of what killed off the crew of that gets locked at the front of the ship. This is one of the first mysteries in the book, and it doesn't get its resolution until very far in: they got pneumonia and don't have the medicine to treat it. While their deaths do feel like they're treated as a mystery, the reveal is not treated as much of a reveal, in spite of how longstanding the mystery was. It makes sense, but nags at me, like there was a mystery there that turned out to be a red herring. (This is probably a matter of signaling, though I'm not entirely sure.)

The captain went through and killed a bunch of sleeping colonists with an ax. His initial motivation for doing this is explained as just psychosis, and later, explained as him fighting the AI, which has been taking over the brains of colonists for use in compute. We get some additional context that his husband has been secretly put on the ship, and if the AI continued, it was going to kill him (or possibly, he was already dead). This ... still kind of doesn't work for me, as it sort of makes sense, but it doesn't feel like my understanding snapped into place. It's like someone told me the answer to the riddle and I said "eh, I guess" rather than "ah, right, that was it all along". Partly the captain is crazed, acting on emotion more than with a plan. It makes the resolution of his motivations hit a lot less hard. (I think this is at least partly an issue of how the resolution is delivered, or how it all unfolds. Maybe I would have wanted to get in the captain's head more. There are decent beats in that plot, but as a mystery it felt a little meh.)

The titular unknown time to orbit is caused by an engine problem, and this felt like a mystery, until quite late in the story someone said "oh yeah, I looked at the engine and I guess it just failed or something". It looked like a mystery, and felt like it was treated as a mystery, but it turned out to just be nothing, which made all the fuss made about it retroactively feel pointless. (Technically this is tied into future issues, but it's still essentially just an accident that no one actually intended, and felt really arbitrary and pointless to me, especially given it's one of the first mysteries we learn of.)

Overall, the various mysteries are hit and miss for me, and became more miss than hit toward the middle of the book (or what feels like the middle of the book, I'm not going to go through and get word counts).

The problems start with the revival of new crew members, particularly Captain Sands, who becomes captain due to his ranking within the AI systems. He immediately becomes a soft antagonist, and Aspen immediately takes a back seat in terms of agency. More people get revived, and they have their own stories, and then there's a hard pivot into a murder mystery, and ... this is where I sat and thought for a bit about whether I wanted to continue reading.

I think there was some good character work in the murder mystery arc, but it felt like there were too many characters, and I cared about too few of them, and our protagonist wasn't doing all that much proactive about anything. I didn't care about the victims, and the only reason I found the question of their murder compelling was the idea that this tied into some larger plot, that it would reveal some of the outstanding questions about the ship.

The resolution to what I'll call that middle chunk of the book seemed to me to be a soft reset, and I found it very welcome. The "new crew" were all dead, some old plots got somewhat messy wrapups, and we were very clearly off to new horizons. I don't have any idea if that's how it was written, but it came off as "alright, let's go back to what works".

And the good news for me was that there were more mysteries, this time as the crew reached the planet they'd been aimed at. From then on, I liked basically everything again. There's a big ask that happens in the middle, and conventional wisdom is that your scifi is Like Earth Unless Noted and that you should put your notes at the start ... but I was interested enough that I didn't mind it in this particular case.

The new planet is already settled, you see, and the how and why of that is fun to explore, as well as sort of making sense of a few earlier things that were pointed out. And the settlers have their own weird societies with their own mores and quirks, and there are culture clashes, and mysteries, and ...

For the most part, I found the sociology stuff more interesting than the mysteries. I wanted to know how these weird new people worked, how they organized their settlement, what their tax policy was like, how they made their houses and what they did in their leisure time. Thankfully, the book seemed as interested in this as I was, and while there are places that I think some readers might have found it to be "slow", I really did enjoy all the time and effort spent on describing these people and how they operated given their circumstances.

I don't know how well this all works in terms of resolutions. At least some of the outside threat is treated almost like a joke, and while there was some tension, it wasn't the sort of tension/release dynamic that I like in my stories, just tension followed by things going right in spite of that tension, with not much feeling of climax. I didn't particularly mind that though. And in the end the ship gets retrofitted, and Aspen becomes the new AI, and it all felt to me like it fit, even if there's quite a bit of fridge logic about why they couldn't just stay on the planet, and what a slow death as a generation ship might look like.

So all in all, I think I enjoyed the story, if less than I hoped I would. The beginning was a banger, made retroactively a little weaker by some of the resolutions to the mysteries. The middle was a slump, but after the soft reset, I was much more enamored with the story, and glad that I didn't actually put it down. I liked it better when it wasn't trying to be a mystery, when it was about the characters and the engineering, the vibes and an interesting future.

(It probably suffers a little bit from me comparing it to the last "woke up on a spaceship with dead people and no idea what's going on" book I read, Project Hail Mary, which was not written under the constraints of webfic.)

[timetravellingkitty]

you don’t talk about your fav books here? on the book nerd webbed site? Okay, top 5 books of all times, let’s go. Be generous and copious with the reviews

HELP WHAT'S WITH THE CALLOUT 😭😭 you're not even that wrong tho like I had this sideblog (that's inactive now rip) that was like "ooh books ooh dark academia look at meeee" but uh yeah. I haven't been reading much these days (don't ask I will cry) but I sometimes do talk about some or the other book I've read, I'm just a loser for not doing it enough but anyways. Favourite books

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour: like I mentioned, sad, raw, etc etc I finished reading this an hour before the new year (2023) so I just spent the rest of it just thinking about it?? I think it came to me at the perfect time cause this was 2 months after my grandmother died even tho I had a complicated relationship with her it really did help a lot

The Hunger Games: yes. This one. When I first read it I identified with Katniss so much cause she was what I saw myself as (no not smart and resourceful I'm still none of that but aloof, unlikable, brash, blunt and would do quite literally anything for their younger sibling). Honestly I think it helped shaped the reader I am today, it really got pre-teen me thinking more so yeah. I quite literally owe this series my life I have nothing but love for it

The Earthsea Cycle: THIS ONE IS FANTASTIC. So simple, so magical, so wonderful to read. Ged is a great protagonist, literally THE OG wizarding school series. Poetic resolution if you ask me

A Thousand Splendid Suns: idk maybe reading this at the tender age of 12 did something to me but who am I to complain this one's literally heartwrenching it's so engrossing IT'S ABOUT HOPE IN THE MIDST OF DESPAIR, IT'S ABOUT RESILIENCE AFSJKLS. Mariam and Laila's relationship is one for the ages literal narrative foils idc idc I think about them all the time

Rebecca: I have no explanation for this one. It just makes me go feral okay the tension, the layers, the ominous and gothic atmosphere I'm a little in love the writing is nothing short of captivating

Honorable mentions go to the Riordanverse (This one was also pretty formational), Blackout (yes I rated this 4 stars. No I do not care this one called me single in 6 languages don't ask it's just. Very nice no rhyme or reason here chief), Pachinko, Parable of the Sower, The Kite Runner and Last Night at the Telegraph Club

[the-slumberparty]

Useful Tools for Organization and Writing Ideas

The following tools are useful for writers who need something to help organize ideas, drafts, and other writing elements.

Organizing Ideas

Mind Meister (three maps free, monthly fee)

Create mind maps to explore and organise ideas electronically.

WorkFlowy (Free for 250 lister per month, Pro Plan available)

Create an easy outline for plotting your ideas.

Evernote (Free, paid plans available)

Keep and organize notes for reading

Templates created by other writers available to help you organize your writing

Writing

Livingwriter (purchase required, free-trial available)

Includes tools for all stages of writing and allows exporting for publication

Allows for outlining of plot points

Smart texts allows quick insert of characters and elements

Drag and drop for chapters

Cloud based to allow for multi-device writing as well as little fear of losing work

Scrivener (purchase required, free-trial available)

Drag and drop text to easily rearrange writing

Manuscript overview both before and after writing to allow both for planning an improvisation

Save research in app so you can flip easily between referential material and writing

Easy export in multiple formats

Collaborate

Google Docs

Allows you to share docs with various permission settings and includes the ability to add and review comments on a doc.

Draft:

Allows collaborative reviews of drafts between writers.

Edit

One Look Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus

Lets you look up similar words but also look up words you can’t remember but typing in the meaning

Hemingway Editor (free in web app only)

Reviews writing to offer advice on conciseness and gives a grade

Cliche Finder

Find cliches in your work so you can fix them

Dejargonizer

Detects the use of jargon so you can refine your writing

[blazethecheeto]

ATLAS PARADOX RAMBLING

dude this book. i need to talk. about it. im going insane.

everyone who hasn't read it, PLEASE DO!!! it's a dark academia book about a bunch of gay silly magic people that join a society and try to kill each other. there's time travel, a big ass polycule, aesthetic scenes, the prettiest writing style in the world, science, philosophy, and fucked family. (opposite of found family).

(extremely chaotic unorganized long rant below, with spoilers. click at your own risk)

FIRST OF ALL WHY WAS THIS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE?!!?!?

i had to power through the first one, it felt long, and unnecessary and like trekking through a JUNGLE with the thickest and most intricate ecosystem that i had to peel back and unravel for hours and hours. only to like move the plot by an inch.

BUT THIS. olivie blake found her footing because this was so good. i am aware the reviews hate on this book and some people don't like it, but personally i adore it and it's really well written.

CHARACTERS

bro they all had such wonderful voices, like they were distinct and unique from each other but not drastically, noticeably different I NEED TO LEARN FROM THIS. six of crows and the atlas six do multi povs so well <3 its like this book was made for me, each character was perfect and incredible and gay and silly and-

reina. love of my life. i look forward to all her povs because the plants are so silly and she's the best character. i said it. she's canon asexual now too YEES. i needed more of her because she was barely in the first one, and they DELIVERED. the juicy plot with her 'god complex' (ily callum) and her feelings getting hurt and learning she actually is lonely and wants friends? she's so wanda maximoff. next book better have her opening up and learning to love people or i riot (and also her killing people and being the badass she is)

parisa always my fave too, i do wish her character wasn't always talking about sex or romance, there were some great moments in this book where she showed off her telepathy powers (the prince in the tower!!) it was awesome. i'm glad they acknowledged that side of her with reina, (oh my god i ship them so much wait till i rant about them-) but dude i still HATE DALTON. SO MUCH. OH MY GOD. every time it's her pov i dread seeing dalton, i wish she could give that up. generic white men should die.

CALLUM. whatever turned him from complex, daunting, and a psychopath last book to janus from sanders sides this book- beautiful choice. he's literally the one sassy wine-sipping gay aunt that feels nothing and everything at once, also extremely mentally ill and depressed. he's SO FUNNY. his povs are fucking hilarious to read, and he quickly became one of my faves bc of how complex he is. i'm not smart enough to decipher and psychoanalyze him but god i LOVE CHARACTERS LIKE THIS.

i don't know what happened but nico is literally one of my faves now too, he's so silly and sweet and kind and i loved his relationships with everyone this book. like him trying to murder tristan in multiple different ways oml. he's my bbg. tristan was hit or miss for me, i did find him interesting but he's not my favourite. doesn't mean i hate him, he's so very british, i feel it radiating off the page. libby my queen my icon, her dream povs were so trippy i loved it- so so realistic to a real dream, that was the most surprising and unique part. also my bisexual queen seducing belen??

i did not like ezra and atlas was a little iffy here and there but tbh the cast was so well rounded and interesting and unique but paralleled each other so well?? THE RELATIONSHIPS. I DONT THINK ANY BOOK HAS THIS INTRICATE WEB-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER. they're one big polycule.

RELATIONSHIPS

nico and libby <3 i love them so much as siblings/queerplatonic partners. i don't ship them romantically, because i LOVE how they subverted the eye-rolling predictable ' YA academic rivals enemies to lovers' trope. when i started TAS, i immediately thought they were gonna get together and assumed the worst. but no, they still had the banter and importance in their relationship but without the romance? instead both of them were gay af. it's beautiful. i love subverting tropes so much. they're each other's 'other half' and they're hilarious together.

NICO AND TRISTAN. they were such a highlight this book, it was unexpected but so funny. nico trying to murder tristan and their little talks because 'they're not friends...just coworkers' yeah right, the best friendships start with creatively murdering each other. tristan being droll and chill af, and then nico bouncing off the walls my adhd king.

reina and nico broke me?? like that one chapter where they sparred and caught up with each other and reina was guarding her hurt feelings. DUDE THAT KILLED ME. made me stare at the ceiling for a good minute. their friendship is everything to me, they contrast each other so well. she deserves to be treated better- when they had that projection chapter and she saw that nico downplayed her skills...like she was good, but not good enough for him to care about her. AGGHGH.

REINA AND PARISA. NOW THIS. THIS HOOKED ME INTO THE BOOK. i ship them so bad guys. they parallel each other and are both hot and enemies to lovers and wlw slow burn and- look. reina is asexual, therefore the only person to truly see and understand parisa for who she is, and not be influenced by her body. like that one projection. she can help parisa understand HERSELF and who she is past her sexual desirability. how to love someone again. romantically. then, on the flip side, parisa can help reina see and understand OTHERS. reina only sees people as one trait, cut and dry- without any of the complex feelings. parisa is a telepath, she knows how to read others. THEY CAN BOTH HELP EACH OTHER AND LOVE EACH OTHER IN WAYS THEY NEVER COULD HAVE OMFDADJFLSKJADFL- also reina pinned her against a wall and they want to kill each other and every time they interact i scream into my pillow-

-

'You can't love anyone right?"

"I've met very few people worth loving."

-

*throws myself off a building*

now we just gotta play the familiar game "IS IT DELUSION OR IS IT JUST SLOW BURN" and find out whether their insane chemistry pays off in book 3.

the nico parisa scene was actually sweet ngl, even though i don't ship them. the whole callum and tristan thing was so bitter exes situationship coded and i ate every second up. especially that last conversation. AND OFC. GIDEON AND NICO?!!! AAAAA THEY WERE SO CUTE THEY'RE ENDGAME I SCREAMED WHEN THEY KISSED DUDE THEYRE SO-

PLOT

now for the actual plot. this book has so many interesting subjects and philosophies and debates i'm not smart enough for this. but past all the aesthetic glamour, it's science, time travel, dreams, multiverses, fate, reality, and the complexities of the human mind. and my god it's fascinating as fuck.

do i have any idea what they do in this society?? NO. am i entertained? YES. especially that whole explosion paradox to bring libby back to the future. the whole powering the connections via aurora borealis? the whole debate about being gods? i love it. i love it.

alright im so sorry for that rant, i gotta go now but DUDE I LOVE THIS BOOK NO MATTER HOW WEIRD IT WAS

[downspirals]

My general idea for my Peter B Parker:

Grew up entirely normally actually. Still lived with his aunt and uncle but his parents were just normal people who died in a normal accident. He is entirely average.

Very smart though. Went to normal public school because his family is poor but graduated top of the class. Got a scholarship to go a nice college and works his ass off.

I think he’s still friends with Harry Osborn but is completely unaware that they have anything to do with some of the weird shit going on around town. Kind of oblivious.

He’s visiting Harry at age 25 when he gets bit by the spider. He is sick as fuck but doesn’t even skip work the next day because he needs that CASH.

Loser becomes superhero. I think his uncle Ben moment might involve Harry. I love the idea of Peter trying to go to any lengths to save Harry from a disease but instead of Harry becoming the villain, Peter gets too close to that side of things in trying to save him. And it doesn’t even do anything in the end.

Reviews of spider-man are very mixed but he’s trying so hard. Also this spider-man hates cops sorry!! He is also relatively non-violent compared to some of the other spider-people unless it’s entirely necessary <3

Yes he makes gadgets and stuff but his webs are natural (I’m sorry can you tell I grew up with Sam raimi spiderman)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On June 20, I'm keynoting the LOCUS AWARDS in OAKLAND.

#20yrsago Kill a stupid Internet patent https://web.archive.org/web/20040612095150/https://www.eff.org/patent/contest/

#15yrsago Stiglitz: America’s double-standard on economic crises infuriates the poor world https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2009/07/third-world-debt200907

#15yrsago Chinese censorware will expose every PC in the nation to malware, ID theft, botnetting https://freedom-to-tinker.com/2009/06/11/chinas-new-mandatory-censorware-creates-big-security-flaws/

#15yrsago Eliot Spitzer explains himself https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2009/07/out-to-lunch-spitzer200907

#15yrsago Network neutrality advocated by…cable operators? https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/06/cable-group-turns-net-neutrality-around-over-isp-access-fees/

#15yrsago Econoblogger explains why Batman villains shouldn’t cooperate https://eco-comics.blogspot.com/2009/06/should-batman-villains-betray-each_2173.html

#10yrsago Armed, masked Russian separatists seize “decadent” hackspace in Donetsk, Ukraine https://www.euronews.com/2014/06/10/in-donetsk-armed-pro-russian-separatists-target-seize-decadent-cultural-centre-

#10yrsago Pensacola newspaper editorial board condemns censorship of Little Brother https://www.pnj.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/06/11/fear-books/10295745/

#10yrsago Rarity versus the Internet https://medium.com/message/you-need-to-hear-this-extremely-rare-recording-27619411e077

#10yrsago Big Cable fronts fake anti-Net-Neutrality group whose “members” never joined https://www.vice.com/en/article/4w747j/community-groups-were-duped-into-joining-telecom-industrys-anti-net-neutrality-coalition

#10yrsago Join the Fastlane: hypothetical ISP from the cable company fuckery dystopia https://web.archive.org/web/20140614100545/http://jointhefastlane.com/

#10yrsago Happynomics versus econobollocks https://timharford.com/2014/06/the-four-lessons-of-happynomics/

#10yrsago Dada vs Hitler: the anti-Nazi collages of John Heartfield https://web.archive.org/web/20140530122539/http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/06/extraordinary-anti-nazi-photomontages.html

#5yrsago The Church of the Subgenius’s Salvation Pack is the best $35 I ever spent https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/11/the-church-of-the-subgeniuss-salvation-pack-is-the-best-35-i-ever-spent/

#5yrsago Countries with longer copyright terms have access to fewer books (pay attention, Canada!) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3401684

#5yrsago Hackers stole a US Customs and Border Patrol facial recognition database https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/06/10/us-customs-border-protection-says-photos-travelers-into-out-country-were-recently-taken-data-breach/

#5yrsago Chrome-derived browsers threaten to fork from Google, refuse to eliminate ad-blocker features https://www.zdnet.com/article/opera-brave-vivaldi-to-ignore-chromes-anti-ad-blocker-changes-despite-shared-codebase/

#5yrsago Detroit charter school salutatorians use their graduation speeches to condemn their school for putting profits before kids https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2019/06/10/salutatorians-criticize-charter-school-graduation/1381474001/

#5yrsago How fanfic archives lead the world in data organization https://www.wired.com/story/archive-of-our-own-fans-better-than-tech-organizing-information/

#5yrsago The Grand Dark: Richard Kadrey’s headlong rush of noir dieselpunk, so fast and so smart https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/11/the-grand-dark-richard-kadreys-headlong-rush-of-noir-dieselpunk-so-fast-and-so-smart/

#5yrsago “The Grand Dark”: Kadrey’s latest is a noir, dieselpunk masterpiece that’s timely as hell https://web.archive.org/web/20190612041736/https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-review-richard-kadrey-grand-dark-20190611-story.html

#1yrago The Shitty Tech Adoption Curve Has a Business Model https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/11/the-shitty-tech-adoption-curve-has-a-business-model/

[rigelmejo]

Oh also, to hype up this app Smart Books even more (apparently its on app store as Parallel translations of books. Which. Yeah thats literally what it is and it's great:

So in this app, it shows book statistics. Which I'm always fascinated by. Here's my current stats for Guardian:

It shows how fast I'm reading in words per minute, how often I'm looking up words (caveat here that I keep clicking some words I know reading wise for pinyin pronunciation), shows my progress (4% is pathetic but also impressive considering I restarted today and the book is over 100 chapters). It shows how long I have read total and I'm happy to say the timer does NOT count when you minimize the app or switch to other apps with it still open, making the time read quite accurate (and really calling out my ADHD for taking a break from reading every 5-20 minutes ToT). And it shows estimated time to finish the book. Which is a feature I love in any reading app. And I have to say, personally? I am VERY motivated to see the estimated time go DOWN. So when I see it, it motivates me to kick up my reading speed, and remember fucking words so I don't slow down to look them up again. I like motivation, so I love the estimated reading time. And a fun fact about Guardian, the audiobook is around 55 hours if I remember correctly. So the closer I get to seeing that estimated remaining time go down to 55 hours, the closer I'm getting to spoken reading speed! I've already improved a lot as when I started reading it estimated 98 hours, now after a bit of reading its estimating 72 hours. Huge improvement. (And yes, if you load a Chinese novel in this app you'll be hit by the reality a fuck ton of Chinese web novels are from 20 hours for SHORT SHORT ones to 100+ hours to read... for a fast reader). For comparison, I'm also reading 坏小孩 which is only 124k words compared to Guardian at 304k words... and 坏孩子 is estimating ill finish reading it in 28 hours (I think it's audiobook is 20 hours so that's at spoken reading speed).

And Guardian word statistics:

This fun word statistics area lists the words by order of how often they appear, so its great for if you want to pre-study vocabulary for a book. Or if you want to review common words in it. Or if you're curious how MANY fucking unique words are in a book. Fun fact, 坏小孩 has around 8000 unique words, compared to Guardian's 16,740 unique words. Despite this, I find 坏小孩 harder cause apparently of my lexicon of Chinese words I know how to read, it's mostly words priest uses. And the 坏小孩 author uses a word I am not familiar with about every 20 words ;-; to be fair, Guardian leans heavier into case investigatkom stories/supernatural which is the bulk of Other novels I've read too. Whereas 坏小孩 has many more every day words for card games, school, building descriptions, orphanages, which I do not read about as much.

Anyway my point is: this app is free and pretty dang useful if you're trying to read a language you're learning. It generates parallel texts!

[weebsinstash]

Ok so finished watching Across The Spiderverse in theaters and here are my thoughts, under readmore so you guys won't get spoiled cause I'll mention plot shit

Nonspoiler review: these movies really are works of art, both visually and in sound. They draw on very relatable and powerful emotions of wanting to fit in, feeling like you belong, feeling like you're important, are you doing the right thing, are you living up to the expectations of others. These are the kinds of movies that could introduce people to the franchise and even if you're not into superheroes the emotion and visuals and writing itself is spectacular. Definitely a movie I could own and rewatch later

Now, here's my takes with more spoilers

-Miguel is actually so snarky and sassy. He is 100% done the entire movie and he's sarcastic or condescending almost every time he opens his mouth. He has a sense of humor it's just more mean spirited lmao "well you're gonna have to shut up and trust me" saying "how wonderful" sarcastically to Miles, being all "spiderverse? No thats dumb, its called the Arachnid poly multiverse, which, I guess sounds just as dumb"

-seeing him on the big screen really was like wow. He could be go from being sort of a dork to being so imposing and threatening, like, there was a small part where he steps closer to Miles as a silent intimidating gesture because hes so much taller, he could be so stone faced and cold when things got serious when Miles wasnt taking his warnings, but initially he was trying to be more compassionate, just, mwah, definitely going to help with any writing endeavors and characterizations of this man

-just seeing how the wristwatches and "daypasses" work is useful for any fanfic ideas I'm having ;) but holy shit you could just glitch until you die? I much prefer the concept of "Reader somehow whether being a mutant or an anomaly or just lucky gets transported to other dimensions instead or just back home"

-God just. Gwen's opening was amazing I don't even know how to describe it. When she's recounting her past and she's starting to talk about Miles while she's playing the drums and her drum playing keeps getting more and more intense, her music angry and frustrated and powerful as she keeps saying "and he's not the only one", speaking of his pain and isolation and how she feels connected to him, just, the way these movies write relationships between people and emotions is so human

-Spider Cat my beloved. LEGO Spiderman my beloved. Plushie Spiderman my beloved. Sun Spider is a fancharacter and got a speaking role. The thick, plus size, and fat spiders. Just the variety. It really is fun to imagine a Spidersona and feel represented kwim

-Jesus the intro to Mumbattan was insane. The way these movies constantly have you flying and falling through the air and falling through multiple levels and layers as objects whiz by, the music, the choreography. Just. The visuals and music the entire movie was insane

-HOBIE! definitely a fucking star. He's smart enough to build his own watch dude!! Love that guy. Definitely see him being in some stuff of mine as a helping hand if nothing else. Hobie helping Reader out during the YouTwo drama by offering you safe haven in his universe?

-I'm guessing Miguel has to give himself regular, spider nanomachine whatever injections? His powers kind of seem to have changed from his comic book a little bit. In the comics he has organic webs and was atomically spliced with spider dna but in the movie I think it's all technology idk? Correct me if im wrong, maybe they're red and glowing in the comics too 🤷‍♀️

-something something "smutty story where Miguel boyches a formula and turns himself into like a possessive horny borderline pure animal in heat and of course you're the lucky lady to stumble into him first"

-I got the bunny filter version of Lyla by the way!

Ugh this movie has me filled with so many emotions and also I snuck alcohol into the theaters and was on an edible gummy so I was FEELING this movie and just. Definitely two of my all time favorite movies

[quicktech24]

Is Budget Hosting a Smart Choice? 💻

Hey everyone! Are you looking for an affordable web hosting solution but worried about compromising quality? We’ve got you covered! Our latest video dives into the **Top Budget-Friendly Web Hosting Providers** and explores whether they're worth your time and money.

In this video, we break down the pros and cons of each provider, discuss pricing, features, and what you can expect from budget hosting. Whether you're a blogger, small business owner, or just starting out, this review will help you make an informed decision!

**Watch the full video**

What are your experiences with budget hosting? Have you tried any of the providers we mentioned? Let's chat in the comments!

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**Follow us for more tech reviews and tips!** 📲✨

[what-a-creative-user-nana]

LMK ep 4 Review

Major Lmk spoiler under cut <3

Banger introo i Love

xD Pigsy ranting abt a carrot???? "a BEEautiful CaRRoT" v

Also TANG <33

Lol i love that Tang's a pessimist xDD

HOLD ON HOL UP xDDD ThIS v

(im so sorry) GFJQEYGMEA

UhhH This Creepy LADy vv

UHH TANG STAY AWAY FROM HER

Also: This rando w/ the fierce LasHEss

Lol- B got RejEcTed by Tang <3333

UH PIG WHAT ARE YOU DOING v

THERE ARE DISGUSTING VEGGIES THERE PIGS R U DUMb???????

Tang *looks at the veggies*- Are you blind?

LooK In mY ~exClusiVe WaRES~-WOman?? Sthu v

SHE'S SHADY PIGSY U IDIOT

UGH PIGS NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!! YOU GOT TANG CAPTURED!! v

YOU OWE HIM ~Free Noodles for life~

YUSS Mei the VIdeO Game Queen Pt. 2 +SAndy!!! v

Mk: GUYSSSSS!! PIGSY'S MISSING!! v

Mk: HE DIDNT OPEN THE SHOP THIS MORNING! v

D-Does he really open eVeRyDay??

This: ??? v

Mk: Oh, and I just realized now.. Tang is also missing.

WHY DID HE SAY IT LIKE THAT'S NOT A BIG DEAL!!! IT'S TANG!

Mk to Mei: Uh, how did you get these videoes? v

Mei: Oh, I attached cameras to you a while back. *says it like it's no biggie* v

We stan a protective quEEN

Uh, Speaking of Queen--- IS THAT THE SPIDER QUEEN THAT IVE HEARD SO MUCH ABT v

i KNEW she was shady- Also Mk: AAH SCARY NIGHTMARE HOLE!!

I just love Mk in this one

Mk: EW, A SPIDER DEMON? C'MON NO! eW, yuck- I hate spiders HATE HATE!! WITH THEIR EYES-AND FEET AND HAIRY BUTTS v

Can relateee

*Deep voice*- OPERATION: Safe-Tang-And-Pigsy-From-The-Nightmare-Hole™ v

ThIS GANGGG vv

Pedestrians beTTER RUN BC THE SANDY-CAT-DRAGON-BURST SQUAD IS ON THE WAYY

UH, FORGETTING ABT THE PIG 4 A SEC SOMEONE SAVE TANG AAAHHHH v

WELL, SQ, HOW U GON GET FAME BY KILLING PIGS AND TANGG???

XDDDD I SHOULD NOT BE LAUGHING BUT WHEN SQ SAID "~Dinner~" I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT "Heh, roast pig" WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME XDDSUGFUGMEIUG

Back to THE RESCUE SQUAD- YEAHAHH v

Uh, wow they.. uh.. just let themselves in- UM MK, MEI THAT"S NOT A VERY SAFE POSITION v

UH- LOSER! SHUT UPP v you areNOT ALL THAT

UUUUGHH TANGGG!! WHY WOULD U TELL HER MK's COMING!! Like ILY BUT you gotta learn to SHUT UP ;n; v

Tang: Don't worry, Pigsy. Mk's far too smart to fall for one of her traps!

*Meanwhile with Mk* v

Me w/ spiders: v

Mk: This place is full of WEBS AND HORROR (can relatee)

:OO ANgsty Nightmare FUEL???? v

Her: ~Don't tell me you're scared of SPIDERS!~ *gets all up in his face*

Me: BACK OFFFF

<YES THIS IS ALL PIGSY'S FAULT IHSFHAHHHHHHHHHH WHY U DUMBB>

OPERATION- Save-Mk-From-The-Nightmare-Hole™ v

<SQ: Hah, you're the kid Monkie King chose?

Mk: No, I'm the Monkie MANN>

I SHRIEKED- GET AWAY FROM HIMM vvvv

HAHAH THE SQUAD'S GONNA KILL YOUUUUu

<YAY RESCUE SQUAD SAVES THE DAY (heyy that rhymedd-ishh)>

Th-THis Picture is going on my Wallpaper RN~~ v

OPERATION- Rescue-Tang-And-Pigsy? v

YEAH! SUCCESS! (With absolutely no trauma to take home for later!!)

*Angry screaming at the sky*- SHE'S GONNA COME BACKKK!?!?!?!

Alrighty! I've hit my pic-limit soo I'm outie! Til next time~

[511digital]

Google’s EC assist:Revolutionising Enhanced Conversions setup

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, staying on top of the latest tools and features can feel like a full-time job. On July 5, 2024, Google introduced a game-changing tool that’s set to make life easier for marketers everywhere: EC Assist. This Chrome extension is designed to simplify the often complex process of setting up Enhanced Conversions for Google Ads. Let’s dive into what this means for you and your marketing strategies.

1. What is EC Assist?

EC Assist is a Chrome extension developed by Google to help advertisers troubleshoot and optimize their Enhanced Conversions setup. Enhanced Conversions, for those who might be unfamiliar, allow advertisers to send hashed first-party conversion data to Google, powering tools like Smart Bidding for better ad performance. While crucial for optimizing Google Ads campaigns, setting up Enhanced Conversions correctly has been a challenge for many marketers – until now.

2. How EC Assist Works

The beauty of EC Assist lies in its simplicity. Here’s how it works:

1. Install the EC Assist Chrome extension

2. Run a test conversion on your website

3. EC Assist identifies potential issues and suggests next steps

This straightforward process takes the guesswork out of Enhanced Conversions setup, making it accessible to marketers of all skill levels.

3. Benefits for Marketers

The introduction of EC Assist brings several key benefits:

Time-saving: Reduces the time spent troubleshooting Enhanced Conversions setup

Accuracy: Helps ensure correct implementation, leading to more reliable data

Accessibility: Makes advanced features more approachable for less tech-savvy users

Improved performance: Correct setup of Enhanced Conversions can lead to better ad performance

4. Industry Reactions

The digital marketing community has shown mixed reactions to EC Assist. Scott Carruthers, Head of PPC, was among the first to spot and share the update on LinkedIn, generating significant buzz.

Some marketers have expressed relief at having a tool to simplify what they’ve found to be a complex process. Others, who haven’t struggled with Enhanced Conversions setup, see it as a nice-to-have rather than a necessity.

Interestingly, Boris Beceric and Rob P commented on X (formerly Twitter) that the complexity of Enhanced Conversions setup often depends on a website’s architecture. This insight highlights the varied experiences marketers have had with this feature.

5. The Bigger Picture: Google's Accessibility Push

EC Assist is part of a broader trend we’re seeing from Google: making advanced advertising features more accessible to a wider range of users. This move reflects an understanding that powerful tools should be available to all marketers, not just those with extensive technical knowledge.

6. How to Get Started with EC Assist

Ready to give EC Assist a try? Here’s how to get started: Open the Chrome Web Store

Search for “EC Assist”

Click ��Add to Chrome” to install the extension

Once installed, navigate to your website

Run a test conversion

Review EC Assist’s findings and recommendations

Conclusion

Google’s EC Assist represents a significant step forward in making Enhanced Conversions more accessible and easier to implement correctly. By simplifying this process, Google is empowering marketers to leverage advanced features and potentially improve their ad performance. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to Google Ads, EC Assist is a tool worth exploring to ensure you’re getting the most out of your Enhanced Conversions setup.

7. FAQs

Q1: Is EC Assist free to use?

A1: Yes, EC Assist is a free Chrome extension provided by Google.

Q2: Do I need to be a Google Ads expert to use EC Assist?

A2: No, EC Assist is designed to be user-friendly and helpful for marketers of all skill levels.

Q3: Will EC Assist work with any website?

A3: While EC Assist should work with most websites, its effectiveness may vary depending on your site’s architecture.

Q4: Can EC Assist guarantee perfect Enhanced Conversions setup?

A4: While EC Assist can significantly help, it’s always important to double-check your setup and consult with Google’s documentation if needed.

Q5: How often should I use EC Assist?

A5: It’s a good idea to use EC Assist whenever you make changes to your conversion tracking or if you notice any issues with your Enhanced Conversions data.

This article is based on a news release dated July 5, 2024, and includes interpretations and industry reactions. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, readers are encouraged to verify information and consult official Google documentation for the most up-to-date details on EC Assist and Enhanced Conversions.