#about typing 50 threads at the same time

[smiletimeisrunningout]

She could painfully relate to never wanting to be out of control, for so many ways, especially when people's lives were at stake. Unknown to her close ones, she didn't know how many days she had spent barely allowing herself to eat while fully focused on making plans for the next year, from the kingdom's fields to the markets, checking that no matter the natural or human disaster there'd be enough gold coming in to cover expenses that weren't strictly about survival - like her orphanage, and funds to help people hit by calamity of any sort - or trying to make sure she wouldn't forget any party that would offend the host. And most of those things could have been delegated. "But the thing is... anyone we try to control for any reason is someone whose choice we are taking, and by doing so we are depriving them of the most important thing: their freedom. We do it out of love when it's our friends... and yes, I'm happily throwing myself into the mix here, because I sometimes do the exact same thing with mine, but by doing so we risk losing their affection bit by bit, unless by the end they decide we were right, and even then resentment can build up. If someone lives or dies for a cause... in the end what happens to them cannot be made into our responsibility because it would... steal their own choices from them, we don't get to do that, the same way nobody gets to claim that we died because of them, because we are our own people and we make our own choices. What we can do for our friends usually is... try to warn them and protect them as well as we can even when they don't listen," she paused, thinking about it. It was a topic she had had to consider many times before. "And friends are meant to undermine you, in a way. Because they love you enough and are loved by you enough to push you. Now, superiors and people who work for you... that's a different story altogether and a problem. But with friends... Trust me, you don't want to have only friends who will follow your orders and you can control, there can be any long-lasting closeness there. And you can't live without people close to you, no matter how much it may hurt when they run headfist into danger, because what would you be by the end of that? Untouched by the pain of losing them but equally untouched by love and hope? That's not a life anymore. Although as I say this I do so aware that I'm the most reckless one in every group of friends I make so it's easier for me."

She nodded as Benjaming showed rightful anger over what Regina had been doing. But he also offered to help, and she broke into a smile, beaming at him. "That is very, very kind of you, Major. She doesn't have that many people who follow her anymore, we have been taking many down in the years and she can't exactly find new supporters, given that my parents are known to be good in the deepest sense of the world and she's a tyrant. I'm looking for her, but... well, doesn't matter now. Couple of days I'll be gone, and while i appreciate your offer, I'm willing to bet that by the time you are done with yours, you may not even remember I exist."

She didn't need sleep, she needed to take a breath from thinking about the future of her kingdom - and her own. "I'm the future queen. People look up to me and worry about me, I can't... show I'm overwhelmed, the rare times it happens. They may get scared that I won't be able to protect them. Or worse, they may get scared I'll get hurt, I don't want anyone to feel... bad."

Taking the chocolate she tossed it into her mouth, as always all too pleased by the taste to hide the happiness that a bite could give her. He stil managed to let out another insulting comment, which had her silently shaking with laughter, and she closed her eyes before hiding her face behind her hand. False hope. She wished she knew him long enough to elbow him for that.

Short and delicate?

Ben’s first instinct was to argue – to insist her hypothetical was wrong, because he would never be asked to "just polish weapons” – but instead, he tamped his lips together and listened, fiddling with the saber on his hip with a hint of agitation. But the more he listened, the more he realized that this was Emma’s point; that there was a feeling of exasperation, of hopelessness that came from being denied one’s greatest desire.

“How’d you feel? And I’m sure you didn’t talk to her exactly like that, but are you sure that’s not what she heard?”

“I’m not sure of anything,” Ben softly said. “Anna isn’t exactly shy in her frustrations, so I feel she would have let me know, but…you could be right. Especially since I, myself, have not been awarded everything I wish for in this fight. I have been ignored and undermined by my superiors, and in some instances my dearest friends, so I know the frustrations of which you speak. Perhaps not as greatly as a woman, but I am not immune to that helpless feeling.” He shrugged. “I don’t like being out of control, and yet the outcome of this very war is something I cannot guarantee. I suppose I just enjoy the feeling of control in what I can change…and that’s my friends. I can keep Anna safe when she follows my rules.”

But could he truly? There was never a guarantee of anything in life…

As if proving this thought correct, Emma went on to explain the horrors of her mother’s kingdom. Despite it not being his own land, a spark of resentment swelled between his ribs, and lifting his chin, Ben’s jaw tightened at the idea of such innocence being snuffed based upon one single grudge.

“A monster,” he softly gritted. Shaking his head, Ben asked, “And this Regina…she is still alive? She still terrorizes your kingdom?” Gripping more tightly at the saber on his hip, he said, “If the war concludes before your return, then perhaps we can help you…or I can help you, if Washington refuses. Such evil is unacceptable. We are fighting to make the world better, and that should extend to our allies.”

“Don’t… Please, don’t ever tell anyone I said I needed rest if I ever come up in a conversation.“

Perplexed, he raised a brow. "Why would you needing rest be a source of contention?” he asked. “You are human, Swan, and humans need sleep and recuperation in order to thrive.” Even as the words left his lips, Ben knew how hypocritical they were. He, himself, opted to push himself to the limit without rest, because if he paused for even a moment, he feared the brief respite would lead to irreparable damage.

Still, Ben chose not to admit as such as he passed Emma the chocolate. “You say that now,” he wryly muttered, “and yet I have never once heard you ‘shut up.’ I think you’re merely giving me false hope.”

[productivefairy]

Your guide to REAL selfcare

If you go on any social media and type "selfcare", all you recieve is pretty girls doing extravegant skincare, dior makeup and all. But the problem is everyone does the same thing and things just cant work same for everyone. Also, It doesnt feels authentic rather it feels like consumerism. So, I am gonna tell what to do so you feel the best.

Knowing yourself:-

You can only do yourself a favour if you know yourself and the best way to do that is JOURNAL.

If you are new to it, then you can search journal prompt ideas on pinterest and make that a part of your routine. It helps so much.

Do shadow work. Go on pinterest and do the same thing.

Dont be ashamed of yourself, rather accept yourself and change for the better. When you'll journal then you will get to know tons of good and bad things about you but our brain loves to focus on negative things so u might get stuck on that.

Record your likes and dislikes. Which books you loved, which dramas you adore, which food makes you comfy and which movies you wasted your time on. Record these things, this is just so fun and helpful when you feel "bored" or sad.

Being Mindful:-

Most of the time, the problem is not that big but our thoughts just traps us and we feel that problem is bigger than it might so take a step back and try to not overthink about past or future.

I know this is easier said than done but meditating helps a lot with mindfulness.

When you watch a movie or drama or even ytube video then just do that. Dont scroll reddit reading the "discussion" thread of the episode or try to find instrumentals on spotify for reading books. Just do one thing at once.

Dont multitask. Just take a task and then focus on that. (This might not work for neurodivergent people.)

Do 5,4,3,2,1 grounding technique. Identify

5 things you can see 4 things you can feel 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste.

Cut negative people off

This is so hard because you feel mean for doing this but once you cutoff toxic people who just drags other people down and all they talk is negativity then your life become so much better.

Cut off all the negative content you watch and limit the time you spend on social media.

Do your future self a favour

This is truly the best selfcare.

Study hard cause' your future self will thank you for letting her be the top student

Learn some skills. Read those books. Watch that documentry. Do things that will make your future self proud.

Some selfcare ideas

Organizing and planning

excercise or take a walk.

Reading books.

Cleaning your room

Watching fun movies

Studying about yourself. Knowing what products suits your skin and your hair. What color brighten you and what makes you look dull. What haircut looks good on your face and what clothes flatters on your body.

Get your nails done.

Listen to your fav album while painting, baking, or gardening.

Do your hobby without feeling presurrized. No you dont need to read 50 books a year, chill out and enjoy while doing it.

Dairy writing. Its so fun to read what your day looked like on a random tuesday after 2-3 years.

Explore new things in your hometown. Maybe there is a new cafe that opened 2 weeks ago or there is a hiking trail you are not aware of? its always fun to do that.

[mswyrr]

Rhaenyra has a type when it comes to women

The common thread for me between Rhaenyra's desire for Alicent and Mysaria is that both women play the role of "lady wife" (or we could call it the role of "the beloved" to a lover) to her. I went into this as it relates to her loving Alicent in a prior meta. But here I want to focus on what they have in common that seems to compel Rhaenyra.

Between the two of them, we have a portrait now of what her "type" is in women. She likes a femme woman who is intelligent and capable of advising her, who cares about her goals and standing in the realm and who she can trust to act on her behalf, a woman who recognizes and basks in the love of Rhaenyra's desire to be knightly and noble and act as a monarch - to hold power and use it to act and protect and cherish. A woman who wishes to be caring and affectionate with her, who shares her body in acts of erotic intimacy as well as comfort and tenderness - young Rhaenyra really meant it when she told Alicent that she loved lying with her head on Alicent's lap as Alicent read to her in shared moments of peace and tranquility. She leaned into to Alicent's touch; she casually held her hand or touched her or stared at Alicent like she was the whole world; she grounded herself with her girl's love.

Mature Rhaenyra awakens at the way Mysaria appreciates her; tells her she's noble and worthy. Tells her she looks good with a sword, expressing those knightly/butch or masc leanings Rhaenyra had in her youth and never got the chance to explore. When Mysaria tells her that, in a lifetime of learning not to trust the world because it has been so cruel to her, Rhaenyra is a rare person she trusts and believes in - a safe haven, a heroic figure, Rhaenyra moves quickly to hug her and keeps hugging her, her urgency to connect growing more intense, fingers digging into her flesh in need, and strokes her cheek across Mysaria's skin like she's found an oasis in the desert.

I relate to that; I feel that way about women too. While watching the way Rhaenyra just *blossoms* under Mysaria's admiration and appreciation I felt teary eyed - Rhaenyra has been starved of recognition and love of whole parts of herself since she lost Alicent. It's terribly sad. It's also why she seems so painfully young in the Sept scene and so thirsty but also vulnerable and emotionally naked with Mysaria - the parts of her that are open to women have never gotten to be satisfied, to grow and come of age.

I consider the feelings in myself Rhaenyra's behavior speaks to toppy and gnc, because I am a gnc female top, but Rhaenyra is a switch and hasn't had a chance to explore gender/sexuality much at all and doesn't have language for it so I'm not sure what labels she'd decide upon if she had the opportunity to relax and enjoy herself and her partner(s). From the text we have, there's many different potential readings of Rhaenyra's complex gender AND sexuality feelings. Is Rhaenyra masc and if so in what way? Bi with a split attraction that actually leans to women or 50/50? 50/50 switch or leaning top or bottom or differently with different genders of partner or different partners? Monogamous or polyamorous?

None of these possibilities have been foreclosed, all have been rather more opened up. Much to the consternation of the bigots who are review bombing the episode!! And the antis in fandom who have harassed artists for drawing masc Rhaenyra and shamed and degraded Rhaenicent for years now.

I think that's a good thing, since LGBTQ lead character representation on a big show like this is so rare. It also is in character for the setting and world Rhaenyra lives in: there's simply little opportunity to explore, sadly. But, at the same time, it's great that so many people can connect to Rhaenyra - can feel that sense of kinship I got to feel watching on Sunday. It's great that Emma and Sonoya had the courage and love to come together to make this happen - so this part of Rhaenyra can have a little more time to live and breathe and we can appreciate it.

I am not certain of one gender/sexuality reading of the character, though of course I have my preferences. The one thing I am certain of now, though, is Rhaenyra's (main or possibly only?) type in women. And I think it's pretty gorgeous. I think the way she loves women is breathtaking and achingly beautiful. I relate to it and it makes the tragedy even more poignant to me that her society denies her the opportunity to have a lifetime with the kind of woman who draws on her heart so powerfully.

[fumekara]

MORE THAN ANYTHING 

Kento Nanami x Gn reader 

n/a: English is not my first language, besides, this Fic comes from a draft taken some time ago. I hope you enjoy it. It is my first time back to writing in a long time. 

Tw: Just pure fluff and soft sfw, I would like to specify that this post does not contain any type of sexual content. The title is inspired by HH's song. 

WC: 1.1K

That night you could not fall asleep.

After turning yourself several times on the sheets of the bed, on which you had lain a couple of hours before, you looked at the half-open door through which a dim light filtered from the living room, giving the bedroom a thread of light in the darkness of the night.

You hoped your man would decide to drop the papers and paperwork he often brought home from work and come to bed with you, wrapping you in his arms so you could finally sleep in complete bliss as you usually did.

"I'll be right with you, it won't take long," he had told you when you proposed to sleep with him after you both went through a long day at work.

However, this was one of those evenings when Kento would spend hours on the kitchen table filling out paperwork late into the night. Although he hated office work, he was always diligent and meticulous when it came to completing his tasks.

It was a characteristic that made you feel proud of the man you loved, yet no matter how responsible and careful he was in managing his time and energy, you were sure he was beginning to place less importance on his rest. You wanted so much for him to give up those silly practices and take the rest he deserved.

After staring at the ceiling for an hour, you sat on your side of the bed, shivering from the sudden cold due to the lack of blankets, and looking at the bedside table you saw that 00:50 was written on the screen. And even today he worked late 

You got up and, making as little noise as possible, took small steps towards the living room.

Kento was writing something on his laptop, surrounded by a pile of papers divided into folders of various kinds lit by the light of the monitor and the lamp you kept in the corner of the kitchen.

He noticed your presence and gave you a small, tired smile, giving your heart some warmth.

"Are you still awake, love?" He asked as he leaned against the back of the chair.

"I could tell you the same thing," you replied a little sleepily, returning the smile and moving closer to the blond. As sorry as you are that he was exhausted from work, you couldn't help but think about how handsome he was. Even though you'd been together for a few years, the love you felt for this man had always had that effect on you. I've been waiting for you,' you said, heading towards him. 

You sit on his lap and he wraps his big arms around you, you notice that the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up and show off his forearms, something he always did when he came home. Leaning his head on your shoulder and inhaling deeply, he loses himself in your scent and warmth. Suddenly all the tiredness he had put aside to work on his papers came over him like a wave of a stormy sea, but the fact that you were there with him gave him a feeling of comfort.

He always felt at home with you. 

"I'm sorry Y/N". He rubbed his head in the crook of your neck "I was late again without me noticing" he said, planting a chaste kiss on an exposed spot on your shoulder.

Gently you brushed his hair back with one hand, while with the other you closed the laptop he was working on just now, making it clear that it was time for him to take the rest he so richly deserved.

"Come to sleep, Kento, it's not good for you to stay here late and I miss you," you said as you rested your head on his soft hair on your cheek.

"I know, you're right," he lifted his chin, placing a kiss on your neck, "I don't like leaving you alone either."

Lifting your head slightly, you turned to stare at him, touching his cheek lovingly as you looked intently into his eyes.

Pure love

You couldn't have found any other words to describe the way he looked at you whenever you were in situations like this, alone, with no one else to interrupt you, without Gojo, just the two of you. He made you feel loved, important, and you often thought back to the moment you realized you had fallen in love with him.

As a result, Nanami couldn't understand how he could have you in his life, how lucky he was to have you and how much he regretted making you go through nights like this when he left you alone. He felt selfish and the only thing he wanted at that moment was to go to bed and wrap you in his arms with your head against his chest. 

You remained in that position for a long time, a wonderful feeling for both of you. He placed his face on yours and then gave you a kiss on the cheek savoring the aroma.

Without saying anything, you got up from his lap, took his hand without taking your eyes off his and, after switching off the lights, slowly guided him towards your shared bedroom.

"I'm sorry I don't spend much time with you," he said as he shed his work clothes, "I don't want you to stay up because of me, but I appreciate you doing so." After slipping into his sweatpants, he settled next to you in bed as you wrapped him with the quilt.

"You don't have to apologize for working so hard, you have done and are doing a great job. I just want you not to overdo the work, everyone deserves a break and you especially." After turning off the lights you lie down beside him and feel him encircling your waist with his arm "Don't think you are being mean to me Kento, you always do so much for me, you show me that every day and remind me every time you look at me." 

In the darkness you could glimpse his small smile that made your heart melt.

"Come here," he told you as he felt butterflies in his stomach, as if he had managed to fall in love with you even more than before.

More than anything. 

You felt his grip envelop you even more as you brought faces closer and met lips in a chaste, soft, pure kiss. 

When you pulled away, you rested your head on his chest and closed your eyes.

"I love you Y/N."

"I love you too, darling." 

You both fell asleep wrapped in bliss.

[olderthannetfic]

"Why I don't write F/F" thread proceeded just as unproductively as I expected. It wasn't about moralizing about the women not writing F/F, it was a question about why personal reasons for avoiding a configuration aren't reflected in opposite directions by other groups. Unlike race, gender has an almost 50/50 split, there's a scale to the proportions not there for other types of identity category. "The femslash police suck" is a factor I can understand. But why wouldn't "personal reasons I just don't feel it towards this configuration" end up an even distribution across the population? The expectation for women to write about women isn't a moral rule, it's that if you allow the logic "men in control of stories write about men (and that's why more mainstream stories center men)", then the flip side is, well, why people clamor for more women behind the camera and in the writers' room. Either accept the logic for both sides or challenge it for both sides. Instead we have the worst of both worlds, we accept it for one side and challenge it for the other. Where's the parallel universe where this imbalance somehow resulted in a different quadrant being the smallest proportion of ships?

--

Why wouldn't "personal reasons" be even? Because the kinds of issues people face based on their demographic aren't.

But I think the larger factor is how socialization affects choice of hobbies and volunteer efforts. Cis men and cis women, on average, go in for different flavors. The dudes tend to be more bothered by the idea of "not getting anything back" for what feels like work. When they do do unpaid labor, it's often the kind that accrues glory and career prospects rather than less showy social ties. Open source coding projects where they can be important, yes. Writing fanfic, no.

Looking up any analysis of volunteering and unpaid work that makes such-and-such a part of society function will get you a lot of discussion of this gendered difference. It's pervasive.

Of course, this is just a broad trend. Plenty of guys do write fanfic, and when they dominate a fanfic space, we see tons of fic focused on the female characters they find attractive, including f/f fic.

And if you're asking about cis gay men specifically... well... again, gendered socialization means that the issues faced by cis lesbians and cis gay men are not equivalent. The reasons and ways that people employ allegory to talk about things "too close to home" will likewise not be exactly the same. Traditional US gay male culture goes in for drag and for an obsession with Hollywood divas and The Golden Girls. Plenty is being mediated through female personas; it's just not translating into fanfic specifically. But most people making "Leave the fujoshi alone" arguments are not thinking about cis gays: they're thinking about people in messier identity categories.

The biggest difference is not behavior but simply that cis men are a small minority on FFN, AO3, and Wattpad, the three big fanfic archives. (Some ancient FFN research found that it was 78% female, and that's the archive known for having more men!) The places with more cis guys are much smaller and don't get talked about as much by most fandom history and fandom meta types from the AO3 side of things.

The reason cis men's taste in favorite characters isn't being "pushed back against" isn't a double standard: it's because:

Cis men simply aren't that relevant to site-wide trends on AO3

and

2. The reverse pattern does happen all the time with vanishingly little m/m and lots of f/f

You sound like you think we'd make this fanfic-specific argument about pro media. In fact, plenty of queer women are open that they produce original f/f but not f/f fanfic or they produce f/f fanworks but not fic. A lot of the "too close to home" arguments are specifically about the kind of id fuel, naked-in-public vibes of AO3-style fanfic. Writing that is less id-driven may not feel that same way. A given woman might have a much easier time writing a mystery novel about a lesbian detective who never gets laid on page than a steamy f/f bodice ripper.

The parallel universe you ask about exists. It's horny imageboards full of fan art of anime girls.

The reason you sound judgmental and are getting "unproductive" responses is that you're phrasing things as though we're refusing to solve a problem. In reality, we're attempting to analyze the situation that exists. It's a descriptive approach.

[project-sekai-facts]

Any idea which are the most rewarding ftp friendly 3900s stamp missions on JP?

The only mission you really need to worry about is gacha. Choose the first card for that, the others require you to pull on paid gachas. Everything else you should be able to do f2p, but if you’re short on time I’d suggest doing the first event pt card as well. And if you’re low on virtual coins do the easiest mission for that as well.

Here’s a twitter thread with translations of the stamp cards and some tips if anyone needs it. Also loophole I learnt from the same thread but typing out for ppl who don’t have twt: for the story reading mission, pick the hardest card (50 stories no skipping/fast forward). Read chapter 1 of sekai new year 50 times. It’s literally 10 seconds long if you tap the screen really fast; I’m not joking I timed it.

[balkanradfem]

So, I felt like sewing today.

I remembered I had a piece of curtain that I intended to turn into a t-shirt, I found it in a thrift store for 50 cents and thought how I would really like a shirt with this pattern! It's a very old, woven piece of fabric, made out of pure cotton, and it's very strong and durable, and not transparent at all, with pretty blue leaves and berries on it.

I looked trough all of the t-shirts I own, and found this purple one had a very interesting collar, and I liked the way it looked on me, so I decided to duplicate that same shirt.

If I was really wanting to make it perfect, I'd make a pattern out of paper, then copy it to the fabric, then cut. But I just went straight to cutting, I feel like I can guesstimate this out.

I've made a pajama shirt once, so I've learned that the hardest thing to make is the collar. I spent some time figuring out how to make a neat-looking collar this time, and it took me a few tries to overlapping this blue fabric on one side and the other before I figured it out. But I think this collar can work! I specifically used some stretchy fabric to make it easier on myself. Here's the recreation of the collar:

I sewed the sides together, which was easy, and now the last, most annoying step, to make the sleeves, and to sew them on. Last time I sewed on the sleeves wrong 3 times in a row, I hope this time to get it right slightly sooner.

I realized at this point that the sleeves would look the best if I put the same collar-type ending on them, and it was soo annoying, I am doing this with needle and thread, and my technique required sewing it twice. So I was annoyed. The sleeves were also slightly poofy in the original, so I made sure to add a slight poof to them here as well. It felt like I spent an hour doing each one, but when they were done, they looked so good, I don't regret putting in the extra effort.

I actually managed to put the sleeves on correctly on the first try, which was a huge relief. And she's done!

I'm actually a bit surprised that it doesn't even look that hand-made, it seems the neat collar makes it look like a real shirt. I can actually wear this outside, and fulfill my dreams of looking like a 90s curtain! It feels so very good on my skin though, it's light-colored so it's great for the sunny weather, it will not easily wear out or fall apart because it's woven! That is an actual non-transparent, durable white shirt, something you can't get that easily anymore. It took me about 7 hours to make by hand.

Also if you're wondering why I couldn't tidy up my bed the whole time I was doing this. Well. I had priorities and also I am being honest on the internet about living in a messy bed. It would have been lying if I had tidied it up :) (And to be extra honest it's just a mattress on the floor, I migrate to the floor sometimes.)

[eightyonekilograms]

So, TracingWoodgrains has this lengthy Twitter thread about how Bryan Johnson—the longevity guy on the 50-medicine regimen who has been in the news, with (sigh) a culture war camp consisting mostly of journalists/humanities students hating him and Valley-types loving him— is actually a total fuckwad. But TracingWoodgrains' long-ass post re: Nonlinear (and how the case against it was quite exaggerated) itself turned out to be full of problems and Nonlinear really was a shitshow. Or maybe it wasn't? Like I said in the last post, there are so many allegations and counter-allegations I have no idea where we stand anymore. As was the case with Leverage, and MIRI/CFAR, and...

I can feel the innate response to this kind of "fog of [culture] war" being detached nihilism and a "well, we can never know" shrug trying to kick in. I want to resist this because it is not epistemically virtuous, and bad actors can/do use it to their advantage, but I also don't see any alternative. I just do not have the time/energy to wade through 200,000 words of forum drama every time this happens, I don't know of anyone who I both trust and who does have this time/energy, and I'm certainly not going to automatically side with/against someone on reputation (or reputation by proxy).

I actually have the same problem with science. Like, all of it, the entire scientific establishment. But that problem is too big and scary to even wrap my head around, whereas at least internet drama feels like something I could maybe grasp if I had the time.

[oldguardleatherdog]

We Don't Have Nixon To Kick Around Anymore

50 years on from The Resignation, a glancing elegy

On the night of August 8, 1974, as I sat on the big couch in our livingroom with one eye on the TV and the other on the cast on my left arm (another fractured wrist, this time from being last kid standing in a game of Bombardment at 6th grade recess - dodgeball with three balls - I made a heroic dive, felt the sproinggg! as I landed hard, and I knew another trip to Dr. MacFarland was in my near future), I saw the familiar jowls of President Nixon fill the screen on the Zenith, knowing that what Gerald Ford would soon call "our long national nightmare" was about to come to its once unlikely, suddenly imminent end.

For most of 1973 and all of 1974, the Watergate scandal had consumed the nation, crowding out the summer daytime programming (what? no Jeopardy or Concentration or that wild guy from Canada with the 'fro and the stache on a lame game called The Wizard of Odds named Alex Trebek? We had to go outside and play?), making unlikely household names of obscurocrats like John Dean and G. Gordon Liddy and Jeb Stuart Magruder, spawning what we would call memes today featuring Tricky Dick caricatures with endless snorts on Hollywood Squares and Laugh-In, and getting 12-year-old factory town kids engaged with politics in surprising ways (for two years, our Social Studies classes were a hotbed of partisan debate, and I lost ten cents betting on McGovern over Nixon in '72).

We all knew the end was close - the local headlines in giant type screaming "Nixon Resignation is Near" were belaboring the obvious by then - and as the President droned on, I listened for the cue to look at the screen...

"Therefore," - my family and I swiveled our heads in unison - "I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office."

And just like that, it was over.

The next day, I watched as the Nixons took their final walk across the White House lawn towards the helicopter that would carry them away from Washington and into history, Julie and Tricia and their husbands bearing them up, then the long-suffering Pat who God only knows how she held it together at that scorching, searing moment -

and last, the old crook himself, turning to face the Fords and the gathered staff and America and the world one last time, extending both arms out and up "stiff as a board" as the NBC News anchor remarked, his hands making the peace sign (peace! Jesus Christ, I learned in that instant where irony ended and satire began) in the posture we knew so well, and then just like that, they were gone.

And here we are, half a century hence, my wrist long since healed, wondering how the hell I got old, casting my baleful eye across our miserable mise-en-scène, trying to figure out just where we lost the thread and took the turn that got us back into the same damn jam squared - hell, cubed - and yearning for such a clear-cut, uncomplicated, and decisive ending to our long national nightmare once again.

[Excerpt from the "Checkers Speech", UVA's Miller Center via Vimeo]

[kanmom51]

Jikook Compilations

Head pat and finger wiggle

Jikook and award shows

JK’s powers of teleportation

JM/JK matching clothes

Moments JK/JM are hands on

JK looking at JM - Boy in luv

JK physically moving the others to be next to JM

Did Jikook ever get carried away on stage?

JK checking out JM moments

JM looking at JK

JK doesn’t shy away from skinship with JM

JK is smitten with JM

The way JK and JM look at each other

The way JK looks at JM

The way JK carries JM

JK loves to carry JM & JM loves to be carried by JK

Jimin & JK’s neck

Jikook and hand holding

JK & JM in sync again

Jikook love and the way they look at each other

The way Jikook lean into each other when sitting next to each other

Spot the couple

Jikook and zero concept of personal space

JM sitting on JK’s lap

Jikook turning to each other when happy

Any excuse to touch hands

Jikook make each other laugh

JK’s “Jimin-ssi”’s

The Jimin effect

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach

JM loves his muscle pig

JK ain’t backing up

JK’s fascination with JM’s back side

More JK fascination with JM’s back side

Jikook find happiness with each other

There’s a special place for JM on JK’s back

The JM calming effect

Cute Minkook moments

JK as in JM’s chair

Jikook 2021 hugs

The way JM grabs onto JK’s clothes

Jikook difference in hand sizes

Names JM & JK have called each other - reblog

Those third wheeling second hand embarrassment Jikook moments

Those “oh shit, wtf is a camera doing there?” moments

Jikook boxing moments

Minkook/Jikook playful moments

Some Jimin-ssi for the soul

JK’s sleeping habits brought to us by JM

Jikook synced/ habits/ mannerisms

Jikook synced/ habits/ mannerisms - Part 2

Jikook subtle moments

More of the spot the couple game

Jikook and those little touches

JK calling JM anything but hyung

JK touching JM with affection

50 seconds straight of JK scolding JM

Just JK looking at JM

And then you have JM laughing at everything JK does

Jikook in sync

JK and JM’s butt - a special relationship

Jikook and kisses

JK letting us know JM is cute time after time

The different types of Jikook hugs

JK being JM’s copycat

The JM effect

The JM effect part 2

Jikook in photos

Jikook being partners in crime

Jikook vibing together

Those times JK lowkey stood up for his boyfriend

Playing games - a Jikook thing

Our matchy matchy couple

Jikook always together

Jikook and talk about kisses

JK taking care of JM’s back

Who do you think took JM’s photo?

JM’s magnetic powers (well on JK that is)

The day they had and the selfies they shared with us. - Part 1.

The day they had and the selfies they shared with us. - Part 2.

JK finding his way to be by JM’s side - reblog

JM and JK with the lights dimmed

Same vibes?

Another oopsy Jikook moment?

These two

Those JM grabbing JK by his clothes moments

Because we all need some cheering up

Jikook - That’s amore

JM looking at JK

JM looking at JK once again

JM lost in JK

JM merch launch clip - 7 year ongoing joke

Spot the couple in the ot7 photo thread

Jikook and chin touching

Jikook and hair

They are nothing if not consistent

Run BTS episodes 104-106

JK being JM’s protector

JM/JK leaving KBS

JK watching JM on screen

Just one of those things Jikook do

That DNA thing Jikook do

JM’s place in JK’s lap

JK’s neck - JM’s property

JK getting serious

More Serendipity moments

JM bridal carrying JK

JM and JK’s neck - a special relationship (kind of parallel to JK’s with JM’s lips…)

Just the couple in the room having some fun

Another chapter in the saga of JK and JM’s waist

JM and JK’s chest

Holding hands - a Jikook trademark

Jikook PTD MV

My Universe MV behind - JK and JM’s chin

Save me

Jikook interview?

The JK in his natural habitat

Jikook and the Itaewon class reference

Jikook and their inside jokes

Us ourselves and BTS ‘We”

JM letting his guard down

JK loves to blow in JM’s hair…

They (the editors) said it

BH editors are the biggest Jikook’s?  

They are in love

Each to their own

BTS editors cutting Jikook moments from content

Does this clip need any explanations?

JM knowing all there is to know about sleeping JK

JM is Jimin and has been for years now

When JM is lost in JK

Satellite Jeon is not toxic

Those moments where JK decides he just HAS to show JM he loves him, even in front of tens of thousands of Army

How JK makes JM laugh

holding hands

2021 zoom fanmeet Jikook vibe

It’s just a Jikook thing

This is not what I would call brotherly affection

JK’s type

BTB Bad decisions recording sketch

And just in case my previous point about this moment was not understood...

An accurate description of members interactions especially Jikook

JK flirting with JM

The fun consistency of Jikook

Just for JM

JM hugs

JM hugs pt. 2

JK hugs

Those little touches that scream intimacy

The terms JK has used to describe JM

The terms JK has used to describe JM reblogged (more added)

The terms JM has used to describe JK

The way JK looks at JM

Just one of those Mondays where you have a shit ton of stuff to do but you take the time to watch a Jikook reaction video

A little reminder

This had to be posted

Top Jikook moments (so far) for 2023

Are these all coincidences?

Just one bro posing for his bro

Some much needed Jikook love

Am I pushing, you ask?

JM choosing a song about a phone call?

JK Radio Stationhead 1 October 2023 and a little more too

JK Stationhead radio 2 October 2023

Jikook - what we see is what we get

Muscle memory

Jikook fave pics

JK’s wiggle wiggle finger

These two

14 March 2024 - Happy white day

Missing Jikook today

The Truth Untold LY Seoul Final

JM’s My Jungkookie

When the math is mathing

Yes we’re sure - reblog

Spot the differences (again)

Jikook twinning again

JK JM and the ocean

A special place curved on JK’s back - you said?

Subtle moments

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 1

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 2

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 3

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 4

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 5

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 6

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 7

Those JM and JK being subtle moments - part 8

Those JM and JK being ‘subtle’ moments - Part 9

You are me, I am you

You are me, I am you

You are me I am you

You are me I am you

PTD project - latest “you are me I am you”

You are me I am you Seoul LY last concert

You are me I am you - again

Serendipity again (JK singing ITS 2)

You are me I am you - October 2024

[lgcmanager]

LGC CHARMS JAPAN: THE RADIO

SCHEDULE TYPE: VARIABLE GIG SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: read below

over the years, LEGACY ENTERTAINMENT’s groups have released several japanese singles and albums. in more recent years, with LGC CHARMS JAPAN, they have shown a desire to further their presence in japanese media. thus the launch of a permanent radio show on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting that airs weekly for 45 minutes at 2200JST on Sunday evenings. each week, the radio show features various legacy artists cross-talk, reading fan mail, and several other segments.

the current PERMANENT HOSTS are HIRAWA EMI, KANG SARANG, PARK TAEHA and TAKANASHI ASAMI. each trimester, a total FOUR GUESTS will also be invited as per the following schedule:

WEEK 1: Asami, Emi, Sarang and Taeha

WEEK 2: Emi and Taeha

WEEK 3: Asami and Guest 1

WEEK 4: Emi and Sarang

WEEK 5: Taeha and Guest 2

WEEK 6: Sarang and Asami

WEEK 7: Sarang and Guest 3

WEEK 8: Taeha and Asami

WEEK 9: Emi and Guest 4

WEEK 10: Asami, Emi, Sarang and Taeha

(due to year end activities, the show will be on break during the last two weeks of the december and the first two weeks of january ! )

GUESTS AND THEME

each trimester, a different theme will be picked and some guest restrictions may be placed.

for the current trimester, the THEME is HOLIDAYS; with chuseok right behind and halloween, christmas and new year on the horizon, it's time to talk about holidays ! episodes may center around anything related to any holiday; for instance do the muses have favorite holidays, special memories on any of them, yearly traditions, plans during the winter break, ect.

EACH HOST will be in charge of picking their GUEST through an ON DASH PLOT CALL, with priority given to any JAPANESE ARTIST OR TRAINEE (must have at least 60 japanese points) or any DEBUTED ARTIST with over 60 JAPANESE POINTS.

GUEST cannot participate on the show two trimesters in a row.

REMINDER: this is a PROFESSIONAL setting. as such, even if conversations touch personal matters, both the HOST and GUEST need to keep a good etiquette. the show isn’t to talk about friendship, family ties or past between the hosts and guests, but for listeners to be entertained. furthermore, if a host cannot maintain a completely professional conversation comfortably and without awkwardness or tension with someone, they shouldn’t pick that person as a guest.

REQUIREMENTS

since radio shows are more of a DISCUSSION, we want the requirements to reflect this. therefore the requirements are lowered to a minimum of 50 SPOKEN WORDS per post. on the other hand, you’ll need to write a thread of EIGHT POSTS (four posts each) minimum to collect +4 MCING/HOSTING and/or VARIETY, +4 FREE SKILLS, and +5 NOTORIETY

for the hosts, guest threads are MANDATORY. you may also do a BONUS thread with any of the other hosts, with the same requirements and reward.

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:charmsjapanradio on your threads and solos ! to validate your skill points and collect your notoriety points, please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog before DECEMBER 28, 2024 11:59 EDT.

MUSE NAME ∙ CHARMS JAPAN RADIO - THREAD: +4 MCING/HOSTING and/or VARIETY, +4 SKILL POINTS DISTRIBUTION +5 notoriety [ LINK ] - BONUS: +4 MCING/HOSTING and/or VARIETY, +4 SKILL POINTS DISTRIBUTION +5 notoriety [ LINK ] *only if applicable - HOSTS: do you want to continue hosting next trimester? yes/no

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), LATE MAY 2024

It's been an eventful couple of weeks since I took my brief vacation, so here's a relatively long ecommerce news update - just skip the topics you don't care about, and read the ones you do!

The SEO and Marketing update should also be out tonight, barring any emergencies.

Get these updates plus my website blog posts via email: http://bit.ly/CindyLouWho2Blog Get all of the most timely updates plus exclusive content by supporting my Patreon: patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Etsy’s 2023 Transparency Report was mostly more of the same: lots of takedowns of valid listings, more automation, and more promises to fix things. How do they plan on “clarifying” Etsy policies to both buyers and sellers? Stay tuned…

Etsy CEO Josh Silverman recently revealed more details [post by me on Patreon] about how the company intends Etsy search to work now. While I have been telling folks this for a while, I think it is important to reiterate: it's not all about keywords, titles and tags any more! (although they still have a small impact) Silverman wants Etsy search ranking to be about:

shipping on time

"people are always delighted with the item and give you 5-star reviews"

responding to Etsy Messages quickly

"appropriate" shipping prices*

a "good return policy" [yes, I think that means accepting most returns]

*no idea what that means; I am sure we are about to find out. Caps on shipping charges for some types of items - as they do on eBay - are possible, as are mandatory Etsy Label use for a few countries. 

He didn't mention image quality here, but does cover that elsewhere - they are correlating that with the quality of the item, to some extent. So, if you want visibility on Etsy, stop worrying so much about changing tags, and start worrying about running your business the way Etsy wants you to run it. Is this fair to long time businesses on the platform? Not really, as Etsy systems often punish sellers who live in countries without cheap tracking, who create complicated custom items that take weeks to ship, and who do not work overtime 7 days a week to jump whenever Etsy or a buyer says they must. But this is how Etsy is changing, and each shop must decide for themselves what they want to do about it. 

I am seeing some odd Etsy shop suspensions lately, some of which seem to involve not shipping within processing times - or not getting the first scan within processing times - and no other major risks or policy violations. While Etsy restored that shop less than a day after I posted everywhere, I am still receiving other complaints with similar issues, or worse: no apparent reason for the closure at all. One yesterday did win their appeal and has been reopened, but others have had no luck. 

ETSY NEWS 

If you set up an official Father’s Day sale on Etsy, check to see that the correct percentage off was used - there are reports of errors. E.g., trying to set a minimum order of $50 could lead to orders over 50 cents going through. Some sellers report they have been able to get refunds from Etsy. If you didn't set up a Father's Day sale, check to see if you are running one anyway, as Etsy seems to have opted some shops in without their permission. Both issues are covered in this forum thread, and the unauthorized sales are also discussed on Reddit. An Etsy employee says “we’re investigating the issue”, but doesn’t clarify which issue. Over on Reddit, a seller posted an Etsy Support response which denies sales were set up by Etsy without any action by the seller. This person did get reimbursed for a sale they didn’t set up, but it was also set to the wrong discount (a 30 cent minimum). 

The old Etsy listing page will disappear as of June 25; I covered the story on Patreon. Within 2 days, Etsy clarified that more changes would be coming, so I guess the complaints worked for some issues. If you are struggling with it, here are a few tips on making it work. 

There seems to be an uptick in payment reserves again; please let me know if you see anything interesting out there. 

A new Etsy tool for punishing “risky” shops: reducing the maximum daily Etsy Ads budget. There are threads here and also here, plus I have received emails. 

The latest buyer test is to allow refunds to be paid out as Etsy credits they can use immediately to make a new order. Etsy claims this will not affect how sellers issue refunds. Obviously this is great for Etsy, as the company may hold on to the money for months or years if the customer doesn't want to make an order right away, or doesn't use all of the credit, but it could also be good for buyers, as some other types of refunds can take over a week to process in some jurisdictions.

As is being discussed in the Etsy forum, Etsy is currently testing placing other shop’s listings - including paid Ads - on shop home pages. Here is one example:

[Screenshot courtesy Tracy of Pooch and Tabby.] While the listings are marked as “More from other sellers”, it’s easy to imagine some shoppers not noticing that, given that the listings appear right below the shop ones, and above feedback. Depending on how similar the photo styles are:

[Screenshot courtesy of BlackSheepDyeworks] the fact this is a different shop could be missed. Remember, it is just a test, so it may go away and never reappear. It could also be on every home page forever starting tomorrow, or it could be something that they will charge you to have removed (i.e., more “benefits” for the shop tiers they surveyed sellers on.)

Another Etsy test is changing how we can set up sales; they’ve added a separate option for discounts with order minimums, but have removed the ability to offer free shipping above order minimums. 

Sellers in India will no longer be able to make domestic sales, starting June 3. [I really do not understand this change; perhaps the payment methods are no longer possible. Remember that Etsy was making an extra cut on sales within India, as they forced sellers there to ship domestic orders using Etsy Labels, starting last April.] At the same time, Indian sellers need to sign up for Etsy Payments between June 3 and July 31, and must provide a GSTIN number to continue to sell on the site. 

Etsy apparently disabled 3 different drop shipping integrations in early May, due to non-compliance with the third-party integration policy. This should not affect shops using accepted integrations, such as the many POD sites that Etsy allows if the seller designed the product. 

Having issues with Etsy saying your items were not tracked when they really were? If you provide evidence for each order and then keep demanding Support deal with it, you might succeed, as this seller did.

Etsy has already moved ahead with changing Canadian calculated shipping to the new Canada Post Etsy Labels rates they offer, without a specific announcement on the topic. That has led to some Canadian sellers finding they have undercharged a great deal for shipping, if they use methods other than Etsy Labels. The only mention was at the bottom of the shipping label price reductions announcement, which some didn’t notice and some were confused by, and of course, people who never want to use Etsy Labels didn’t even read.  

Etsy edits its Prohibited Items Policy several times a year; the latest changes involve “Violent Items”. 

Etsy removes results for certain prohibited words - for example, try searching for “taser” - and has finally added the word “porn” to that list. Here, I searched it for you so you don’t have to:

CNBC published a short news story, and a much longer video, on current Etsy problems and what may happen in the future. Of note: “In a comment to CNBC, Etsy said that it recognizes its current definition of handmade, includes a broad spectrum of items, and will clarify its policies to be more transparent about what belongs on Etsy in the coming months”.

Etsy was called out for allowing the sale of fake seeds purporting to grow “cat-faced flowers”, but of course the images are AI-generated. 

They finally arrested one of the people running those fake Etsy Support phone number ads. 

Wells Fargo thinks Etsy will benefit from Temu giving less attention to the US market. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

Amazon

Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) items with what Amazon deems a “high return rate” will be subject to extra fees per return starting June 1, 2024. 

Some Amazon sellers need to reverify their accounts due to the Inform Act. 

eBay

eBay is apparently testing allowing buyers to make a price match request after the purchase was completed. Sellers can decline the offer and even cancel the order. 

One of eBay’s subsidiaries is facing a union-busting claim. The complaints include unfair treatment of disabled employees, and placement of surveillance cameras. 

The eBay UK user agreement now mentions “Simple Delivery”, but it is not clear what that means. 

Poshmark

“Promoted Closet” is a new ad tool from Poshmark that allows US sellers to promote their whole shop at once. “Poshmark didn’t say when the feature will roll out to Canada.”

Shopify

Alavara’s tax services are now able to be integrated with all types of Shopify subscriptions.

Shopify’s slowing growth projections led to the stock tanking May 8, even though they are still predicting “second-quarter revenue to grow at a high-teens percentage.” 

Squarespace

After 3 years of poor performance as a public company, Squarespace is once again going private; private equity firm Permira is paying $44 a share, which is 30% above the stock’s recent price. Minority investors are suing, saying they are not getting a fair price. 

Walmart

Walmart cut a partnership deal with Disney, letting Disney streaming services target ads at viewers based on their Walmart data profiles. 

Walmart Marketplace sellers have been surveyed on what they might want out of a seller forum. 

All Other Marketplaces

Mercari says its new fee structure seems to be bringing in new users and new listings, so they are considering more changes, such as surge pricing on buyer fees. They are also changing their return policy back to their old one, starting May 22. “After careful consideration and listening intently to feedback from our seller community, we have decided to reinstate our prior return policy effective May 22, 2024 at 12:00 AM PST. “Returns for any reason” will no longer apply.”

Secondhand marketplaces were called out for allowing significant fraud in a new UK study. Etsy-owned Depop fared the worst, with over half of buyers saying they had “experienced a scam on the site.” Facebook had better numbers than Amazon and eBay. 

Depop’s CEO Kruti Patel Goyal recently gave an interview to Glossy [text excerpts with podcast link] discussing how GenZ loves resale, her history at Etsy, and changes they are working on at Depop. 

All Other Website Builders

PrestaShop will be offering “Click to Pay” in several European countries - France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom - allowing buyers to skip entering their card info at purchase. They plan on expanding it to more countries and regions in the future. 

Shipping 

USPS wants to raise Parcel Select rates around 25% this summer. They are also delaying their reductions in processing locations until 2025. 

Canada Post claims it could run out of money in 2025, and lost $748 million in 2023. “Canada Post has been losing money since 2018. In the last six years, its losses have totalled $3 billion.”

[varietales]

𝘒𝘕𝘖𝘞𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘕𝘌𝘙 𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘓 𝘊𝘈𝘕 𝘗𝘖𝘛𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘛𝘖𝘎𝘌𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙 𝘈 𝘓𝘖𝘛 𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘐𝘌𝘙.

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG !!

NAME: Momo PRONOUNS : she/her PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : IMs on here are fine but can be tricky as i switch blogs sometimes! i'm happy to add mutuals on dis.cord NAME OF MUSE(s) : i mean, you know who they are but ok. Kagura Mikazuchi, Jenny Realight, Millianna, Evie Hawthorne, Ichiya Vandalay-Kotobuki, Simon Mikazuchi and Bisca Connell. I'm not gonna list all my other blogs/muses or we'll be here forever. i should have done this on a single-muse blog BEST EXPERIENCE : On this particular blog, I'd say...the love and acceptance Ichiya has gotten! i love that other people have been tricked into getting attached to him too imeanwut. In general, the best experience has been forming friendships with great people and writing/plotting/chatting about fun dynamics. RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS : the usual godmod/forcing relationships thing, more specifically - a partner making changes/writing major events in our ship verse that would impact the ship/dynamic Without actually plotting it with me first - i.e having their muse suddenly break up with mine, or getting a serious injury or adopting a kid or pet (this has happened surprisingly often to me and i hate it). Also as someone who Loves reading muse info and always tries to keep partners hcs/details in mind, my biggest pet peeve is there being no About page anywhere (i won't follow anyone that doesnt have them) and/or the phrases "canon divergent"/"headcanon driven" being plastered everywhere but no actual clarity is given on what those divergences/hcs are. (the last part isn't a total dealbreaker, as i know it can take time to get these things written and posted) MUSE PREFERENCES: I like a variety of muses (hence the multi-muse and multiple blogs), but I do have a soft spot for characters like Lisanna, who are cute and bubbly and a bit of a menace to those they love, but who also have a lot of depth and things they struggle with (Milli, Lisia, and Jenny also fit into this). I'm also a sucker for the complex and flirty gentleman type (Leo & Freed), and the serious/reserved but actual sweetie ones (Rogue, Kagura, Simon, Amarys). Honourable mention to the golden retriever energy babies - Jason & Frankie. In terms of muses I like writing with? i don't think I have a preference for a specific muse type, I enjoy any muse that is written well. PLOTS OR MEMES : They both have their place honestly. Memes can be a great starting point. One of my longest threads (50 notes!) on a different blog started from a meme! Sometimes a little plotting can help with writing a meme response too, a little context just to make things make sense, and things can flow on from there. I do usually like to have a general sense of the dynamic between muses to begin with, and a rough few plot points for threads. We dont have to plot out every single thing (because that might away from the fun of actually writing it), but some basic points are helpful. LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : a mix of both is important. if you only ever do long threads, i feel like that might get tiring! but same with short ones. Length is needed for depth and getting more insight I think, so i do love them for that. i think a middle ground is probably ideal, but never easy to stick to. i tend to just go off whatever amount my partner has written BEST TIME TO WRITE : weekends and sometimes after work during the week if i'm not too tired ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : i do share Milli's absolute Love for cats but that's probably it.

yoinked from: @raiiryuu

[confessionsofa-roleplayer]

Do I need a break? I'm a multimuse blog with less than 10 oc muses. I am friendly and open to everyone and reach out. I don't take longer than 5 days to reply to threads, I'm consistent and don't drop threads unless I really have to (that happens maybe once every 6 months), but lately I feel isolated and demotivated. Getting new threads or having people reply to my open starters feels like pulling teeth unless I offer a specific muse type (male, over 40, muscular, tall, daddy material you know).

I feel like I write the same stuff 90% of the time while I literally only have muse for one of my muses but he is my least popular one. I want to expand and write creative stuff. I want to add new muses but I know they won't get attention unless I use a popular "daddy" kind of faceclaim, but I don't want to do that. I want to write open starters but I know they won't get any response unless they are from that specific "daddy" muse with the possibility to smut.

I used to have over 60 threads but suddenly I dropped down to not even 10 active ones despite having hundreds of followers. And like I said, it wasn't me dropping those 50+ threads. I see mutuals who used to have threads with me having fun on the dashboard going back and forth while they all have dropped their threads with me. Nothing I do seems to be good enough. I start writing things I don't have fun with just to have someone interact with me so that my thread count won't drop to 0. And the more I do that, the less I want to log in. I know, I can't compete with English native speakers and it was never my attempt.

But what am I doing wrong? I don't complain ooc on my dashboard. The only ooc posts I made are about changes regarding my muses or let my mutuals know when replies take longer than usual. I don't do passive replies either, I always make 100% sure people have something to work with. I don't make threads about my muse only, my muses always make it about the other muses to the point where mine have little to no development.

It's sad. Writing RP used to be my greatest hobby, now it's the reason for my unhappiness. It makes me feel worthless.

[fizzingwizard]

Since I just finished replying to comments...

The other day I saw a post talking about AO3, and one of its points was that if writers don't reply to comments, they shouldn't complain about lack of reader engagement.

Which I thought was interesting, because I never really knew how people feel in general about comment replies. I have always enjoyed replying, even just to say thank you.

But I started out writing fanfiction on fanfiction.net when I was 11 years old, way back when. On ff.net, the way you replied to comments ("reviews") was through basically a private messenger. No one saw your reply except the person who received it, and if the conversation continued it would also be through private messenger.

That meant that replies to comments weren't included in the overall comment count for the fic. If the fic stats said "50 reviews," then all 50 come from unique readers. But on AO3, when you reply to a comment it continues the public comment thread, and is counted as a new comment. You can still find out how many reader comments you have in the Statistics breakdown, but afaik that is only viewable by the fic author. What readers see is the total comment count including replies, similar to how the count of bookmarks in the fic descrip is different than in your Statistics because it doesn't include private ones.

That's why, when I started using AO3 more regularly a couple years ago, I wasn't sure whether it was OK to reply to comments. Obvs the feature exists, but I wondered if in terms of etiquette, an author replying to each individual comment would be seen as padding the comment count - intentionally trying to make 50 reviews look like 100 to impress or entice more readers. At the same time, not saying anything to thank a reader who consistently leaves comments feels like ignoring them. It's funny because although I replied to reviews on ff.net, I didn't often get replies to my own reviews, and it never bothered me. It never occurred to me back then to expect replies, and not getting them never discouraged me from continuing to review. "Padding review count" there was like leaving a bunch of anon reviews of your own fic etc and I think that was the sort of bad behavior in writers which was frowned upon.

So what I've done on AO3 is pretty much reply to every commenter, but not to every comment. If I post a new chapter, I reply to every comment it gets. But if someone goes through my fic and comments on ten chapters en masse, I usually only reply to the most recent one, not all ten. I'm always happy to see someone enjoyed themself enough to want to comment each time they reach the end of a chapter, but I also don't want to annoy them by sending ten variations of "Thank you" at once lol.

Which brings me to another point, and that's the content of comment replies. I often see posts about people being unsure about what to say in a fic comment, and that they feel bad only saying "I like it." As a writer I definitely love both long, in depth comments AND short and sweet ones - they both totally make my day. But what about the content of the comment replies? haha. That's where I get embarrassed sometimes lol. I'm typing "Thank you so much!" so many times that I wonder how many people would prefer to not get a reply if it's going to be the same each time. And then I look back and go crap, I said the same exact phrase to this person the LAST time they commented... or that I left a reply to one reader that is unintentionally almost a carbon copy of one I left someone else...

Detailed comments are much easier to reply to, because there's material to work with. I'm not even talking long comments - just one single detail, like "This chapter was fun, I especially enjoyed the picnic scene" is easier to think up a unique reply to than "I like it." But I equally love both comments - just with the latter how witty I'll manage to be depends on my energy level xP

None of this is anything that keeps me up at night! It's just fanfiction: both in commenting and replies to comments, there should be no pressure and no rules beyond the Golden Rule. The number one thing which threw me was author comments included in the full comment count on AO3. But the thing about ff.net is, we didn't have kudos - the number of comments on a fic was the only metric besides hits which could signal that a fic was well-liked, and considered more reliable than hits because hits were easier to inflate. But on AO3, you have the addition of kudos. Kudos to me is the equivalent of getting a like on a post on tumblr - it's really not very meaningful unless you're getting tons of them, but it's better than getting nothing. And now I realize that being used to judging fics by comment count is something I carried over from ff.net, and maybe not something AO3 users ever think much about - they probably think about kudos. Which does make sense. (ETA: I think I didn't make it clear, but my thoughts on kudos and comments relate to not wanting to run afoul of how they may be perceived by the majority, not because I believe they're actual proof of a fic's value. I think it's better not to consider number of comments, or at least not consider it very highly, and certainly not in comparison to how interesting the fic seems to you. Just read and find out!)

So this long-winded post is just me expressing surprise at the differences I'm still experiencing switching from ff.net to AO3 even all these years later. I always thought of replies to comments as something I like to do, not necessarily something readers look forward to receiving. And I still don't know if they do overall, like the post I referenced at the beginning suggested. But I'm so grateful to all my readers and commenters. And if anyone asks me to stop replying to their individual comments, maybe because they're a prolific commenter on many fics and get deluged with "Thank yous" too often, that should be easy to manage xD

[dxfiedfxte-a]

A few important updates:

Before I write today, I’m probably gonna mess around on my test side blog for like, at least an hour and a half to try to better understand the new editor I’ve used it a couple times before, but not that much. Once I’ve got a basic enough understanding of it, I’ll probably start using it. I’m honestly not too thrilled about it, but I’ve seen quite of few of my partners switching to it, and because I write a lot, not being able to trim would be a pretty big problem. So much to my dismay, it’s the only natural thing to do. I’ll probably do the same on my other blogs.

Another important thing to also note: After a lot of initial thought, in order for me to legitimately be more consistent, I’ve come to the decision to drop a list of ancient threads, and clear old dusty asks in my inbox. I’ve tried to be more constant, but as people may have noticed, it’s been pretty difficult for me to keep up my usual writing pace as of late, and to fix that, I just need to let some of those old threads go no matter how much I didn’t want to.

I’ll probably type up the list after I look through my drafts, I got like 50+ now and I just gotta ease some of that rp load off my back. 

Looking forward, in doing this, I feel pretty confident that I’ll be able to make a proper return to form in my writing pace. But of course, there is always the option of continuing some specific threads from the ones that will be listed, my partners can always let me know once the list is posted. I want to thank everyone for their continued patience with me and my slowness. It’s very much appreciated.