#and we have a template post to c+p

[thisbluespirit]

New seasonal challenge up at TARDIS Library, the Dreamwidth Doctor Who reccing community!

Simply comment in the sign-up post, receive 5 random characters (we have lists for New Who, Classic Who & various spin-offs you can choose from), then rec 5+ fanworks for at least 1 of those characters at the comm to complete the challenge, receive a banner, and share the love for some excellent fannish creative endeavours!

You will need a Dreamwidth account to post recs to the community, but they're free to sign-up for, with no strings attached, if you'd like to take part. <3

[sashi-ya]

[ 𝐑𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐚 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨 ✦ +𝟏𝟖 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭 ]

✦ requested by Anonymous for the free requests ➜ SASHII WE NEED ZORO, ANY TYPE OF NSF.W HEADCANON PLEASEEE! ➜ and I totally agree with you. Please enjoy the alphabet since more people requested for this after I posted Law's version. ✦ alphabet template by @the-coldest-goodbye ✦ tw: mentions of kinks. toys. masturbation. minors dni. some ZoSan implied (it's up to you to indulge or not in the fantasy :P) ✦ masterlist

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) Zoro will share some sake with you, while both rest completely naked on a -almost broken- bed or any surface in which he demonically just fucked you. I think both would indulge in more primal type of sex so no fancy after care might be needed. I think our marimo would go for something more feral, specially if your session took place somewhere outside the bedroom; such as the woods, the beach, or something in the wild. He will swim with you if there is any type of pond or water nearby. Kisses, grunts, and the start of a new round until both fall asleep.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) YOUR ASS. Imagine his veiny strong calloused hands gripping tightly to your glutes while he fucks you. PLEASE, AND THANK YOU. Him? I believe is either his arms or back. He loves to flex his muscles (perhaps not intentionally) while topping you before burying raw and deep into you. Bonus point if you happen to have a mirror over your head to see such huge back about to crush you.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) Inside you. Stuffed. Dripping. His cum is meant to be inside you. Even if sometimes he likes the view of those milky drops drizzled on the small of your back and ass cheeks.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) Sanji. Sanji is his dirty secret.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) None, he is just feral and follows his instincts. He founds himself hard for you, he knows how to relieve that pressure. He is not an expert, and yet, he knows exactly where and how to touch. Zoro might be a stray moss but not exactly when it comes to find your clit/erogenous zones.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) Him on top of you. You against any type of surface where he can make you bend and leave your legs trembling. You on top -sometimes if he is the one helping you jump on his dick. If sleepy sex, from behind lifting your leg up to go even deeper, breathing on your neck and sometimes biting cause why not, sweetheart?

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) No goofy at all. No time to. He is too serious, and it won’t change during sex. But some smirks when you are shaking from pleasure underneath him could be seen on his face.

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) He is actually a pretty hairless dude. He has some type of tiny green bush but not very prominent (or maybe is the size of his dick what makes it look tiny ha). He has been told how to groom while in the boys bathroom “MARIMO YOU ARE GONNA SCARE THAT POOR ---- AWAY!”

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) Maybe you might think he isn’t very romantic while being as feral as he is, however he has his moments; You will notice, specially when he is about to come his steel eye fixes on yours, and the way his lips part… he is completely in heaven and it’s all because of the person he is sharing something so very personal with. Is difficult for Zoro to trust others to such extent, in fact, he usually never communicates how he feels, so by him having this alone time with you it shows how much he trusts and loves you. Sometimes love isn’t in sweet nothings whispered, but eyes that burn for the other.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) Been doing it since he felt that little tingling sensation in his guts. He used to feel a little guilty, the bushido says to be totally focused in your goal and succumbing to lust should be left aside… but there is something demonic inside him eating his guts, some type of strength he can’t fully unleash yet… it has to be a way to tame it, right?

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) - Drinking sake from you. Obviously. - Anal. He craves for it, he wants to try. - PAIN, blood, dripping blood he could lick off you or you off him. He likes the acrid taste, what can I say. - A sword fight completely naked. He wants that and there is nothing you could say to change his mind. He is a simple man, give him sake, a hole -or two-, some violent murderous fighting and he’ll be pleased to try anything you want.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) Anywhere, anytime. There is a special spot he REALLY likes; SANJI’S KITCHEN. Either because he likes to mess with his stuff or mess his stuff. You get it, right?

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) Violence. The smell of blood, he loves LOVES blood; If you have periods, he won’t have any type of problem with it). Being woken up with some kisses around his belly button (yes, the only one he would forgive for waking him up is you)

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) There aren't many things that could turn him off. Perhaps he wouldn’t want to be turned on while training hard after a fight in which he believes he wasn’t as strong as expected. Whenever he is focused in his ultimate goal he won’t be needed further distractions.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) Giving and receiving he loves it equally. When he gives, he goes hard. He can eat you out in the most violent way possible, lifting your legs up so them rest on his wide shoulders. He won’t be ever kneeling, you will be lifted up for the king of hell. Same if you happen to be on all fours, HE LOVES TO EAT YOU OUT FROM BEHIND. Oh, and if your lips surround his hardness… prepare to listen the most unholy symphony of grunts coming from his throat as his huge heavy hand pushes your head against him. Choke on it, make his sun kissed skin bumpy when he hears you gag. And drink for the King of Hell, there is nothing he enjoys the most.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) R o u g h. But he can go slow, painfully slow, deep until you feel like breaking in two. And while he does, he usually likes to carve his strong fingers around your neck or face. Specially if you two are fucking in the Sunny, he will like to cover your mouth… “shhh or do you want them to hear us?”

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) Not a very quickie type of man, when he fucks you he can’t only go with just one round.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) Please, if you happen to be a swordsman/woman like him or someone with a reasonable strength that could match his, he WILL LOVE to fuck with a blade lingering on his neck. We could add knife play to his kinks, maybe.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) HA! IT’S ZORO. How much you want him to last? His mind could go in sleep mode, but that muscle mass could move on its own all night long.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) The more raw and natural the better. However, we can’t rule out the hilt of your sword used in uh… some… holes. That is, of course, if you use a sword. His are sacred, not for fucking, or at least not to be inserted anywhere. Probably the edge against your neck, yes.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

King of hell and teasing. But he isn’t conscious of it. He exists, he trains, drinks and sleeps. And during all of those activities, he usually goes shirtless. And oh hell, do I have to explain? The little drops of sweat pooling on his prominent collar bones or in between the indentations of his abs… the grunts when he lifts weight, the “ugh... more, I need to train more”s he repeats while stretching that testosterone container that’s his body… oh lord.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) Panting, grunting, growling. Little fucks and even sometimes some whimpers here and there. Zoro is exceptionally vocal but not in terms of words. However, he likes to give you swift directions like “spread”, “crawl on top”, “turn around” with breathy tone too. He, as much feral as he is, makes sure you are ok asking you too. And ultimately when he is ready to fill you up he makes sure you are ok with it (he knows where babies come from if it’s the case) by telling you “ready to be filled with cum? Or “Get ready to be my cum dump sweet bitch” -very romantic, marimo-

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) Hickies. Such a silly swordsman. But he loves hickies since a very young age (around 19 y/o after the Baratie). Giving or receiving. He won’t tell you, but he has always loved them, just don’t leave them on his back.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) You could go with the usual med scale of 9% of the body is approximately the size of the genitalia area. It’s not really accurate, since it takes in consideration the whole surface. But approximately, 9% of 181cm is 16.29cm. Now, for most accuracy in terms of length, using my mathematical equation. Let me see… Sashi’s Method for Dick Estimated Length: So,I will use my BWFC Super Master Stars Piece “The Roronoa Zoro” for the calculation. Zoro is 181cm tall, and the figure is 28cm in total length. So:  if 1/1 – 181cm, then 1/14 – 28cm,. Approximately Zoro’s crotch in the figure is about 3 cm. So if: (1/14 scale) 28cm – 3 cm (1/1 scale) 181cm —x = 19,39cm Then, Zoro’s dick is about ± 19cm Not surprised, honestly. Not surprised and hungry, too.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) Healthy, as they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away.. well, in his case a fuck per day keeps the demon tamed. However, if he is in that focus/training mood, he won’t care much for sex.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) Almost instantly. He isn’t really tired, but it’s Zoro. He loves to sleep. It’s part of the pleasure of being with you sleeping over his huge tits after a good fuck.

[bulletnotestudies]

We're back with another reading bingo! welcome to the Winter Mini Reading Challenge ❄

RULES: like with all our challenges, the rules are pretty flexible, since the whole point of this is to motivate you to read just a little bit more :) the challenge starts on december 1st and ends with february 28th, but you're welcome to finish it at your own pace -> use the tag #studyblr w/knives reading challenge when you post your updates/pics -> reblog this post if you're participating

once you’ve read a book that fits a prompt, cross it out on the above template and/or share your thoughts on it in a post here on tumblr; make sure to mark any spoilers (hide them under a cut etc.), so people can avoid them if needed :) you can also have just one post and update it as you go, or you can post good ol’ aesthetic book pics!

as always, if you have any questions, my asks are always open

❄ FIND PROMPT EXPLANATIONS & OUR RECS FOR EACH UNDER THE CUT ❄

Any book that features twins - they don't have to be main characters. ❄ The Secret History - D. Tartt ❄ Gideon the Ninth - T. Muir ❄ The King Is Dead - B. Dean ❄ The Magic Between - S. Hoyt

Either second chance as the trope, or give a book you'd previously DNF'd another go. ❄ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - T. Jenkins Reid ❄ One True Loves - T. Jenkins Reid ❄ Persuasion - J. Austen ❄ Beach Read - E. Henry

A book with a single word in the title. ❄ Piranesi - S. Clark ❄ Hamlet - W. Shakespeare ❄ Icebreaker - A.L. Graziadei ❄ Bloodchild - O. E. Butler

A classic or modern classic. ❄ Rebecca - D. du Maurier ❄ The Alchemist - P. Coelho ❄ The Hichhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - D. Adams ❄ The Little Prince - A. de Saint-Exupéry

A book with a pretty cover (this is obviously highly subjective, but here are some we think look amazing): ❄ A Marvellous Light - F. Marske ❄ The Starless Sea - E. Morgenstern ❄ How to Kill Your Family - B. Mackie ❄ All That's Left in the World - E. J. Brown

Any book with festive vibes - any holiday/festivity during the timeframe of this challenge goes :) ❄ A Christmas Carol - C. Dickens ❄ The Mistletoe Motive - C. Liese

Some neurodiverse main characters: ❄ The Charm Offensive - A. Cochrun ❄ Turtles All the Way Down - J. Green ❄ The Gilded Wolves - R. Chokshi ❄ Six of Crows - L. Bardugo

The nonfiction prompt for fiction lovers lol ❄ Crush - R. Siken ❄ Shakespeare's Sonnets - W. Shakespeare ❄ The Anthropocene Reviewed - J. Green ❄ Bitch Doctrine - L. Penny

Any book that a friend's recommended to you - or you can read one of our server faves: ❄ Gideon the Ninth - T. Muir ❄ Six of Crows - L. Bardugo ❄ Red, White & Royal Blue - C. McQuiston ❄ The Raven Boys - M. Stiefvater

[other-peoples-coats]

Biggest rec for having scripts; I have a onenote file that's just got a bunch of scripts written out for me for the most common calls I make, and I have that open before I call anyone.

My very basic outbound phone script is:

Hi, is this [NAME LASTNAME]? My name is [COATS], and I'm calling from [MY DEPARTMENT] about [REASON I'M CALLING]. Do you have a moment to discuss that?

And this is where my script branches: I have one for 'yea I can talk':

->if YES: Great, so [reason I'm calling, usually they fucked up their paperwork] (I have this broken out by type of phone calls I make, so there's like, 5 versions of this script).

If there's a something I need from them I can't get over the phone, I also hit this bit:

So, please get [INFO] to us by [DATE], which you can do via post or replying to the email I'll be sending you about this - please make sure any attachments are clearly legible. If you think you're going to have difficulties supplying [INFO] by [DATE], please let us know as soon as possible, so that we can [adjust our timeline/NOT THINK YOU'VE BEEN EATEN BY DROPBEARS].

On other hand, if they're like 'lol no I'm too busy now':

->if NO: ok, is there a time later today that you will have a moment to discuss [THING I'M CALLING ABOUT]? It should take about [TIMEFRAME]. I'll also be sending you an email about [PROBLEM WITH THING]; please make sure to check your inbox and junk mail folder.

I also have one for when I get the answering machine:

Hi [NAME],

I'm [COATS] calling from [MY DEPARTMENT] about [WHY I'M CALLING]. I'll be sending you some information about [WHY I'M CALLING] later today; please make sure to check your email inbox and junk mail folder for this email.

Which has it's own little add on if I'm giving a deadline.

We need [INFORMATION] from you by [DATE]; if you are likely to have difficulties with getting [SPECIFIC THING/this information] to us in time, please let us know as soon as possible.

You can also do this with emails, btw, if you find yourself sending the same kind on a regular basis - just c+p the relevant bits out of your script file, edit what needs edited, send email without spending half an hour trying to phrase 'where the fuck is the file I asked for last Monday, bastard, it's Thursday' or 'heres the file you asked for, it's been ok'd by The Boss to be handed over, future issues are a you problem'.

For example, the WHERE'S MY FUCKING FILE email template I have is:

Hi [NAME/folks (if addressed to a whole team)],

Just following up on [THING I NEED FILES FOR]; I've/we're yet to receive the [MISSING DOCUMENTS], and per the/our [discussion/email/meeting] on [DATE], I/we [NEED THESE/ TO SEND THESE TO SOMEONE ELSE].

If you could get this to [me/us/SOMEONE ELSE] by [DATE/the end of the day], that would be much appreciated.

Please let [me/us] know asap if there's likely to be issues with this timeline.

Kind regards,

And then I change as relevant and only spend like, five minutes on it instead of doing the whole WHERE'S THE FILE SHITHEAD(S) translation into Business Dialect every time. The plurals are from when I'm sending from my team email instead of my personal work email; some 'where's my fucking file' is on behalf of my whole team and some is specifically where's my fucking file.

For comparison, the 'here's your shit, boss has ok'd this, never bother me about this again' email is:

Good [morning/afternoon] [NAME],

[Department] has received the following request for [information]:

-[REQUEST]

Below is [INFORMATION RELATING TO REQUEST], and attached is [FILES FOR REQUEST].

-[INFORMATION. DATE. INFORMATION 2. ETC]

[OTHER DEPARTMENT] has left the following note:

-NOTE

This information has previously been provided in [FILE REFERENCE].

This has been approved by [BOSS]; the [REQUIRED INTERNAL FORM] is filled out below. Further queries about this matter may be directed to [department email/MY BOSS/WHO THE FUCK EVER].

Warm regards,

Some of that's phrased weirdly just because we have to hit those points, like, legally, but, y'know. You can work it out as applies to your specific shit.

I also have a little c+p for when I'm seeking approval to send the 'here's your shit email' from my boss, which I chuck on top of the email and forward over to my boss.

Hi [boss],

Please see below [request response] for your approval.

Cheers,

[coats]

Obviously, that one's a bit more niche; you may or may not find yourself making the same half dozen emails every other day, without needing them to sound unique and not a script.

another thing to note about boring office jobs is that a lot of them are public facing to some degree (even ones that seem like they wouldn’t be - my last job was data entry and I still had to take & make phone calls) so there is an expectation that you’ll have telephone customer service skills. this isn’t generally a problem unless you’re like me & entered into the world of work w telephone anxiety oops.

[pink-bear]

NSFW Alphabet: Kazuichi Soda

Pink lemonade boy~

Stuff under the cut. Character is depicted as 18+

THIS IS 18+ ONLY! MINORS DNI!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

When he’s giving it, he always makes sure his partner has water, a snack if they request it, and plenty of kisses and praise. When he’s receiving it, he lowkey loves being pampered, it makes him feel appreciated :’)

B = Body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

When it comes to himself, he likes his hands. He’s good at using them, and learning to use them on his partner is one of the things he perfects first.

As for his partner, he’s a butt guy for sure. Perfect for grabbing and spanking! He also very much enjoys boobs, but it’s not a requirement!

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He cums a basic amount, and likes doing so inside his partner any chance he gets (whether it’s in their mouth or their downstairs area).

He also lowkey likes the taste of his own cum, and often times lick it off himself after he’s jerked off.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Loves smelling his partner’s undies, especially when they’re away for whatever reason. He’ll sometimes even wear them and masturbate in them, too. Dirty boy...

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He’s super inexperienced. A number of factors went into him not losing his virginity as a teen (his social awkwardness, his anxiety, the fact he wasn’t very popular, ect.). Pretty much all the stuff he knows is from porn, and actually executing that is awkward to say the least-

BUT HOPE IS NOT LOST! Like anything in this world, the more you practice, the better you get! Once he finds an understanding and patient partner, he’ll learn the ins and outs of being a good lover, and he’ll get the hang of it in no time!

F = Favourite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy style. Gives him access to his partner’s butt, and he loves leaning over and leaving bite marks with them sharp chompers of his. He also likes how deep he/his partner can get, and how he/his partner can reach around and pleasure whoever bottoms as well!

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Some silliness can really help settle his nerves, especially his first few times. For sure he likes it when things are passionate, but having a little bit of goofy sprinkled in, especially afterwards, can really make the whole experience that much better. If he can both satisfy and make his partner giggle, then he’s on cloud nine!

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

His manscaping could be...better, but it’s nothing unbearable. Often times he just forgets to do it (this guy forgets to shower a lot too, pls be patient with him). If he has a date coming up, or his partner asks him to, he’ll trim things up a bit, but he never likes being completely bare.

And no, the carpet doesn’t match the drapes. Its black like his natural hair colour! Though he has thought about dying it too...

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

His attempts at being romantic can sometimes be a bit corny, but the passion is totally there. He’s not the best with words, but he’ll go on and on (and on and on) about how special his partner is when he’s truly found the one.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

This poor guy jacks off A LOT. Being as sexually frustrated as he is, it’s not uncommon for him to crank one out daily. Once he finds a regular sexual partner it goes down, but sometimes he just can’t wait!

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Sexy car washes. Skimpy clothing, getting all wet and bodies being pressed against the hood of a nice car? Oh man, he’ll cream his pants in seconds.

L = Location (favourite places to do the do)

He loves doing it in his workshop, and probably has an old couch there for that very reason (though he’ll say it’s for relaxing/napping to anyone who asks).

Apart from that, you can’t go wrong with the bedroom! Especially if the bed is real comfortable~

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Seeing his partner absolutely desperate for some fuck. Talk dirty to him, whisper in his ear, tease him, and he’s READY TO GO!

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything unsanitary (pee, poop, ect.), of course. He also doesn’t really like being tied up, since it causes his anxiety to spike when he isn’t able to move his hands.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers receiving oral, especially after a hard day’s work. He’ll happily return the favour, but it may take him a bit of practice to get good at it. Good thing he’s an eager learner! Just be careful with those teeth-

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Depends on how he’s feeling. Sometimes when he’s real horny, he gets down to the nitty gritty. However, when he’s feeling a bit vulnerable, or he had a nice, peaceful day with his partner, he will for sure show his appreciation by being sensual and sweet.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

This man lives for quickies. A good stress reliever, and a good way to spend a break from work!

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He love the idea of getting caught, but not so much actually running the risk of it. He prefers to do things in “private public places”. As in places that would normally be populated, but at certain times of the day are vacant with no actual risk. For example: His workshop after closing.

Actually getting caught makes him want to cry :’)

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

His stamina is kinda low, ngl. He can last a few minutes, maybe around ten at the most. He makes up for it however by the amount of rounds he can go, especially spaced throughout the day.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Soda loves toys! Vibrators are his favourite, especially using them on his partners. He also has a few sizes of dildos and butt plugs, fleshlights and some nipple clamps too!

He’s thought about making his own toys, but maybe that isn’t the best idea...

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Soda likes to tease, with that shit eating grin we all love so much. When it comes to his partners teasing him, however, he’s a total baby lol

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

This boy is LOUD. Oh my lord, lots of moaning, groaning, whimpering and begging. And when he bottoms...honey, you got another storm comin’

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Soda wears a tank top and boxers under his jumpsuit. It gets pretty hot in that thing, so he doesn’t want too many layers.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His dick is uncut and pretty average in both length and width. He’s rather self conscious of it, seeing how the media portrays big dicks as the most desirable. Sometimes he even thinks of getting a piercing to “add a little something extra to it”, but is too chicken to actually go through with it. Eventually he learns it’s not the size of the boat that matters, but the motion of the ocean 🌊

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Soda’s unbelievably thirsty, it’s on his mind a lot, to a point it’ll sometimes get in the way of work. So once he gets a sexual partner, the first few months he’s gonna be pretty damn desperate for some fucc. He settles down eventually, but he can still get in the mood pretty easily, and will very rarely turn down an offer.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Once the sexy times are over, he’s out like a light. With the combination of his job, his anxiety and the strenuous task of love making, it really tires the poor guy out.

🌸🌸🌸

And there you have it! My first post on here WHOO!

Hope you enjoyed! And if you don’t agree with any of these, that’s fine! These are just my personal headcanons!

Alphabet template

[critacademy]

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📢 Blog: https://www.critacademy.com/post/bestworlbduilingtoolfordungeonmasters

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Check out this episode!

[dani-dear]

oc profile

i wasn’t tagged to do multiple but after having fun with the other one for my Altmer boi, I decided to do one for my Lady Inquisitor 💖 feel free to also steal this template from me and @ me in it to say I tagged u sdjfjsdfj

GENERAL

name: Ranya Trevelyan alias[es]: Red Jenny post-Trespasser gender: female age: about 32 years birthdate: about 9:09 Dragon (or 9:9, however they would write that dfgdfg) place of birth: one of the Trevelyan estates at Ostwick. hometown: Ostwick lol. it is a City-State. or if asked, she would also reply with "Faxhold", the Circle Tower. spoken language[s]: common. sexual preference: bisexual occupation: Inquisitor, even post-Trespasser. She decides on keeping the Inquisition together, despite the risks.

APPEARANCE

eye color: dark brown hair color: black height: (roughly) 5'9"/175.26 cm, i headcanon that she's probly around the same height as Blackwall. scars: she's got one on her right cheek from a childhood accident which led her to finding out she is a mage

FAVORITE

color: deep shades of red and burgundy and maroon and plum purple. and gold. and some cool shades of green. hair color: she does nothing to it, color-wise. song: all of them...?? if we go with anything by Maryden, probably “Once We Were” food: a lightly or well-seasoned boiled chicken with cooked carrots and scallions, which she will then dump salt onto. fruits of all kinds, drink: any white wines. and tea probly.

HAVE THEY

passed university: idk if it's the same but she was a p good student at the Circle tower. had sex: yes had sex in public: yes??? i guess??? if ur stuck in a Circle Tower with not much privacy. gotten pregnant: no kissed a boy: yes kissed a girl: yes gotten tattoos: no (in her earlier iterations she used to have armband tattoos but i don't think it fits her character anymore lol) gotten piercings: no been in love: yes stayed up for more than 24 hours: yes, probly a few times studying at the Circle tower and a few times during the events of Inquisition.

ARE THEY

a virgin: no a cuddler: ye a kisser: ye scared easily: kinda??? jealous easily: ye kinda dominant: nah submissive: yes in love: yes c: single: no C:

RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves: no thought of suicide: no, though she had sometimes thought it was better she didn't exist at all attempted suicide: no wanted to kill someone: yes have / had a job: yes, if u count being Inquisitor. prior to that, nothing other than “mage” sdvsdv have any fears: her family pinning the blame on her for any grievances (like her older brother dying at the Conclave). losing loved ones. spiders. the idea of becoming tranquil.

FAMILY

sibling[s]: she has 5 siblings. Lowen the eldest, next to become the head of the household. Zandra the 2nd kid, a Templar and a pious killjoy. Austell the 3rd kid, a member of the Chantry and also a pious killjoy. Locryn the 4th kid, a Templar and all-around chill dude. Laurette the 6th kid, the baby of the family (even tho she's like 29) and also chill. Ranya gets along best with Lowen, Locryn, and Laurette. Her relationship with Zandra can get complicated but they care for each other deeply. And Austell is like, a dick. Locryn and Zandra had some strings pulled to be stationed at Ranya's Circle. parent[s]: Rosalyn (mother) and Anatole (father), both alive. The relationship's a bit strained, as they weren't exactly thrilled to have a mage child. Ranya's relationship with her father gradually got better with time, but her mother is a different story. Sometimes they get along, but otherwise they disagree too much. And it only got worse when Locryn died at the Conclave explosion. children: none significant other: @illrae and i were workin on makin a Vashoth lady for her to fall in love with named Phaidra sdgdfg BUT OTHERWISE, IT'S BLACKWALL. it used to be C*llen until his VA became big cringe. pets: no, but she's down for one or two ;-; why does cullen have to get the fucken mabari sdfdgdg I WANT ONE..... tho perhaps Ranya would be better off with a kitty omg

[csharp-official]

I haven't really wanted to write down a comprehensive argument because this is something that could take literal days and I don't really feel like investing this much time into a Tumblr post, especially when general arguments have been done ages ago. (this page was made before "Modern C++", but "Modern C++" did not fix those issues.)

What I consider a fundamental problem of C++ is that the C++ developers will heroically fight against problems non-existent in any other programming language.

I have been using "Modern C++", in fact my experience with using it was what convinced me that this language is truly unsalvageable.

For every new language feature they introduced two new pitfalls to fall in

"uniform initialization syntax" will prefer initializer_list constructor, making some constructors impossible to call

initializer_list is incompatible with move-only types

"random_engine" can legally return non-random data

unordered_map is hilariously inefficient because the specification of the interface (the bucket garbage) forces it into using an inefficient implementation

regexes do not support unicode making them useless in 2024

in fact, lack of even most rudimentary UTF-8 support: (introduced in C++11) (deprecated in C++17) (removed in C++26) speaks for itself. "The reason for removal is that this feature no longer implements the current Unicode Standard, supporting only the obsolete UCS-2 encoding." what the fuck UCS-2 was deprecated in 1996 what the committee was smoking here

the new pseudo-random number generators are great but no one thought of an easy answer to "how to create a seeded generator" and "how to get a random number from [A; B) without creating a new uniform distribution every time" making it look overengineered instead

even if we ignore that there is still a ton of legacy code that already exists and by the time the std::optional and others became standard everyone else was making their own bespoke implementations, non-interoperable with each other (this also applies to strings, to a lower degree: QString in Qt exists because Qt is older than the built-in string type)

the extensive use of templates results in compile times taking forever because of the huge header file sizes (this one is supposed to be fixed with C++ modules but I honestly stopped holding my breath, and instead switched languages)

$ cat a.cpp #include <iostream> #include <vector> #include <tuple> #include <memory> #include <optional> #include <unordered_map> #include <variant> $ g++ a.cpp -E | wc -c 1438212

(1.4MB)

and due to how template instantiation works (this is one is not fixed by C++ modules, the upcoming experimental Carbon language went fuck it and made its own generics system from scratch because C++ templates are a clusterfuck)

I also don't really see the validity of the point about syntax highlighting, linting, debugging, and so on--these are solved problems with LSP servers and major editors

the reason why I pointed these out is because C++ syntax is FUBAR and a piece of code like, let's say

A<B> C;

is

::std::vector<std::string::iterator> a; // variable declaration

or

(a < b) > c; // useless expression that is immediately dropped

without doing so much work that it's easier to let compiler do it for you instead. The complexity of the existing code means the new features get implemented later and with more bugs over the competing languages.

we have quite powerful debuggers in gdb and lldb

gdb is absolutely terrible thanks to its own design and lldb was still not ready for its prime back when I used it (2016) and kept crashing. It's why I relied on Visual Studio's debugger instead because at least that one could reliably preview std::vector<T>'s elements without me needing to

(gdb) p *(vec._M_impl._M_start + 5)

C never made promises in the first place. Rust successfully addresses low-level development needs (in some cases at least, gcc has still wider platform support than LLVM). Java, Kotlin, Swift, C#, JavaScript, Python address high-level development needs. The niche which C++ resides at gets smaller and smaller. I do not think C++ is out to die yet, as languages never truly die but eventually the new projects stop being created in them, and I hope this will happen to C++ eventually.

I actually enjoy coding in C++ way more than python or C# even though I was told those were easier. Idk it just feels a lot simpler to understand.

[fae-leaves]

SFW Headcanon Alphabet (Louis Vincent Chauveau)

I made this a while ago without the intention of posting it, so I forgot who I stole the template from... whoops.

//

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

He’s very affectionate! Will praise you until your ego is bigger than the sun.

If you’re shorter than him he’d give you lots of gentle head pats.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

You would most likely meet at either a party or browsing the wine selection at a store.

He’s a very loyal friend and will always be there for you whenever you need him.

If you’re ever sad and need some cheering up, he’s definitely the one to turn to.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He loves cuddling

Curling up on the couch with a blanket and a warm drink, staring at the fire or a cheesy romance movie? Absolutely.

Loves cuddling with the cats, too. Any cats, really. It doesn’t matter.

If he sees you snuggled up on the bed with one of the cats, he melts and joins in as quick as he can without disturbing you.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He doesn’t mind not being in a committed relationship, he travels a lot and meets tons of new people all the time anyway.

He’s a really clean person. If he’s left alone for too long with nothing to do, the house will be absolutely spotless.

He’s banned from the kitchen. Period. Full stop. End of story.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He’d ask to meet with you somewhere, preferably where you could have some privacy.

Louis would be super gentle about it and wouldn’t yell or scream, even if you were yelling at him.

He’d probably still want to be friends, but would obviously understand if you didn’t want that.

He’d give you space and be patient with you, and if you ever wanted to talk about it more he’d be open for that.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Due to his past, Louis has a hard time with committed relationships. On one hand, he’s too afraid that he’d hurt you or worse, but on the other he gets attached to people quickly and doesn’t want to leave you.

In the end, he’s fine either way. He just wouldn’t want to be with someone he isn’t 100% sure he’s in love with.

He wouldn’t want to get married/ propose quickly. He’s heard far too many stories about couples getting engaged/ married too quick and then realizing too late that their partner wasn’t exactly what they thought. Give it a few years.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Physically, he’s pretty darn gentle. After years and years of softly petting animals and playing piano in his free time, he’s trained himself to be as gentle as possible.H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Surprisingly, even though he tends to be a bit handsy, he’s not really one for hugs unless he knows the person.

When he does hug someone it's usually quick, unless he’s close with them.

If he’s close with you then get ready cuz he might not let you go for a while.

Hugs from Louis are warm and make you feel safe, and the scent of his expensive cologne, fine wine, and dark chocolate make it that much better.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It takes him a while to say it, due to his past.

He’s scared that if he says it too soon, you’ll leave him or he’ll jinx it and the relationship will turn out bad…

You would end up saying it first, and after a while he’d feel ready to confidently say it back.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Louis doesn’t get jealous very often. He understands that you have your own life and separate relationships.

If you were in a committed relationship, though, and someone was getting a bit too close to you for his liking, he’d stand right next to you and wrap his arms around you, give you gentle kisses, and mutter sweet nothings to you, all while staring the other person dead in the eye.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

He’s a great kisser. He’s had lots of practice, after all~

His favorite places to kiss you (other than your lips, of course) would be your eyes and your forehead.

His favorite place to be kissed is his neck (kinky little f*ck)

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He wouldn’t really want any kids of his own, they’re too messy…

But he does love kids, and kids seem to love him, too!

He’d be great at telling dramatic stories to entertain them, and could always find a way to cheer up a sad little kiddo.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

That really depends on the events of the previous night…

If he’s hungover, you’d probably have to comfort him as he transformed into a blanket burrito and tried to sleep off his pounding headache.

Normally, though, Louis would hold you close and give you gentle kisses, rubbing your back and speaking softly.

He tends to wake up early, so he’d probably watch you sleep for a while.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights with Louis are always amazing.

He’d love to lay out in the garden with a bottle of wine (or perhaps two) and stargaze.

If you wanted something more fast pace, he probably knows of a party or club the two of you could go to.

If you wanted something more calm and loving, cuddles on the couch or a “sleepover” on the livingroom floor while watching all sorts of movies.

If you were looking for something… spicy… Louis would be happy to provide there, too ;)

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Some things he’d be open about, but others it would take a long time with lots of trust for him to reveal.

He would definitely open up slowly, too scared that certain events from his life would put you off.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

That depends on the person and the subject, but usually he’s pretty chill.

The only thing that would definitely piss him off 100% of the time is cockatoos.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He tries his best to remember every little detail about you, and usually succeeds.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

It’s hard for him to choose!

The moment you met, your first kiss, when you both said “I love you” for the first time, spending quiet nights in the dark with you, dinner by candlelight…

And if you decide to get married and/ or have (a) kid(s)?

He loves everything about you, so it’s impossible for him to pick just one moment to be his favorite.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

If Louis thinks you can take care of yourself, he likely won’t bother you by being overly protective.

If there’s ever a situation, however, where he feels you need saving, he won’t hesitate to step in and get you out of the situation.

Since he tends to deprive himself of blood like an idiot, he’ll make sure to stay away from everyone and completely isolate himself until he gets himself back under control.

He’d trust that you’d keep any secrets he tells you, and that you not tell a soul that he’s a vampire.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Oh boy

This man has more money than he knows what to do with, so obviously he’d spend it all on you! (And wine and fancy clothes and cleaning supplies and chocolate and cat stuff, but we don’t talk about that)

He’d go all out on dates. A fancy restaurant, roses, fine wine, stargazing, anything you could want!

He probably wouldn’t buy you too many gifts on his own, but if you asked for something there’s a pretty darn good chance you’ll get it.

If you thought a date with Louis was great, wait for your anniversary…

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Louis worries a lot… like… a lot.

He’s scared that if he does even the littlest thing wrong, you’ll leave him

He’s also worried that he’ll hurt you, physically and/ or emotionally, without intending to

Because of this, he can sometimes forget to care for himself, only focussing on you

He doesn’t sleep as much as he should, which leaves him tired and drained. It doesn’t help that he’s good at covering it up, either.

Possibly the worst of all his bad habits is the fact that he doesn’t drink enough blood.

He absolutely hates that he has to potentially harm others just to survive, and even though the blood he gets is collected in a completely safe and harmless way, he still has a hard time getting it down.

Not getting enough blood makes him irritable, cranky, and tired, not to mention the physical toll it has on him.

He bottles up his feelings a lot, not wanting to be a burden on others

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

You will never, EVER, see Louis NOT looking fabulous.

He takes every chance he gets to glance at his reflection in the mirror, just to make sure he still looks flawless.

Yes, he does take over an hour to get ready every morning, thank you for asking.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

If he was truly in love with you, then yes, absolutely.

However, Louis has felt enough rejection and loss in his long life to be able to get over things much quicker than you’d expect.

If it was just a matter of not seeing you for a few days or even a few hours, then yes. No questioning it.

If you have to be separated for an extended period of time, you better be ready for at least a phone call a day, just so he can hear your voice, and a few texts every hour, just to check in on you.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Louis hates cockatoos. He was once cursed out by one of the little devils unprovoked, and everyone around laughed at him. He was humiliated by a bird, and here he was thinking his love for our feathery friends was mutual…

His two favorite animals are birds and cats.

Louis doesn’t really like playing piano, but he was forced to learn growing up, and it’s a way to pass the time and possibly impress his partner, sooo…

He hates that since he was born a full blooded vampire, he can’t be cured and has to drink the blood of others just to stay alive.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He doesn’t like super sweet tasting things.

Cockatoos, but we’ve already been over this.

He doesn’t like people who act they’re better than everyone else. Even though he cares a lot about his appearance and social class, he’s aware that not many are fortunate enough to have a good life, and wouldn’t ever judge someone based on their appearance/ social status. Most of the time he ends up finding the less fortunate in life a lot more interesting than those who’ve had everything handed to them on a silver platter.

He also hates other vampires that intentionally harm humans or just others in general to get blood, especially if they can be cured of their vampirism.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Sleep? Who’s she?

He really doesn’t get enough sleep… usually it’s only 4-5 hours, not consecutive.

When is asleep though, he’s sprawled out over the whole bed, softly snoring, laying on his stomach with his face in the pillows.

He looks incredibly calm and at rest when he’s asleep.

He’s unfortunately a very light sleeper, but loves to pretend to be sleeping if he wakes up to you petting his hair or snuggling against him~

[incorrect-nozaki-kun]

NSFW Alphabet Headcanons: Hori Masayuki

As the winner of the simp poll the first totally nsfw post on this blog goes to short king himself Hori. If y’all want this for the rest of the characters let me know Original template by @fairy-tail-babes​ ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+ IN THESE SITUATIONS

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

You can’t convince me Hori ISN’T the king of aftercare. Need water? He’ll get it. Food? Sure hang on. Just wanna chill? He’s down

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

I mean we know he’s a legs guy and that probably means he’s more of an ass man too but definitely legs are his thing

On himself he likes his hands. He may not be tall but he’s good with his hands I’m sorry I had to

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

I mean man runs on like, red bull and spite so he’s not gonna taste great I’m gonna be real here but it’s not super watery or messy so it’s okay

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Everyone thinks he wouldn’t want his partner to wear shoes that make them taller bc he’s already pretty short but like he’s got a thing for heels. Gender doesn't matter he likes his partners in heels...and just heels

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

By college I think people have TRIED to get with him but I’m gonna be real mans has no firsthand experience he’s a romantic at heart

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Hori likes to be on top. If he isn’t on top he’s still in control so any position that allows him control he’s happy

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

I mean Hori’s capable of having fun and goofing off so I don't think he’s completely stoic and serious he’ll smile and joke occasionally but mostly he's in the moment not trying to make jokes

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

He really can’t be assed to actively groom it but he’ll clean it up if it’s getting too wild

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

I think it depends on how he’s feeling that day. Sometimes he’s very sweet and romantic and sometimes he just needs to let off some steam you know?

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

The man has no time to himself he doesn’t really have the time to enjoy himself alone. When he does though it’s 100% in the shower where he can relax.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

...can we all agree that Hori is the kinkiest of all the squad?

Hori is a dom. Not an intense one but he likes to be in control you know? Lowkey bc of the height thing but mostly just his personality

He’s also into hair pulling idk why I just know he is

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Storage closet next question

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Legs

He’s also a sucker for big shiny/pretty eyes

His partner deadass just has to ask he’s not like constantly horny but he’s down to go pretty much any time he can turn it on and off almost at will

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He’s not gonna be mean to his partner

He knows its a kink and some people enjoy it but he’s really just not gonna insult his partner or hurt them he’s like “the point is to feel good why do you want to be in pain”

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Hori’s better with his hands but he can gets the job done regarding oral and will do so if his partner asks

100% prefers receiving he’s that asshole that puts his hands behind his head and relaxes

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

As much as Hori is kind of a tease/a little shit regarding sex he’ll usually go slow but with hard thrusts

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Exception to the above is quickies which he loves

He’s that guy who will pull his partner into a closet or something, hook up, then leave the closet looking completely put together while his partner looks like a tornado hit them

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

He likes stuff that feels like a risk but really isn't TOO much

Like he’s not gonna bang on a public train but he’ll give his partner oral in a bathroom stall you know?

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Man has pretty okay stamina he’ll go for a couple rounds but they’re LONG rounds

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t personally own any but if his partner hands him one to use he is 100% down

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Lmao so much Hori is a massive tease it’s the power trip he loves it

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He isn't super loud mostly just heavy breathing but his moans are probably really nice to listen to when he does get close to finishing

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

When Hori get’s drunk and he’s single he WILL hit on everything and everyone and then leave to go home alone bc he likes flirting but doesn’t actually wanna hook up with a stranger and it is HILARIOUS to watch

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Not that long but thicc™ and he knows how to use it

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

I like to think he’s constantly at 50/50. Like he could go either way unless it’s really been a while. if his partner wants to fuck he’s cool. If they don't that's also cool he’s got other shit to do

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Not that tired unless it’s been an intense round but he usually just needs a breather than he’s down to do other stuff

[douchebagbrainwaves]

OK, I'LL TELL YOU YOU ABOUT FEATURE

They seemed to have lost their virginity at an average of about 14 and by college had tried more drugs than I'd even heard of. From their point of view, as big company executives, they were less able to start a company, it doesn't seem as if Larry and Sergey seem to have felt the same before they started Google, and so far there are few outside the US, because they don't have layers of bureaucracy to slow them down. It meant that a the only way to get rich.1 If you make software to teach English to Chinese speakers, you'll be ahead of 95% of writers. We arrive at adulthood with heads full of lies.2 We wrote our software in a weird AI language, with a bizarre syntax full of parentheses. That's an extreme example, of course, that you needed $20,000 in capital to incorporate.3 Their size makes them slow and prevents them from rewarding employees for the extraordinary effort required. Doing what you love in your spare time.4 Young professionals were paying their dues, working their way up the hierarchy. By giving him something he wants in return.

Once they saw that new BMW 325i, they wanted one too.5 If you simply manage to write in spoken language. Languages less powerful than Blub are obviously less powerful, because they're missing some feature he's used to. The kind of people you find in Cambridge are not there by accident.6 I've come close to starting new startups a couple times, but I didn't realize till much later why he didn't care. We'd interview people from MIT or Harvard or Stanford must be smart. Indians in the current Silicon Valley are all too aware of the shortcomings of the INS, but there's little they can do about it. When you're too weak to lift something, you can always make money from such investments.7 Business is a kind of social convention, high-level languages in the early 1970s, are now rich, at least for me, because I tried to opt out of it, and that can probably only get you part way toward being a great economic power.8 It must have seemed a safe move at the time. At the end of the summer.9

It's not merely that you need a scalable idea to grow.10 How much stock should you give him? Users love a site that's constantly improving. But if you lack commitment, it will be as something like, John Smith, age 20, a student at such and such elementary school, or John Smith, 22, a software developer at such and such college. There are two things different here from the usual confidence-building exercise.11 But it means if you made a serious effort. Bill Gates out of the third world.12 What's going on? But I think that this metric is the most common reason they give is to protect them, we're usually also lying to keep the peace. The kind of people you find in Cambridge are not there by accident.13

Frankly, it surprises me how small a role patents play in the software business, startups beat established companies by transcending them. The problem is that the cycle is slow. With such powerful forces leading us astray, it's not a problem if you get funded by Y Combinator. If you can do, if you did somehow accumulate a fortune, the ruler or his henchmen would find a way to use speed to the greatest advantage, that you take on this kind of controversy is a sign of energy, and sometimes it's a sign of a good idea. Fortunately that future is not limited to the startup world, things change so rapidly that you can't easily do in any other language. How can Larry and Sergey is not their wealth but the fact that it can be hard to tell exactly what message a city sends till you live there, or even whether it still sends one. They build Writely.14 I'm not sure that will happen, but it's the truth. Stanford students are more entrepreneurial than Yale students, but not because of some difference in their characters; the Yale students just have fewer examples.

And whatever you think of a startup. In the US things are more haphazard. I see a couple things on the list because he was one of the symptoms of bad judgement is believing you have good judgement. There are a couple catches. Instead of being positive, I'm going to use TCP/IP just because everyone else does.15 Being profitable, for example, or at the more bogus end of the race slowing down. An example of a job someone had to do.16 But actually being good. There are a lot of people were there during conventional office hours.17

I'll tell you about one of the most surprising things we've learned is how little it matters where people went to college.18 In Lisp, these programs are called macros. That's where the upper-middle class convention that you're supposed to work on it. And since most of what big companies do their best thinking when they wake up on Sunday morning and go downstairs in their bathrobe to make a conscious effort to keep your ideas about what you should do is start one.19 The most powerful wind is users. We're just finally able to measure it. And not only did everyone get the same yield. VCs need to invest in startups, at least by legal standards. Ten years ago, writing applications meant writing applications in C. If you have to operate on ridiculously incomplete information.

Notes

Foster, Richard Florida told me about several valuable sources. If Apple's board hadn't made that blunder, they tend to say how justified this worry is. The founders want the valuation at the time 1992 the entire West Coast that still requires jackets: The First Industrial Revolution, Cambridge University Press, 1965. Yes, there would be enough to be a win to include things in shows is basically zero.

Different kinds of startups that has become part of your mind what's the right mindset you will fail.

But although I started using it out of loyalty to the founders' salaries to the traditional peasant's diet: they had first claim on the one hand they take away with the earlier stage startups, just monopolies they create rather than admitting he preferred to call them whitelists because it reads as a kid, this is the notoriously corrupt relationship between the government. As the name Homer, to mean starting a business, A. The Department of English Studies. Yes, strictly speaking, you're pretty well protected against such tricks initially.

There are also the 11% most susceptible to charisma. Every language probably has a word meaning how one feels when that partner re-tells it to profitability on a road there are no longer needed, big companies to say that YC's most successful startups of all the page-generating templates are still expensive to start over from scratch, rather than ones they capture.

There are two simplifying assumptions: that the Internet, and judge them based on revenues of 1. If the company goes public. This is one resource patent trolls need: lawyers. When that happens.

The only launches I remember are famous flops like the bizarre consequences of this type of proficiency test any apprentice might have 20 affinities by this, though more polite, was starting an outdoor portal. The Duty of Genius, Penguin, 1991, p. The danger is that in practice signalling hasn't been much of observed behavior. When I say in principle is that intelligence doesn't matter in startups tend to be when I was genuinely worried that Airbnb, for example, the startup after you buy it despite having no evidence it's for sale.

Another thing I learned from this experiment: set aside an option pool. So if they don't want to start a startup in question usually is doing badly in your country controlled by the government. But in a company grew at 1% a week for 4 years.

We added two more investors. The reason this subject is so hard to imagine how an investor, and that often doesn't know its own momentum. We think. I'm talking here about everyday tagging.

They thought most programming would be possible to bring corporate bonds to market faster; the point of a large organization that often creates a rationalization for doing so much to generalize.

Many people feel good. So instead of being interrupted deters hackers from starting hard projects. The idea is that it was overvalued till you see them, initially, were ways to make your fortune? In fact the decade preceding the war.

One father told me about a form that would appeal to investors.

Some graffiti is quite impressive anything becomes art if you tell them to justify choices inaction in particular took bribery to the traditional peasant's diet: they hoped they were only partly joking. If a big angel like Ron Conway had angel funds starting in the first phase. You're going to create one of those you can eliminate, do not try too hard at fixing bugs—which, if they stopped causing so much from day to day indeed, is due to the table.

The hardest kind of gestures you use the wrong ISP. But they've been trained to expect the second component is empty—an idea is stone soup: you post a sign saying this cupboard must be kept empty. The two guys were Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston. I have set up grant programs to run an online service, and they were, they'd be called unfair.

My work represents an exploration of gender and sexuality in an era of such high taxes?

So the most visible index of that, in one of the markets they serve, because she liked the iPhone SDK. For example, because a it's too hard to pick the former, because it is.

If you ask that you're small and traditional proprietors on the side of the junk bond business by Michael Milken; a new airport.

The biggest exits are the only audience for your side project. You're not one of their portfolio companies. He did eventually graduate at about 26.

A lot of time on schleps, but he doesn't remember which.

When I talk about startups. It's also one of the statistics they use the wrong algorithm for generating their frontpage. The reason Y Combinator only got 38 cents on the other: the source of food.

[coolmarriagerecords]

On Chronophage

By Zachary Lipez

https://zacharylipez.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-mekons-chronophage-and

Chronophage are a band from Texas. They have been around for three years. Chronophage consists of Parker Allen (they/them) guitar and vox, Sarah Beames (she/her) bass and vox, and Cody Phifer (he/him) drums. For the new record, Parker’s brother, Casey Allen (he/him) plays synth. That’s all I know about Chronophage. The internet shows no interviews and, besides punk zines I don’t own (and presumably critics on Terminal-Boredom forums), the music press outside of Austin has ignored them. I first heard about the band from MaximumRnR, which listed their debut, Prolog for Tomorrow, released in December of 2018, as one of the best albums of 2019 (you can do stuff like that when you’re a revered punk zine). Because MRR is famously *cough* averse to cover any band that even flirts with problematicism, I don’t have to worry about my ignorance of Chronophage’s individual members potentially allowing me to big up fascists. Maybe it’ll turn out they’re Maoists (an ideology MRR is less worried about) but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when/if we come to it. Anyway, I had never even heard of Chronophage (a small miracle unto itself considering the underground’s ready access to publicists and music writers- such as myself- who love few things more than being the first to “discover” a band.). But, even while my sense of aural adventure is a bit rusty since the days of having to risk $8.99 on albums based solely on cover art and/or vibes in the air, I just knew Prolog for Tomorrow was going to scratch an itch. Maybe not an immediate itch but, when you keep as many itches on file as I do, you can afford to trust your instincts. Especially when those instincts have already been validated by some punk weirdo in Oakland who’s probably still mad at the Go-Go’s for firing Margot Olavarria fifteen years before they were born. My instincts served me well because that hypothetical punk weirdo was right! (About both things.)

I’m not sure how to describe Chronophage. I’m not a major fan of the comparisons, to Swell Maps or the Messthetics comps, that the punks made. I don’t dislike either point of reference but knowing Chronophage supposedly sounds like both doesn’t affect how I hear the band. Prolog for Tomorrow’s inner sleeve art has “Curse of Chronophage” scrawled, which may be a reference to The Curse of The Mekons. Or maybe not. I’m trying not to project my bullshit on the band. Matter of fact, Chronophage don’t sound anything like the honky-tonkin’-Mekons. Not because Chronophage aren’t honkys tonkin’ but because, historically speaking, American bands aren’t as hung up on sounding American as English bands are. The album art for Prolog is reminiscent of much of the (actually) cut and (actually) pasted Pavementisms of the ‘90s, which in turn was lifted directly from The Fall and all that band’s adherents. Like early Pavement and The Fall, Chronophage are full of hooks, some overt and many buried under transient skronk. But, unlike all the obscurist indie Chronophage shares a typewriter with, the basic template on the album, if there’s one at all, is “folk punk.” I suppose? At least the sense of that genre is present, if dependent on an expansive notion of both “folk” and “punk.” Minus any busking grotesqueries in the “Wagon Wheel” vein, there’s the strum and twang of barely distorted guitars, every string visible in the mind’s eye, maybe in need of tuning or maybe just playing those jazz chords I hear so much about at music critic parties. While only three musicians play on Prolog, horns and keys go in and out of the songs like a C Squat marching band showing up to support the potluck. Adding to the offhand spontaneity of the proceedings, there’s intermittent cowpoke yowlings, some very live sounding drums, and at least one poetry reading. There’s a real anarchist house party vibe but just when it feels like Chronophage are going to lose their train of thought or, worse, ask to borrow the touring band’s kick drum pedal, another fragile and plaintive power pop chorus arrives in time to keep me from retreating to the kitchen to bum beer off strangers.

If we’re going to (re)subscribe to my initial thesis that there are certain sounds made by certain bands that provide a messily alluring alternative to the pat and disingenuous cleanliness of overculture, therefore making a prickly honesty worth striving for (even if that striving lends itself to either self delusion or a romanticizing of failure), then Chronophage are what we’re talking about. Even if on their new album, The Pig Kiss’d (out on November 23), they kind of fuck a significant amount of my thesis over by showing that they do, in fact, know what they’re doing. Whatever. I deserve it. The whole mythology around The Mekons as a band finding dignity in the face of drunken ineptitude was a fib. While not having the chops of The Texas Playboys, and certainly often drunk, The Mekons, by the mid-’80s, were writing and performing songs as subtle and dynamic as any non-boring rock and roll, not to mention post-punk, band could aspire to. Because perfection is so oppressive, its absence will always be its own inherent virtue. But even better than not being able to play your instruments is being able to play them real pretty, but throwing some ugly in anyway. Just to show all the aesthetic bible thumpers that heaven isn’t always the hot shit it purports to be.  

The Pig Kiss’d is a sharper, more streamlined, proposition than Chronophages’s first record. The guitars, thankfully still mainly free of any distortion mush, ring out as cohesive riffs. Even while the lite-funk chunka-chunkas still occasionally approximate Desperate Bicycles covering Steely Dan (an under-appreciated subculture band influence… a lot of people don’t know that Big Black’s name was short for “Big Black Cow”), and the snare underpinning gives them a decidedly peace punk punchiness, the riffs now transform into razor-like, no wave leads instead of the decays into noise (or just silence) prevalent on Prolog. While the previous album positioned voices as hesitant souls in conversation, Chronophage’s dual singing is now consistently commanding. Not to say that either Allen or Beames are preoccupied with auditioning for American Idle anytime soon, but they both have cool, heavy-on-personality punk voices, ranging from conversating chill to accusatory growl, which the mix now accentuates. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t miss the feeling of a sinking ship, barely kept afloat by the bodies of oogles under the hull, but I’m also glad for a recording that doesn’t sound like the studio engineer is holding a personal grudge against the drummer. Of course, in no longer sounding a mess, Chronophage runs the risk of just sounding like, you know, a rock band. Of which there are plenty. Luckily this ain’t the case. The desperate, weird energy of Prolog for Tomorrow is still abundant. It’s just put in the service of songcraft more than ADD-infused mood. If there’s a newfound, almost psych, expansiveness in the songwriting, it’s a psych fueled by strychnine over any slouching towards bliss. And when the songwriting contracts, we get instant classics like the album closer, “Name Story,” which could be an undiscovered New Model Army a-side. So much does “Name Story” sound like a lost hit that I had to write the band and ask if it was a cover. (They responded that the aim was to sound like New Order… which is amazing.) Still, by contemporary indie standards, Chronophage sound like countrified First Wave of Black Metal-ers running through the American songbook. By contemporary post-punk standards, which can be applied now that New Order are on the table, Chronophage don’t sound contemporary at all. They sound out of the timeline; Richard Lloyd skipping post-punk entirely to jump headfirst into college rock, making that nerd rock hip, and vice versa. Lightning striking itself. In the face. Repeatedly. And by folk punk standards, if we’re bothering to still apply it, Chronophage continue to sound like the only true freaks in a field of future beer reps.Like I said, I don’t know much about Chronophage. While writing this, I exchanged emails with Parker but, preferring the mystery, I only asked about pronouns and whatnot. Maybe they’re apolitical. Maybe they are Maoists. Maybe they’re neither but still find my chronic naysaying abhorrent and dull. For all I know, they all campaigned hard for Pete Buttigieg and all the proceeds from The Pig Kiss’d are going towards having Chronophage Brand hostile architecture benches placed near the homeless encampments in Austin. Guess we won’t know for sure till the album comes out. But this feels like opposition music, and, more importantly (to me) it feels like music that speaks to a refusal to simply be grateful for the crumbs handed to us. Nit picking, as it were. If not exactly “dignity in the face of drunken ineptitude” then, in the face of endless war and empire and an oligarchal insistence to smile more, Chronophage make a sound that- equal parts sweet fury and sweaty sweetness and spilling over with a feisty, chaotic grace- approaches dignity. If the next few years are great, then great. We can play Chronophage at the cookout we’re all invited to. And if the next four years are instead a happy faced atrocity exhibition, at best a grinding exercise in defending cops, creeps, and landlords for the sole reason of the other side’s cops and creeps and landlords being so much worse? Then Chronophage’s sound will prove to be the kind of correct that’s too sloppy to be smug. Even under austerity, the anarcho-freak punx got bops. So even as COVID, the ice caps, or capital’s poptimist truncheon bear down on us, threatening to tickles our little chins, let us, at least, enjoy this thing.

https://zacharylipez.substack.com/p/notes-on-the-mekons-chronophage-and

* The cassette version of Th’Pig’Kiss’d Album will be available soon on Cool Marriage. Check this blog for updates. 

[trainsinanime]

Red Web Mystery Reviews

Red Web is a podcast by Rooster Teeth featuring two guys from that whole Achievement Hunter thing that I can never tell apart (but you don’t need to know anything about this) about unsolved mysteries that often but not always have something to do with the internet. Let’s review the episodes out so far, because… well, no reason, honestly, I just wanted to.

Lake City Quiet Pills

Based on their information presented here, this whole thing and their explanation for it seem plausible enough. You have to assume that this group of apparently assassins is kind of bad at operational security, but there’s actually a lot of cases where big criminals got exposed because they used the same URL or E-mail address or similar.

Satoshi Nakamoto

I already knew about this beforehand, and I would say they did a good job explaining it. Personally, I think they should have gone into a bit more of how much a shit-show the whole Newsweek Dorian Nakamoto thing was; in short, there was no reason to believe this person had anything to do with Bitcoin, he didn’t even speak good english (which is probably what caused some of the misunderstandings), and it was both a huge embarrassment for Newsweek (at least I hope they felt embarrassed) and they needlessly hounded a completely uninvolved person for this.

But then they get into new evidence, and we see a problem that I think is a bit systematic: They don’t really go into how trustworthy the evidence is. Specifically, they say that the one person who can cast light on this might be… John McAfee. Fucking John McAfee. Seriously, that guy?

For context: John McAfee did indeed create the antivirus company that still bears his name. But he sold it in the 1990s, and thanks to money and drugs, he’s just gotten plain crazy ever since. There was the whole thing where he was implicated in a murder in Belize a couple of years ago; he kept blogging from a jail in Guatemala, later returned to the US, and keeps being part of outlandish schemes (including two presidential runs, though he failed to get the nomination for libertarian candidate both 2016 and 2020), controversies, and supposedly super-awesome tech startups that never go anywhere. It makes perfect sense that he’d claim to be involved in the creation of Bitcoin. It makes no sense whatsoever to believe him. If you’re interested and have way too much time, read what El Reg has to say about him.

Mortis

Oh god. This one makes me both want to laugh and cry. Mostly laugh, to be honest, because it is such an obvious nothing burger, but also weep for the internet that was.

The story is that they found a participant in an early internet warez network who wasn’t that great at OpSec. This is only fully revealed at the end, and they don’t even seem to have noticed that this case is clearly and completely solved.

Most of the humour for me comes from the fact that they’re rediscovering the old pre-social web, and are convinced that it’s all weird and nefarious. Why would one person register websites for their interests, and then never do anything with them? Because that’s what the internet was like back then in the late 1990s and early 2000s! Hey, look, here’s my ugly special-interest website from that era that hasn’t been updated in years and isn’t going to be updated any time soon either. That’s just what was normal back then. Same with a website for every person, or trying to do your own garage sales via your website. That was the thing to do back then. And yes, obviously it sucked and didn’t work very well.

They even realise that this is what „might“ have been going on, and theorise about this hypothetical early web. „Maybe if there was some website that linked all these together and allowed you to search“ - yeah, those existed. Digg and Technorati and Del.icio.us, remember those? All bought by Yahoo and promptly forgotten. And to be fair, they never worked as well as real social networks did.

But back then we had this glorious freedom. No sudden porn bans like here on Tumblr; no need to match any predefined template for what posts are, no user tracking by Facebook, nobody telling you that you’re tagging your posts wrong…

It’s understandable why we lost that web. Linking together is much easier if all content is owned and controlled by like four companies. It also makes it much easier to set up a new account; setting up a new website is just a lot of pain and knowledge you have to have that you don’t necessarily want to have.

But now we live in our monocultures and must live with whatever content decisions our corporate overlords make and then sell us as „community standards“, and the wild and weird web that we used to have is only a memory. And sometimes not even that; sometimes these new young kids treat it as a „weird nefarious mystery“. Actually, I just looked it up, and Alfredo and Trevor are both around 30, just a few years younger than I am. They were alive for at least the tail end if this. These guys could have known this shit!

So, yeah, the story here is not the mystery; it’s a lament for the web we lost.

D.B. Cooper

Again one I already knew, and I think they gave a good overview. Personally I’m in the camp of people who assume that he failed to make a safe landing.

Happy Valley Dream Survey

This seems vaguely interesting. One thing that kind of annoys me about this podcast is that they (well mostly Alfredo) generally assume that everything strange is necessarily nefarious, without any evidence. The whole thing here leads nowhere, after all.

Lead Masks Case

Again, I’m not sure how much weight to put on the other evidence they listed, especially that whole supposed UFO sighting. Yes, that one woman may have been very respected in her community and/or had a high social status, whatever that means. But the thing is that rich people who are super-involved in their church community or whatever can still (through no fault of their own) be unreliable witnesses and invent things that weren’t there, or not the way they were described.

Cicada 3301 (parts 1 and 2)

Personally I find this one less interesting because it’s not a mystery, it’s a riddle, and that’s way less fun. Much of the circumstances are weird enough, I guess.

What confuses me the most about this is how it’s supposed to be a recruitment tool, but it doesn’t seem to be very good at that. A lot of the steps don’t really seem to be that difficult and require just some fairly standard hacker skills. This is similar to the Satashi Nakamoto case, where one hint was „knows C++ programming“. Lots of people know that, and it’s something you can totally teach yourself. And if the people who were recruited through this were really supposed to program software, well… why did no part of this test whether they could do so? That’s a whole different skill. My conclusion is that this Cicada group is either a long con or a group that is nowhere near as smart as it thinks it is.

One thing to note here: They just casually assume that the FBI and NSA and so on are monitoring the whole internet, in real time, all the time. Which is true, we know that thanks to Edward Snowden. Isn’t that much more nefarious than any of the other mysteries here put together? How did we get to a place where Americans both think „this is the country that has all the freedom“ and „if you say or search for the wrong things you’ll get put on a government watchlist that’s just normal“ at the same time? Pervasive monitoring of a population is pretty much the exact opposite of freedom, but apparently we all in the western world just take it in stride anyway. That’s nothing to do with this podcast, though.

Conclusion

Generally okay podcast. The hosts are good storytellers, even if the stories are sometimes a bit shaky. It is at least at no point overly gross or insultingly stupid (unlike the official Rooster Teeth Podcast, which is both). So I think I can recommend it if you need something, anything to fill the quiet, and you’re already out of episodes of Black Box Down.

[elenaalexiou351]

Week 8: Digital Health - Body Modification and Cosmetic Surgery on Social Media

Today's blog post is on Digital Health Campaigns, focusing in on body modification and cosmetic surgery on visual social media. While last week's post was about how the positive influence of Instagram and bettering the environment with slow fashion, this week is all about the negative impact social media can have on body image.

The most popular visual social media platform we all know and love, is Instagram. If you're an avid Instagram user like myself, you would know all about the 'ideal' body image that is plastered on most users feeds or explore pages. It looks something like this…

Image source: all taken directly from Instagram profiles (@tammyhembrow, @kimkardashian, @kyliejenner)

This 'ideal' body image on Instagram is an unrealistic take on an hourglass figure (as pictured above), as well as complete face makeovers through the use of rhinoplasties, lifts and fillers. The immense pressure felt by users, specifically young girls, to achieve this has led to a major increase in cosmetic surgery. As a visual social platform, "Instagram in particular is naturally suited to plastic surgery" (Dorfman et al. 2018, p.332) as individual seek to achieve the same look celebrities and influencers promote. There has been a major increase in cosmetic surgeries around the globe due to the rise of visual social media and the aesthetic template being projected: Forbes (2019) reported that "breast lifts had risen 57.5% from 2013-2018," and there's no denying social media played a "significant role in driving such changes." With this, pornification has become normalised in western societies, displaying sexuality to reflect the aesthetics of commercial pornography (Tyler & Quek 2016). The sexualisation of female bodies on Instagram is very apparent, as female influencers are able to "build their brand and maintain the attention of a public audience through the replication of 'porn chic' poses and gestures" (Mavroudis 2020); it all truly comes back to the old saying…sex sells. This promotion of the 'ideal' body through body modification and cosmetic surgeries is truly worrying, as the pressure placed on individuals to look like these influencers in order to be accepted and loved are immense.

Image source: Dorfman et al. 2018

On the other side of using cosmetic surgery to achieve the 'ideal' Instagram body, health campaigns on the social platform also tie into this. Where cosmetic surgery is not an entirely negative thing, health campaigns that promote 'easier' ways to achieve these body 'goals' are also quite a risk on Instagram. Influencers such as Khloe and Kim Kardashian are avid promoters of products that promote weight loss and shapewear that endorse body positivity. Khloe has been known to promote weight loss products such as 'Flat Tummy Tea,' 'Boom Bod' and 'Fit Tea' and Kim with 'waist trainers' and her new shapewear line 'Skims' are all promoting healthier and easier ways to lose weight and supposedly achieve hourglass figures, but are these really safe? Most of these products have been known to be unsafe and many have been called for the social media advertisements to be regulated, as the product that is being promoted is nothing more than a laxative disguised in aesthetically pleasing packaging. Here's what actress, activist and 'feminist-in-progress' Jameela Jamil had to say about the Instagram Health Campaign 'Flat Tummy Tea'…

Image source: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/05/09/only-4-people-trust-what-influencers-say-online

To conclude, social media's influence should never be underestimated. Body modification and cosmetic surgery is only on the rise due to the major impact of body image ideals seen on social platforms such as Instagram. With cosmetic surgery and health campaigns being two avenues marketed on social platforms as ways to achieve the 'perfect' body seen on influencers, the dangers of both to an individuals mental and physical health should be regulated.

References:

Chandler, S 2019, 'Instagram’s Filter Ban Isn’t Enough To Stop Rise In Cosmetic Surgery,' Forbes, 23 October, viewed 8 May 2020, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2019/10/23/instagrams-filter-ban-isnt-enough-to-stop-rise-in-cosmetic-surgery/#4eacccef532c>

Dorfman, R. G., Vaca, E. E., Mahmood, E., Fine, N. A. & Schierle, C. F 2018, 'Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 332-334.

Mavroudis, J 2020, 'Public Health Campaigns and Social Media Influence,' MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 6 May, viewed 8 May 2020.

Tyler, M & Quek, K 2016, 'Conceptualizing pornographication: A Lack of Clarity and Problems for Feminist Analysis,' Sexualization, Media, & Society, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1‐ 14.

[kalegc]

Is social media good for body image? Probably not.

With 3.6 billion people now using social media (Kemp, 2020), and new forms of beauty standards being created online, our perception and understanding of body image is increasingly being challenged.

Instagram has had the biggest impact in creating unhealthy beauty standards and impacting the mental health of users. A survey of 1,500 teens and young adults conducted by RSPH & Young Health Movement found that, by far, Instagram is the worst social media platform for mental health (Cramer & Inkster, 2017). To nobody’s surprise, one of the main contributors to its negative score was body image. On Instagram, there is a certain face that has been developed which is considered the most beautiful. This desired face consists of: 

Young age

Poreless skin

Plump, high cheekbones

Cat-like eyes

Long, cartoonish lashes

A small, neat nose

Full, lush lips

(Tolentino, 2019).

Source: @kendalljenner - Instagram

Of course, this is extremely unrealistic. This distinct look has also become synonymous with wealth. With the emergence of ‘Micro-celebrities’ and ‘Influencers’ one’s personal identity has now, more than ever, become a source of profit and fame. This is also being thought of a strain of feminism, one that teaches women that self-objectivation is progressive due to it being profitable (Tolentino, 2019). Therefore, many young females are undergoing plastic surgery in order to achieve this ‘perfect’ face and are justifying it as being progressive and empowering.

Source: @richparentsofinsta - Instagram

Celebrity worship has always been an unhealthy practice. Now we have an enumerable amount of celebrities to worship. Undergoing surgery in order to look like celebrities who digitally enhance their own images and have stylists, professional photographers, professional digital editors, expensive clothing and expensive make-up is simply unrealistic and unhealthy, and the rate it which this is increasing is something that requires more attention.

Social media allows worship of unhealthy beauty standards more than ever before. In fact, 42% of plastic surgeons report that their patients are seeking surgery to improve their appearance on social media (Dorfman et al. 2018, p.332), and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian West and Kylie Jenner are most frequently used as templates by patients as a desired final outcome of surgery. There’s essentially no transparency about the manipulation that has gone into posted images on social media (Wakeman, 2018), and these are the images that are forming the current standard of beauty. Instagram even had a filter that shamelessly mimicked how the user would look after plastic surgery. It even predicted the cost of each piece of work. It has since been removed after public backlash.

Source: https://www.milleworld.com/instagram-banning-plastic-surgery-filters/

The worrying thing is the fact that most internet users are aware of how common digital editing is but are still striving to achieve this standard of beauty regardless. This knowledge of frequent digital altering is proven by the fact that 68% of young people are in support of transparency on social media regarding the use of digital manipulation on images posted online (Wakeman, 2018). It’s interesting to consider that while social media users are aware that images are being altered, we still strive for these unrealistic and essentially fake standards of beauty anyway.

One final point, it’s important to consider how the standard of beauty changes with the times. @blogilates has posted a series of images on her instagram to highlight the forever changing notion of what is considered the ‘perfect body’. The series also proves how easy it is to digitally alter images. 

Source: @blogilates​ - Instagram

Overall, social media seems to be having a negative effect on body image. If 10-year-old girls are growing up believing that Kylie Jenner is how they’re ‘supposed’ to look, then something needs to change. 

References below...

Cramer, S & Inkster, B 2017, #StatusOfMind Social media and young people's mental health and wellbeing, ROYAL SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH VISION, VOICE AND PRACTICE (RSPH).

Dorfman, R, Vaca, E, Mahmood, E, Fine, N & Schierle, C 2018, ‘Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 332–338.

Kemp, S 2020, ‘DIGITAL 2020: 3.8 BILLION PEOPLE USE SOCIAL MEDIA', We are social., 30 January, viewed 9 April 2020, <https://wearesocial.com/blog/2020/01/digital-2020-3-8-billion-people-use-social-media>.

Tolentino, J 2029, 'THE AGE OF INSTAGRAM FACE', THE NEW YORKER, December 12, viewed 8 April, <https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face>.

Wakeman, J 2018 , 'Your favorite selfie filter could be contributing to a mental health crisis, NBC News, 16 January, viewed 10 May, <https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/your-favorite-selfie-filter-could-be-contributing-mental-health-crisis-ncna837376>.

[maiarichard]

Creating a Presence Online

Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/391039180143374844/

In order to be successful online, William Arruda explains, one must build their brand in a way that is authentic to them (Arruda, 2009, 1:41). If I don’t believe in what I am saying, why should anyone else? In order for my followers or viewers of my content to connect and understand what I am trying to express, I need to put out quality content that I believe in and am passionate about.

So what does this mean? We are fortunate enough to have the world at our fingertips. Evaluate what is important to you. Here are a few key rules I have learned to get you started from my Digital Skills class:

1. Start off by being involved. Think about what platform will cater to the crowd you are trying to attract. Maybe avoid websites such as Etsy if you’d like to voice your political opinions for example. Do your research and understand your audience.

2. Engage. Try to talk to people who have similar interests. Hear their stories, tell them yours. You can benefit from things other people have done, whether they were successful or not.

3. Post often. Make sure you are actively communicating what you would want your followers to know. It’s unlikely that people will go chasing after you for content. If you want to succeed and be recognized, keep up posting.

4. Manage your image. You are what you want other people to see you as. Don't post inappropriate tweets, instagram photos, etc. Be professional and present yourself, at all times, in a way that will reflect well on you. (Hoskins, 2020)

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Arruda, W. (2009, September 9) Personal Branding Guru, William Arruda (abbrev) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWIXpWgB4W0

Ryerson University. (2020). CEID100: Introduction and Welcome to the Course, Module 1. [Course content]. Retrieved from https://de.ryerson.ca/de_courses /templates/m/c=2B7B82A7EC6DE40781FD6EF338B41892&m=1&p=148436