#but that’s one of the few authors I won’t help promote

[twopoppies]

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[soapybutt17]

Too Sweet For Me

Summary: It was the annual Military Ball, the fifth one since you and John have been married in secret. With his new promotion as Captain, meant a whole ball park of responsibilities he was still getting used to—but nothing gets to him more than the mere sight of you, his beautiful darling in the dress he always loves. It was also something to prepare for with the new changes that came to this year’s ball. Character: John Price x F!Wife!Reader. Kate Laswell. Word Count: 2,190 Chapter Warnings: None. Author's Note: this was also supposed to be for @glitterypirateduck's O'Captain challenge but my appendix had other plans for me this past few days. Lol.

Inspired by this song (obviously)

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“Darling.” You couldn’t help but smile at your husband’s pained groan.

With a red backless dress, you know you would turn heads with your outfit and even more certain that your husband would be killing a few men if you weren’t too careful about him.

“Behave.” You pulled away from him as soon as you felt his hands hold onto the small of your exposed back. You turned to face him, seeing him so handsome in his ceremonial uniform, an upgrade since his new promotion.

“I don’t think I can see myself behaving with you looking so ravishing.” He muttered approaching you again and pulling you into another kiss, allowing him this one time since you have yet to put your make up on. “Will this be a problem for tonight?” He playfully warned.

“If you keep your hands to yourself it won’t.” You playfully pointed out pecking him on the lips one last time before turning your attention back to your vanity mirror to put on your makeup. “I’m surprised that you actually plan on coming to this year’s event. I’d expect you to just stay home after the last mission.” You pointed out.

Behind the bravado and the handsome uniform your husband had on, was a broken but healing man that just got back from a mission. A few scrapes and bruises you all know too well were hidden perfectly well, but the black eyes was something that would take more than an ice pack and makeup to actually cover.

“Better to be there to see what those muppets have planned.” He grumbled.

You had accidentally let it slip that there was going to be an auction for this year’s event and you had volunteered to be part of the auction. A simple date that you were certain meant absolutely nothing but it was for a great cause and you couldn’t really fault them with.

Your husband was still apprehensive about the fact, especially knowing that no one was made aware of your relationship to each other. Everyone was given the fact that you were both good friends that had been on countless missions together. It was nothing but friendship between the two of you if you were ever spotted in town together even when the both of you knew it was something more.

“It’s just one date, even Kate is joining along.” You tried your best to reassure him but it wasn’t happening whatsoever with the deep frown resting on his lips.

“Just because I agreed to this doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.” He muttered under his breath, finally resigning by your decision, which you were thankful for. No need for you to try to convince him with anything.

“You owe me for this. I need some kind of motivation for tonight not to blow someone’s head.” He muttered.

And you spoke too soon.

“How about a day or two in that ritzy cabin you’ve been pestering me about for weeks now.” You offered.

One thing you truly hated was being too out of touch with society if you could avoid it. You have to do it for work, you weren’t so keen on doing it in your personal time if you didn’t have to. But your husband just was a recluse when he wants to be and this was one of those many instance that he will have his way.

“Deal and the ring stays on so they know you’re mine.” He muttered.

You smiled, lifting your hand up for him to see the sparkle of your engagement and wedding ring still nestled on your finger. Even without him saying it, you wouldn’t even dream of removing it.

~

The newly promoted Captain John Price should have been at the top of the world because of his new title, but it was far from the reality of it as he watched his beloved wife continue to mingle amongst both officials and fellow soldiers. It still shook him to the core how someone like you could command yet bring comfort to anyone that was privileged to be in your presence.

But that was just what made him love you so much. How someone like you, a Lieutenant to his own position as a Sergeant would never once use your position to demean him or treat him as anything less than you were. Some may say your call sign as Rookie to be an insult, a way to make you less than what you truly were, but you proved time and time again that it was a reassurance to anyone lower than you that you will stand on equal footing as them if the need arises especially on missions.

“Rookie’s already stealing the spotlight.”

John turned his attention to one unfortunate woman he had the misfortune of meeting in his life that turned his whole world upside down. Kate Laswell was an intelligent woman—far too much for her own good at times but she was the best of the best in her line of work. She was one of the main reasons why he was placed in a mission that ended with him finally climbing the ranks.

“As she should.” John agreed, subtle in his comments as to avoid anyone, especially Laswell from thinking anything was going on between the two of you.

“I still can’t believe she refused the promotion.” She continued taking a swig at the whiskey she was cradling, only bringing a craving for one in John himself.

“I’ve heard. I don’t think she’d be a good fit with the paperworks from the looks of it.” He added.

Of course he knew the very reason why you had refused the promotion on your own end. You were in all accounts a better fit than him to become a Captain, a rank that had been a well-deserved position for everything you’ve done but every single time the topic would be brought up you had threatened retirement or AWOL if anyone pushes. You never truly saw yourself as someone that would be working behind the desk, you couldn’t help and navigate dealing with officials, you admit you were never built for such capabilities.

“I believe she is. You should have seen her chew on Shepherd during the last mission. She’s got guts and a heart that not something you see in the field often.”

He nodded, that was what made you special. He watched you now begin a lengthy conversation with the well-known and very much feared soldier Ghost. How you had been the only one to hold a conversation and not trembled at the sight of the monster of a killing machine.

“Why am I not even surprise with her.” He chuckled turning his attention away from you and turning towards Laswell. “So, are we just gonna spend the entire night talking about Rookie?”

“That’s not much of an issue for you Captain.” Laswell smirked knowingly.

“Will I ever live that down?” He questioned, jokingly.

He was once again reminded of the time in his drugged state where he was delirious enough to propose to you after a mission gone wrong. To many it was just him too drugged from painkillers but for you it was an intentional proposal that you accepted once you were alone.

“You’re never gonna escape the allegations, John. I will never allow it.” Laswell smirked finally excusing herself when the MC has begun.

He made his way to this designated table, his eyes always following you. He watched as you made your way backstage to prepare for the auction later on tonight. It brought the never ending dread in the pit of his stomach as the staff began distributing the auction paddle around, accepting his own without an ounce of hesitation.

It will be a long night that much he has come to realize.

~

“One Thousand!”

You had faced so much trials and tribulation during your career in the military. The vile and often times immoral acts that was placed against you during interrogations and kidnapping, but nothing in your life could have given you more shame than to be standing in front of the stage as numerous bids have been placed upon your name.

Your eyes had been following along to the numerous of individuals that were bidding, some were colleagues your husband had been all too certain had hots for you, others were top officials that you were more than certain were pigs for involving themselves in the date auction knowing they were married, then there were the guests that had been leering at you all night long.

Maybe your husband was right, the auction was a big mistake.

Your eyes scanned the entire room until they met the familiar eyes of your husband. The reassurance had settled on his eyes as much as the annoyance but he was waiting for you to give him the signal.

Somehow with a simple nod it was all he needed to do to raise the paddle and his booming voice had silence everyone.

“Ten thousand.” His voice had everyone turning.

It was one of the highest bids for the night and it just had to be from the man himself. The rest of the night had been a blur, after the auction and countless of formalities and empty conversations, you had found yourself in the arms of your husband as he helped you back onto the car.

“You alright?” He inquired cupping your cheeks the moment he had helped you with your seatbelt.

“Will get better.” You assured him grounding yourself back to reality as he patted your cheeks and driving the two of you back to your shared apartment.

The car ride was silent, the event with the auction still playing in your head. It could go so wrong in many ways if your husband did not intervene. It was supposed to be for a good cause, but it did not feel like it when you stood in front of the stage. You felt more like meat being prepared to be slaughtered.

Eventually you two had arrived back. Your husband opened the car for you and led you back to you to your apartment. The silence was consuming you more than you expected it to.

“Want to sober up or not?” Your husband inquired.

You turned to look at him as he made his way to the kitchen.

“Sober up would be great right now.” You sighed following him to the kitchen, hopping onto the barstool by the kitchen island. Toeing off your heels in the process, an unintentional moan escaped your lips from the relief on your feet.

“I haven’t done anything yet and you’re already moaning, My Love?” He teased placing a mug of coffee in front of you, from the smell alone you were all too certain was too bitter for your taste.

“Play your cards right and maybe I’ll be the one to make you moan all night.” You quipped right back, cupping the mug and relief of the warmth washing away the events of the night.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He smirked turning towards your mini bar and pour himself a hefty pour of whiskey.

“Surprised you didn’t threatened anyone at the party.” You pointed out.

“I could do lots of things, but I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle for either of us.”

You nodded, watching him unbutton his uniform and sit beside you. Your head immediately finding their way onto his shoulder.

“I’ll pay you back what you paid for the auction.” You promised him.

“You would do no such thing.” He ordered. “You’re worth every pretty penny I’ve paid for tonight.”

You blushed at his words. Even in the years of being with the man, he still has his way of turning you into the girl that had always had a crush on the handsome gruff all only had eyes for you.

Your eyes turned towards your hand, the sparkle of your rings was always present and never once did you remove them even at the party. You wanted to keep your relationship private but never a secret and there are days that you wished to let the world know. But now with his new promotion and you having to lead yet another mission with the help of him now, you doubt it would be a good thing to do.

“You’re too sweet to me sometimes, even after how shitty the night turned out.”

“Nothing shitty about tonight. I get to see you all dressed up and all eyes on you knowing you’re gonna come home to me tonight and do whatever their empty little heads could formulate.”

You rolled your eyes cupping his cheeks and move him slightly too pull him into a kiss that you had desperately wanted to give him all night long. The taste of whiskey brought a sudden thrill through your core.

“Plan on showing it to me, Captain?” You purred and the way his eyes blew out, it was all notification you needed to know as you were unceremoniously lifted into his arms.

Whoever thought your husband had a Captain Kink?

[milykins]

TMNT Headcanon - When You Can't Sleep

Authors Note: I feel I need to clarify one thing. I’m aware that some people rely on marijuana to help with sleeplessness but I personally don’t use it so it’s unlikely to have a place in my writing. Recreational drugs in general won’t really be something I write about. Call me a straight-edge but I prefer leaving it out. I will write about alcohol usage since I do occasionally have a drink with friends.

Anyway, I actually have been having some rough nights lately so therefore we have this.

Individual TMNT x Reader

TW: Mentions of sex

You’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately. Lucky for you, you’ve got plenty of cure-alls. It all depends on who you ask.

Mikey

Your cuddly turtle boyfriend is no stranger to insomnia. Sometimes, the life of a ninja was too heavy, even for him and his upbeat persona. You knew Mikey could feel things a little too deeply and replay horrifying images continuously in his head. Over the years he’s developed some coping strategies. For you, he’ll offer you a melatonin gummy and something hot to drink. Tea, hot chocolate, or warm milk. If you still can’t sleep after that, he’ll stay up with you. He’ll cuddle you, rub your back, play some calming music… most of all, he’ll tell you that whatever this is, will pass. You might start panicking a little bit, telling him through tears that you’re afraid you’ll never sleep again, but he’ll assure you that you will. After all, no one died from a few sleepless nights. His gentle reassurances are just what you need to hear, and eventually you do drop off into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

Raph

Not nearly as tactful as his baby brother, Raph will bluntly offer to give you an orgasm. After all, that’s one of his go-to’s when he can’t sleep. Raph is actually the only one of his brothers to have a somewhat healthy sleeping schedule. Disturbing images, horror, and depressing stories just don’t hold a lot of weight for him. They still affect him, but he’s able to compartmentalize these things and drop off to sleep rather easily at night. He’ll still try to help you with your insomnia, though, like a good boyfriend should. If the offer of sex is turned down, he’ll offer a backrub – an innocent one, of course. No ulterior motive, he’ll promise. He’s very good with his hands and able to work out any knots, kinks, or stiffness, getting you very relaxed in no time at all. You might accept his offer for sex then, just because he’s been so sweet and patient, and given you an amazing massage. It works. In the afterglow, you’re asleep and cuddled up next to him, wrapped in his comforting embrace.

Leo

His first reaction will be concern, and he might pepper you with a few questions. Did you watch something disturbing? Is anything causing you stress or causing you to worry? Is it something he did? You quickly assure him he’s done nothing to cause it. You actually don’t know the reason; you just can’t shut off your brain for some reason. Upon hearing this, he’ll light some calming incense and offer you tea, of course. This blend will be a combination of valerian root, peppermint leaf, and a few others that promote wellness and sleep. True to form, he’ll also recommend meditation, except he’ll have you do it a little differently than you normally would. After your tea he’ll instruct you to lay down in his bed, get comfortable, and close your eyes. He’ll have you breathe deeply as he leads you through the most peaceful guided meditation you’ve ever experienced. It’s so relaxing that you have no trouble falling asleep after that. Leo will follow suit and be careful not to disturb you as he crawls in next to you.

Donnie

He is the worst about having a healthy sleep schedule. It isn’t because he has trouble sleeping, but because he has difficulty tearing himself away from his work. He just has to finish this one thing… or read one more paragraph. It’s never just one more paragraph with him. He usually needs to be coaxed to go rest, so it’s no surprise that he’s still awake in his lab when you quietly shuffle in after trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep for hours. Donnie will lose any and all focus that he had on his work and shift gears into helping you. He’ll shush all of your attempts to apologize for disturbing him and offer you a sleep aid. He’ll usher you to his bed and lay next to you, asking if there’s anything you need to get off your chest that may be inhibiting your ability to sleep. When you explain that you find it difficult to quiet your thoughts, he can definitely relate to that. He’ll put on some deep ambient music set at 432 Hz. He’ll explain that it’s the perfect frequency to promote relaxation, reduce tension, and support emotional wellbeing. It is what he uses to lull himself to sleep when he has a hard time reaching the coveted REM stage. The music works, and you find yourself finally slipping into rest. Donnie ends up falling asleep next to you as an added bonus. He really needed to stop working and go to bed anyway.

The End - Sleep Well Everyone

Taglist:

@danceingfae @thelaundrybitch @iridescentflamingo @redsrooftopprincess @ninnosaurus @the-cauldron-witch @thepinkpanther83 @avery73 @adebauchedsloth @sophiacloud28 @scholastic-dragon

I hope that's okay if I've tagged you! If you'd like to be added just let me know!

[bridenore]

HD Books / Writing fic recs

Here are a few drarry fic recs involving books or writing. Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

Annus Mirabilis by Ren [39k]

Harry and Malfoy are trapped at Hogwarts around the time the school was founded. Stuck with a different way of doing magic, with no chocolate, and with each other, they have to find a way to work together if they want a chance to go home.

Dear Diary by AWickedMemory [20k]

 // This can’t possibly go worse than the last time I kept a diary. // After the war, Harry picks up a journal to write in… and it writes back. Luckily, it’s not a Horcrux on the other end this time.

Faint Indirections by ignatiustrout [29k]

Draco Malfoy is the last person Harry expects to turn up in Boston, Massachussetts. But now he’s here, and he won’t stop requesting books from the library where Harry works.

He Who Must Not Be Normal by @letteredlettered [40k]

Potter has fame and fortune and posh clothes and all he wants is a simple life.  Draco has a flat and a cat and a steady job and all he wants is a complicated life.  Which makes you think this story has something exciting like body-swapping, but it doesn’t.  Instead it has Indian takeaway and a blue jumper and people wanting a whole lot of what they can’t have, discovering themselves as they discover each other. 

If We Were Honest by daisymondays / @gracie137blogs [26k]

Two years ago, Draco and Harry had a whirlwind secret romance that ended in heart-break. Since then Draco’s written a best-selling novel based on their relationship, but with one key difference—the characters get a happily ever after. Now Harry and Draco are reunited for the first time since their break-up, but can they rewrite their own ending?

Love Bites, Or How Draco Malfoy Learned to Let Go and Celebrate His Allure by @m0srael [50k]

Recently-turned Draco Malfoy is doing his very best to be a normal, productive, contributing member of wixen society. So far, he’s managed to keep his bloody little problem a secret, even from his best friends. But when the professional opportunity he’s been dreaming of finally   falls in his lap, he finds himself with much more than just a potential promotion. Will a profile on a new creature-exclusive dating app, a wolfy stranger who seems hellbent on liking Draco just the way he is, and a little self-confidence help Draco finally love himself and his newfound community?

Orion in the Sky by space_wingding [30k]

Draco Malfoy owns a bookshop in the Lake District. He’s also cursed. Enter: Harry Potter.

Per Solum Lacuna: By Words Alone by Azhure [560k]

A set of enchanted journals bring solace to two very unlikely lost   souls. Whoever said the art of penmanship was lost? This is a wizarding twist on the old fashioned art of correspondence (or the modern art of Internet chatting). What will happen when the mystery writers finally   discover the identity of their counterpart? Join this star crossed pair as they obliviously chat to each other; along the way learning about   life and love. Find out what will happen when their own voyages of self discovery lead them to the most unlikely of places. This is eventual   HP/DM, but other pairings for the protagonists along their journey.

The Price We Pay for Wings by Frayach [13k]

Books have the power to shape young lives. At least that is the hope of the anonymous author of a best-selling series about a Muggle boy and his best friend on the eve of a world war. But stories do more than just shape the future: they can redress the wrongs of the past as well. But only as long as it’s not too late…

Reading Malfoy by @femmequixotic [15k]

After thirteen years of hiding himself away in Muggle London, Draco Malfoy shows up again in the wizarding world–with a wickedly amusing memoir in hand. Harry doesn’t want to read it. Really. He doesn’t.

The Romantic Prawn Who Loved Christmas by @bixgirl1 [39k]

When Draco, forced into sharing a room with Potter for the year, finds out that Potter has a sleepwalking problem, he expects the odd conversations and the weird games of chess. What comes as a complete shock are Potter’s other activities…And why he seems so intent on having Draco join him. (Relax. It’s just like a holiday Hallmark movie! …With, uhm, sleepwanking.)

Sourdough by @academicdisaster24 [17k]

Draco writes romance novels and doesn't leave his apartment much. Harry bakes bread and sells it to Draco. Draco is quite weird. Harry might like that.

Sunseeker by @shiftylinguini [15k]

Harry is a struggling writer. Namely, he is struggling with: writing his next book, dealing with his agent, finding a decent tea strainer, fielding his friend’s concern over the aforementioned book, and figuring out who the cat loitering in his garden belongs to. He also has a slight liking-Malfoy problem. Okay, he has a massive liking-Malfoy problem.

Teach Me, Life; Guide Me, Love by @kiraohara [79k]

Revelations both painful and joyous set the markers in the path of every life. Thankfully, Draco has spectacular company for the journey.

Verba Volant by shushu_yaoi_lj / @orange-peony​ [34k]

The first letter arrives after the Trials. Harry unfolds the parchment and his eyes open wide when he realises who it’s from. He soon finds himself waiting for those letters to arrive, staring at the window in search of Malfoy’s owl. He wants to know more.

When It Alteration Finds by momatu [55k]

After the war, Harry left most of the Wizarding world behind and built a new life for himself in the Channel Islands. He opened a bakery and is happy with his life. Draco is a fiction author who writes under a penname, and he’s currently suffering from writer’s block. His agent suggests he try writing in a new environment and rents a cottage in the Channel Islands for him.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[alexanderlightweight]

Lydia-John prompter here! No problemo, as Marie Kendo says if it don't spark joy - toss it! (Closs enough right?) However if it does spark joy, can I request Alec giving a final warning to siblings that he won't protect/take responsibility for them anymore - and then following through! Either that or Alec giving second-in-charge authority over Jace/Izzy decisions because he recognises he isn't objective?

here we go! i hope you enjoy it ^_^

it did spark joy and that was a sweet way to ask lol ty

lumine

-

“I can't believe the clave did this, Alec. But I'll fix it. I'll talk to grandmother-"

“What are you talking about, Jace?” Alec asks, confused as to why Jace has barged into his office, pacing and looking as pissed as he does when someone shows a hint of interest in Clary.

“The clave, they sent you someone else. It should be me as your second, so I’ll talk to my grandmother.”

“Actually, I requested Mirai. Imogen’s opinion is no longer being taken into consideration, as she tried to promote a shadowhunter above his rank solely based on blood ties. There were several options for me, Jace. You, however, weren’t one of them and neither was Izzy. Izzy went science and you went fighting, we all started on separate paths long ago Jace, we knew this was coming.”

“I thought I’d still be your second! You could make that happen and we could have each other’s back.”

“I need someone who has my back and has other people to have her back. Because I won’t be able to pay attention and protect my second.  Which means you definitely can’t have the position, as you’ve gotten careless the last few years. And now, after all this running around with Clary, you think you’re ready to the be the second of the Institute?”

“What if she has in it for Clary?”

“Not everything is about Clary. Not everything is about you. Be done Jace, go tell Izzy that this is my final decision and Idris has agreed. Even if Imogen were being listened to, they wouldn’t change this, and I wouldn’t want them to.”

“I’m disappointed in you, buddy.” Jace says as he leaves the door and Alec lets him leave with a sigh and an eyeroll.

“Yeah, me too.” He mutters, because if he were any less exhausted, he would have dealt with this days ago instead of accidentally avoiding it and letting it fester until Jace exploded.  Which isn’t Alec’s fault, but he knows he could have dealt with it sooner at least.

He texts Magnus, because he wants the comfort of his partner even if it’s just over the phone and then a portaling is ripping open and Magnus is gracefully sliding into Alec’s lap, hands curling into Alec’s hair like it was made to be touched by Magnus’ fingers.

“A rough day?” Magnus croons and Alec sighs and leans every bit of him that he can get against Magnus.

“Uh-huh.” He sighs out, exhausted and aching to be back home with Magnus, “Jace found out about Mirai Lakecastle.”

Magnus makes a sympathetic noise and his hands scratch Alec’s scalp in a delicious way that makes him want to melt.

“How tedious, did he bother you beloved?”

Alec pouts, because Magnus makes it sound so banal, yet he knows that’s just because Magnus considers Jace’s opinions to be of so little value.

“Yes—” he finally admits, because he’s learning not to hide these things from Magnus. “It was like he was channeling my mother, on a bad day. Reminding me of what a disappointment I am, especially for putting myself first.”

“You’re the leader of an entire Institute.” Magnus reminds him soothingly, voice dry, “you need a second you can trust and one that will listen to you and have your back. Who can be trusted and trust others and who will be loyal. Not a brother who throws himself into danger under the assumption that he remains under your protection. You’re helping him to grow up, satang. Now, you have at least half an hour. Enough time for a twenty-minute nap, hmm? For me?”

Alec smiles in tired exasperation and nuzzles Magnus face and then slumps into him,

—

Magnus pets Alexander’s hair and rubs the tight tendons of his boy’s neck soothingly as he eases him to sleep.

He had meant to lure Alexander to rest in his lap on Alexander’s sofa, however it seems that his boy is too exhausted to even move and he whuffles gentle, mouth open against Magnus’ neck.  Magnus uses magic to ease his position into something more comfortable. Alexander’s thighs are deliciously muscled, but they lack the necessary padding for Magnus to perch on them for any length of times without his own thighs going numb.

Magnus uses the gift of magic to ensure this is never a problem, for him or for Alexander.

[lcdrarry]

6 May 2024 | 2/2 | LCDrarry Fic

Twin Blades

Prompt: “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith”, 2005, George Lucas Author: Anonymous Word Count: 3,525 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: lightsaber combat, nightmares

Notes: I had a lot of fun taking a romp into one of my favorite worlds by way of one of my favorite pairings—maybe I'll get around to writing an actual Star Wars, or an actual Drarry, one day. I hope you enjoy my weird brainworm ❤️ Thank you to my lovely friend C for betaing! (Also, I am throwing out the rule where Jedi can't have relationships, because I can.)

Summary: Harry advances a few steps toward Draco, who doesn’t move, only watches him approach with narrowed eyes. “If you’re so sure the Jedi have no power, duel me. If you win, your master will be proud of you.” Draco’s eyes glitter. “And if you win?” “We’ll find out, won’t we?” Harry raises his lightsaber, readies himself. “Come on.” Without another word, Draco lunges at him.

Or, a Drarry-flavored reskin of the battle on Mustafar.

Read it now on AO3.

Please help promote the fest by sharing your favourite submissions, so more people can enjoy all the amazing new Drarry works of LCDrarry. Thank you!

Creator reveals are on 15 June.

[novemberhush]

Hey! Numbers 3, 5, 11 and/or 14 for the ask game please?

Hey! Thanks for your ask!❤️

3) A song you’d choose to introduce someone to your favourite genre

I’m sorry it took me a while to answer your ask, but it was because of this question! What’s my favourite genre of music? Hard to answer. Rock, indie, country? I love them all, and more besides. In the end I just went with what my last Spotify Wrapped said was my most listened to genre last year, and that was ‘New Americana’ apparently. Anyway, it gave me an excuse to post one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite artists.

5) A song you think most of your followers won’t have heard before

Apologies to Miss McGrath if it turns out she’s better known than I think! She’s a singer/songwriter from right here in Northern Ireland whose music I discovered about 5 years ago. A few of my followers might actually have heard this song before if they’ve read my Barisi fic, Waiting for the Inevitable, which you can read here (a little shameless self-promotion there!) as it was the inspiration for said fic and I linked it in my author’s notes.

11) A song that makes you dance

Sorry, it’s not very original, I know, but this song always makes me want to get down with my bad self!

14) A song you love to sing along to

I love this cover of the Justin Bieber song (not that I hate Bieber or his version) and can’t help singing along with it, even if it is a sad one.

Thanks again for your ask.😘

[pharrell-the-formation]

Let me be clear: I love Emma Hazer with a tender love, but not exactly for who she is, but for who she could be.

I kind of wish to rewrite her and my solution is surprisingly simple: remove her “easy accessibility” as a woman and focus on something else. Hazer is a single mother, taking care of two boys, whose existence is hidden due to a directive prohibiting mothers of many children from working, after losing her husband at the front. The only other relative she has is her mother, who isn’t really emotionally supportive (this is information from the game, I’ll dance from it from now on). She loves her children with all her heart and wants to provide them with a good life and therefore makes workaholism a priority in her life - after all, more work, more money and authority, right? For the same reason, she is applying for a promotion and is one of the three competitors for the protagonist on the first floor. However, even so, she understands that it is hard for her and she is suffering from the stress. This leads the woman to find another goal for herself - to find a spouse who could help her and her family survive in their debt-ridden society. Fortunately, she is pretty, but right there also lies the problem - in her beauty and desperate desire to find a young man, people see a lady of the evening so to speak. Hazer is disgusted by this and most likely the topic of sexual relations kind of repulses her now, because it reminds her that she is perceived as an object. She can be a living demonstration of the destructive influence of the State’s sexism and stereotypes on a person, while still being the chatty lady, who loves to discuss TV series and claims to have a good intuition.

The scene where she and Evan are having fun in the back room can happen provided that the recently met Redgrave pulls her leg for some time, talking about love, deep feelings and lies to her about being single, so that the truth for Emma is revealed later. Most likely, after this story, you won’t be able to build a normal friendship with the character, because choices should have consequences.

There is no quest where she hands over her children to an orphanage, because that would completely go against her character.

She does not call Ferguson the ideal man in the dialogue. Just shows her respect for him and that she thinks good of him.

The "big joke" could still happen, but it has an even darker context, as Evan's only methods of persuading Emma to help them would be to commit blackmail, in that way or the other. After what happened, she deeply regrets what she did, and when the next day Peter does the unspeakable she probably blames herself.

As for her story with Peter Dong.. mm, I suppoooose we as players should consider their relationship as a kind of “endgame”, and Dong as a man actually suitable for her, whom she simply has not yet seen, so I guess I would probably try to make their connection more genuine, if that’s the case. Peter’s love is built not only on his colleague’s appearance, but also on some of her qualities. Let’s say he saw and appreciated how hard she worked, or one of the few noticed how sad she’s been looked recently. Let’s say that when they start dating, Emma doesn’t limit herself to “I hope everything works out for us” in the dialogue, she probably also says something about how she didn’t think that Peter would be such a sweetheart, she is surprised how she wasn’t noticing him before. This, as a bare minimum.

It seems that these are all the changes that I would like to see, maybe if I remember something else I’ll add.

Bonus headcanon for those who read to the end: Emma was the best informant on the floor before Evan came into the game, it’s not for nothing that she hangs around that office phone so often.

[thatseventiesbitch]

What are the best Eric/Donna fics? (Feel free to self-promote :) )

Thanks for the ask! I love this question.

I'd have to say my favorite Eric/Donna fic writer is Lady Emily from FF.net. She has a handful of one-shots from a decade ago that are just *chefs kiss*. Here are a few of them:

Being Wrong - Donna tries a little harder to make Eric believe he's not her second choice.

His Blessing - Donna wants Eric to be okay with her and Casey.

Goodnight Chipmunk - Donna gets her wisdom teeth removed.

Another favorite Eric/Donna writer is delilahbelle - she writes smutty stuff, hehe. 😈

Dirty Surprise - Back together for the summer, Donna has some sexy surprises for her boyfriend. Rated M.

I really like the way MistyMountainHop (aka @thestupidhelmet) writes them, and they are featured in some of her stories with significant plots. One of my fave’s is:

Halloween Is Over - Eric wants to be scared for Halloween, really scared. Donna proposes a contest, and all their friends are in. But Hyde and Jackie's renewed relationship might not withstand the stress. Donna and Kelso must fight their impulses, and Fez and Eric's chances of survival are slim.

I also know that @einsteinsugly has an Eric/Donna centered universe that is set in the future and features the whole gang raising their kids, which you can find here. She writes some other great Eric/Donna stories as well.

And I will shamelessly self-promote, thank you ha ha. Here are my Eric/Donna fics:

Drops of Jupiter - The year is 1984. Eric never returned from Africa – instead he wrote a bestselling novel about the friends and family he left behind. When he finally returns to Point Place, he finds that things are very different from how he left them. [AU]

Daughters - The birth of Jackie and Hyde's daughter causes Eric to grapple with his own fears and concerns over having a daughter.

An Angel Returns - A few weeks after the finale in January 1980, Eric’s guardian angel visits him again. What does he want this time? To convince a heartbroken Eric that his relationship with Donna still has a fighting chance. 

The Distinct Sadness of Butterscotch Ice Cream - Donna’s sad - won’t get out of bed, sad. Eric calls Hyde for advice, and then Kitty. Can anyone help? Please read the author’s note for an important trigger warning.

Oh, Baby! - Eric, Donna, and their family's adventures in raising baby Leia.

Yay, fanfic! Yay, Eric and Donna! Happy reading 😊

[mi6-cafe]

End of the Year Survey Summary

Thank you all for all of you who left feedback this year! We’ve had the chance to look through your comments and, with the help of our new volunteer team, have distilled them into some actionable items. Now a community survey is nothing without the community, so here we’ll provide a summary of some responses, hint at some plans for the future, and share your best moments!

Full details under the cut, but in short: One new rec list focused event, many returning events, and look out for a quarterly theme coming near the end of the year.

007 Fest and WIP Wednesday are always at the top of the favorite events list, but it was nice to see some newer events were in the top five as well, like Remix and our Halloween commenting challenge. Both of which we plan on doing again this year.

There wasn’t really a huge consensus on whether you all prefer themes or prompts, so that won’t be changing much. We will keep sprinkling in specific prompt lists throughout the year, but some months will just have a broader theme for you to draw inspiration from.

A few people suggested doing more to encourage rec lists, and we are trialing a new event: Weekend Wonders. Once a month we will give a theme/trope/character and ask that you suggest one fanwork in which it features. We will then do a round-up post of all the recommendations at the end of the weekend. You can see the January one here.

It’s been some time since we had writing workshops and there’s been some requests for these again. We are working on trying to develop something with a simpler format so that it’s easier to host. If you want to help with this, please reach out and let us know!

There’s also some interest in creating a zine, but your mods know nothing of this. If any of you do and would be willing to create a community document of what it involves, please do and share it with us!

Saturday Cafes have been much quieter lately, but we now have a set of prompt questions pinned to the writer’s corner slack channel for anyone to answer and hopefully spark some more discussion with whoever else is around and writing.

We tried doing a year-long theme of Characters of Bond last year and it... well, middling success. You seemed to like the idea even though we sometimes forgot to promote it and many of you were busy. Someone suggested quarterly themes and we really like this idea. We likely won’t start until the end year, but we loved the idea!

You all said you do enjoy our creatively named months even if there’s not a specific prompt to go with it. Which is good, cause we enjoy coming up with silly alliterations. Those won’t be going anywhere.

And finally,

Do you have a fun fandom moment/highlight from this year to share? 

Definitely Mac making her entry in the 00Q fandom! I’m not an avid fic reader but her work is always so on point I have a hard time not seeing 00Q through her lens anymore.

i'm obsessed with WIP Wednesdays. I adore seeing snippets of new works

Getting kidnapped during Fest was pretty cool!Honestly the slack in general has been fun. It's hard to have a place to feel safe in fandom these days.

I absolutely loved Remix! It was such a fun challenge and I loved seeing how my own work was remixed.

During Fest, Team 00 had a spreadsheet for contributions (like lyrics to be inspired by, photos, etc). The absolute chaos as we discovered only two of us knew how to use a spreadsheet was AMAZING (and hilarious).

I loved interacting with the authors and getting to know them through their writing and ongoing works and prompts.

Fest was awesome.

This year was a blast. I worked on 4 longish 00q fics (two of which were based on MI6 Cafe themes). My collaboration with Anya for Harry Potter and the Fucking Audacity was possibly the most fun (and also stressful because it was unplanned and I had other things to work on), but I also enjoyed writing my crossover AU and my NTTD fix it. Basically, toward the end of last year I was worried that I was running out of stories in this fandom, and the themes MI6 Cafe supplied definitely spurred new ideas that kept me excited and creative... even if I only used one or two of them in the year, they kept me busy much of the year. And Fest is always fun, but I particularly enjoyed this year. Seriously love you guys! I feel so fortunate that you maintain this wonderful fandom community and space that feels safe and I can contribute to, but that will survive without me when I get too busy with RL (or FTH) to participate much. Thank you!

I’ve enjoyed the fandom since joining, thanks for the work you do and spaces you keep!

Fest is usually a delight

I very much enjoyed the 007 fun Fest and being able to participate in the smaller, less time consuming challenges. It was the first time I had done something like this and my personal highlight was being able to come up with my very own 4 line poem in a bid to rescue the fic author from the villains team :D

For me it was just joining the fandom. I joined around the start of summer this year and it has been a blast so far. I don't engage in fandom spaces often and to join one that is so supportive and chill in its own way is definitely a highlight.

appreciate everything mods have done! This was a fun year.

Oh goodness: Fest. It was amazing! LOVE all the creativity! And it seems like it created a momentum throughout the year.

There have been so many moments for me, as a new member of the fandom, to be bowled over by the sheer talent and incredible camaraderie. Thank you, thank you, for the welcome and the amazing creative community!

[crplpunkklavier]

10 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR OUTPUT

(also on vocal)

I write a lot. I try to write every day, which doesn’t always work out, but it does most days! As such, people often ask me how I do it. People often stop me in the street and ask, “Hysteria, how do you do it? We know you work part-time while studying in a field that is widely considered one of the most demanding in your country, and yet we see you banging out pieces several times a month! And they’re all so good!” they cry. “All of your words fuck severely! How do you make them come out?”

And to those people I always say, “I don’t make the words do anything! They want to come out all on their own. These words, they are inside me, and I am merely the vessel, and I turn on the faucet, and there they go. Why, keeping them in would be more difficult than letting them out!”

This, of course, is incorrect. It is a lie I tell them so they will leave me alone. The more time I waste explaining my process to these people, the less time I have for writing. Instead, I follow a short, comprehensive set of rules that I have decided, in my mercy, to share with you all today.

ONE. ACCEPT THAT YOU WILL FAIL YOUR CLASSES

It’s okay. It’s okay. You’ve got time. You want to write now, and if the words want out, you should let them out. Fail your classes. Who cares? You can take them again next semester. Right? If you can’t, god help you. You probably can, though. It’s all going to be fine. If the mood strikes, you need to write, that’s the rule with art. It’s always good when art has rules. Your muse just kissed you, dude, you can’t be studying. You’re going to fail your classes, but it’s going to be worth it. When you’re old and dying, what do you think you’ll regret more? Not getting your degree, or not writing that thing? Got you there, didn’t I?

2) ACCEPT THAT YOU WILL LOSE YOUR JOB

I know that’s hard. I know you think I’m joking. But seriously, it’s okay. If your job can’t deal with you spending every waking minute writing, it’s not the right job for you. And if you just keep writing enough, if you just keep publishing and uploading and promoting your work, you won’t even need a job! So whatever, if they fire you now, they’ll see your name in the papers soon. As one of the authors, I mean. Not because you did anything ill-advised. You don’t need that job! You don’t need them! You don’t need anybody. You just need a piece of paper and a pen. What are you, a capitalist? No job can be more important than your art! It’s your art, man! Why are you caring about anything else? Traitor.

FOCUS ON YOUR JOB

Hey. Don’t get fired. Come on, man. It’s gonna be okay, you can figure out a personal schedule or something. Set aside a time in your day for writing, and get your writing done then, so you can have the rest of your day to focus on your job. If you’re too stressed out about making rent, you’re not going to be writing, or at least you won’t be writing well. In fact, maybe just… wait. Maybe just wait a bit. Until you’re financially stable, you know? Maybe just don’t do anything until you feel financially stable. Just focus. You need to just focus on that job. Keep focusing. You’ll remember what art is later. Later, you know? When you have money. You can write when you have money.

FOCUS ON YOUR CLASSES

Just… Just stay in school. Just stay. Just stay in school. We’ll figure the rest out.

STOP TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS

IF THEY LOVED YOU, THEY’D UNDERSTAND.

STOP TALKING TO YOUR FAMILY

IT’S FOR ART!!!

STOP GOING OUTSIDE

What are you doing outside? Walking? Are you taking walks? Are you enjoying your little walks? Go back inside. You could be writing right now. You should be ashamed of yourself.

GO OUTSIDE EVERY DAY

Make it twenty minutes. Hell, make it ten. You have time for ten minutes, right? Go outside every day for ten minutes. Look around you, breathe in, breathe out. Maybe take a few pictures! When you’re back inside, try to describe the scenery you saw. Try to write about the people you saw, try to make up little lives and character traits for them. It is so important to interact with your outside world. Inspiration doesn’t come from within you, it comes from outside. Keep wandering around until you’re inspired. Any second now. You’re going to be so inspired. Don’t go back inside until you’re inspired. I hope you’re dressed warmly enough. If not, you can write about hypothermia! That’s inspiration right there.

Or just stand on your balcony for one minute each day. That’s outside. That’s gotta help in some way.

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN

QUICK!! Don’t let anything go to waste. Nothing!! Not a single word. Write down every stupid idea you have. Yes, I mean that! Write down the stupid ones! Write down the good ones too, obviously. But it is so important that you write down everything. So you can use it later when you need an idea. You need to write as much as you can, every day, so it makes sense that sooner or later you’ll run out of ideas. Well, not with this neat trick! If you just keep writing down every idiotic thought that comes to you, whenever you get stuck, you can simply grab one of those dumb ideas you had and write about that. Remember that! The point of writing down every idea you have is so you can use every idea you have when the time comes. Foolproof.

WRITE NOTHING DOWN

What for? What for? What are you writing anything down for? If it’s good, you’ll remember. If it’s good, it’ll come back to you. All those people making haha funny posts about how You Know You’re A Writer when you have several different journals for different moods or whatever? Posers. Losers. Pathetic. If it’s a good idea, you don’t need to write it down. If you forget it and it never comes back to you, then it wasn’t good. If you forget all of your ideas, that means they were all bad. Writing them down wouldn’t have made them any better. You just have bad ideas.

KEEP YOUR SPACE CLEAN

This is an easy one. I know nobody wants to hear it, but we all know it. You can’t focus if you live in a dumpster. Clean up your space, then you can write. Clean it up first. Clean it up before you ever sit down to write. You won’t write a single word unless your space is clean. Make a list of all the things you need to clean before you can write. The desk at the very least, you should probably sweep the floors too. Do they need to be mopped? Mop the floors. Get the kitchen clean, so you know you can get a healthy snack once you’re done writing. You should clean the bathroom, too. Check the internet to see if there’s any cheap furniture available to help you organize your shoes. What were we doing?

CHAOS

Whatever actually nobody needs order and all those super organized “artists” are lying to themselves and to you art is fundamentally chaotic art shouldn’t have any rules and if you hold onto any rules for your art you are a poser look at this lol it doesnt even have any punctuation anymore and i just left out the apostrophe in doesnt AND i didnt capitalize my i WOOOO CHECK THIS OUT you should live in chaos. You should live in chaos. Are you an artist or a CEO? You need chaos. depression even. your apartment needs to look bad, or else everything you write is shallow and unrelatable

MONETIZE NOTHING

Nothing will suck the soul out of an artist as quickly as monetization. You don’t want to write for money. Believe me. Writing for money is never the answer. You write for yourself. Sometimes, maybe, you’ll write for your readers, but mostly you write for yourself. You should write for yourself. And writing for yourself means never getting anything in return. And it means never asking for anything in return. Art should be free, and that means artists shouldn’t be paid. Wait. What? No, that’s… I guess that makes sense. You should never ask for money for your art, because that would mean you are making people pay for your art, and that’s not right. I think. Well, but if you start writing for money, then you’ll have to start writing what the paying audience wants to read, and that’s going to be bad. So just don’t do it. Don’t ever do it. We cannot become sellouts. We need to be depressed and poor or our art will suck. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth!

MONETIZE EVERYTHING

Sorry, that was bullshit. I’ve changed my mind. You should be paid for your art. I should be paid for my art. It’s so important to feed artists while they’re alive. Monetize your writing! Monetize everything you ever write. Set up a Patreon. Only upload new chapters of your gay fanfiction to AO3 if you’ve reached a certain number of subscribers on Patreon. That’s gonna get people paying for sure. Never do anything without monetary incentive anymore. If your writing was good enough, people would be throwing money at you left and right! And your writing is good. Your writing is fucking fantastic, and people should be throwing money at you. Art is well and good, but you’ve gotta make a living here. If you can’t, then it’s not worth it. The point of art is to make money. Never do anything for free.

WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE

I mean, it’s the least you can do. Especially if you’re going to write for money. It’s the only way not to hate yourself, or your art. Write about what you love. Pick topics you like, make characters you like. Write about things that are important to you. Don’t ever write about something you don’t care deeply for. If you don’t personally like a character, throw them out of the narrative. Don’t even kill them. Just retcon them out. I’m talking about passion here, you need passion. If you aren’t one hundred percent on board with every little detail in your writing, don’t even bother. You’re gonna hate it, everyone’s gonna hate it, and you won’t be true to yourself. Write about the same thing every time. You still love it, right? Then keep writing about it. That way, writing will be easy, and the words will flow out, just like they do for me. If you ever have to think about your stance on something you might write about, it’s not even worth the effort.

STOP CARING SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR WRITING

you could just stop

[marketingprofitmedia]

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User-friendly interface and AI features make it easy for newbies.

Cons:

You need internet for using this product.

I’ve found no further AI FameCatalyst problems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Q. Do I need to download anything to use AI FameCatalyst?

No, you don’t have to download anything. AI FameCatalyst is a cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) product. You can buy now and start using the product right away. All you need is your email ID and password to access it anytime from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Q. Is there a monthly fee?

No, once you buy AI FameCatalyst, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee. AI FameCatalyst is a one-time purchase product.

Q. What happens after the launch period?

The price will turn into a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION and the low one-time price will never be available again! We encourage you to take action before the launch period ends.

Q. Can I have a refund?

We guarantee that you will get more value from your purchase of AI FameCatalyst than what you pay us. However, if for some reason the product is not living up to your expectations at any time within 30 days of buying it, we will give you a full refund, no questions asked.

Q. I have ZERO recording, editing or tech skills. Can I still use it?

Yes, of course! AI FameCatalyst has been created to be used by anyone, regardless of their experience or technical skills. With this powerful AI technology, you can easily create stunning voiceovers just by typing simple texts.

Q. What about the future updates?

You won’t pay a penny extra for future updates. And, you’ll get free lifetime updates to keep your product up-to-date.

Q. Will you add more resources in the future?

Yes, we will keep adding more high-quality resources to keep it updated for you. And it won’t cost you a penny extra.

Q. What if I have other questions?

You can ask us your product related question as well as anything about our company or services by emailing us at support@ramrawat,net

AI Fame Catalyst Review: My Recommendation

AI Fame Catalyst offers a glimpse into the future of influencer marketing, leveraging AI technology to create virtual brand ambassadors. While it presents exciting possibilities for cost-effective content creation and targeted marketing, ethical considerations and technical limitations require careful consideration. If you’re looking to experiment with AI-powered content and have realistic expectations, AI Fame Catalyst can be a valuable tool in your social media marketing arsenal. However, for brands that prioritize authenticity and high-resolution visuals, alternative

>>> Click Here to Visit AI Fame Catalyst and Get Access Now >>

Check Out My Previous Reviews: Halo App Review, SiteClone AI Review, WebX Review, AI AppMaker Review, AI Books Review, Scalar App Review, AI Gigz Hub Review, WP Funnels Review, Gizmo Review, & Auto Health Sites Review.

Thank for reading my AI Fame Catalyst Review till the end. Hope it will help you to make purchase decision perfectly.

Disclaimer: While this AI Fame Catalyst review strives for accuracy and fairness, it is based on publicly available information and user reviews. It is recommended to conduct thorough research, including seeking out independent sources, before making any purchasing decisions.

Note: This is a paid software, however the one-time fee is $19.

[ozma914]

My Next Book Is My Last Book: Storm Chaser Is Back!

A few years ago we got the publishing rights back to our Storm Chaser series of books: Storm Chaser, Storm Chaser Shorts, and The Notorious Ian Grant. Our plan was to independently publish all three.

Sales had been flat, and the publisher that bought the publisher that bought the books (!) left their pricing (in my opinion) too high for a little known author. $3.99 is a great Kindle buy for a Steven King novel, but few people had heard of Mark R. Hunter.

(Many of those who did thought I was the CEO of Molson Coors Brewing Company. I once got a nasty e-mail from someone who didn't like how I was running my baseball team.)

Well, COVID happened, along with a bunch of other unforeseen problems of various kinds, but here it is!

 We made a few edits, but basically it's the same story (a little R-rated in a couple of places) at a much lower price: The e-book version is $1.50 instead of $3.99, and the print version $14 instead of $16.99. (Printing costs are killing everyone.) Check it out here:

https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Chaser-Mark-Hunter-ebook/dp/B0C7MB95NH

Storm Chaser is a romantic comedy pairing a Californian disaster photographer with an Indiana State Trooper who hates photographers—and Californians. I have a feeling he’ll come around … but meanwhile, who’s causing emergencies in his home area, just in time for her to photograph them?

There are still original editions of the book wandering around out there, with the same character on the cover. It seemed best to make the new cover different, but not too different.

We did get Storm Chaser Shorts, now titled Storm Squalls, out last year.

It can be found here, https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Squalls-Mark-R-Hunter-ebook/dp/B09YGJ1XR6, also at a lower cost.

I haven't been advertising Storm Squalls because most of the stories take place after the events of Storm Chaser--but now Storm Chaser is officially on the virtual bookshelves, so I can promote the heck out of both in between working on new projects. We're going to get The Notorious Ian Grant back up too, but it might have to wait until autumn.

But wait ... there's more!

Coming Attractions will be FREE on ebook in July, part of the Smashwords July summer/winter sale.

 Participating authors can be found here: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos, starting  July 1st, and my account is at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914. There you'll also find the two fiction anthologies I have stories in, also at the attractive cost of zero.

 More about that later, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up. Now even the dog knows.

 He's a little upset I didn't ask his help in editing, though. Don't tell him, but Emily's much better at it.

By the way, my YA novel The No-Campfire Girls is also in the Storm Chaser universe, as it shares some of the same characters.

http://markrhunter.com/ https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

If we sell a hundred books by the end of summer, I'll recite one of my humor poems online. If we sell a thousand by the end of summer, I promise I WON'T recite poetry online.

[cboeck-webdesign]

7 ways how to make money on the internet

  With this article, you will get 7 ways how to make money on the internet. Earn money on the Internet, that is the dream of many. However, self-employment often poses problems of various kinds. First of all, there is the question of how to make money online. Many who google the terms earn money online come across surveys, writing texts or becoming a product tester. My honest opinion is that it's not worth it, at best you'll only make pennies. Definitely more worthwhile, are orders, which are assigned by portals or private individuals. One speaks in this connection then also of a virtual assistance. In this article you will learn what is worthwhile to earn money online and how I managed to work as a virtual assistant in 2018.  

1. What to look for if you become self-employeed and want to earn money on the Internet

  Let's start with a very simple thing that everyone can implement, When you're cleaning out the attic or basement, you're bound to come across items that you no longer need or rarely use, but that can still be turned into cash. Especially eBay auctions can be helpful here, but also eBay classifieds are a good way to get rid of the old stuff. If you have a lot of books at home, you can sell them. Of course, you should be aware that you won't get much out of it, but it's still a few euros. At some point, used books are sold and here it could be worthwhile to start a store with eBay, since the entry barriers are not quite as high as with your own online store.  

2. Become self-employed as a copywriter

Alternatively, another easy option is to become active as a copywriter. Especially in the beginning, the price per word is very low and ranges between 0.01 and 0.02 cents. Not exactly a lot, considering that an article often has to be researched and written. This also usually means that you only have a part-time job to supplement your household budget. The situation is different if you write texts for a private person and the price per word can be negotiated. Here are then often 5 to 10 cents, depending on how good your text samples are.  

3. Amazon Kindle Business (Writing and Selling eBooks)

  If you like to write, you can also sell your eBooks as an author on Amazon. I've tried that myself, the hard part is finding a niche where guides sell well. And of course you should ideally write more than one eBook. As an alternative to niche sites, the Amazon Kindle Business is still an interesting thing. Since you really only need MS Word or Open Office, your manuscript that you want to publish and the right niche. Most guides are priced between €1.99 and €5.99, but for starters, a promotion between €1.99 and €2.99 is recommended.  

4. Virtual assistance

  If you want to work from home, you can also work as a virtual assistant for someone else. This can involve a wide variety of tasks. For example, you could write blog articles or provide customer support, but there are also more creative tasks, such as designing online presences. Graphic designers often take on smaller tasks that can be done online, that can be done online, such as designing logos or flyers. Designing logos or flyers. Other tasks could include the design of online presentations or the editing of videos. Depending on the client, there are also different topics. Therefore, it is worthwhile to become active yourself, because job offers from online marketers are often mentioned in newsletters or on websites. These are also usually smaller tasks that can be done online. A big advantage, however, is that you can work as a virtual assistant from home and flexibly manage your time.  

5. Start your own online shop

Today, an online store is at least technically no longer a hurdle, but as far as the legal aspects are concerned, in many respects it is. One of the biggest challenges is to plan enough start-up capital for an online store. Most of the time, larger quantities of the goods that you want to sell are needed and they also have to be stored somewhere. Many use their basement or garage for this purpose, others rent additional rooms. Having your own online store is a challenge in times of Amazon and eBay, but it can still be worthwhile in a niche market. It is important to create a unique selling proposition that makes your own online store special. This can be, for example, rarities or discounts for regular customers. You can create your own online store relatively easily with WordPress and the WooCommerce plugin.    

6. make money with affiliate marketing

  Most people who want to make money online sooner or later come across affiliate marketing. It is actually relatively easy with affiliate marketing to earn his first euros, if you know what it depends. Affiliate marketing comes in different varieties, especially easy is to earn money with niche sites. Because these are created once and can generate monthly income, provided that the niche is well chosen. To analyze the competition, there are different tools from Ahrefs and XOVI. However, it is known that for certain products also through Google search, an example here are notebooks or televisions. The niche is simply dominated by Computerbild, Otto, Chip and others. But as long as you have found a suitable niche and create the texts for it yourself or have them written, it is no problem to include banners and links from Awin, Digistore24 or amazonPartner.net.  

7. create and market your own info products

  The supreme discipline is, of course, marketing your own info products. If you know a topic particularly well and are an expert in it, you can, for example, create an online course or offer a members' area where you release new content every month. However, your own info products must first be created and prepared. A blog is a particularly good way to build up trust, for which you need an exciting topic, on which you regularly write something. To earn money with a blog, there are several possibilities, one of them is to market your own info products such as online courses. Read more about earning money with your own blog. Of course, you need both a landing page and a blog to draw attention to your products. Own info products offer the advantage that you can keep the profit for yourself. A few euros go to Digistore24 or PayPal, but the majority goes to you. But you are also responsible for customer satisfaction and support and of course for keeping the product up to date. A simple variant to publish online course is the portal Udemy. Although the courses are more strictly controlled, you will also be found online on Udemy.     Summary - 7 ways how to make money on the internet   It is definitely possible to earn money on the Internet. The easiest way is to offer your services through portals like Fiverr or Upwork. Mostly it is simple text work or tasks that a virtual assistant can do. Of course, you can become really successful with your own digital info products and coaching. Read the full article

[p-and-p-admin]

Although writing fanfiction is a primarily text-based endeavour promoting it, showcasing it and engaging with your audience sometimes requires a little eye candy, and that is where this cavalcade of beauties comes in. Here is a list of the various types of graphics you might find yourself in need of at some point on your fanfiction adventures.

1. Mood Board. Dimensions: Custom I don't know if this is the broadly accepted explanation but for me, a "mood board" is a collection of images, often made at the start of the writing process that gives a visual representation of the tone of the story. How the story world would look to the audience if it was made into a movie is a nifty way to look at it. It does not necessarily feature elements from the actual plot or even characters you plan to use. They generally do not feature text. It's mental set-dressing. They are useful in a couple of ways, to have up somewhere in your writing space to help you visualise your world, or sent to your alpha or beta readers to help them get a feeling for the tone you are trying to set with the story. They can be any size or shape that suits you and include as many or as few images as you like.

2. Author’s Graphic. Dimensions: 1200 x 1200 pixels We have briefly talked about Authors’ Graphics and why they are handy before, but plenty of folks have joined since then so it won’t hurt to say it again. While these graphics can be any size they are most commonly 1200 x 1200 to fit a standard Facebook post. They come in handy when posting an introduction on new Facebook pages, or generally any place you want to showcase that you write. Like adding a little pizzazz to a Discord Authors’ profile entry on a new server. Sometimes they are handy as Profile pics or avatars and can offer a quick snapshot or taster to your vibe as an author.

3. (Author’s fandom acct) Facebook Cover Pic. Dimensions: 1640 x 856 pixels If you make the decision to completely separate your presence in fandom from your real life or are already a popular author and need an additional point of engagement with your readers you might find yourself creating a Facebook Account in your Pen Name. You are here, so I feel I can safely assume you are reasonably confident with using Facebook so creating a fandom account for your writing so fans can reach out to you for updates etc might be something you can do to grow your audience engagement that is already inside your comfort zone. Just like an author graphic it offers a taste of your vibe. It's a visual cue to let fans and casual readers get more of an idea of what you are about as an author.

4. Fanfiction(dot)net Cover Art. Dimensions: 1410 x 1876 pixels Those of you who post to FFN are probably aware you can add cover art to your stories. While most of the time it appears as a thumbnail in the top left above a fic if it is clicked on it will open into a (slightly) larger viewing window. Cover art is a chance to attract the eye of potential readers. Each account is allowed 10 images (plus one for each published story). So you can have a unique image for each of your stories and still be able to also upload another image of the same size to use as your profile pic/avatar so if people click through from your story they can get a glimpse of your style. I searched high and low on the site and found nowhere that specified the maximum and minimum sizes for cover art on FFN but after some trial and error (and with an error margin of a few pixels either way) I found dimensions of 1410 x 1876 to work the best.

5. Wattpad Cover Art. Dimensions: 512 x 800 pixels I don’t use Wattpad for a couple of reasons but I do know it is a popular platform amongst several key demographics. Moreover, Wattpad covers are discoverable by Google search so having one adds an additional search result which might lead new people to your work.

6. Standard Cover Art. Dimensions: 1410 x 2250 pixels On many other forums, publishing sites or if you are considering creating a personal website to host your work (like one from Wix for example) this is a really good size and format to use for cover art. If you are choosing not to publish on one of the major platforms (or as well as) and are contemplating creating a personal author’s fanfic site so you have complete control over your work, how it is displayed and how end-users engage with it this is a cover art format I would probably suggest to you.

7. AO3 Banner. Dimensions: 1024 x (266) pixels (suggested) Unlike FFN, AO3 allows you to insert images directly into your work. While I do not “illustrate” my works (and you could if you chose to) what I do, do, is use a banner at the top of my stories/chapters. You could use a single graphic for the whole story or customise one to match each chapter. It adds a visual clue to the tone and content of the tale. Think of how the opening “WB” logo at the start of each Harry Potter film grew darker and more spooky with each film and is now rightly acknowledged as a cue to viewers about the tone of the coming film. These banners are a more personalized version and will not only help your fic stand out in the minds of your readers (which is great for word of mouth referrals) but also serves to create a more immersive and psychologically satisfying experience for your reader by adding a visual reference for their imagination to feed on.

8. Facebook Story & Update Graphic. Dimensions: 1200 x 1200 pixels If you aren’t already using these you will have seen these used in a variety of Facebook groups. They are “eye-catchers” intended to get those people scrolling past to pause long enough to read your summary, and hopefully, click through to your story. They are used to announce new stories and chapter updates (customised or repeating). Over time you might find you develop a distinct style to your graphics that will be instantly recognisable to your fans and tie your body of work together. As you as an author or a story itself becomes popular it is important to make sure that these Facebook posts are shareable whenever possible so that your readers/fans can share new stories and updates in their own networks. Facebook posts that have interesting and eye-catching images attached will always garner more attention than plain text posts.

9. Email Header. Dimensions: 600 x 200 pixels Now I feel some of you scratching your head so let me explain. In order to sign up for an account on most social media sites, you need an email address. So, if you make that leap into creating a separate Facebook account or Tumblr or whathaveyou in your pen name you may as well have an email account that is also connected to your pen name - it further maintains that separation between real life and fandom presence (if that is your goal) but has the added utility of being a point of contact and engagement for your readers/fans. You can include it in your bios or profiles and use the email address to run a mailing list for updates, new story announcements etc and also to interact with your audience on your own terms with boundaries you set. It’s a more lo-fi approach to engagement for people not so au fait with the more recent social media platforms. The email header can reflect your personal style, be used to promote your current story or an upcoming event (like a Q&A or webinar).

10. Instagram Post Graphic. Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 pixels Many makers and creators have been using Instagram to promote their works and share their processes for a while now. It's a popular, relatively intuitive platform and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. You can make posts about new stories and updates, share fan art that inspires you, share pictures of your writing space - or of your dream writing space. You could make posts about your writing process or struggles with writers' block or excitement when it all comes together. Instagram is a platform that makes it easy for people to “make small shows of support” (see this week’s Engorgio Audience post.) By inviting people into your process (be it real and messy or carefully curated and slick) you are drawing people further into an engagement funnel (Engorgio Audience post) that will make them feel more invested and connected to you and your stories.

11. Tumblr Header. Dimensions: 3000 x 1055 pixels Tumblr has long been a staple for fandom. Whether posting fan art or discussing canon or fan theories there are spaces and a ready audience actively seeking content relevant to them. Also being one platform suitable for more lengthy text-based posts it can be a great space to occupy as a creator of fanfiction. A header is the main banner of a Tumblr blog. Depending on your configuration, headers can be images, text or both. The header serves to welcome visitors to your blog independent of its posts. As with many of the previously mentioned types of graphics it serves as an opportunity to provide a visual clue to your style as a writer. Dark and decadent? Light and fluffy? Scarlet and sexy? If you are someone actively cultivating a following across multiple platforms things like headers and banners will act as signposts letting people know they have found the right account when coordinated with a distinct look, colour scheme or motif. Or as in the example, they could be changed to reflect upcoming events you are participating in or hosting.

12. Twitter Header. Dimensions: 1500 x 500 pixels A couple of weeks ago I posted about how Twitter is the biggest referring site to AO3 and since then after talking about it with various users of Twitter I understand a bit more of the way people use it to engage in a more direct way with their audience. It's less about promotion and more about contact and audience interaction. So for those people comfortable with the app why not use it to grow your audience and brand? As per other types of graphics mentioned in this list it could just be used to show a little of your personal flair as an author, or be regularly updated to promote a current story or upcoming event, fest or challenge. It is worth noting that your profile pic/avatar does overlap in the bottom left corner of the pic so be aware when you create your design not to put any crucial information where it will be obscured. I have also included an example of what the header looks like once it has the profile pic included.

13. YouTube Channel Art. Dimensions: 2560 x 1440 pixels This one will obviously not be useful to everyone, but I imagine there are some folks who hope to have a YouTube channel they can use for their fandom content. While the likes of Amchoupiegirl 2.0 post SSHG fan videos there is also space for writers of fiction wanting to create audiobook versions for fans who prefer to listen rather than read. Requests for “audiobooks of fic” have definitely increased over the last 12 months and I imagine more authors will either do it themselves or green light keen fans of their work to do so on their behalf. If that is you, you might find yourself creating channel art. Channel art is one of the more permanent, static types of graphic you are likely to produce and it should reflect the overall style and/or content you plan on creating or having created for your channel.

14. YouTube content thumbnail. Dimensions:1280 x 720 pixels These are the more customised, eye-catching, scroll-slowing, graphics that should be designed to entice that click. Always deliver on your thumbnail or you will alienate your potential viewers, so make sure the image is relevant to the content.

I hope this has been informative and proves useful for people and I sincerely hope more of you are inspired to use graphics and images to maximise your appeal to your audience and flourish as a result.

If anyone wants to give creating any of these styles a go I would just love to see them, equally, if you have questions or need advice on giving it a go please ask!

Link to examples: https://imgur.com/a/RMLvc2S

[nickgerlich]

Ad It Up

We have waited a whole year for this day. It’s not like marketers have taken a 364-day vacation, though, because they certainly have not. But today is the day they come out with both guns blazing, to the tune of $7 million to grab the stage for 30 seconds. And as has become fashionable in recent years, marketers leaked a lot of their ads early so they can try to build a little pre-game hype.

What makes this year interesting is that inflation and a pandemic before it have left us beaten and battered as consumers, and the ad roster reflects it. Automakers and cryptocurrency will be taking a back seat this year, although the Dodge Ram EV pickup will make an appearance. Lots of consumer goods will be featured, especially foods and things that make us feel good.

Celebrities are also in…again. Advertisers have been relying on celebrity endorsers for decades, often sports heroes and pop culture icons. Americans love their celebrities, and if they say a product is good…well, even if they don’t even say it…their presence is taken as the word of authority. That’s the thinking, anyway.

Humor is also a common approach, and very apropos for these trying economic times. Dogs and other animals are crowd pleasers, like in Amazon’s ad this year. But if you can achieve humor in addition to using A-listers, you may just win the game. I’m thinking of the Pop Corners ad that features Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Raymond Cruz from Breaking Bad fame. In fact, I’m calling it now. This is the best ad of the game. Sheer genius. And never you mind that I ask a huge Breaking Bad fan. Tight, tight, tight!

The most important matter, of course, is whether this is money well spent. Will people even remember more than a few ads come Monday morning? Will our shopping habits change even one iota? My replies to both questions are both rather negative. They have entertainment value, and the marketer in me even sees the whole event as an advertising show in which a football game breaks out. But since watching it is such a social event, we’ll be distracted by food, family, friends, and fun. Oh, and a quick run to the bathroom once in a while. It’s not like we’ll be watching with eyes glued to the screen the whole time.

But then again, what is the price of not participating? If you give up your annual slot on the roster, someone else will happily take it, if only for the association with said event. It’s almost like the league and whomever has broadcasting rights each year is holding a big shake-down with marketers. Get out your checkbook and pay, and if you won’t, then there are dozens of others who will.

An academic study reported a year ago noted that Super Bowl ads are good for creating buzz and word-of-mouth. That’s the kind of brand awareness that can be helpful down the road. But there’s a mixed bag of studies that can show a relationship between those ads and sales revenues. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t.

And then there’s the most controversial ad campaign of this year’s game, the He Gets Us ads purchased by a conservative evangelical Christian group to promote Jesus. The anonymous group is spending $20 million for the ads; one of the biggest donors to the group is David Green, billionaire co-founder of Hobby Lobby. While I don’t have a problem with any group promoting their religion, I have to wonder if it is money well spent.

Of course, my cynicism must be tempered by all the buzz the ad has created, and the game hasn’t even started yet.

That, my friends, is all part of the plan. Get people talking, whether you are selling Jesus, EVs, online shopping, or snack foods. There are thousands of voices in the wilderness, each wanting our attention. Maybe we’ll actually listen to some and run out to buy things.

Or go to church.

Dr “Watching From The Sidelines“ Gerlich

Audio Blog