#currently i get no push notifications or emails at all and that's how i like it.

[nachosncheezies]

okay so.

i'm extremely dubious about staff's claims, but i'm willing to allow a 5% possibility that those of us who this post calls a 'small minority' might actually be a minority... and only because my experience IS curated, to the extent that I may have created my own echo chamber that is somehow so secure that i have literally never seen this phantom 'majority' who they keep saying actually want this stuff. (i can only imagine that this 'majority' are not actually users, but rather an amalgam of current and potential users that they're trying to recruit based off some nebulous market research, although like the commenter above i daresay that if you took five minutes to teach people in those focus groups or whatever how to interact with something OTHER than a meta-style interface they'd be SUPER ONBOARD with what we've got here already, but i digress.) I can empathize with wanting/needing to 'grow' the company and userbase because our whole goddamn world runs on the falsehood of infinite growth and maybe you need to play the game a bit to keep up with the assholes.

THAT SAID.

there already is an algorithm! it's on the 'for you' and 'popular reblogs' tabs! and when i want to find something new from outside my bubble to pass around? I LOOK THERE! :D

the important thing is that it's my choice when and how i interact with that. i absolutely DO NOT want that forced on me.

now. if you have to put one of those as the tab that opens first and make the 'following' tab second then fair enough i guess. it's an extra click/tap for me, which would be annoying, but if algorithmic view is gonna attract enough of the The Youngs or something to keep the site afloat through some voodoo i am truly not convinced exists then sure.

but the algorithm-free view MUST stay. i DO NOT have all day to wade through stuff i didn't ask for!!! and if the dash starts wasting my time that way, i'll be here less! not more!

also.

i am a 'creator'. i personally do not want randos to 'discover' my creations. this is not a business for me, it's a hobby, and what i make i make for me and my ~10 weird little friends. would i like more feedback from the fringe of lurkers that surrounds our group? absolutely. am i happy when a new fan who's enthusiastic enough to seek us out finds and engages with my stuff? of course! these are the people i create for; people whose enthusiasm for a thing matches my own.

what i am absolutely NOT here for is to have my stuff pushed and promoted to casual random browsers with no connection to my fandom. that kind of attention would actually be a net negative for me.

anyway. what the above user said is generally bang on. my reasons for being here are: 1. I have control.

that's it. that's the only reason. this is the only place left where i can preserve my public anonymity and curate my own experience. this is my happy place where current events don't exist unless i want them to. strife and the kind of [oft-overheated] debates fostered by the rest of the internet can not reach me unless i seek them out. here, i am zen. take that away and i'm sorry but... i'm not gonna stay just because 'there's nowhere else and it's better than nothing'. because for me, it's not. at present, it's a tool that makes sharing positivity and creativity a little easier. what would life be without tumblr? not ideal, but before i found here i did other things with this time. trolling ao3. reading books. listening to podcasts. email pen pals exist. i have some that i took with me when i ditched other social media. who wouldn't love a few more? and happily, gifs work as attachments!

all told, i'm not naive enough to think i'm not being data mined to an extent here. that's sadly just how the internet works now and infuriatingly it's inescapable. for me, tumblr's genius and appeal rests on the fact that it's a two-way street. i have a measure of meaningful control over both what's harvested and what i'm fed. take that away and make the user the only product you're selling?

well hey, besties. anyone wanna be pen pals? :)

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[beom-pyu]

nights ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ huening kai

huening kai x fem!reader , tags; established relationship , tiniest bit of angst , nsfw , emotional hurt/comfort , cute bf!kai , misunderstandings , he's had a long day, okay?!?! , u make it up to him tho!!! , kai luvs u , fluff , this is so soft i can only write soft stuff HELP , kai almost cries :(( , you call kai "angel"

warnings: smut (minors dni!!) , insecure kai , riding , unprotected sex , cumming inside , slight dom reader? u take the lead , marking (hickies) , praise praise praise , tit sucking , cockwarming

a/n: hiiii!! its been so long since i've posted a fic! currently wrapping up this semester :3 but thank you all for 350+ followers!!! i know it may seem small but all of your support really makes me so sososos happy and im so thankful for u all! now here's some cute bf kai for ur enjoyment hehe

wc: 3.2k+

“i am literally on the verge of quitting this damn job,” you groan with your phone pressed against your ear, lying horizontally on the couch in one of kai’s shirts and panties as some random drama plays on the t.v. in the background.

this has been going on for weeks—your lazy boss has been assigning you and your coworkers extra reports so he can go on vacation, leaving your entire division working overtime almost every night. you are both stressed and drained, fed up with your higher-up’s mistreatment.

“i hear you. how did we end up with the worst boss to grace this earth?” your coworker, sakura, whines into the mic in agreement.

the sound of keys at the door seizes your attention, pulling your phone away from your ear for a second to check the time. 9:15 p.m. kai’s schedule must’ve ended earlier today.

“hey, sakura, my boyfriend just got home so i’ll text you.” you give kai a small smile and wave as he enters your apartment, his exhausted eyes brightening at the sight of you. he slips his shoes and jacket off quietly as to not disturb your call while you and your coworkers say your goodbyes.

once you’ve hung up, you motion kai over to your spot on the couch as you try to sit up, giggling once his entire body flops directly on top of you. he buries his head into your clothed stomach, mumbling out a discernable sentence into your belly as his arms come to wrap around you. 

“what was that, angel?” you laugh out as he mumbles something again before his head turns to the side, his eyes closing as your fingers tangle into his hair.

“said i missed you. and you smell nice,” he speaks sleepily, nuzzling his cheek against your shirt. you let out a chuckle, gently running your fingers through his hair.

“i missed you too, angel. how was your day?” 

kai simply whines in response to your question and you take that as a good enough answer—you understand right away, tapping his cheek so that he can raise his head. he looks up at you, his fluffy hair bouncing a bit, falling into his eyes. your heart flips at the adorable sight. 

“rough day, hm?” you ask as you push his hair back and he nods with a little pout, his head flopping back down. 

“so busy,” is all he replies with and you automatically understand, your fingers massaging his scalp. “just gonna rest my eyes…”

and you’re sure he’s already falling asleep as he goes dead silent in your hold. you chuckle at your teddy bear of a boyfriend before your phone dings with a notification. you grab the device and you immediately have to suppress an annoyed groan at the email from your boss. you’ve already clocked out and he’s still assigning you more work.

you open your messages to text sakura.

you: he just emailed me another report to finish this week

you: like, can’t he do it himself???

you feel kai nuzzle himself further into you, shuffling around a bit before going still again. your hand is still mindlessly playing with hair before you get another notification.

sakura: and guess who just called me back in.

you: no way. is he being serious rn?

sakura: yup. completely.

sakura: he must’ve lost his mind

sakura: if he even had one to begin with

you: he’s literally so annoying wtf

you: i can’t stand him

you:  idk how much longer i can put up with him tbh

“can we watch a movie?” kai suddenly mumbles, his voice muffled against the fabric of your shirt. you smile at his sleepy tone, your fingers stilling in his hair.

“i thought you were tired?” you inquire playfully.

“wanna spend more time with you,” kai speaks nonchalantly—but you’re sure your heart explodes in your chest at the simple words. you love him so much.

“let me go get some snacks and you pick the movie.”

it takes a good 2 minutes to finally get kai to move off of your body—complete with a few whines and grabby hands—but the mission is successful nonetheless. you toss your phone onto the couch before heading into the kitchen, rummaging around in the cabinets for popcorn.

it takes much longer than you intended, already hearing a movie begin to play on the screen as you pour the freshly popped food into a big bowl, grabbing some drinks out of the fridge as well.

kai gives you a stiff smile as you walk back into the room, arms full of snacks. you shoot him a questioning look, but his eyes are already glued back onto the t.v. screen. it is pretty dark, so maybe you didn’t see correctly—but you are sure you saw tears in his eyes too.

“you okay, angel?” you ask as you set the popcorn and drinks out on the coffee table, your eyes flickering over to him in between every movement. he looks over at you quickly before nodding slightly.

“mhm. just sleepy.” he offers you a faint smile before turning back to the movie. you feel a little uneasy at the response, but he did say he had a hard day and you don’t want to push him any further. you take a seat next to him, pulling your legs up to your chest before grabbing your phone to see if sakura has texted you back.

“babe…?” kai starts, slow and unsure. you lift your head from your phone to give him your attention, taking note of the way his hands wring in his lap, his leg bouncing anxiously.

“yea?” you ask, tossing your phone to the side to turn your body toward him. his eyes flicker up to yours nervously before darting away.

“i—nothing. nevermind,” he awkwardly laughs, shaking his head slightly as he tries to focus back on the t.v. 

worry fills your body at his actions—if there’s one thing you knew about kai, it would be when he has something on his mind. and you can tell there’s something on the tip of his tongue by the way his leg continues to bounce, his mind clearly off somewhere far away.

you pout a bit, moving to straddle his lap, successfully gaining his attention. his eyes shoot up to yours and it’s only now that you can clearly see the slight glossiness of his orbs, tears pooling in his waterline.

“angel, what’s wrong?” you ask, your hands immediately coming up to hold his face. kai rarely ever cries, especially around you, so your gut churns with concern as he bites his lip and looks away from you, hands clenched at his sides.

“i’m sorry,” kai mumbles out, looking down at his lap. you let out a tiny noise of disagreement, your thumbs grazing his cheeks in an attempt to comfort him—yet he still continues to avoid your eyes. 

“why are you apologizing?” you raise a hand to brush some of his dark hair out of his face. kai shakes his head again, his locks falling right back into his eyes.

“i’m sorry for being annoying—i just had a rough day and… i didn’t mean to be clingy and make you uncomfortable. i’m sorry, i won’t do it again. just—just don’t leave me, please.” 

all of kai’s words rush out in a single breath, his voice slightly cracking at that last sentence, his body trembling slightly. you struggle to keep up, your brows furrowed in confusion. 

“kai, angel, look at me,” you speak and despite his initial apprehension, his head lifts at your words. his eyes are shiny with tears as you cradle his face. “what are you talking about, my love? where is all of this coming from?”

“you… you left your phone unlocked when you got up—i didn’t mean to snoop but i saw your texts…” his voice is quiet and filled with sadness as he explains. your eyes widen as realization dawns on you, letting out a sigh of relief. this time kai’s head tilts in confusion, a pout settled on his lips. 

“kai, i was ranting about my boss. you know—how he’s been making me work overtime lately?” 

you watch with fondness as his cheeks redden, lips pursed shut. you can’t help but giggle as his hands shoot up to cover his face, covering your hands with his own.

“i’m so stupid,” his muffled voice sounds from behind his large hands. you laugh a bit—just because he’s so cute—moving your hands to pry his own from his face. an embarrassed smile rests on his lips and you are quick to peck them, once, twice, before leaning back.

“you’re not stupid, angel. it was just a little misunderstanding,” you giggle and he whines, his hands covering his face again. “come here, cutie.”

his harmonic laugh fills your ears as you lean in close to gently move his hands out of the way, kissing him again. you feel his body slowly unwind as your lips move against his, your hands replacing his own as you cup his cheek, pressing your body close to him. 

when you separate, he’s out of breath, his hands hovering at your sides as you gaze down at him lovingly. you notice how perfectly placed you are in his lap, slightly rolling your hips down onto him—his lips part at the action, his chest rising and falling quickly.

“just relax, angel. let me do the work, okay?”

 your hands are still on his cheeks as his eyes glimmer up at you, still wet and glistening. he nods in response, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stares at you in awe. so cute. you smile down at him before pressing your lips against his, your hands sliding into his hair.

kai softens into your touch, his hovering hands finally resting on your hips, holding you steady in his lap. you moan a bit as his teeth eagerly nip at your bottom lip, tongue swiping across shortly after to ease the sting. his hips move up against yours, trying to create any friction possible. he’s already hard, you notice, feeling his thick erection pressing against your core.

you pull away from the kiss to take a good look at his pretty face, his lips slick with your spit, a slight pink resting on his cheekbones. you can’t resist the urge to lean down to kiss up his jaw, pecking that spot under his ear that makes his body rack with shivers. he whines quietly as you suck marks onto his skin, still slightly sticky with sweat from his long day. 

“do you wanna fuck me, angel?” you whisper low in his ear—and he quite literally moans at your words, nodding quickly as his hands grip your hips tighter, his hips bucking up into your clothed core.

“yes, yes, please,” he pants, already tugging at your clothes to get them off of your body. you giggle at his enthusiasm, letting him pull your shirt over your head. the movie running in the background does little to nothing to cancel out the heavy breathing as you wrap your arms around kai’s neck, arching your back a bit as he takes one of your sensitive buds into his mouth. 

his tongue swirls around your nipple, his hands coming up to grope your boobs, loving how soft and bouncy there are. his hips move against you impatiently, but you know he won’t do anything without your word.

“my good boy,” you sigh out, the flashing lights from the t.v casting a sparkly reflection in his dark eyes. you smile dreamily at him, cupping the side of his face in your hand before you lean down to kiss him again. 

his hands roam your body with such determination and your mind grows muddled with every kiss to your chest and brush of his fingertips against your heated skin. you can feel yourself leaking through your panties as you grind against him. you sit back a bit to grab the bottom of his shirt, tugging it up.

“i wanna see you too,” you speak as you help him take it off. you’ll never get used to how gorgeous he is—you know he’s been working out even more recently, and the fruits of his labor are definitely starting to show. his pecs are prominent as you lightly drag your nails over his feverish skin, hearing the strained moan he lets out at the touch. always so sensitive. 

you trail your fingers down to his stomach and he lets his head fall back with a sigh. you lean in to press fluttery kisses to his bared neck and a low moan leaves his lips as you bite onto his skin. he smells like the cologne that you had gifted him for his birthday and the scent makes your stomach flip with anticipation. 

“all mine,” you mumble and his hips buck up again, his head lulling to the side to give you more access to his neck.

“all yours, all yours,” he echoes out, his hands running up and down the sides of your body. you feel your core pulse when he brings a hand down to rub your clit through your panties, rolling your hips against his fingers.

your actions are feverish as your fingers trail lower to the waistband of his sweatpants, pulling his pants and underwear back in one swift motion. his crying dick slaps against his stomach at the action, already leaking glistening precum that leaves a trail across his lower stomach. his tip is an angry red and you have to resist the urge to get down on your knees and have a taste for yourself.

kai’s hands are obediently still on your hips as he waits for your next move, eyes flickering across your face. you give him a small smile before placing your cupped hand right below his mouth, cocking your head to the side.

“spit.” 

and he does—a string of saliva leaving his mouth, dropping into the palm of your hand, dripping off of his lips. the broken moan that leaves his lips is music to your ears as you grab onto his erection with your slicked-up hand, spreading his own spit over the length. 

“you listen so well, angel,” you breathe out, watching as he preens at your praise, a tiny smile finding its way onto his face. he looks so gorgeous—with his dark hair roused and in his eyes, cheeks flushed, his beauty marks sitting on his skin like stars in the sky.

you lean in to press a hot, open-mouthed kiss to his lips, his tongue immediately swiping over your bottom lip. he pants into your mouth, whining softly when you squeeze his dick a little too hard, his hips shaking as he tries not to thrust up into your hand.

you have mercy on him though—already feeling yourself leaking onto his pants. you pull your panties to the side, lining yourself up with his dick. his eyes never leave yours, staring at you with the biggest puppy dog eyes as you rub his tip in between your folds; a whimper leaves his lips as you slowly sink down on him, your eyes fluttering at how full you already feel.

his dick is thick and long, filling you up perfectly—as if your cunt was made for him. your legs slightly shake at the feeling, your free hand resting on his shoulder to hold yourself steady as you begin to bounce on his cock, soft moans leaving your lips as his tip hits your cervix every time.

“so good, angel. so big, fuck,” you whine and kai’s fingers tighten on your waist, subtly helping you move up and down on him. your moans mix together beautifully, loving the way he whimpers when your walls clench around him, his hands running up your back and down your thighs, touching every part of you in his reach.

you can’t even chastise him when he begins thrusting up into you, his head thrown back against the couch as he watches you through hooded eyes. your bouncing tits put him in a trance, his hand coming up to brush over your hard nipples. your pussy gushes and soaks his lap, eyes screwed shut from how addicting his cock is, twitching inside of your cunt.

every thrust into your heat makes your stomach flip with pleasure, getting lost in the way his hips snap against yours perfectly. you can tell he’s getting close too by the way his rhythm falters—his moans are high and breathy, his body shaking slightly as you rock your hips back and forth.

“can i—fuck, can i cum, please?” kai stutters out as he lifts his head to rest his forehead against yours. 

“fill me up, angel. i’m all yours.” 

his heavy pants fan your lips and you capture his again, moaning at the way he hastily licks into your mouth. you can already feel your high crashing upon you with one last stroke, your own whimpers falling deaf to your ears as his moans tip you over the edge. your body buzzes with electricity as your pussy pulsates around him, feeling him pump his thick ropes of cum into you at the action.

you swallow his moans as his hips thrust up into you a few more times before slowing to a stop, his tongue swirling with yours, swiping over your teeth, pulling away to kiss down your neck—as if he can’t get enough of you. you let your body fall forward onto his chest, your breath fanning against his neck.

you’re both quiet as you come down from your highs, the movie on the screen long forgotten. once your arms stop feeling like jelly, you sit up, finding kai’s eyes easily in the darkness of the living room. 

he’s completely ruined—lips shiny and red, his neck and ears the same color. soft marks are already blooming on his skin from your ministrations and you find yourself lightly brushing over them, pressing into the bruises with the pads of your fingers. kai’s eyes don’t break away from your gaze as he bites his lip at the slight pain, his dick twitching inside of you. good to know.

“i love you, angel. you did so well,” you smile down at him and you swear his ears go even redder as your fingers stroke his hair. “please don’t ever think for a second that i would leave you, okay?” 

kai nods quickly, leaning into your touch like a puppy.

“i love you,” he responds, arms wrapping around your waist to pull you into his chest. you let out a small noise of surprise at the quick movement, but melt into his embrace even quicker. his hold on you is strong as you rest your head against his shoulder.

“can we just stay like this for a bit?” kai mumbles, pressing a kiss to the shell of your ear. you giggle a bit, nodding in response. his dick is warm and snug inside of you, trapping his cum inside of you. his body feels like home against yours as he pecks your skin, and you let your eyes flutter shut in the arms of the one you love most.

reblogs are highly cherished!

masterlist

©️BEOM-PYU

[tryzine]

ZINE FAQ

General Questions:

What is a fanzine? - A fanzine is a little magazine made up of contributions from fans of a certain series/show/sport/whatever. In this case, "The Reason is You" is a zine focused around Spiderbit/Guapoduo, and it'll have people contributing from all over the globe!

What is this zine about? - This zine is specifically about Guapoduo as they are on the QSMP Minecraft Server. That is to say: a canon setting with canon relationship dynamics.

Can we include Obsessedduo/Devotionduo/Mafiaduo/the Guapoverse? - Unfortunately, not this time. This zine focuses specifically on their canon relationship. You don't have to write specifically about canon events like the wedding or Festa Junina, and you can include just about any headcanon you like- Catboy Cellbit, Spider-Roier, Trans Headcanons, etc- but it will be set within the canon setting.

Is this zine related to [Insert Fandom Event/Zine Here]? - Nope, this is a standalone project, but those other things sure sound cool!

How old do I have to be to apply? - Technically you can be any age, but what will actually matter is the portfolio you'll be submitting on the application. Unfortunately there will be a bias towards experience, but don't let that get you down! Feel free to try, you never know!

When will the applications go out? - The actual applications will go out as soon as they're finished being written and translated into Spanish and Portuguese, so give us a week or two. They WILL be out by the end of April, though.

When will we know if we got in? - Since we're expecting over 100 applications, it'll take us a minute to go through them all and decide who gets in! It'll depend on exactly how many applications we get, but we're anticipating reaching out to contributors via email sometime in early May.

How will we know if we got in? - On the application, you'll be giving us your email address. If you get in, you'll get an email from us with the discord server's link and a big ol' Parabens!!!

Do we have to have both a Twitter and a Tumblr? - Nope! Not necessary, just come with what you've got!

Do we have to have a Discord account? - Yes! After emails are sent, it will be mandatory for all admins, guests, and contributors to be part of the Discord server for the project. You won't need to be online every day, but you will need to have @ notifications turned on, and you'll need to be open to receiving dms from admins when it comes to check-ins.

What is the zine's exact schedule? - We're actually finalizing the dates as I write this post, and we'll keep you guys updated. Because of the bug impacting our collective ability to enter Twitter, the project may have to be pushed back a week or so just to keep things even. We're having to adjust for that. But we WILL get a schedule out ASAP, and it will be before the applications go live.

Will we have to do anything in November as contributors? What do you mean by it "ending" in November? - The way the schedule is currently projected, writers and artists will actually be done with their work around the end of August/beginning of September. After that, translators will have September and October to translate. Then, the people helping put everything together into the zine proper (graphic designers, admins, etc.) will be working through the end of October into November to finalize things and get the zine out by the end of November.

What do you mean by "applications", anyway? Do we have to try out for this zine? - In order to keep things fair, we're going to have people apply to be in the zine. This will eliminate bias and keep us admins from just letting Big Creators and Our Friends in. This way, everybody has an equal shot!

What do you mean by "writer and artist collaborations"? - The way these would work is that we the admins would pair together a writer and an artist who both indicated in their applications that they would be cool with a collaboration with a random person. After matching them together, we'd tell them in their emails that they're working with each other. From there, they'd come up with a concept together, and the writer would write it and the artist would Art it. The specifics would be up to them.

Are collaborations mandatory? - Nope! There will be an option on the applications that tell us whether or not you want to do a collaboration. It's totally optional.

Are we only working with people we share a language with? - While we might stick, say, two Portuguese speakers together for easier communication when it comes to collaborations, the zine will be made up of people from all over the globe speaking all sorts of languages! The discord server comes with a translation bot in it and everything.

Will there be merchandise? (Ex: wallpapers, icons, physical merchandise) - Unfortunately, no. This will be a free zine, and we will not be accepting personal donations from readers or contributors. This is for several reasons, but the most important reason is that it's for Legal Reasons. We don't own the copyrights to these characters or the QSMP Server, and we don't feel comfortable profiting off of them.

Then how can we pay for the zine? - You don't! BUT, if it can be worked out properly, there will be an option to donate what you want to a charity of our choice. If you want to pay for this zine, just pay what you would want to to that charity when the time comes.

Will there be a physical version of the zine? - Nope! This is a digital zine only. It will be released via pdf and maybe epub for anybody to download for free. This is for cost reasons, yes, but also because we want anybody anywhere to be able to read this zine regardless of whether or not they can afford international shipping.

Writer Questions

What am I supposed to write? - Pretty much anything you like as long as it's set within canon! No need to stick with actual events, again, just no crazy AU stuff. If you have specific questions, you can ask an admin once the writing process begins in May.

What is the word count? - Writers will be expected to write within a range of 1,000 to 3,000 words, but allowances will be made for more or less upon discussion with an admin.

Will poetry be allowed? - Sure! Any kind of writing will be allowed, just have it in your portfolio when you apply.

What do you mean "portfolio"? - When you fill out the application, you will be asked to submit 2-3 previous works. Threadfics, Wattpad fics, Ao3 links, whatever it is! The will be more details within the application itself, don't worry.

Do we have to write in English? - Nope! Write in your native language... but I will say that there will only be translations for English, Spanish, and Portuguese. We'd love to have, say, a German or French translation, but we only have so much manpower, and we don't want translators working overtime for free.

Artist Questions

What kinds of art are allowed in the zine? - Any kind of art! It can be digital or traditional. As long as you can provide a clear and clean scan/photo of any traditional work and provide that to the admins when the time comes, it'll be fine!

What about non-traditional artworks? (Ex: crochet, sculptures) - That's all fine! Again, just give us a clear photo, and it's fine!

Do we have to draw Guapoduo themselves? Or can we draw things related to them? - As long as it relates back to Guapoduo as a focus, it's fine. So you can draw a landscape of, say, Cellbit's Castle or the wedding venue.

What will be on our applications? - Just like writers, you'll be asked to provide a portfolio of 2-3 previous works. More information will be on the applications themselves.

Translator Questions

What will our schedule look like? - As mentioned earlier, you won't be doing too much work until the last bit of the zine's creation. Don't sweat it.

What languages will we be translating from/to? - The three languages the zine will be translated into are English, Spanish, and Portuguese. To be a translator, you'll need to have a level of fluency in at least two of these languages.

What will be on our application? - You can provide a portfolio if you have experience with translating, but there will also be a little bit of a test on your applications. If all goes according to plan, you'll indicate what language you would like to translate from and then into, and you'll then be given a passage to translate. That translation will then be checked by our admin team.

Do we need heavy translation experience? - Not necessarily, but, again, there will be a test on the application. It's just a necessary precaution.

Graphic Designer Questions

What do you mean by "graphic designer", exactly? - By this, we're talking about someone who knows how to do page layouts. We're gonna need your help putting the zine together and then exporting it in a pdf. (Like, Adobe InDesign type of stuff.)

What will be on our application? - Again, a portfolio will be required. For this, we won't require as many pieces, though. As long as you can prove you know how to use programs that can Make Book, or as long as you can show your expertise in page layout and management, we're good.

-

THIS FAQ WILL BE ADJUSTED AS THE PROCESS CONTINUES. IT IS NOT YET COMPREHENSIVE.

[wannaeatramyeon]

i need samuel with an “annoyingly cute” s/o who literally never shuts up and pester him 24/7 whose fave color is pink (literal the opposite of him)

Who's out here trying to break people out of their Samuel angst? I started writing this, but realised I was more building up how Samuel + Reader got together rather than anything about what you asked lol.

Thanks for the ask anon - and happy Saturday!

Samuel Seo x Reader: Another work day

Samuel trying to do work, You doing anything but

Samuel wonders whether it's a curse or bad karma that he's with you.

You bounce into his office in a cloud of pink (and an impeccably cut suit) hellbent on trying to ruin his day.

"Sammy baby, wanna go for lunch?" You perch on his desk, annoyingly sitting on some of the important documents he is currently trying to review.

"Y/N, it's 10am. And how many times must I tell you to call me Samuel in the office," he roughly pushes you off.

"Fine be like that Mr. Important Boss Man. I have stuff to do too!"

"Then go do it."

.

.

"Mr. Seo? There's an urgent call on line 2 for you."

"Put it through."

"Sammy~ Cmon lets go for lunch."

"It's-" Samuel checks his watch, "10:30."

"Brunch then!"

He hangs up.

.

.

"Mr. Seo, Y/N is calling again. Shall I put them through?"

"Please ignore all calls from Y/N in the next couple hours."

"Of course, I'll tell them you're in a meeting."

.

.

You knock on his office door but receive no response. Slowly, you open it and poke your head around to see Samuel deep into his work. And blatantly ignoring you. Meeting, your ass.

"Samuel. Please."

No reaction.

"I'm really hungry!"

Nothing.

"I promise I'll leave you alone if we go now,"

Finally, his eyes meet yours accompanied with a single raised eyebrow.

"Until at least 5!"

Samuel leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. He gives you his full attention. Hours of peace from you does sound like a decent deal. Why he couldn't get that in the first place, he doesn't know.

"I swear you won't hear a peep from me until the end of the day," you mime zipping your lips and throwing away the key.

Samuel eyes the paperwork that covers his desk and the unread emails notification; he considers your face, excited and smiling. He resigns himself to his fate.

"Fine."

.

.

Samuel finds himself at a small, local hole-in-the-wall. You had eclectic taste at the best of times, but even this seemed a bit too... rustic for your taste.

As soon as you are seated, you nod your head towards to a quiet corner table, where a group of men are talking in hushed voices.

"Hey Sammy, that guy over there - he's the head you wanted to meet with right?"

You pass Samuel your compact mirror so he could discreetly check behind him. You notice his eyes widening and the spark of recognition.

"Did you know he was going to be here?!"

"Well I am hungry too... But why else did you think I wanted grab some food! And in this dump too!"

Samuel clenches his jaw in annoyance, exasperated at your antics yet again. You have undeniably good instinct and showed utmost loyalty to him, but your method left a lot to be desired. He quickly stands up to go over and introduce himself when-

"Hey!" you pout at him, "Don't I deserve a little something?" and tap twice at your puckered lips.

Even with everything, you always manage to draw as much amusement as you do ire. Samuel kisses you and murmurs a thanks before rushing off.

"Love you too, Sammy."

[reignsbaby]

This is for @diorianna

Hope you enjoy love!!!

(Also let’s pretend that Roman only has 3 kids in this)

Longing for Love

——Joe P.O.V.——

I never thought my life would include a messy divorce with children involved but here I am…and it’s so difficult. I’m fighting for my kids, my home, my life all of it. It all just keeps getting more stressful as days go on. My grey hairs are popping through more and more. I had to find someone to help me. I began to reasearch nanny’s and baby sitters. When my eyes fell upon Y/N I felt something jolt inside me. The smile, so perfect and beautiful, the doe eyes entrancing me further…but I stopped myself. I was a soon to be divorced dad of 5. No woman her age would want me like that. But she did seem pretty genuine and open to really any hours available. So I decided to shoot her an email

—— Y/n P.o.V. ——

I groaned as my phone dinged roughly five times. There’s no way it’s time for me to get up yet…who the hell is texting me this early? I thought as I rolled over in my bed, I picked my phone up off the nightstand before sitting up in bed. It was notifications from my nanny/babysitting app I have.

Joe Anoa’i: Hello my name is Joe

Joe Anoa’i : I’ve never contacted someone on here before so bare with me please 😅

Joe Anoa’i: I have 3 kids, 1 is a teen so I don’t really need help with her as much, she might need help with homework or something here and there but she’s mostly with her mom, but I do have twin boys who are 3 years old.

Joe Anoa’i: I’m unsure the hours, I am really struggling currently as I’m going through a very rough divorce on top of this

Joe Anoa’i: I’m also on the road a lot, when I have my kids, they come with me so I can assure I spend gas much quality time with them as possible.

I took a look at Joes profile and I immediately noticed how good looking he was. But I pushed that aside it was time to be professional.

Good Morning Joe! I appreciate your interest in my services! I am a part time student who full time works as a nanny/babysitter, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself as I find that important for potential clients. I am 24 years old and I have always loved children, I as of now prefer to watch others children since I want to get my degree! I go to school online so I have open availability! I have been babysitting for roughly 7 years, and I’ve nannied for families for 2 years! I have taken many classes and sat in seminars to ensure that I can be a positive role model for children as well as a safe person for them to rely on. My classes and certifications will be listed below:

• CPR And AED Certified (I also have a portable aed machine I keep with me at all times)

• Water Safety Certification

• infant care certification

• professional nanny certification

• Childhood nutrition

• Fitness education

• Foreign language (6 years of Spanish, 3 years of French, I speak Spanish and French fluently)

• Special Needs Care Classes

• Positive Discipline Training

I would definitely be interested in helping you out! I do require at least one in person meeting prior to discussing any services and creating a buisness contract. If meeting in person doesn’t work (with your busy work schedule) I am also willing to do a zoom call and talk to you over that! Thank you for your interest and I hope to hear from you soon!

Y/F/N Y/L/N

I sent the email and rolled over to go back to sleep. I couldn’t help but think about how handsome Joe was…I pushed it out of my mind and slowly fell back to sleep.

——Joe P.O.V.——

As I ran on the treadmill the ding of a notification interrupted my music. I looked down seeing it was a email from the nannying site. I opened it, reading Y/N’s message and smiling. She said she’d help! And she’s got so many qualifications…man she’s a well rounded individual.

—Time skip because it’s needed now—

——Y/n P.O.V.——

It was a hot day and the first thing the boys wanted to do was swim, I loved Joe’s twins and they were so well behaved. And Joelle was home too which made for nice conversation, she’s such a sweet girl I felt bad that she had to be as old as she was while her parents went through a divorce, my parents were divorced, and it sucked to be her age through all of it too. I walked upstairs, knocking on the door of the boys room. I opened it hearing then giggle. “You boys finish your assigned reading for the day?” I asked and they both nodded with big smiles on their faces. “Well good……I guess it’s pool time then!” I said excitedly and they screamed jumping up and down and making me shush them. “Boys your dad is still sleeping you have to keep it down…he had a long week.” I said and they looked up at me covering their mouths before giggling. “I’m awake.” I heard his deep raspy voice say from behind me, shivers ran up my spin as I slowly turned to look back. My eyes trailed from his thick muscular legs up to his naked torso and chest. My eyes finally connected with his deep chocolate doe eyes making my face flush. “Oh Mr.Anoa’i I didn’t realize you were up! Sorry boys I yelled at you for no reason then.” I said with a small laugh. “How many times I gotta tell ya call me Joe. It’s okay I’d rather you keep these rowdy boys of mine in line then let them wreak havoc like I know they can.” He said as he moved into the room, quickly swooping each boy up onto his shoulders. They giggled and squealed making me smile. “Daddy! Guess what! It’s pool day!” One twin squeaked out surrounded by laughs. “You gotta swim with us please daddy!” The other twin said making me smile. “They sure do drive a hard bargain huh?” He said turning and looking at me. “Yes they do.” I said with a smirk. “Well I guess I have no choice then. I’ll go get my suit on. You two get yours on.” He said setting them down and they nodded. “Last one down to the pool is a rotten egg!” He said before bolting from the room. I quickly grabbed the suits from their dresser handing them each one before exiting the room and closing the door. I needed to check on Joelle.

I knocked softly on her door, hearing her softly tell me to come in. I opened the door peaking my head in seeing her writing stuff down. “Hey Joelle, I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing.” I said with a soft smile closing the door behind me. She looked over sighing before I saw her lip wiggle. “Oh no I’m sorry hun I didn’t want to make you cry:” I said walking over and giving her a hug. She cried softly shaking her head: “I’m so stressed out!” She sobbed out and I rubbed her back letting her calm. “Let’s talk about what you are stressed about.” I said and she let out a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m trying to get a really good score on this anatomy test, I have all A’s but this class I have an A- and I want to get it up so bad. And then I have the varsity swim tryout tomorrow too…and with everything going on with my parents it’s hard to focus, I want to stay here but I know mom is coming tonight and that’s gonna be a huge deal if I even mention it. But I want quiet, and I love my brothers but they are kids and they are loud.” She said and I hummed nodding. “You got practice cards for the exam?” I asked and she nodded. “Okay, well I can help you study, and I can help you as best as I can with practicing for the swim tryout too. I think you need some fresh air for a reset though. Have you had anything to eat today yet?” I asked and she shook her head. “Okay, get your cards, and get your suite on, I’ll make you some lunch and we’ll sit by the pool and study.” I said and she smiled nodding. “You go ahead and get your suit on and I’ll go ahead and make you some food. Meet me down by the pool. I’ll help you out as much as I can.” I said and she smiled. She gave me a big hug. “Thank you for everything Y/n. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here.” She said and I smiled. “It makes me happy to help and it’s also my job. I don’t want you struggling through a bunch of stuff at once. You already have enough going on with your parents.” I said and she nodded. I stood giving her another hug before walking out. I walked down the stairs, taking stuff out to make sandwiches, I made Joelle, The boys, Joe and myself a sandwich, I then cut up some fruit and veggies and put them on a tray. Joelle walked down there stairs while I was cutting the boys sandwiches up. “I made you a sandwich hun. And I cut some fruits and veggies too. Let’s go outside.” I said and she nodded opening the door for me as I brought all the food out. “Boys I made you sandwiches come eat! Joe I made you one too.” I said and set them down on the table. The boys quickly got out running over to grab a sandwich. “Hey beautiful, how’s it going?” Joe asked getting out walking over to Joelle kissing her in the top of her head. “I’m a little stressed dad. Y/n’s helping me though.” She said smiling at me and I nodded. “If you need my help babygirl you know all you have to do is ask. Can I help with anything?” He asked as I ogled his body as he hopped out of the pool with ease. The water making his entire body glisten under the sun. “I might need your help with practicing for my swim team tryout tomorrow, and also I want to stay here overnight to get good rest, can you somehow try to convince mom to let me stay?” She asked and I could see him tense slightly. “Whatever you need babygirl I got you.” He said with a soft smile and she smiled back with a nod. Joelle sat down on one of the chairs organizing some school work. I walked over with her sandwich and sat down on the other chair. “Okay let’s get started.” I said and she nodded taking a bite out of her sandwich.

—————

We studied for a good portion of time and she was acing everything. “Okay how do you feel now?” I asked setting down her note cards. “Much more confident now onto the swim try out.” She said and I nodded. “Alright babygirl what do you need me to do?” Joe asked and she thought for a moment. “Well I need to stay under a certain time so can you time me?” She asked and he nodded. “Y/n can you give me a countdown? She asked and I nodded. We walked over to the far end of the pool and she got set up. “Alright. Ready, set, GO!” I said and she dived into the water effortlessly, swimming with all of her willpower to the other end. As soon as she touched the end she looked up at Joe. “18.5 seconds.” He said and she groaned. “What do you need to be at?” He asked her. “I need to be below 16 seconds.” She said and he nodded. “Okay well you aren’t that far off…let’s just focus and push, do you need me to talk to you while you swim?” He asked and she thought for a moment. “Yeah maybe.” She said hopping back out of the pool. She walked around to the end of the pool again getting ready. “Ready?” I asked and she nodded. “Ready. Set. GO!” I said and she dived in once again. “Come on! Push! You got this! Push! Faster! You are almost there!” Joe said as he cheered her on. She touched the wall looking over at him breathing heavily. “You were so close honey. 16.5 that time.” He said and she groaned. “Uhm would it helped if I raced you? Maybe when you are next to competition you push harder.” I said and she looked over at Joe and he shrugged. “I don’t think that it would hurt to try.” He said with a smile and I nodded. She came back over to the side I was on and we both got ready. “Ready. Set. GO!” Joe said as we both dove into the water. I swam as fast as I could and I could tell she was going to beat me. Which was good. I finally touched the wall and she quickly looked up and over at her father. “You got….13.8 SECONDS!” He said and I cheered clapping for her. “Yes!!! Thank you both for helping.” Joelle said with a big smile and I nodded.

——Joe P.O.V.——

As Joelle hopped out of the pool, I watched as Y/n slowly got out. I couldn’t help but watch the droplets of water cascade down her body. My mind thinking of all the things I’d love to do to her. But I was older than her, and divorced, messily divorced which she’s seem parts of. Which I’m sure isn’t a great look for me. But there’s also something so entrancing about watching her with my kids. She’s so nurturing and loving. And the kids seem to love her too. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Joelle. “I think mom’s here.” She said and I looked down at my watch. She was 2 hours early. I’m sure there’s some fucking reason for it. I walked into the house and over to the door. I opened it seeing my loving ex wife standing there. “You are early…what a lovely surprise.” I said with all the sarcasm I could muster. “It’s not like you have anything to hide. I already know you are probably sleeping with that skank you call a “nanny” you mad I interrupted you finally getting some?” She asked and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

——Y/N P.O.V.——

I told the kids to go get their stuff ready upstairs as I walked into the house with their wet towels. I began walking to the laundry room before I heard the bickering. “Oh please Joe. I know you like that whore I’m sure you haven’t kept your hands off of her.” I heard his ex wife say. “Are you fucking crazy? You are here to pick the kids up that’s it. I’m not going to fucking argue with you. I don’t know why you care so much anyway. YOU asked for a divorce not me.” I heard Joe say and I bit my lip. Was she talking about it me? I wondered as I threw the towels in the washer throwing some soap in before starting it. “Because I don’t want my kids being watched by some slut who’s probably trying to fuck their father in front of them.” She said and my jaw dropped. She was talking about me. I slowly walked into the hallway not stepping out from behind the wall. “You are going to stop talking about Y/n like you even know her. And you need to stop projecting so much. Just because you cheated and then asked for a divorce and then the guy you cheated with broke up with you doesn’t mean that you have any right in how I’m living my life. And for your information Y/N and I have not slept together so let’s get that straight right now.” Joe said making me blush. “But you want to don’t you? You want to fuck someone younger. Manipulate her just like you did to me.” She said and my eyes went wide: “I’m seriously done having this conversation with you. You are just trying to embarrass me and yourself at this point.” Joe said and she laughed. Something in me decided to make me step out from behind the wall. Joes eyes made contact with mine and he sighed. “Y/n I’m sorry her behavior is unacceptable. I didn’t want you to hear any of that I apologize on her behalf.” He said and I smiled softly. “I don’t! I’m sure he’ll knock you up just like he did me. Don’t believe his fucking lies he’s an asshole.” She said looking over his shoulder. “It’s honestly disgusting to me that you’d talk about anyone in that manor in front of your own children.” I said and she scoffed. “Oh what like they don’t hear you two moaning all night anyway?” She said making me laugh. I walked up closer to the door and Joe watched me carefully. “Let’s get one thing very very clear. I’ve never slept with Joe. I’ve never slept with anyone who I work for. So the fact that you think you can step up here and talk about me as if you’ve known me for years is astronomical to me. You should be THANKFUL I’m here. Helping your children, making sure they are getting their school work done. I just helped Joelle prep for her anatomy exam she has tomorrow and her elite swim team tryout she also has tomorrow. And Joe has been right there doing what he can as their father to help too. But seeing that YOU stepped out, YOU made this more stressful for YOUR OWN KIDS! Not HIM! So don’t go around blaming everyone else for your mistakes. You don’t want to see anyone happy or succeed because you are miserable and that’s your own wrong doing. Not anyone else’s.” I spoke with confidence before walking away. She was speechless. I walked upstairs knocking on the loud door seeing them come out with their bags packed and ready. “Alright mommy’s downstairs, go ahead I’ll see ya boys in a few days!” I said with a smile ruffling their hair. I knocked on Joelle’s door before opening it. She was shoving things into her bag aggressively. “Are you alright Joelle?” I asked softly and she shook her head as I heard her sniffle.

I walked up and sat on her bed opening me arms and she looked up crying and falling into my arms. “I’m sorry you have to be in the middle of that hunny, It’s not fair to you.” I said rubbing her back. “No it’s not. But I know it’s not dad. It’s just her I don’t understand why she hates you, or dad, when she’s the one who made a mistake.” She said shaking her head and I shrugged. “Honey the last thing I want to do is make it seem like your mom is a bad person. I know she loves you and your brothers and I think that she’s just upset and hurt that she did loose your dad and she made that mistake. It’s hard…I’m sure. Especially with how long they were married. Even though she made a mistake, it still hurts loosing him I’m sure.” I said and she sighed. “I wish she was more like you. I wish she was you. I wish you were her. You know I heard her saying all those things about sleeping with my dad. I know you haven’t, but if you like him…I think it would be good for him to have you in his life. You keep him happy. I haven’t seen him like that since way before the divorce even. He’s so much more in tune us kids now too.” She said making me smile. “Well honey as much as I do have interest in your father I think he may believe I’m too young for him and that’s okay. It won’t make me care about you and your siblings any less.” I said and she nodded: “Just promise me you’ll stay in touch even if you find someone else to take care of.” She said and I smiled. “Oh hun, if it ever were to come to those terms of course I’ll stay in touch I want to see you succeed to your fullest potential. Now pack the rest of your stuff. You’ve gotta go.” I said and she nodded. I helped her pack the rest of her stuff into her bag and we walked out of her bedroom. We walked down stairs and she turned and hugged me, her mother glaring from the door. “Hey you are gonna do amazing tomorrow okay?” I said and she smiled nodded. She walked out the door, Joe closing it behind her. He sighed his head dropping as he looked down at the floor. “Joe I-.” Before I could finish he put a finger up. “Don’t. Don’t do what I know you are about to do.” He said and I blushed softly. “I was just gonna apologize.” I said and he shook his head turning around looking at me. “No. You don’t have to do that. You were in the right. I never should’ve let her continue disrespecting you. I apologize. She was so out of line.” He said and I shrugged. “I don’t care what she says about me. I care about what those kids hear. Joelle was up there in tears. That’s not okay to me.” I said and he nodded his eyes brimmed with tears. “I-I know. I just…I don’t even know what the fuck to do.” He said putting his head in his hands. “Would you like a hug?” I asked softly and he nodded walking over pulling me in for a big hug. He was like a giant compared to me but u tried my best to wrap my arms around him. He cried just like Joelle oddly enough. “I just never thought my life would come to this you know? I’ve been cheated on, went through a divorce and now she’s got this fucking vendetta out against me for god knows what, and my fucking children are being affected by it.” He said and I sighed. “You don’t deserve this.” I said and he shook his head. “I just want my kids to be happy. They are always happy when they come here and you’re here.” He said and I let him go finally sensing slight resistance. “Joe maybe it’s better if I find a different family to nanny for. I can’t live with subjecting the kids to this life if I’m what causes that.” I said and his face dropped. “Joe, maybe it would be best for me to nanny for a different family. I don’t want to cause the kids more stress and harm.” I said shaking my head and he pulled his head away looking at me fear writing like the front page cover of a newspaper. “Y-you can’t go. The kids love you, I love you, I-.” He stopped as it sunk in what he just said. “Y-you what?” I asked softly, looking up at him as tears brimmed my eyes. His hands slowly came up to caress my face before he pulled me in for a soft loving kiss.

I closed my eyes taking in the feeling of his soft sweet lips against mine. I relaxed against him as our lips moved in sync with each others. We pulled away for air and I finally opened my eyes looking up at him. His dark brown doe eyes bored into mine. “I said I love you. I fucking love you Y/N. And I know it’s probably wrong but fuck I can’t hide it anymore. You are so perfect.” He said rubbing my cheek softly making me smile. “I love you to Joe.” I said with a smile and his smile somehow grew wider. He kissed me again with more passion this time. His hand ran up to hair gripping it softly, his other arm snaking its way around my waist pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck softly moaning into his mouth. “Let me show you? Please?” He asked lowly and I nodded. His strong arms reached down to the back of my thighs hoisting me up onto his waist. He kissed my neck softly making my head lull back as he walked us up the stairs. “God I didn’t think you’d feel the same about me.” He said softly as we made our way to his room. He closed the door behind us, bringing us to the bed before sitting down. “I found you attractive the moment I saw you..” I whispered in his ear making him groan.

His hands traveled up my thighs, gripping my ass softly before continuing up to my waist. His hands slid under my shirt, pulling it up and over my head. His eyes traveled down my body. “God you are fucking gorgeous.” He whispered making me blush and cover my face. “What? There’s no way you aren’t used to compliments.” He said kissing down my neck slowly. “I don’t..g-get many.” I whispered out as he flipped me around laying me down softly in the bed. His soft lips trailed down my body his eyes closed with each kiss. His large hands caressed my thighs trailing down to my waistband. He delicately pulled my pants off, my underwear following right after. “Please take your clothes off.” I whimpered out and he smiled. “I got you baby.” He said lowly his lustful eyes gleamed in the setting sun. He pulled his shirt off with one hand. My eyes tracked down his gorgeous body. Loving the site. So fucking hot. His gorgeous tan skin, accompanied with his dark and prominent tattoos. I swore he was sculpted by a god. He pulled his pants down his v-lines peaking out of his boxers. My eyes traveled to his thick hard on prominent in his tight briefs. “Oh wow…I-I’ve never seen one so big before.” I said making him chuckle. “Can I touch you?” I asked softly looking up at him. “Of course you can baby.” He said lowly making me smile. I sat up crawling over to him. I kneeled as I leaned forward kissing his soft lips. His hands traveled down to my hips gripping them softly. I ran my hand down his chiseled upper body, wanting to memorize every ounce of muscle I could feel. Finally I met the fabric of his waistband. I slipped my fingers into his waist band reaching for his hard member. My hand just barely being able to wrap around it.

I slowly began to stroke him, his deep moans making the fire inside me blaze higher. He pulled away from the kiss pushing his forehead up against mine. “As much as I love you touching me. I’d prefer to also be pleasuring you.” He said and I smiled nodded. “How about you ride my face? Would you like that?” He’s asked and I nodded softly. Before I knew it he was laying down and I was being pulled up to his face. His muscular arms pulled my thighs down as he began to skillfully work his tongue against me. I moaned softly as my eyes rolled from pleasure. I quickly went to work taking his member out of his boxers, pushing them down his legs. I took in the sight of his thick cock, wondering how it was going to even fit. I had never seen someone so well endowed let alone had one inside of me that large. I gripped his member softly before slowly licking around the tip. His thighs twitched with anticipation as I began to lick and suck him. My tongue running along the veins feeling them throb. I moaned around him as he hit a pleasure filled spot. He slowed for a moment trailing his tongue around before triggering my moan again. He smiled against me as he focussed on that spot. I moaned around him my legs beginning to shake from pleasure. I sped up my motions bobbing my head around him adding my hand stroking him with what I couldn’t fit in my mouth. I was so fucking close. He pulled me up slightly making me whine as his mouth was now detached from me. “I want you to dum for me baby. I’m so close. I want you to cum in my face baby lemme taste you.” He growled out before going right back to work he quickly found my spot again making me moan around him even more. Before I knew it my eyes rolled back, my thighs squeezed his face and I basked in the feeling of pure pleasure, feeling what felt like jolts of lightning flow through my body. He slurped against me making me whimper. I continued to suck as I felt his cock twitch.

His warm essence filled my mouth as he groaned. “Fuck baby that was amazing.” He growled out making me hum. I finally sat up removing myself from on top of him. “Come lay down, let me take care of you.” He said and I laid down as he sat up. Somehow still hard he lined up with my entrance bending down and kissing me softly. I still involuntarily tensed making him pull back and look at me. “What’s wrong sweetheart?” He asked and my face flushed hotly. “I-I just haven’t done this in a while you are really big, I won’t lie and say I’m not nervous.” I said and he bent down against kissing me softly. “Honey, if you don’t want to do this we don’t have to.” He said softly and I shook my head. “No no I want to! I do! I’m just a little nervous that’s all.” I said and he nodded. He kissed down my jawline over to my ear. “I’ll be as gentle as you want me to be my love.” He said softly in my ear making me moan out. “You ready?” He asked and I nodded softly. He kissed along my neck slowly easing himself inside of me. I gasped loudly as he was finally in. “Too much?” He asked and I shook my head quickly. “No! Please don’t stop.” I moaned out gripping his biceps as he began to thrust into me. He felt so much bigger inside of me. I moaned loudly gripping onto his back. His slow deep thrusts gave me all I needed and more. “You like that baby? You like the way I fuck you?” He asked lowly in my ear making me moan louder. “Yes! Oh fuck I love it please don’t stop!” I screamed out making him growl. “God you feel like fucking magic you know that?” He panted out making me whine. He sat up pulling my legs over his shoulders making me gasp out. He sped up his thrusts the new angle making him feel like he was inside my stomach. I knew I was close already. But I wanted him to use that strength. “Harder baby! Fuck me harder please!” I moaned out as he growled. He picked began to slam into me the sound of skin slapping together filled the room. “You like it a little rough don’t you baby?” He said with a smirk making me whine with a nod. “Yesss I love it rough.” I moaned out making him groan. He brought his hand up my belly, then chest, resting it at my neck making me moan. His other hand reaching down and rubbing slow circles around my clit as he pounded into me. “Oh fuck I’m gonna cum! Please! Please don’t stop!” I moaned out gripping his biceps digging my nails in. “Cum for me baby. Come all over me.” He moaned out and I my moans began to get higher as I felt myself start to shake. My toes curled, my eyes rolled back and the knot inside me tightened before releasing completely. Falling over the edge my body shaking softly. My body felt heavy as I still was reviving from my orgasm. I heard him growl before pulling out quickly, shooting his load all over my stomach. I breathed heavily my eyes closed from exhaustion. “You sit tight baby I’m gonna go get a washcloth and towel to clean up.” He said and I nodded holding my thumb up to him making him laugh.

——Next Day——

I was sleeping peacefully wrapped in Joe’s warm and cozy arms when all the sudden his phone started ringing. Joe jolted, quickly reaching for the smartphone on the nightstand. “Hello?” He said rubbing his eyes and sitting up softly. “Babygirl slow down. What’s wrong?” I heard him say and that quickly woke me up. It had to be Joelle. “We are on our way. Don’t worry about it.” He said getting out of bed. I hopped out of bed as well grabbing some leggings and a shirt. Slipping my pants on first, I looked over at Joe as he pulled some jeans on watching me change. His eyes traveled down to my naked chest as I slid my shirt on. “So what’s going on?” I asked and he snapped out of his trance. “Joelle is freaking out because she has that swim tryout and her mother is nowhere to be found but the twins aren’t at school she called the school and they said her mother picked them up.” He said and my jaw dropped. “So she left Joelle knowing that she has the varsity swim tryouts out?” I asked and he nodded. “She was torn up about it. We gotta go bring her.” He said and I nodded. I grabbed my purse jogging downstairs, I grabbed a cold purple Gatorade from the fridge, along with a beef stick and cheese stick. I’m sure she’s hungry and she needs some electrolytes to keep her focused. Joe came downstairs looking down at my hand smiling. “Bringin her a snack?” He asked and I nodded. “God I love you.” He said kissing my forehead as we walked out the door. “I love you too honey.” I said with a smile as we got into the car.

————

Once we got to the school Joelle quickly ran out and got in the car. “Thank you guys for coming.” She said softly and I handed her the snacks and drink k brought. “You’re the best Y/n.” She said ripping the packaging open and eating her snacks as we quickly made our way there. Once we were there we parked. “Alright babygirl good luck.” Joe said and she hugged him tight. “Could you guys come in and be there for me while I tryout?” She asked and Joe looked over at me. “You won’t feel like your friends think it’s lame your parents are there?” He asked and I smiled at the fact that he called us her parents. “No not at all I think it’ll help me actually.” She said and we shrugged. “Okay we are more than willing if you want us to hun!” I said and she smiled widely. We all got out of the car and walked in. We walked down to the pool and she walked over to the registration table and we walked over to the bleachers. Joelle got through registration and was givin a number to pin to her swimsuit. Joe smiled as he looked at her number. “96 god sign that was my number throughout college football.” He said making me smile. She was racing 3 others. As the line up, Joe reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked at him and he looked nervous as he was locked in on his babygirl. The shot went off and in they went. Joelle swam as hard as she could. Leading by a far amount but the time she touched the wall. “Yes that’s my girl.” I heard Joe whisper making me smile. “Alright. 96, incredible time. 13.3 seconds. Congrats you’ve made it to varsity.” The coach said and she quickly looked over at us with the biggest smile. I gave her a big smile back putting my thumb up making her smile. She got out of the pool going over and talking with the coach. She flagged us over and we walked over. “Nice to meet you both. You’ve got a very very talented girl on your hands, I think she can be something very very successful.” The coach said making me smile. “We are so proud of her. All her accomplishments this included. Thank you for noticing her potential.” Joe said and I nodded. “It’s hard to not notice it. Now you go home kid. I’ll see yah Monday bright and early for practice okay?” The coach said and Joelle nodded with a smile. She went to change coming out of the locker room a few minutes later. We walked outside and Joe turned and hugged Joelle tightly. “I’m so so proud of you.” He said and she smiled. “Sooo did you ask Y/n to be your girlfriend yet or were you just holding hands in the bleachers as a joke?” Joelle asked with a giggle. “It wasn’t a joke we are dating.” Joe said making me smile. “This is so sweet!” She said hugging me. I can’t believe that being a nanny turned into me meeting the love of my life!

✨THE END✨

[kellysue]

On Interviews and Getting All Up In My Head

If you haven’t yet listened to Sam Fragoso’s interview with Annie Baker, please do. Baker is startlingly honest, and I mean that literally. I was folding clothes, hadn't even chosen the episode—it was just the next thing in my queue after whatever grisly murder podcast I had purposely selected. I was startled enough to stop folding, rewind, and listen again. I don’t want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling the experience for you, but there’s an authenticity there that’s rare. If anyone within the reach of this email knows Fragoso or Baker, please pass along my compliments. It was a hell of a thing.

Interviews are on my mind as I gear up to do press for the new comic. I’m not a shy person, not an introvert in the least (as anyone who’s met me will attest) but I do get up in my head about this stuff. It’s a part of the job that elicits a stew of feelings. The sort of vulnerability required to write, to create anything really, is different from the vulnerability required to talk about the work, about the process, or about yourself in that mix. (My heart is beating a little bit faster all of a sudden—my body reacting to even the thought of it. No kidding: I just got a notification from the Apple Health app.) There’s a certain defensiveness in the experience, no matter how friendly the interlocutor, one I suspect is fueled by the spirit of this internet age. As a part of your brain is searching for an honest answer, another is running through all the ways your response could be deliberately misconstrued, and a third is asking, ‘Will this really help the sales of the book/film/show/etc.?’ Is this worth it?

Baker lays all that bare; she risks being considered “difficult” or annoying Fragoso. (To his great credit, he doesn’t just allow for it; he answers her vulnerability with his own.) She appreciates the thoroughness of his preparation but at the same time wonders aloud at the peculiarity of having something she once said parroted back to her as Truth. She doesn’t deny having said it, and likely it was true once, but memory and identity are fickle things, and the perspective of age alters how the light hits both. Of course, for the purpose of an interview, for the purpose of any conversation, there have to be some things we take as given, but her willingness to highlight the absurdity of the exercise, to own her discomfort, and then to light up when Fragoso is willing to ride along is refreshing, a buoy to me just now.

I love her willingness to push back, too. If you know me, you know I can be a lot, and I don’t exactly have a reputation for conflict-avoidance, but there have been moments/remarks in interviews past that I let slide unchallenged and they gnaw at me still. My hesitancy to hit the press circuit probably has something to do with that as well. Fear of signing up to either answer the well-meaning stranger back or grit my teeth and learn to live with another Lego in my shoe. And for what? In comics, anyway, no one seems to know what press, if any, will move the needle.

Oh goodness. Reading back, I’ve descended into something that looks rather unflatteringly like privileged moping. I am fortunate to make my living in the arts, I know. My challenges are hardly those of a coal miner or a policy-maker, I know, but here we are. Bucking up now, I promise.

I’ll say in closing this bit out, though, that I probably ought to own that my efforts to find new ways to market FML (starting with the acrostic in the last email) are not entirely about the current media landscape. They’re at least in part a reaction to the current me landscape. And I think it’s probably okay to acknowledge the absurdity of being so tired you can’t bring yourself to do things the usual way and then making up new approaches that require three times the work. Nothing if not on brand.

xo

Kelly Sue

[hb-writes]

For a ‘love’ prompt, I hope they’re still open? If not ignore this ☺️ I love the relationship between Emmeline and Christian Grey, so maybe something cute and fluffy to show the love they have for each other, something like ‘You have three seconds to run.’

"You have three seconds to run."

Emmeline was still giggling and the words took an extra moment to process as she considered her brother's current condition, her mind trying to compute exactly how dropping her breakfast dishes into the suds-filled sink had caused such a strong splash back, one which had left her gloriously dry while Christian looked like she'd dumped a pot of water on him, liquid dripping to the kitchen floor.

"Oops?" Emmeline offered a small smile to her brother, taking a cautious step away from him as she tried to sober herself.

Christian snorted and a dangerous gleam shined in his eye as he wiped a bit of soap from his cheek, his lips pressing into a straight line, though Emmeline could tell it was an effort not to smile.

Christian Grey had a few dangerous looks, a handful of infamous glances and glares that communicated without requiring him to utter a single word. Emmeline was all too familiar with those sorts of looks. She'd been on the receiving end of them often enough. More than most people, she suspected, but as familiar as she was with the looks that communicated Christian's frustrations, she knew this look, too...

Christian would have the world believe that he wasn't the playful sort, that he was a serious businessman. A no-nonsense sort of person and nothing more...but Emmeline knew her brother well enough to know better.

Equal parts of dread and giddiness settled her stomach as Christian started counting out.

"One..."

Emmeline's mind emptied of everything except the goal of putting distance between her and her brother, her sock-clad feet slipping on the floors as she pushed past him and raced through the penthouse.

"Two..."

She let out a scream followed by a peal of laughter as Christian counted out the final number, her foot slipping and sending her into the wall as she turned a corner. Christian had given her a head start, but as she listened to the sounds of his approach, Emmeline had no illusions about the fact that her advantage was fleeting.

She met her brother's eye as he appeared at the end of the hall and a startled shriek escaped her lips as she pushed herself into motion once again, aiming for the nearest room with a locking door—Christian's home office at the end of the hall.

"Ha!" Emmeline shouted as she slid over the threshold, slamming the door in Christian's face as he caught up, both of them fumbling with opposite sides of the door handle—Christian trying to gain entry as Emmeline worked to secure the lock.

She let out a nearly breathless laugh as the lock finally clicked in place, resting her arms above her head as she caught her breath.

Christian called his sister's name through the door, the tone almost alarmingly calm, gentle. "Open the door."

The handle rattled. "Em. Let me in."

She laughed. "No way," she answered, stepping away from the door. "Feel free to contact my assistant to make an appointment."

Emmeline could've sworn she heard Christian laugh on the other side of the door. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"I think I can maybe get you in next Tuesday," she continued, slipping her phone from her pocket as it chirped, an email notification popping up on her lock screen—a calendar invite from Christian with the meeting label 'retribution,' scheduled for the next fifteen minutes.

Emmeline snorted, rolling her eyes as she slid into the chair behind his desk and declined the invite. She started scrolling on social media, figuring she could wait him out. Wait until the desire for retribution was replaced by some more important—something with work or Ana's return from her brunch with Kate.

Emmeline shot to her feet, dropping her phone as the door suddenly shot open, revealing her brother, smirking there with a single key in his hand. The key she'd conveniently forgotten to consider.

"Chris..." Emmeline started, hands held up in the space between them as Christian stalked forward. "Chris. Christian! Please just wait." Emmeline stepped around the desk, trying to keep the furniture between them. "It was an accident. They slipped. Please. I—"

Emmeline shrieked as her brother grabbed her arm, pulling her to his chest and trapping her there with one arm, his fingers digging into her ribs as he extracted his retribution.

[deleahtarte]

omigosh i'm so excited that i finally get to write this; i've been reading your stuff since the very first butters fic you posted but my tumblr email wouldn't verify so i couldn't reach out. anyway i created this new account specifically to tell you how much i LOVE your fics. i'm a freaking english major and you're one of my top 5 writers and one of the writers i admire most. i have notifications on for your blog and get so happy when you post literally anything. i actually barely read other south park fics anymore because you've characterized them all so perfectly that i feel like everyone else is wrong and it makes me mad. i think i've read what's currently available of young god so many times i might have it memorized, but even your kyle and stan fics give me the warm and fuzzies bc they're just so good. ANYWAY! i wanted to ask if you would ever consider writing an omegaverse fic centered on butters & kenny? i would love to see kenny's self-control be pushed to the absolute limit and i feel like this would do it; plus, it would make my boy somehow even softer and more adorable than he already is and my heart might actually explode but i'd die happily. even if that's not something you'd be interested in writing just know that you've stolen a fan's heart FOR LIFE, and as long as you're still writing, i'll be reading. much love <3 :')

Oh my goodness, thank you. Wow. This was, wow!! I can’t tell you how honored I am!! Im so flattered you created this account AND read both of my bunny and style fics. I know a lot of people prefer just one ship and don’t care much about the other, but the fact that you like both and give them both a chance in my writing is beyond amazing!! I am so beyond happy to rank in your favorite writers, and thank you for going through the hassle of creating an account even though it gave you so much trouble. I’ll do my best to make sure I live up to the standards!!

As for your question, it’s an absolute YES!! I gave my omega verse virginity to South Park and I want to go all the way. I’ve thought of various circumstances surrounding those two in a A/B/O universe, but haven’t gotten to work on them yet because I’m so focused on YG. In the future I would absolutely love to make my ideas come to life! Thank you once again for your kind and thoughtful words, I hope you have a great rest your of your day!!

[bobwess]

In reference to the 'let yourself take a break here, not here" battery post...

If you don't mind sharing, what was your secret? I know everyone is unique, and not every trick will be universal, but as a current struggling 20 year old...I'll take what I can get...

It took a long time, and I still find myself now having to remind myself, like almost give myself a talking to like "no, you need to sit for 15 minutes. You're going to be better if you do." or "no, you've done a lot today. It's time to relax for the rest of the evening." or "Tuesday the 25th you are doing nothing you fuckwit. And I mean it, nothing." My first breakthrough on the mental side of it was I was telling someone that I'm always working myself to almost breakdown and mental or physical exhaustion because I'm just doing my best to get stuff done. And they said "You are no longer doing your best if you are overtired" Which was true. When I allow myself the break, I could come back and do better than I would have done if I just worked all the way through it. And since my main motivation was trying to do my best, I was actively sabotaging my goal. It sort of was an ah-hah moment.

Realistically though, taking breaks, like any skill, takes practice. You're gonna have to force yourself to stop. You may have to set an alarm and put a stop watch and give yourself a mandatory sit down every couple hours. You should absolutely schedule on the calendar a day where you do no errands and no chores and no work and just take the whole day to eat nice food and do nice things like tv or games, and you're going to feel guilty the whole time because you aren't practiced enough to be good at it yet. But you're going to figure out that you're doing much better and it'll become natural. Using training wheels like literally setting alarms for yourself is fine.

Reading your body and mental state and learning what the signals are that you'd be better off if you stopped for a 15 minute break or stopped for the evening, and then executing it takes practice too. And once you're good at it, that's most of the battle won. Beyond that, it's just, 90% of tasks will just be just fine if they aren't done, realistically, even for weeks. If you don't sweep the floor, the worst thing that will happen is it will stay dirty for a bit longer. Tasks are just a revolving list. Pushing yourself because "if I just finish my tasks I can take a break" is fiction. The goal should be "I just need to figure out how much I can do at a time without exhausting myself and I will be better."

A note that helps: You may be somewhat adverse to taking breaks because they're long and terrible and can really kill the momentum. But your breaks are only unbearably long because you were overtired and needed to recover so much. Once you get it down you'll be pleased to know that breaks when taken earlier are a lot shorter and more restful than the exhaustion I-stopped-and-died break you'll take later.

I personally now every night pick two and only two tasks to do tomorrow. (Took a while to learn that "clean the house" does not in fact count as one task. "clean the toilets" counts as one task.) If I happen to feel good I'll do a couple more, but I won't let myself do much more because I'll burn out and feel awful later. Also I turned off push notifications, and had to learn that sitting and responding to emails/people, just because I was sitting, didn't count as a break, because I was still actively doing things for other people at that point.

But long lists are not going to help you take breaks, you're going to fall back into the "if I just finish the list---" mindset which is unhelpful. Two tasks. Tomorrow for me is "Change the ferret litter" and "capture clips for my next video". If I do more, I do more. If not, the earth will keep turning in spite of it.

IDK. This is a long rambling answer that isn't the most coherent, but these are a few thoughts on how I came to sort of be. Not that I'm a master of it, but it sort of clicked for me admittedly somewhat recently. But yeah. Mostly just practice until you got it down, and schedule breaks for yourself until you're good at reading your body language and taking one as needed.

[novafire-is-thinking]

Sooo

What website are we moving to when tumblr “removes the outdated choice of the feed being only posts from people you follow” and “collapses reblog chains to do away with long posts” and “will switch to emails if a user has push notifications off”

I’m already copy pasting my existing posts into documents for preservations sake but if the update comes and it’s truly awful I think a lotta people will agree on wanting to move sites

The question is where

Okay, so I’ve been reading over and analyzing the Tumblr update post since I woke up to your ask, anon. And I have thoughts.

For those who aren’t interested in what I think about the coming changes, the site I recommend is Pillowfort.

About Pillowfort:

Pillowfort is a new blogging platform currently in open beta with over 140,000 registered users. The founders of Pillowfort want to create a site that takes the best features from popular blogging platforms while aiming for a site that is user-friendly, community-friend, efficient, and fun. We’re passionate about providing our users more privacy and more control over their content, while offering better ways to hold conversations.

It’s kinda small, but it has potential. A lot of Tumblr users (including myself) have already headed over there and created accounts as a backup plan if Tumblr ends up nuking itself, although I personally doubt that will happen.

Now, time to ruffle some feathers:

I personally have very few issues with the actual proposed changes. However, I do have concerns about how far they will go with those changes.

Something I’ve noticed is that, of all social media sites, Tumblr has the highest concentration of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” folks. And there’s nothing wrong with that, necessarily.

However, the reality is that the internet and internet culture are constantly evolving.

What tends to happen is that as companies get bigger and eventually sit close to the top of an industry, they become beholden to the majority if they want to stay relevant.

It makes me think of how celebrities and politicians who make it to the top have to say all the right things and strive to meet certain mainstream expectations at the cost of true individuality/being genuine/making a difference, if their goal is to stay relevant and popular. That same principle applies to the business world.

Now, I don’t claim to be an expert in matters of business, but there are things I’ve learned over the years from observing business practices and people in general. I’m also fascinated by the why behind what certain businesses do what they do, so here are my thoughts no one asked for:

Like any company, Tumblr cannot possibly care about what every part of the user base likes AND what works to keep the overall user base alive.

Numbers and data speak louder than the protests of what the data determines to be the minority. The data could always be wrong, but there’s no way for them to tell for sure. They will make changes based on the hard data unless they find sufficient proof that it’s inaccurate.

Tumblr’s vision for the future takes priority. A good company makes every action count toward that vision.

Sometimes company visions change, especially in response to changes in an industry or mainstream culture. This means that those who were on board with Tumblr’s previous vision will likely leave. And Tumblr is okay with this because the data says they’ll still have the support of the majority.

Like any company that wants to succeed, Tumblr would not be making any of these changes if they thought it would cause the site to fail. Something (the data, other sites’ success, etc.) is telling them that they can make these changes without killing the site entirely. Whether or not that ends up being true is to be determined.

Now, to speculate about the proposed changes anon mentioned:

Stagnation is death. Without bringing in and providing support to new creators and users, Tumblr will die. The key is finding a balance between the current user base that wants things to stay the same and bringing in and keeping newcomers.

“Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it” sounds to me like users will still have control over how much new content they see.

Currently, we have the separate “For You” page that already shows new content from Tumblrs we don’t follow. However, it’s very easy for the For You page to go unnoticed and to be forgotten.

I think the best course of action is to switch things around:

As the default for new users, show posts from Tumblrs outside of their follow lists in their main feeds in addition to the stuff from Tumblrs they follow.

Give all users the option to toggle this off and see little to no new content in their main feeds.

For those who choose to see very little new content in their main feeds, move the new stuff someplace else while keeping it accessible.

The solution is as simple as providing options and honoring individuals’ curation of their experiences.

I actually agree that reblogs and replies are highly confusing to most people. It’s difficult to follow a reblog thread when unrelated reblogs all end up bunched in one place. Manually clicking through to try to read all the different reblog threads is not fun. I’m all for eliminating the confusion and frustration.

I have a hunch that collapsing reblog threads won’t be as devastating as many people are thinking it will be. Tumblr would never get rid of something so vital to the site’s culture and success if they didn’t have something better in mind. (Whatever they have in mind for addressing points 1-4, specifically)

As for emails being “forced” upon us if push notifications are turned off, I doubt this will end up being more than a small annoyance.

“Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages��� tells me that Tumblr will be giving users control over what they receive and how frequently. This is no different than what a lot of other successful companies are doing.

Closing thoughts:

I’m not taking a side or saying all of the changes are good. Heck, I’m not happy about some of the changes, but personally, I’m willing to see what awaits and to adapt.

This is not to say people who end up leaving are wrong to do so and that those who end up staying are better (or vice versa). This is not a post about right or wrong action. These are merely my thoughts on what is happening and why.

Tumblr is doing what they think will work while keeping in mind their guiding principles and the future vision for the company.

Companies change all the time. Typically, those that adapt are the most successful.

People generally want to find a company—or in this case, a website—that aligns with their personal values and desires. If Tumblr ends up not being that website anymore, there are other options—like Pillowfort. Their vision is bound to align better with some people’s desires.

People have every right to be angry about Tumblr’s changes, but anger can only do so much.

I leave anyone who’s read this far with Tumblr Staff’s reply to the algorithm rage:

[waterspoutskies]

If my blog dies or is shadowbanned let it be known that I died fighting to explain to staff that the hellsite doesn't have to become instagram

Re: Today's staff announcement (And what I sent staff in feedback under the cut)

Staff's latest announcement at: https://www.tumblr.com/staff/722477242948747264/tumblrs-core-product-strategy

Aside from the obvious concerns about the following tab being removed and the chronological feed being removed (let me tell you how annoying it is on my newer blog having to change over to the Following tab instead of the For You tab each time I log in because there's not a way to permanently enforce that change), there are a few major issues.

1) Absolutely NO notification emails if push notifications are turned off. I turned them off. I don't want emails if I turned off notifications. This is the dumbest thing I've seen proposed in quite a while. Not even Instagram and Twitter send emails when you have notifications turned off for the site.

2) Bring back picking blogs to follow in the introduction steps, not just tags. This should be a no brainer. This site is unbelievably easy to use if you know that following blogs = content on your dash.

3) Don't collapse reblog threads. We make reblog chains for the humor of it. And if you must, you better make that toggleable the way collapsing long posts currently is. I want to see my reblog threads. There's a whole culture around this, which you might take the time to dive into if you wish to understand how things are being used by the userbase.

4) The same goes for hiding duplicate reblogs. First of all, doing it multiple times can be for the humor of it. But also? People use that as a timed post system to reach different parts of their audience based on the time of day. And it's much easier to promote an old post about your commissions than make up a brand new one each time. Your "creators" function much better the way things are than they do on sites that don't allow this- And you can ask them about it. Once again, if you must, make that toggleable.

5) Speaking of reblog issues. You want to clean up reblogs and make post chains easier to follow? Bring back our ability to click on usernames to track back through reblogged additions to posts. Don't take me to their blog. Don't take me to their frontpage. I want to see what they said on the post, and THEN I'll consider following them, not the other way around.

6) Y'all seem to be under the impression that the majority of us "create content." If content is us musing our random thoughts aloud and shitposting, then you'd be correct. Not everyone coming on here is coming to gain a mass following and monetize themselves-- I would bet, if you used one of your polls on a staff post, you'd discover that a majority of us are not doing that. We're here to socialize using a form of online media.

7) Since we're bringing up feedback issues, toggles should be permanent. If you make something toggleable, I do not want to go back in once a week and have to change it back. This applies to 3 and 4. And certain other issues.

8) Staff, I know y'all are getting a fair bit of hate for this, since y'all just make the announcements, not so much the upper level decisions. Especially not the corporate drivel lingo in today's. So let me address this one directly to the corporate overlords: If you want to make money off of users and improve the traffic of the site, you might try asking the userbase at large what keeps them on the website. Not what they want to see improved, what keeps them there. Tumblr succeeds because it isn't going the way of other social media websites. Don't be just like everyone else. That's why we're here in the first place.

[thelipstickduchess]

Mac Cosmetics is Expensive 😟

Mac is so expensive now!

You probably got email notification of their new lip product by now. The Mac Locked Kiss Ink Lipcolor. Curious about the colors and prices, I click through and find they are $33!

Holy Freakin’ Moly

So I dug up what old receipts I had on my computer back to 2011 and 2013 when I started getting into Mac lippies big time.

You can see Mac Show Orchid listed below as $14.50. And my fave but discontinued formula the Sheen Supreme lipstick in Asian Flower.

That’s when the Mac Wonder Woman collection came out and it was priced higher being exclusive limited edition packaging for $15.50. That collection got me hooked to go deeper into Mac and makeup in general. The makeup-consumming public went wild in anticipation of new Mac LE collections back then, now not so much.

Prior to that it was Mac Blankety and some other nudes that I discovered back in 2005 that was my very first foray into Mac. I vaguely remember but I know I paid $13 or less for those lippies at Macys.

Now to see the price more than DOUBLE is sad and sadly, a sign of the times. All those indie brands along with current hyperinflation has pushed Mac to change. Now you can get Mac at Ulta inside Target. Now makeup goes on sale. You could never get a discount on cosmetics years ago and could only get the high-end stuff at a department store like Macys or Marshall Field’s.

What’s even more true today is that you don’t have to spend $30+ for a lipstick. You can get it for much less. But Mac is trying to define itself in the market as a high-end brand and worth the price.

Many articles and blogs have used cookie cutter copy to justify the price gouging. It’s expensive now because “they use natural, high quality ingredients and strategic marketing”. Don’t believe me? Do a Google search and you’ll see the repetition of similar language. How much were they paid to promote that propaganda? 🤨

If you’re a newbie and just getting into Mac, know the history and know that you don’t have to have 100 different red lipsticks. Pick a few that work well on you. Makeup habits and trends change with the seasons of your life. What you are into at 25 won’t be what you’re into at 45. Oh and wait for the sales. 😉 ✌️

Cool 😎

Come to find my GIFS in the search engine after doing a Mac Lipstick search.

[aeide-thea]

my feelings abt the latest @​staff post, point by point:

their efforts to convert visitors into new users mostly don't affect our experience, although they do make our blogs less accessible to the public which like. i don't love on principle but ultimately can shrug off, bc really i'm here for my mutuals'/followers' reactions to the things i post, not for the consumption of strangers who don't provide any feedback?

the bit about wanting to make sure they're "presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session" is concerning to me, because (while the language there is so vague that it requires some interpretive guesswork, which of course might be wrong) i can't help thinking, does that mean that if they run out of content to serve me which was posted by users i actually follow, they'll start supplementing with content recommended by the "algorithmic ranking capabilities" they're looking to improve, like a bad netflix search? very yikes if so.

i actually do agree with them that "the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing." the point about "[e]xplor[ing] the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed" does concern me a little, but i'm hoping they realize that reblogs of the same post with eg different tag commentary aren't in fact duplicates. and frankly the idea of reply sections that aren't just one giant undifferentiated bin, such that someone @​s you in the notes of a popular post and you then literally can't find their message because it's gotten buried, sounds potentially good to me!

the creator-related points seem—maybe okay, maybe less okay? like, "[g]et[ting] creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it" seems potentially positive, depending on how they define 'interested'—i'm open to finding out what they mean by that. but if it's an algorithm thing you can't opt out of, which the comment about "the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed ('Following')" would rather seem to suggest… that definitely concerns me.

the bit about "patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr" is totally fine, imo. all they're actually talking about in that section is (1) push notifications and (2) emails, and (1) while i personally like getting notified when mutuals post, you can turn notifications off if you don't like that, and (2) emails can always be filtered on the receiving end, if nothing else. so that's ignorable.

ultimately i think like. i definitely get the sense that they're looking to move towards a more algorithmic approach, which does concern me, but i feel like whether that's bearable depends on (1) whether they let existing users, at least, opt out, and (2) how intrusive it is? like, i've periodically looked at the 'for you' tab on purpose! it's just that ime it isn't very good! but like, a 'for you' tab that was more successfully interesting to me, and still cordoned-off rather than integrated into the main feed necessarily, could be a positive, potentially. on the other hand, if they want to go full-twitter? that would probably be unlivable. so we'll see, i guess! trying not to borrow trouble too far in advance.

[likzon]

Learning to Set Boundaries in an Always-On World

Hey, you. Yeah, you. Have you ever found yourself checking your phone every few minutes, even when you're supposed to be relaxing? Or answering emails at 10 PM, long after you should've clocked out for the day? Or maybe you've said "yes" to something, even though you knew deep down it wasn’t something you wanted to do? You’re not alone. In fact, you’re probably one of the many people living in a world that’s always on. And let’s be honest: it’s exhausting.

But here’s the thing — you don’t have to live like that. You don’t have to constantly be available, constantly on the go, or constantly worried about disappointing others. It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to protect your energy. And more importantly, it’s okay to set boundaries.

I know, I know. Setting boundaries can be hard. We live in a society that often celebrates hustle culture and "being busy," but honestly? That mindset isn’t sustainable. You deserve rest. You deserve to protect your time, your mental health, and your space. Learning how to set boundaries is one of the most loving and empowering things you can do for yourself. So let’s dive in and explore how you can start creating those boundaries in an always-on world.

1. Recognize Your Needs and Limits

The first step in setting any kind of boundary is to acknowledge that you have needs. And, guess what? Your needs are valid. Whether you need alone time to recharge or space to focus on a project, it’s crucial to identify what makes you feel balanced and what drains you. For example, maybe you love socializing but can only handle a couple of hours of group activities before you need to recharge. Or maybe you love your work, but you hit a wall when your boss starts emailing you after hours. Recognizing these needs is key to understanding where you need to set limits.

2. Communicate Your Boundaries Clearly (And Kindly)

Once you've identified what you need, it’s time to communicate those boundaries with others. This is where things get tricky for a lot of people because we fear disappointing others or feeling guilty. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or coworker, a clear, kind, and direct approach works best.

Instead of saying, “I’m so sorry, but I can’t help right now,” try: “I’m currently focusing on my mental health and need some time to recharge. I won’t be available for the next couple of days.” Or, if it’s work-related, you could say, “I prefer to keep my work hours to [insert hours], and I’ll respond to your email during that time.”

Boundaries don’t have to sound harsh; they just need to be clear. And remember, saying "no" isn’t a reflection of your worth. It’s a reflection of your commitment to self-care.

3. Be Prepared for Pushback (But Don’t Back Down)

When you start setting boundaries, some people might push back. Maybe they’ll try to guilt-trip you, or they’ll insist that you're being “too sensitive” or “selfish.” This is where the real strength comes in: being firm in your decisions, even when faced with resistance.

You don’t need to explain yourself endlessly or justify your boundaries. The simple truth is that they are your boundaries—and you have every right to protect them. A gentle but firm response could be, “I understand this might be inconvenient, but I need to stick to my boundaries in order to take care of myself.” Over time, people will respect your limits, especially when they see that you stick to them.

4. Use Technology to Your Advantage

Living in an always-on world means it’s easy to feel like you’re tethered to your devices 24/7. But guess what? You can actually use technology to help set your boundaries. It’s about using the tools available to create space and separation between you and the digital world.

Here are a few ways to set tech boundaries:

Turn off notifications: Seriously. Try turning off all non-essential notifications on your phone. No more interruptions every time you get an email or a message.

Set app limits: Use features like Screen Time (on iPhones) or Digital Wellbeing (on Android) to set time limits on apps that tend to eat up your time. You’d be amazed at how much more present you can be when you're not constantly scrolling.

Schedule "Do Not Disturb" times: Make it a habit to set your phone on “Do Not Disturb” when you’re working, relaxing, or sleeping. You don’t have to respond to every ping.

5. Prioritize Your Own Well-Being

Finally, remember that setting boundaries is an act of self-respect. It’s not selfish to protect your peace—it’s necessary. In fact, setting boundaries is a vital part of maintaining your mental and physical health. When you respect your own needs, you’ll have more to give to others without burning out.

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, take a moment to check in with yourself. Ask yourself what you truly need, and then honor that need. If that means saying no to a friend, turning down extra work, or taking a break from social media, so be it. Your well-being is worth it.

We live in a world where it’s easy to feel like we’re expected to be available all the time, but the truth is: you don’t have to be. You can take control of your time, your energy, and your space. Setting boundaries may feel intimidating at first, but remember: you are worthy of time to recharge, to focus, and to simply be you. Start small, be kind to yourself, and trust that the more you practice, the easier it will get.

Take care of yourself. You’re allowed to rest.

Sending you love and strength, likzon 🌿💫

What are some boundaries you’ve been wanting to set in your life? Share your thoughts and let’s talk about it. You’re not alone in this journey!

[techarsenalhub]

DigitalNewsAlerts: The Future of Information Delivery

What are DigitalNewsAlerts?

Notifications related to the latest news developments which are sent to users based on their interests and preferences can be termed as digital news alerts. These can be received through different channels, such as mobile apps, web notifications or email among others. They provide real-time information about breaking news stories, events of significance and subjects that interest people ensuring they are always up-to-date with what is happening around them.

How Does DigitalNewsAlerts Work?

Digital news alerts are operated using technology and input provided by the user. Here is a step-by-step guide on how it works:

1. User Subscription: Users will need to subscribe to this service by selecting their preferred topics from a list provided by either an app or website offering these services. The categories range from specific areas like sports, politics or technology among others to general ones like world news/local updates etc.

2. Content Aggregation: A platform collects content from various sources such as blogs; social media sites (e.g., Facebook); newspapers online editions etcetera then continuously updates them so as not to miss out on any new information.

3. Keyword Matching: To ensure only relevant stories get filtered through before being forwarded to recipients; keywords/tags are used during the matching process where aggregated data is compared against individual preferences made at the subscription stage thus eliminating unnecessary noise in the form of unwanted reports being delivered later on when someone least expects it.

4. Notification Delivery: Finally after finding out which story matches with user’s choice setting off an alert should take place instantly if it’s breaking news or scheduled depending on the frequency selected while subscribing.

How do I Start Using DigitalNewsAlerts?

To begin using digital news alerts follow these simple steps:

1. Find a News Platform: Choose one reliable source among many available platforms that offer this service such as Google News; BBC; CNN etc (or even more specialized apps like Flipboard).

2. Create an Account: Sign up with your details which may include username/password combination – some might require payment for full access while others may be free.

3. Set Preferences: Select topics, keywords or sources related to what interests you most in relation to current affairs locally/internationally thus enabling the system to know what kind of reports should always find their way into your inbox.

4. Choose Notification Methods: Decide whether email; push notifications on the mobile device home screen or within the app itself suit best for delivery purposes then set them accordingly during the registration process. 5. Tweak Settings: Adjust frequency/timing so as not to overwhelm yourself by receiving too many alerts at once which might lead to ignoring all subsequent ones due to sheer volume received within a short period.

What are the Advantages of DigitalNewsAlerts?

Some benefits associated with using digital news alerts include:

1. Timeliness: Always be first to know about breaking news stories/events worth noting since they come immediately after occurrence hence saving time spent looking for the same information from other sources later on that day/week/month etcetera.

2. Individualization: The customization feature allows users to receive only those reports matching individual needs (topics) thereby giving room to concentrate energy on things that matter most personally or professionally

3. Higher engagement: Whenever alerts are personalized, users tend to engage more with such because it matches their preferences.

4. Convenience: This means that people need not search for updates manually since news will come to them through notifications.

5. Better decision-making: When one has current facts at their fingertips, they are able to make prompt choices based on those details be it an individual or a business entity.

6. Increased productivity: When users receive curated news, they become knowledgeable about other tasks while still keeping themselves up-to-date which in turn heightens overall productivity.

Disadvantages of DigitalNewsAlerts

In as much as there is good in everything, so is there bad; digital news alarms have demerits too:

1. Information overload: Users might suffer from notification fatigue due to numerous alerts thus missing crucial updates.

2. Distraction: Notifications can distract people especially when working or engaged in essential activities hence affecting concentration levels.

3. Algorithms reliance: The accuracy and relevance of these alerts greatly depend on how well algorithms are designed; for instance, if they bear no relation with what a person likes then irrelevant content would pop up as notifications.

4. Privacy concerns: Gathering individual tastes to deliver tailored messages raises privacy questions whereby some individuals may worry about storage and use of their data by third parties without consent.

5. Misinformation potentiality: In case news flashes are not thoroughly checked before being pushed out then misinforming masses becomes very possible hence making it impossible for them (users) to make informed choices on various issues that affect their lives in different ways.

Areas That Can Be Improved

The following areas need improvement if we want maximum benefits from digital news alerts and minimum drawbacks:

1. Algorithm accuracy: There should be an effort to make algorithms more precise in order to achieve unbiased news delivery.

2. User control: People ought to have the freedom of choosing what kind and how often they want these notifications lest they end up being bombarded with too much information which might not be necessary at all thus causing overload.

3. Transparency: It is important for organizations involved in collecting, using or storing user data through such systems to be transparent about their intentions so as to allay fears related to privacy invasion.

4. Content verification: Strong verification mechanisms must be put into place so that every single piece of information shared via this channel is true because false alarms can lead people astray from making correct decisions on certain matters affecting them individually or collectively as a society.

5. Customization options: More customization options should be added where users can filter out less important news stories and focus only on those that are critical or urgent hence saving time among other benefits associated with getting immediate feedback on pressing issues affecting one’s life directly.

Real-Time Applications for DigitalNewsAlerts

Digital news alerts have many practical uses across different areas including but not limited to:

1. Finance: Investors can benefit greatly by receiving stock market updates, economic indicators and corporate announcements which help them make timely investment choices.

2. Emergency services: Receiving real-time alerts about natural disasters like earthquakes, floods etc; accidents involving vehicles, airplanes etc; security threats e.g terrorist attacks among others could save lives since quick response measures will be taken immediately after getting notified about what has happened where it happened when it happened who was affected as well why such event occurred thus enabling prompt actions aimed at mitigating further damages caused by such events.

3. Healthcare: Healthcare providers also need these notifications since they enable healthcare workers to know more about public health concerns, medical research breakthroughs along new treatment guidelines thus improving service delivery within various health institutions and ultimately leading to better patient outcomes too.

4. Sports: Sports lovers can stay updated with live scores, player performances as well game results through digital news alerts thereby increasing their engagement levels towards different sporting events around the world.

5. Politics: Citizens can easily access information about political developments locally or globally which may include policy changes election results etc hence fostering civic participation among people who would otherwise remain uninformed about what is happening in their vicinity or country at large thus making them not participate actively in democratic processes taking place around them.

The Future of DigitalNewsAlerts

The future looks bright for digital news alarms; there are several trends and advancements that we should expect to see soon:

1. Artificial intelligence (AI): AI will greatly enhance the accuracy and relevance of notifications by better understanding individual user preferences and behavior patterns.

2. Integration with smart devices: Further integration between these two technologies shall be witnessed where home automation gadgets like Alexa and Google Assistant can work hand in glove together providing seamless access to the latest happenings across different industries sectors without necessarily having to rely on manual updates from various sources such as newspapers TV stations websites social media platforms among others.

3. Enhanced personalization: Even more sophisticated systems shall be developed future so each person gets only what he/she needs knows wants likes dislikes etc when it comes to getting informed about things happening all around us daily life.

4. Augmented Reality: AR has the potential to change news alerts forever by giving it an immersive and interactive way of engaging with news content.

Why Opt for Sports?

The following are some of the reasons why you should choose digital news alerts:

1. Stay Informed – Keep yourself updated about what is happening within your areas of interest without having to search actively for information.

2. Efficiency – Save time and effort used when trying to keep up with current events by receiving only curated news.

3. Customization – Personalize news alerts based on individual preferences or needs.

4. Real-Time Updates – Be among the first people to know whenever something newsworthy occurs through instant notifications on your device screen.

5. Convenience – Access these notifications from any internet-enabled gadget thereby making it possible for you to stay informed even while traveling or working away from home.

[manleycollins]

Journal Entry #77 - Massachusetts Tries to Charge the Same Crime as New York, but no victim, No Five (5) W's - Who, What, When, Why, Where and How, No Restraining or Protective Orders…But Did Some Eastern Housing Court and Massachusetts State Police backhanded sht. Massachusetts did not speak to South Carolina, Georgia, Washington, DC, or Maryland on what the physical side of me does on Bullsht.

JOURNAL ENTRY #77 Name: Manley M Collins Social Security Number: 5 7 9 – * * – 6 5 4 1 Date of Birth: 06/21 Place of Birth: Washington, District of Columbia Country of Birth: United States of America Date: January 1, 2024

TOPIC: Massachusetts Tries to Charge the Same Crime as New York, but no victim, No Five (5) W's - Who, What, When, Why, Where and How, No Restraining or Protective Orders…But Did Some Eastern Housing Court and Massachusetts State Police backhanded sht. Massachusetts did not speak to South Carolina, Georgia, Washington, DC, or Maryland on what the physical side of me does on Bullsht.

Caucasian, European White Male State Trooper does me the African-American black guy…systemic racism.

Referral for Public Defender Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard University - 6174968143 Stated Not Picking up any more caseload because of the end of the year.

Harvard Defenders 6174954413 Called before and spoke with male who made it seems like they were going to represent me.

I called about my arraignment notice and they gave me referrals, and mentioned they needed to be at the original hearing.

Also, they stated to go to the Boston Municipal Court Clerk's office and request to be appointed a public defender.

Committee for Public Counsel Services website 6174826212 Gave the best advice to answer the judge question requesting a public defender - Answer the question - Yes

Out of 47+ of my civil or criminal cases, I was never asked by a judge or clerk regarding my personal details of a vacation or anyday to set a court date. Eastern Housing Court personnel went outside their job responsiblities when a court date landed on my South Carolina vacation. Here is the letter addressed to the clerk. I also sent internal and external complaints for every police report I filed and the one the state trooper filed. The application and complaint is coming out of Boston Municipal Court at 24 New Chardon Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02114. No US Mail envelope or email receipt was not produced on how the State Trooper got the Motion of Continuance without my personal details.

Boston Police Detective Keith P. Kaplan mentioned I can use any colorful language including profanity for self-defense, just no active shooter content given the current environment. Boston Police Officer Natasha Lajara agreed and talked with me also.

I was able to send approximately twenty (20) criminal applications back to Massachusetts on the people and organizations that did me since August 2020. It feels real good for therapy in handling my issues. I also sent a big civil case involving the federal, state, and city government for the incident.

My adrenaline is very high daily and I am pushing more weight than my personal record. I spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day all day workouts and sore as hell.

198 Tremont St Suite 335 Boston, MA 02116 USA

Friday, November 17, 2023

Alex Valderrama Clerk of Eastern Housing Court of Massachusetts Edward W. Brooke Courthouse 24 New Chardon Street 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02114 USA

Dear Mr. Valderrama,

It was a pleasure speaking with you today, 11/17/2023 approximately 10:00 am. I am the African-American male that is a part of Collins vs SplitSpot case and Collins vs Pine Street Inn case.

The issue is with the Collins vs SplitSpot case. I was speaking with a latino woman regarding the case. The case had hearing dates. I have not been getting all the notifications on the case. The October 2023 hearing mailed to me, but no information on date being change. The November 2023 date was issued on my personal vacation week. I came in person on October 2023 hearing date thinking it was a hearing. The latino woman informed me the hearing was moved to November 2023. I informed the latino woman November 2023 date falls on my personal vacation or I will be out-of-town. The latino woman asked for a written Motion of Continuance. The latino woman illegally asked for personal information about the personal vacation to submit with my Motion of Continuance. I told her, “No.” I do not want to provide that information. [HINDSIGHT/HIDDEN THOUGHT: Post traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia from New York City incident.] However, the latino woman said she would follow up with a phone call or approval letter from the Judge. A whole week and a half went by with no phone call or letter follow up before my approaching vacation. Thus, out of anger, I submitted an electronic copy of Motion of Continuance with consequences if my personal information is misused in any way reflecting back to New York City incident. I have physically purchased my Paris 2024 Olympic tickets, waiting for my volunteer to Paris 2024 Olympic games application results, have obtained my United States passport, reserved my French lodging, and purchased my AirFrance tickets from Boston Logan to Charles De Gaulle airport.

Massachusetts repeated the same situation just like the New York City incident. Someone from your office extracted from the electronic Motion of Continuance’s only the portion with the consequence of wrongful misuse of my personal information and sent it the Massachusetts State Trooper Joseph A. Middleton, #1544 (250 Leverett Circle, Boston, MA 02114) on October 5, 2023. An application for Criminal Complaint was made by Boston Municipal Court. I had the initial hearing today, November 17, 2023 at 9 am.

Yesterday, November 16, 2023, I spoke with a white male Caucasian about the incident and requested how to make a grievance, and “Was it in their job responsibilities to ask for personal information to change a court hearing date?” Friday, November 17, 2023, I spoke with you for more details.

Your question: “Whether I want you to respond and how to resolve this?” Since the cop Joseph A. Middleton, State Trooper #1544 (250 Leverett Circle, Boston, MA 02114) is taking the fall. I want you to respond via phone call to me at (617) 955-0689 with a written letter follow up to 198 Tremont St, Suite 335, Boston, MA 02116 USA.

How to resolve this: While my application for felony threat to commit a crime is being processed, then I want the latino woman on administrative leave with pay.

My next hearing is January 4, 2024 in front of a judge, if my case goes public and the charge becomes public costing me all my freedoms, independence, Paris 2024 Olympics and relocation to France, my employment opportunities, public assistance benefits, housing opportunities, educational opportunities along with already obtained four business degrees, and everything else, then I am requesting the latino woman to be fully terminated without benefits and severance pay.

I still have the housing cases to proceed with, but please make sure she avoids me at all costs. I have no problem requesting someone else like I did today. Please do not share any additional personal details with the latino woman or anyone outside this letter other than your supervisor, director, attorney general, or mayor. Thanks for your attention to this matter. Looking forward to hearing from you and your team.

Regards, Dr. Manley M. Collins, BS, MS, MBA, DM/PhD Plaintiff Pro Se (617) 955-0689

The application, police report, and incident report filed by the Massachusetts State Trooper #1544 can be seen by clicking here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E3RKin3txDFmVW1YY0IG5CX8wo5lHsmo/view?usp=sharing

The summons can be seen by clicking here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wci6fUQs6WLjVggdYfJdSiIICsMcrXyc/view?usp=sharing

The civil lawsuit can be seen by clicking here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11_zhdlsc_03lrViDi_Ka8l0kmbsl5qED/view?usp=sharing

Attended the French Library / Alliance Française of Boston and Cambridge Member's Party. I am proud to be a member. I am glad to have met the director and new people.

Attended the French Library / Alliance Française of Boston and Cambridge Marche de Noel.

Attended the French Library / Alliance Française of Boston and Cambridge Online Conversation Club.

Happy Thanksgiving. New item - Zero Sugar Strawberry Icing Yellow Cake.

Had Zumba at La Vie at Millennium Place in Boston, Massachusetts

I met my BCBS new primary care physician at Boston Medical Center. I got my Monobivalent COVID-19 booster and tested for HIV/STD panel. I also got refills on my medications, Banophen, Zyprexa, and Truvada. I met the preceptor over the resident doctor. I went back to BMC Psychiatry to attempt to re-establish care. Unfortunately, after six months or more disconnect, I have to get a referral from my PCP. My BMC BCBS PCP mentioned Psychology Today was a good resource for therapists. I did make the recommended two or three calls to connect with a therapist or psychologist in my area. My initial HIV test came out negative - HIV Ag/Ab Combined Qualitative - Result Non-Reactive. My basic metabolic panel came out on the normal ranges. My Calcium was 9.3 mg/dl (normal range 8-10.5 mg/dl). My CO2 was 22.0 mmol/l (normal range 19-28 mmol/l). My Chloride was 108 mmol/l (normal range 98-110 mmol/l). My Glucose was 85 mg/dl (normal range 70-100 mg/dl). My Potassium was 4.3 mmol/l (normal range 3.1-5.3 mmol/l). My Sodium was 136 mmol/l (normal range 135-145 mmol/l). My Urea Nitrogen (BUN) was 10 mg/dl (normal range 7-25 mg/dl). My Creatinine was 0.95 mg/dl (normal range is 0.7-1.3 mg/dl). My Estimated GFR value was >90 mL/min/1.73_m2 (normal value >59 mL/min/1.73_m2). My anion gap without potassium was 6 (normal range is 7-16). I weighed 171 lbs (77.8 kg) with all my layered clothing on. My blood pressure was 115/74. My body mass index is 27.71. My temperature is 97.6 F (36.4 Celsius). My oxygen saturation is 99%. My pulse is 51.

GymIt had the special needs people clean the equipment or gym areas under supervision. It is a neat idea to employ or utilize the mental and physically challenged.

CVS Pharmacy is fantastic as usual with my refills and those variety of coupons keep me in the store.

General Motors is fighting back and forth to clear its name in the Collins vs Kyambade et al., case.

Christmas and Kwanzaa was nice at my AirBnb for the winter. My superhost was amazing and surprising me on AirBnb features and highly physically active in his 70s. We had discussions regarding on Boston's real estate, eating and drinking the best foods to stay healthy, giving wars, our family history, providing boundaries and space, having meals together, similar train of thought that family can be the people currently physically surrounding us, house chores, and house rules. I am so surprised that it took four years after and during all the fighting, and at the time I am leaving that the Greater Boston area decides to show hospitality from a Harvard graduate/alumnus.

South Carolina Vacation

South Carolina State University Bulldogs Die Hard Supportive Fans was sitting, and weathering the cold and rain, and watching the SCSU Bulldogs 17 vs Morgan State 20 last home game. I stayed all four quarters. It was Band Day and Buddy Pough Day. I still took my photos in the rain and frozen hands. I ate a chili and cheese hot dog and did a special request to add jalapenos. Belcher Hall is the School of Business and where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness. I also pledged Phi Beta Lambda Business Fraternity.

South Carolina State University Meet and Greet Alumni Event started without a hitch and on time. Great location and venue. SCSU Alumni Relations planned a very good event. I had a good time getting to know some of the alums and fraternity brothers. The DJ was jamming. The bartender was doing the drinks…you might get a little tipsy. I only had cranberry-orange juice. I can't do alcohol. Thanks, SCSU Alumni Relations. I tried to watch the SCSUNAA Alumni Stellar Calendar event on FaceBook, but disconnected since I am not in it. Good times traveling down Russell Street and down US 301 to try to see Cross High versus Allendale-Fairfax High School - SC High School Football Playoffs.

The day and the life of a substitute teacher. I had 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th through 12th. Thanks for the opportunities - Reeves Elementary, Beech Hill Elementary, Sand Hill Elementary, Newington Elementary, and Ashley Ridge High. I learned some new methods on managing kids, getting work out of them, build in positive reinforcement, and masking punishment. For the younger kids, the emoji stick 😐 😐 face destroys their whole world if they do not get a smiley face at the end of the day. For older teens, the importance of respecting a substitute teacher when over 50% of the class decides to use the restroom, go to office, go to media center, or recover a lost item. I was happy to start introducing a one-by-one concept of line and numbering each of them.

Spent quality time with a dear friend Darron Denmark . You really do not know someone unless you physically and literally spend time with them. Good times…parallel lives and three intersections…two in Atlanta, Georgia and one in Columbia, SC. Thanks for your service, Mr. Denmark. Much love ❤️🥰🖤💚, my strong brother.

South Carolina State University Homecoming Week 2023 is in the books. The football game was a nail biter to the end - SCSU 27 vs Howard 24. The SCSU Marching 101 band was larger and played beautifully. The guest band Jonesboro Georgia High School Marching Band. The scoreboard played nice and loud. ESPN got the HBCU show of a great time. The classic chants played, old school music, and new school music played throughout the entire time at the game. The cheerleaders had great spirit and large group, but it was a shame to remain only on one side or section when the past cheerleader groups took school spirit on all appropriate sections. I visited Beta Delta of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. tailgate tent and ran into Ogunna and Pugh, and met a new brother Wes, and saw Terry Holmes. I never reached SCSU Track and Field tailgate. I ran into more classmates and good peoples. I attempted to get a photo with The Honorable James Clyburn. The Clyburn cameraman could not take the photo on a smartphone after two tries, but I got to shake his hand and see him in person after 28 years when I personally visited his office in Washington, DC in 1995. For President Conyers, I shook his hand, but he did not know me so I can understand brushing off someone you do not know or heard of in taking a photo. Bulldogs on the Run was a great success and running into my Freshman year roommate and classmate, Andrew Lawton and my SCSU track and field teammates, Linnell Cooper and Donald Cooper, and the family. I ate my first Lawton's Chicken Sausage biscuit I came in 5th in my age group for Bulldogs on the Run. Thanks Nike+ for the encouragement per mile. It was my very first outside run in the cold since SCSU Men's Track and Field practices. Coach Jeffries gave me my 30 second conversation and a cherished photo. It was good for my mental health with all the love, excitement, and laughter shared among my peoples. I ran into Mrs. Heyward, Cross High Librarian, and a Ravenell brother from Pineville, South Carolina. I found Planet Fitness and walked through the Prince of Orange Mall.

Another eventful day at SCSU Homecoming. I picked up my race packet for Bulldogs on the Run from some classmates. It was good getting some Randolph Italian Ice. I went on campus of South Carolina State University to check out the student center and student plaza. I captured some of the memories of The Dungeon in Dukes Gymnasium from 5am and 6am gym workout for SCSU Track and Field. I saw a women's volleyball game going on in Dukes Gymnasium. I took some photos of the Whittaker Library and Alpha Phi Alpha shrine. My last event was the SCSU S.T.A.T.E. Club Fish Fry Cookout on Felton Field.

It has been 25 years stepping back into Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Arena on the campus of South Carolina State University. Quite a few physical changes to the campus. Congratulations to New tradition of Mister South Carolina State University and the long time standing tradition of Miss South Carolina State University. A flood of memories of giving speeches, sport games, classes, and dancing at that facility. Miss SCSU JaMelia Baylor-Stroud, Sam Hinton, and I chuckled over the good times and kept critiquing our generation versus today's generation. Beta Delta of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. started the stepping or stroll to the current theme song. They were lit. Go Bulldogs! 1896. Congratulations to all the Kings and Queens, and their supporters.

One major change is the tailgating has gotten so big that I missed the social component. JaMelia did call and ask where was I while I was driving back to my hotel, but the old times when SCSU had a game, the day just ended with the game and I thought everyone just pack up and gone home. This was not the case. A definite lesson learned from SCSU Homecoming.

I went to HearUSA as a part of a contractual benefit with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. When healthcare insurance provides hearing screening as a benefit…wow! Thank God I still can hear after all the loud noises from warehouse work, partying and nightclub, family and friends arguments, EMS and anything with a siren. No raising hands to say I can hear, I have to yell out the words from inside sound box.

I went to Studio Optics for my second vision examine. We, the doctor and I, went through the various glasses. I made my selection and order, but the doctor is simply waiting for payment to place the order.

I renewed my membership with USA Track and Field Association and Potomac Valley Track Club.

The United States Department of Defense (Department of the Navy) closed the federal tort claim and stated to sue in the federal court.

I had my Boston Housing Authority Public Housing final interview. Rosanna Ramirez stated they needed more information and updated information to state I am eligible for public housing. I sent them Citibank information because they were apart of the problem. I sent them a 110 page legal document showing my housing for the past 2.5 years and everything that happened. I stopped showing any income. I signed a release of information document for Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and Pine Street Inn. The young lady still requesting up-to-date banking, income, and housing information. I asked her, "Who is seeing all these documents or show me the information system this information is going in?" She lied and said, "Only her and her supervisor." Tell me I am crazy for sending all my personal and professional information to the fourth BHA employee. I do not know where my information is stored or being sent. The property is not brand new, no amentities, no assurance of security, none of BHA is my friends or family, and still have to pay some type of rent on a sliding scale. None of the information from previous interviews and request for information was not even mentioned.

SplitSpot settled their side of the lawsuit for $1400, which is less than what I gave them. I told Ernesto Gaxha to not pull an AT&T situation, which is AT&T went bankrupt, kept the name, and rise as a new company with same name. Ernesto Gaxha, the President and CEO, of SplitSpot gave me courtesy call because the company went bankrupt and riddled in debt, and was bought by another company.

I had my SplitSpot case hearing, which is left with the roommates and the insurance company. I stood my ground and stated, "I oppose the Motion to Dismiss and hold all allegations true to each one of them."

I submitted my United States Department of Education's Total and Permanent Disability Application to discharge my student loans held by Nelnet.

I finally started my new group exercise instructor position at Boston Sports Club/New York Sports Club/Town Sports International. I had my first Zumba class. I shadowed another instructor for Total Body Conditioning. The group exercise manager mentioned needed Les Mills BodyPump instructors. I am torn because my goal was BodyCombat, but the gym wants BodyPump. I am practicing my second full routine of Zumba.

I like the Blue Cross Blue Shield referral request system on HMO plans. I finally understand how it works.

I followed the Paris 2024 Volunteer Instagram. I got a response to volunteer application and got accepted for the 2024 Paris, France Olympics and Paralympics.

I joined a Zoom call with the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. regarding the Alpha Light Fund and Alpha House being built in Ithaca, New York.

With data breaches, a company called WellTok informed of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) data breach. As a part of proactivity, they offered and I signed up for the Experian IdentityWorks product and service.

I got rejected or turned down by Paris 2024 employment staff, it seems in part with Randstad of France. I guess it was because I was not legally authorized to work in France without living there.

I had to process plenty of US mail when I returned from my South Carolina vacation.

I am responding to all the motions to dismiss, which taking plenty of time.

I am still getting most of my physical workouts in for stress and anger management.

December 16th was a decent day until a tall and large kid that do not run the 200m dash trips and rolled right in my lane 2. My final time was 29s, when I was on pace for 26s chasing kids down. The TRACK at New Balance USATF New England Indoor Season Opener never a dull moment.

December 26th was okay at the New Balance USATF Night at the Track. I registered and ran the 60m like I stated my time 8.82s. I was bloated with food, fruit, and drink. My body must think it is still on vacation…the pounds are trying to creep back on. I had to set my alarms again to begin waking up at 5:30 AM EST.

December Holidays and Awareness

Happy World AIDS Day, Happy Hanukkah, Happy International Volunteer Day, Happy New Year's Eve, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas Eve, Happy Human Rights Day, Happy Bill of Rights Day, Happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Happy HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, Happy Worldwide Food Service Safety Month, Happy Write a Friend Month

November Holidays and Awareness

Happy Diwali, Happy Bhai Dooj, Happy World Kindness Day, Happy National Pickle Day, Happy All Saints' Day, Happy All Souls' Day, Happy Election Day, Happy Marine Corps Birthday, Happy Veterans Day, Happy Thanksgiving Day, Happy Black Friday Day, Happy Cyber Monday Day, Happy Giving Tuesday, Happy National Adoption Month, Happy American Diabetes Month, Happy Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Happy Vegan Month

Top Ten (10) Personal Music Playlists

Teddy's Jam - Guy

Mi EXXX - Wisin and Anuel AA

Let It Snow - Boyz II Men

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

About Damn Time - Lizzo

I Get Lifted (Go to Church) - Barbara Tucker

Get Money - Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Tom's Diner - Suzanne Vega, DNA

Bugatti - Ace Hood

Long As I Got King Jesus - Vickie Winans