#i need to put more effort into making my blog more accessible if i plan to continue being on here. frankly.

[transmutationisms]

Hello. I've seen some of your pists about Gaza. I'm unable to send money at the moment but I'd like to still help. How can I help? I was planning to reblog the link for the foundraiser but couldn't find it.

Thank you!

Hi! I am not sure which fundraiser you were trying to find so I will promote my friend Mohammed's. He has until Tuesday before his campaign organiser starts the next money transfer, so we're trying to raise as much as we can before then so it reaches his family ASAP!

As to your main question, I'm presuming you're asking specifically how to help with personal fundraisers (as opposed to, joining an organisation or activist group, which I would also recommend where possible). Here are a few ways you can help even when you are short on money yourself:

1. Boost and promote campaigns. Even having one person pay attention and post updates can help keep a campaign from entirely stagnating. Especially if you have a low follower count, you will want to use the tagging function to get some bigger blogs to reblog your posts and updates. It feels awkward but it can be a genuine lifeline for the person whose campaign might be going slowly or slipping through the cracks.

2. Consider 'spotlighting' a specific campaign. This is a great guide from @/feluka on how to do that. You might have seen me doing it with Mohammed's campaign and a few others. This involves keeping up with the campaign more closely and probably writing more of your own posts. It takes some time and effort but again, it can be invaluable for the person on the other end.

3. Even if you can't donate yourself, consider putting together a raffle, auction, or commission opportunity that can incentivise other people to donate. Visual art (digital or physical) is a common prize/commission I see offered on here; there are also raffles for handmade or rare items such as plushies, cross-stitch, hand-sewn clothing, knitted items, limited-edition books, fancy journals, writing requests, etc. Anything you can make, someone might be interested in. If you need help boosting a post about a raffle or commission, tag some users who reblog fundraisers! You can also send that kind of post to me and I will happily boost it for you :-)

4. Consider reaching out to anyone you see promoting a slow or stagnant campaign if you have the kinds of artistic or graphic design skills to create artwork or graphics for them to use. Visual aids, banners, etc can make a huge difference when you're trying to get people to read a post and click through to a donation link. Or, if you can't make graphics, could you learn how to write accessible image descriptions for any that you see, and offer to do that? It's easy for people promoting a campaign to get overwhelmed by alt text and image descriptions when a post might involve numerous visual elements, time-sensitive updates, and an urgent need for donations as soon as possible.

5. Some people contribute to Gazan fundraisers by raising the donation money through irl events like bakesales or charity drives. These may take a little more effort or upfront materials costs to set up, but they can also be a great opportunity to spread the word and connect with other people. If you have local activist groups or parties, this might be a good time to reach out to them and see if they can help facilitate such an event.

[sjw-publishings]

Hey everyone,

This is an update to my post I made recently about Dumb and Jocked’s sudden departure. If you haven’t read that, it will be over: here.

Before I begin though, something I discovered is that for some of the reblogged dumb and jocked stories with the ‘read more’, the rest of the story can be viewed in your drafts if you choose to reblog it but do not post, and also through the edit button.

Not necessarily the best way to read stories and also not all stories can be read via that way, but some are possible. So I recommend doing so and saving your favourite writer’s stories in drafts as you will never know what may happen in the future.

—————————————————————

I am grateful to the messages and responses people have given me in light of the situation.

I generally don’t tend to talk to many people on tumblr as my stories can be rather controversial and niche, and I'm very appreciative of the support and information people have given me in light of Dumb and Jocked’s disappearance. Thank you.

As of then, there is a mention that Dumb and Jocked has written a post that he needed time off from Tumblr before he deactivated his account.

However I cannot confirm this as there were no screenshots/reblogs saved/provided, and even if Dumb and Jocked posted that, he could’ve easily reconsidered it and just closed his Tumblr himself.

While it does bring some slight hope, there’s no guarantee he would ever return.

However there’s good news regarding archives for Dumb and jocked’s stories. Which Im grateful for the Tumblr community taking steps to reblog/like/save the posts via different means.

Special shoutout to both @imsrtman and @user211201, who have posted several of Dumb and Jocked’s stories, on Tumblr and their blogspot.

@user211201 has saved multiple of Dumb and Jocked stories, including the Protocol one which had been gone a while back even before Dumb and Jocked left tumblr. I also reblogged his re-post on Branded on my tumblr account, as it’s one of the stories where you cannot access it via editing it in your drafts.

He also continued to post more of his stories and has a list of them on his tumblr post over: Here.

Do check the other pinned post on his tumblr page for the table of contents as for what stories he has already posted too.

@imsrtman has managed to archive most of dumb and jocked stories, including making the effort to put the Tumbex links of Dumb and Jocked’s stories into an excel sheet, and most importantly archiving them before they got removed on Tumbex.

I cannot express how thankful I am to him as I thought I had missed my chance in saving the stories on Tumbex due to my exhaustion. Thanks to him Im able to save both Breeding Grounds stories.

He also a blogspot consisting of various of Dumb and Jocked’s stories and he is planning to add more of Dumb and Jocked’s stories in the future. You can find the link to his blogspot post over: here. (Edit: Imsrtman mentioned in the replies/notes of this post that it is not his blogspot and he has a different blog, @dumb-and-jocked-archive)

Please give both of them many thanks, as well as anyone else who has archived/reblogged/saved stories on behalf of the community. Without people who archive, many of the stories of blogs that are gone would be gone forever.

That’s all for my update. If there’s any crucial information that I may have missed out on, do reply to this post for others to know.

-SjwPublishings

[rigelmejo]

There are so many anazing free resources to study languages. So many.

I think it often just comes down to: some people don't want to actually learn, some people don't want to put in the effort and hours it takes to improve at a brand new thing, some people fear imperfection, some people just aren't good at finding resources on their own (libraries can help! Even just a quick search on reddit or language learning blogs can point you to some good resources!), and some people really struggle to make their own study plan or motivate themselves (and in these cases STRUCTURED resources may work best for you - either actual classes with grades to pressure you, or Coursera/linkedin/etc Massive Online Open Courses - which can be free but still paced like classes you pay for, or getting a textbook or copying someone else's study plan Exactly same time spent per day same activities everything).

There's also a lot of amazingly well made paid resources to learn a language. I'm telling you right now its not Glossika, or Rosetta Stone, or Duolingo, or any other "many languages X dollars a month subscription" apps. Some of those may be okay, and even work great if you're a beginner and quickly finish them and then go find intermediate stuff to study. But usually you can look up resources for the Specific language you're learning and find amazing resources specifically tailored to it. (Examples: Satori Reader app for learning to read Japanese is extremely well made and much more useful for Japanese than a broad LingQ app subscription, Pleco one-time purchases of Graded Readers and Dictionary add ons are much more useful for learning Chinese than LingQ, you get the idea). While the general "resource made in many languages" resources are fine, and work in a pinch if they're the cheapest or the only resources you can access (for example I really like Innovative Language Courses in the Hoopla library app, the Teach Yourself books, and the FSI/DLI old textbook/audio courses, since I can find the resource type I wish to study and find them free in pretty much any language I need to), usually the best resources for a particular language and particular goal in that language tend to be more specific.

Dreaming Spanish is like $8 dollars a month, and assuming you DO want to learn a language, you'd probably be putting in at least 15 hours a month (a half hour of daily study on average or more) making each hour of listening learning material less than $1. You might be listening to 60-90 hours a month if you're going at a pace like me with Chinese, which would make it even more worth 0.13-0.09 dollars an hour of study material. That's way cheaper than a tutor, or a college course, so if you stick to the plan it will work and it will be budget friendly. It's cheaper than Netflix.

Compare that to Glossika Japanese, which I fully completed after 128 hours, at $13 a month, and I was really not enjoying Glossika as it bored me to tears so I took like 6 months so I spent $78 dollars on fucking Glossika, or around 1.64 dollars an hour. Still maybe a decent price now that I'm looking at it like this... except I could've studied the same material completely free with japaneseaudiolessons.com and Nihongo Con Teppei podcast, and maybe I would've been less bored and studied more hours.

My point is: in many cases free options and paid options exist specifically for your language goals, for the language you're learning, and finding ones that support your goals and that you can enjoy will cause increased study time per day, more progress in less months, and more enjoyment.

It does take a bit more work to look up resources, yes. If you take the time, it is rewardingly helpful.

Someone asked on reddit the other day how to learn French free without Duolingo. They mentioned they had no money, weren't making much progress and didnt like the switch to AI, and wanted to know what to use to improve. Some people mentioned youtube - which is a great suggestion! It still takes some searching on youtube stuff like "learn french" "french listening" "french reading" "french comprehensible input" "french lessons" and exploring until you find something that works for you.

I suggested: French Comprehensible Input channel, Le Francais Par Le Methode Nature (textbook with 2 audio-text playlists on youtube), Coffee Break French (a podcast with french lessons - not on youtube but free and covers what beginner classes would cover), Language Transfer French (free podcast for learning French grammar basics).

And then later once someone knows some basics and can move into intermediate materials: Francais Avec Fluiditie, Inner French, and regular French speaking youtubers. All free materials, all available online with a quick search, all can help one to learn French and improve. If they had a different goal than me, or different learning preferences, then continuing to explore until they found resources more suited to them would work.

Just the fact you are on tumblr, following people who share resource links and saving whatever resources are useful to you, already means you are putting in effort to learn a language and effort to find study resources that will work for you. Which is hard! It is a slog to find study resources that suit you, and come up with your own study plan to tackle your goals.

[mangomandy]

Unit 1 Blog post:

My current relationship with nature is very therapeutic and spiritual; I find that whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, or even anxious, I can always rely on nature to ground me and put into perspective how minimal some of my worries are in the grand scheme of life, and what it has planned for me. Although this relationship hasn't been consistent throughout the past decade, I feel I needed a certain disconnection to learn and appreciate it from a different perspective, through a lens that now allows my inner child to live in the present while holding an immense amount of gratitude, thoughtfulness, and to connect with nature.

This is a photo I took while on a walk with my cousins in Milton, Ontario.

Growing up, I was always outside, and most of my happiest memories from childhood include whenever my family would take us on camping trips, have our birthday parties in provincial parks, and when we would go to our trailer every weekend during summers, having a blast with my cousins catching frogs. Throughout this, I didn't realize how much I truly enjoyed being outside and how it shaped my relationship with nature. In a way, I took it for granted at the moment, and it wasn't until quarantine, when the world took a pause, that I could be away from the whirlwind high school was sometimes and reconnect with my roots. Spending those warmer days outside playing board games or just having some quality time in our backyard with my family reminded me why I used to love being outside and how much it made me feel whole in life.

Picture of me at my 5th birthday party at a provincial park.

Also, during this time, I found an interest in discovering different isolated trails and hiking spots to take my dog Bruno along for walks. When I started this new hobby, the experience was fitness-related and just some time for Bruno and me to enjoy the peace and quietness those places offered. Eventually, on these walks, I began to notice and truly take in the nature around me and all the critters whose homes I was passing by. In the following years leading up to today, I slowly leaned into a more religious/spiritual view of the world through practicing meditation, journaling, being more observant, as well as taking a world religion class in grade 12 where one of the many things I learned was how different religions honour nature and our planet. This pushed me to make a more conscious effort to be mindful and grateful for the opportunity to have accessibility and be around such a beautiful and relaxing environment whenever.

Photo of Bruno while on our favourite daily walking route by my house.

As for who offered me a sense of place, in general, I would say, my family, being that they introduced me to all the outdoor activities I love to do; but more specifically someone who introduced me to a more psychological view of nature as my "safe place" would be my mom. My mom is a very Catholic woman who often sees nature and many other things in life as gifts from God. Throughout my upbringing, I would consistently hear her stories and adventures of when she lived in Venezuela and all the beauty and phenomena she witnessed within nature personally (the ones that always stuck with me were about the Relampago del Catatumbo (a never-ending lightning storm) and Angel Falls). Through her interpretation of the world of God giving us blessings and lessons to grow, she’s always told me to be grateful and mindful of everything around me in life, regardless if it was a specific moment, place, or person because you never know when one day you won't be able to experience it again. Although throughout all those years of hearing that, I never truly understood the value of appreciating or noticing the simple things in life that we can take for granted, such as a 30-minute walk along a trail, or even enjoying the beauty of the trees we walk by daily; but I can confidently say now, that my relationship with nature has grown more than I ever thought it could, and it remains as one of the most impactful and relaxing things in my life.

A picture of my mom and I at our trailer in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario years ago.

[acideathr]

‧₊˚♪𝄞࿐₊˚⊹ 𝖙𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝄞₊ ⊹ 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊 ● 𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖛𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖘' 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 ⤿ 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 ● 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲

♫ .. “ ... 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 ... “ ★ . •° . －𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘳 ．．• ♡︎

grim: *pant* *pant*... well?

crowley: incredible… i’ve never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have.

crowley: i must confess, my educator’s intuition did sense something about you after that brouhaha at orientation, yuu.

crowley: i could tell you had a certain animal trainer—y, beast master—ish quality to you. oh, yes. 

crowley: that said, i… *mumble mumble*

yuu: would it be possible for grim to stay here with me?

crowley: WHAT? a monster, stay HERE?

grim: woah, did you just…?

yuu: what if there are more ghosts?

crowley: hmmm… i suppose i cannot deny your plea. 

crowley: very well. 

grim: myah?! really?

crowley: let me be clear!

crowley: under no circumstances would i admit anyone to night raven college who has not been selected by the dark mirror — especially not a monster!

crowley: nor do i intend to allow you, yuu, to freeload until you’re able to return home. 

grim: hrmph. never shoulda got my hopes up…

crowley: now, allow me to explain. 

crowley: it was the dark mirror that transported you here. 

crowley: therefore this school does bear some responsibility for your well—being.

crowley: so i will allow you to remain in this dorm, free of charge.

crowley: however, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing and incidentals.

crowley: as to how you will do so, penniless as you are… ah. ah ha. yes, what a fine plan.

yuu: what exactly are you planning to make me do?

crowley: you needn’t seem so alarmed. i’m simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus.

crowley: from what you’ve done here, yuu, i can tell you know your way around a broom.

crowley: so what do you say to you two working together as a janitorial team?

crowley: if you agree to that, i will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus. 

crowley: i’ll also allow you to use of the library, so that you may study, and research ways to return home.

crowley: how boundlessly charitable i am.

crowley: ah, but only when your work is over, of course!

grim: whaaat? what kinda deal is that?!

crowley: i wanna put on one of those sweet uniforms and be a student, not sweep up people’s junk!

crowley: if you’re not satisfied with my offer, i can arrange to have you thrown out again.

grim: myah?! …alright, fine! let’s do it.

yuu: fair enough.

crowley: wonderful. then i beseech you both…

crowley: to work hard as the newest members of night raven college’s janitorial staff!

⭑♪⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 ⭑♪⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

©𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗬��𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 ● @acideathr 2025 ⤿ my work is not yours to take; posting chapters requires significant time and effort. all credit is due to aniplex and yana toboso; show your support by downloading the twisted wonderland. this blog particularly caters to players who cannot access the en game because of their region or those who aren't willing to download the game

[jewishpadmenaberrie]

tagged by @jewishcissiekj

get to know 10 people better:

last song: stilletos (pumps) by crime mob (check it out if you like crunk, i generally listen to more crunkcore but obviously i love crunk too)

favorite color: PINK always and forever. baby pink hot pink bubble gum pink fuschia salmon warm pinks cool pinks red pinks blue pinks

last book: almost definitely either a mary downing hahn novel or a goosebumps. i have mixed feelings on my sixth grade reading level but most of those feelings are bad lol

last movie: dans ma peau but i didnt finish it because i had a warm pastrami sandwich during the first part of it and it was quite late at night lol. i have to rewatch it. the pastrami sandwich was a choice though i will ABSOLUTELY be doing that again. talk about a 4d experience they should have served this in theaters, or perhaps steak

last tv show: the simpsons. i always have that show on in the background when im weaving or knitting. its so long i dont get bored of it even when it replays.

last thing googled: more stuff about hermanns tortoises of course

things youre looking forward to: MY NEXT TATTOO final destinations bloodlines (kind of a twofer because theres supposedly a tattoo death scene and if i can watch that every time i go in for a tattoo it will make the whole thing much less boring) and my flash comic volume i got on thriftbooks which is coming in the mail and of course my birthday, which falls on the rapidly approaching Weed Day, which comes with many advantages, including possibly a new pet fingers crossed everyone. i am obsessed with animals. i love each and every one i have, have had, or will have more than i love anything else on this bitch of an earth.

current obsession: well, on one hand look around you *gestures at blog* but ive also been REALLY into dc speedsters and OBSESSED with hermanns tortoises. ive always loved tortoises and wanted one passively but i did not know how... accessible? it would be? but like recently i got REALLY into tortoises and once i started learning about the different types of tortoises i was like ohhhh the beginner ones are actually EASIER than dogs people are just stupid and refuse to open their search engine of choice, much less go to a library or buy a book, and theyre trying to keep tortoises tht dont occur in a similar climate and theyre trying to keep the rare cool ones. not me man i want the the easiest possible tortoise to take care of, the easiest tortoise to get ethically, and FUCK man one thats common enough to not cost a billion dollars. as long as its small. im getting a male hermanns, proooobably eastern but maaaybe dalmation, depends on what the places and breeders i visit have, definitely not westerns as theyre very hard to acquire rthically and prohibitively expensive even if theyre the cutest of the trio, plus if i was going to put in the effort to ethically obtain and purchase a western hermanns tortoise i would have to at least find someone with a female from the same SPECIFIC LOCATION because part of the ethical concern is how theyre mixing up distinct and different localities to produce more, to breed my tortoise with because thats how seriously i take their conservation. im not doing all that lmao im gonna take my cheap tiny common boy and enjoy watching him fuck around in his enclosure and enjoy his company until i die and i hand him off to his already decided next home. gotta have that plan cuz if i dont fuck up bad or get ridiculously unlucky this fucker is outliving me. ive been researching tortoises for so long now it feels, and when i found this species something really clicked and i was like. ok im starting new pain meds im taking physical therapy and if i somehow get worse i have a backup. its tortoise time. learning that if you keep them inside you have to regularly move around and redecorate their consjderably sized homes was like winning the lottery, what do you mean i NEED to regularly shop for cute items for my pet? i get to just redecorate all the time and its GOOD for him? i thought i was lucky to have a dog who likes clothes now i have a materialistic tortoise who neeeeeds me to buy that nice rock? AND the little plants? AND the hides? and then i get to reorganize them and move them around all the time? and he LIKES that instead of being annoyed im fucking with his shit like some other reptiles? ohhh and hes gonna dig around and make little ruts and push things so we'll be decorating together... ugh its so crazy. me and my tortoise designing his habitat together. i get to mimic his natural habitat! i get to enrich his diet with lots of nutrients and fun games! i can even make his enclosure bioactive with soringtails and isopods! it will become a microclimate! fuck yes! i am honestly so ready to have a constant companion through all the lifes and deaths of my many other friends, pet and human alike. im so ready to spend my life making his better. im so ready for hints from anyone whos kept them successfully before even if chances are ive already heard it lol

my boy....

ok now tag time ten people uhhh...

@padmestrilogy @mathildepadme @for-the-sake-of-color @wlwanakin @neo-imperial @galactic-rhea @younglingslayer300 @vosempire and jo if you see this im tagging you too i just dont remember your users oops

9 is pretty close to ten. i wasnt expecting to get that high honestly lol

[theroseceleste]

Pilot Miguel - Part 3 - Te Necesito

It's your first full day in Acapulco and you wake up to a rather... interesting surprise...

Buy me a coffee! (And gain access to my discord)

Word count - 3740

Contains : Mentions of smut (steamy moment and mention of masturbation

This fic will have smut, but not in this chapter. Minors DNI

Enjoy! xx

Part 1 Part 2

If you enjoy this fic, please consider liking, commenting or re-blogging. Many thanks xx

You wake the next morning. Your room is almost pitch black apart from the slight glow around the blackout curtains. The gentle hum of air conditioning has been a constant noise all night, keeping you comfortable as you sleep peacefully.

The plans for today consist of eating, relaxing and sunbathing. Maybe throw in a dash of swimming in the hotel’s large, curvy pool, complete with its own waterfall feature.

Your phone buzzes as your Do Not Disturb disables itself. Picking it up, you check to see what notifications you have missed. Some are from Instagram - bound to be some late responses to your snaps of the beach you took yesterday. Oh… hang on… you also have several massages from… Miguel?

Your heart pounds as you wonder what his messages contained. Looking at the number of notifications, it seems odd that a quiet and reserved character suddenly had a lot to say to send ten texts.

The Messages app loads and you tap on your conversation with him and your jaw drops. You start reading the first text from him. And the next - and the next…

“I think I like you.”

“No. I know I like you.”

“Actually, I want u.”

“I neeed youu.”

“Fuk texting is hard when ur drunk, hanng om”

Your mind races even more when you see the next messages aren��t texts - they’re voice notes!

A shaky manicured finger presses play on the first one and you’re instantly met with a loud moan.

“(Y/N), I’m sorry for being a dick this morning. Just wanted to get that off my chest— mhmm…” he pauses for a second to take a heavy, shaky breath.

There are certain indistinguishable noises in the background, giving you a sneaking suspicion he’s in the middle of something…

“You smell so good by the way. I want to sniff that pretty neck of yours before I kiss it, bite it— mhmmm… suck on it.”

Those words, those moans… they go straight to your core. And you're certain by now he was playing with himself as he sent that voice note.

You press play on the next one.

“(Y/N), I want to hear your pretty little voice call out my name. I’ve not heard you bless me with that gift yet and I’m dying to hear it. Mhhhmmfuuuck…”

You don’t know what’s sexier, the desperate words of his desire, or his lusty moans. A series of strong, delicious pulses radiate from your core.

You press play on the next one.

“Chiquita, por favor. Escuchame. Mhmm… sí… sí…” (Little one, please. Listen to me. Yes… yes)

His voice breaks as he clearly put more effort into what he was doing. You can hear the jangling of the metallic links in his watch strap with every aggressive stroke.

The level of sexy turns up a notch too as he introduces speaking Spanish to you.

“Mi bonita, Parker’s right - don’t tell him I said that though. I need a damn good fuck and I want it with you so fucking bad-! Mierda! Por favor - mi chiquita - por fav-“

The message ends abruptly, and you see why, because the next and final communication from him is an actual video.

Pressing play, you see a bleary eyed, slightly dazed Miguel, lips parted as he moans exquisitely.

“Bonita…” he pants heavily, “you did this, bonita…”

He turns the camera to span down his defined chest, toned abs and then to his hips as he lays flat on his bed. You can’t stop yourself from squealing in absolute shock as you see his massive, hard cock twitching and dripping with his cum. Then the camera returns to his face.

“Te necesito…” (I need you)

The video ends. You stare at the final image, the cell phone screen glaring back into your face. His words circling your mind like a sexy carousel, making you press your thighs together.

This is outrageously insane. You’re certain that he’s going to wake up this morning and regret the whole thing. He’ll never be able to look you in the eye again. Fuck, you won’t ever see him in the same light either…

You have heard, and seen him in an extremely vulnerable and intimate moment. A feeling of guilt flashes through you as you know you kept listening and watching when you didn’t have to. But you were curious, not to mention you’re now left feeling incredibly turned on by it all.

After showering, you pick up your favourite bikini from your case and put it on. Then you grab an almost see through dress that is supposed to be worn over the top of your swimsuit. The smooth material caresses your skin as you walk, leaving your room.

Your eyes flit over to Miguel’s door as you feel tempted to knock. But he’s probably nursing a hangover and won’t thank you for the disturbance.

The sound of your flip flops slapping the underside of your feet with every step echoes down the corridor before you stop to summon the lift.

Miguel lays on his front, sprawled out on the bed, head buried in his pillow. His massive biceps flex as his arms support the underside of the soft bag of feathers, cradling him as he sleeps. The clean, white bed sheet drapes over his perfectly shaped ass, leaving his broad shoulders and back exposed to the conditioned air.

Eventually the repetitive sound of his phone buzzing finally disturbs his slumber. A deep, muffled groan comes out from somewhere within the pillow.

His head pounds. Five beers might have been too much for someone who doesn’t really drink all that often. He was desperate last night to forget. Forget about the crappy divorce stuff, forget about his disappointing life. Now, he regrets being so stupid thinking that beer will solve his problems.

The phone buzzes again and a swift hand swipes it from the table before he rolls onto his back, making the room spin.

He unlocks his phone after picking it up. Big mistake. The bright glare went directly into his brain.

“Shit…” he grumbles as he squints.

Then he feels his blood drain from his face. If he wasn’t lying down he might have passed out.

Before him, on his phone are ten messages sent from him to you the night before. Ten highly embarrassing and downright shocking revelations sent your way and he hardly remembers doing it.

He squirms as he sees he actually sent a video. This can’t be good… A large index finger clumsily prods the play button and he watches himself back, almost dropping his phone when the video shows his spent cock. He locks the device instantly and presses it facedown against the mattress.

“SHIT!”

Panic rises within him as his large hands cover his face, to hide himself from the shame.

Maybe you haven’t seen it yet… Grabbing the phone once more, he unlocks it, swears at how bright his screen is again and sees that you left the messages on read almost two hours ago.

“FUCK!”

What an absolute mess. What the hell is he going to do? He half expects an email from HR after you, quite understandably so, report him for being highly inappropriate.

One day. One fucking day into his new job and he’s done something totally fucking stupid like this. Could this be a new fastest record for getting fired?

He has to think of damage control, and quickly. But how can he come back from this? He has shared his beer fuelled, explicit desires and bared all - quite literally to you.

He plays his voice notes back, to know exactly what he said to you. The level of cringe he feels is so awful, he wishes the mattress of his bed will open up and swallow him whole.

The fact you left it on read too, he worries you might have passed out in shock. But then again, what could you possibly say in return to make him feel better? Maybe that you want him too…?

Miguel shakes his head - and instantly regrets it as a large painful throb pulsed within his skull. No! He was drunk last night. That’s all it was. That was the beer talking. It was only yesterday that he stopped being someone else’s husband. It is far too soon. But it's no good telling himself that. He’s got to find you and put things right.

Ten minutes later, he leaves his room, stuffing his phone and keycard in his pockets and straightens his light blue button up t-shirt.

As he stands in the descending lift, he nervously thinks about what he’s going to say. That’s if he can find you. You said you were intending on doing nothing. Perhaps he should have checked your room first, but there might not be anything stopping him from retreating back into his room again like a coward.

He tries the bar first but it’s empty. Next, he goes to the first floor and walks out of the lobby to search the pool area. Ahead of him is a bridge that spans across the pool, leading to the beach. As he walks, his head turns left and right, looking at the few sun lounger occupants.

Panic sets in as he eventually spots you to his left, his heart beating wildly in his chest and his stomach twisting into knots.

You look different, almost unrecognisable with your hair down, no makeup and… wearing a sexy bikini that barely covers your body.

His panic and hesitation overrides his brain. He keeps walking, hoping you don’t see him and he can pretend to go for a walk on the beach. Meanwhile, his gaze remains on you. Partially watching to see if you do look up at him but also checking you out.

He knows he should be approaching the bridge by now, but it never comes. His dumb ass veers slightly to the left of it and steps out over nothing but water.

Every muscle jars as he can’t feel the floor beneath his striding foot but it’s too late, his momentum has carried him too far forward to pull back.

Your eyes suddenly snap open when you hear a short yelp and a large splash right after. Sitting up, the book you had been reading falls off your chest and into your lap.

The water rocks violently at the epicentre of the splash, waves ripple outwards to calmer parts of the pool. Suddenly an absolutely drenched man stands up gasping for breath as his soaked clothes cling tightly to his body, particularly around his chest, waist and hips.

You clasp your hands over your mouth when you see that it’s Miguel. Rising from the sun lounger, you begin to make your way to the poolside.

As you approach, you hear the uttering of bad language, both in English and Spanish coming from him as he wipes his sopping wet hair from his face.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” you ask, the shock of the moment temporarily replacing the memory of what you saw this morning.

Kneeling on the side of the pool, you reach out for him so you can help him out. But he doesn’t take your hand. You know for yourself that he’s not going to drown, the water he stands in only comes up to the top of his legs, which would be the height of your waist.

“I’m fine…” he splutters as he places his hands on the side of the pool next to you and in one swift movement, he’s out and standing - something only shorties like yourself can only dream of doing.

As you stand up again, he pats his drenched shorts to check his pockets for his phone and key. They’re still there. He pulls out the smart device and inspects it.

“Oh God, is your phone ruined?”

His thumb presses the lock button to wake it up. The screen comes on just fine.

“Looks to be okay, it’s waterproof so it better be…”

His voice trails off. As he suspected, he can’t look you in the eye. How come you haven’t come up to him and slapped him? You’re being so sweet and caring. He feels you’d be easier to deal with if you were mad.

“Let’s get you back to your room so you can change,” you suggest as you feel water dripping from his clothes and splashing against the slabs beside the pool.

“I’m - I’m fine…” Miguel replies trying to step away but you catch his lower arm.

“Don’t be silly, look at the state of you! You’re soaked. Come on. I insist.”

He groans with reluctance but he lets you quickly grab your things from your sun lounger and return to him.

As the both of you walk side by side back into the hotel, there’s an embarrassing squelch with every one of his footsteps in his flip flops. Observing him as he enters the lift, you see him flinch at the bright lights.

“Hungover?” you ask as your eyes wander over his soaked frame, taking in every curve of his muscles and beads of pool water resting amongst the fine hairs on his firm, soft skin.

“Hmm…” he hums in response with a gentle nod, still not looking at you.

“I’ll get you some painkillers,” you reply as you both step out of lift after it arrives on your floor.

“(Y/N), we need to talk,” Miguel suddenly blurts out as you’re about to press your keycard into your door.

You knew this was coming and you pause before opening the door to your room.

“I know, but let’s get you dry first.”

After grabbing some painkillers for his headache, you enter his open room. He’s already pottering about in his bathroom as you close the door behind you. Two capsules sit next to a bottle of water on his bedside table ready for him to take when he comes out.

As you wait for him, you look around his room. A small collection of Corona bottles sits on the table in front of his bed and some of his clothes lay strewn across the floor

Without thinking, you pick up his pilot shirt, smooth down the creases and hang it up in his little wardrobe space. Next, you pick up his trousers and hang them up neatly too. The purple tie catches your eye, still done up, but loose, also discarded on the floor.

The sound of bare feet padding along the tiled hotel room floor emerges from the ensuite. Miguel, who’s now fully dressed and dry, stops as he watches you pick up his tie, then, his eyes wander to the hangers, holding up his clothes.

“(Y/N), you didn’t need to do that,” he mumbles as he then spots the painkillers you left out for him.

“But, thanks,” he adds, he doesn’t want to sound ungrateful for your help.

The mattress of his bed dips low as he takes a seat, puts both tablets in his mouth and downs them with a large gulp of water.

“You’re welcome,” you reply as you take a seat at the table in his room.

“I’m glad you’re here actually,” he pauses as he moves himself to the end of his bed so he can see you, but keep a good distance between the both of you.

You sit in silence and watch him intently, trying to push the image of the video out of your mind. But with your well practised, approachable demeanour, you keep him calm.

Placing both his huge hands together, as if he’s pleading, he begins to talk.

“First and foremost, I want to apologise for the way I conducted myself last night. It was highly inappropriate of me and I wouldn’t be mad if you have already reported me to HR…” he begins but his hands remain flatly pressed against one another.

“If you haven’t done so already, then I simply ask that you don’t? I know - I have no right to. There is no excuse and it was wrong. I had too much to drink - a rare occurrence for me, I swear.”

He takes a heavy, shaky breath.

“Life has been very sucky lately and I guess I forgot myself…” he pauses as he realises he’s jabbering about his personal life.

“As I said, there’s no excuse. Delete my number, block me, or whatever. It’s one hundred percent justified and I’ll never bother you again.”

Silence falls between the both of you as you take in his apology. You remember seeing that mark on his left ring finger, as if he used to wear a band but has recently taken it off.

“I haven’t gone to HR,” you simply reply, “don’t worry.”

His body practically dissolves at your words of reassurance, the tension within him melts away. He’s not losing his job at least, yet… However he still feels major embarrassment.

“Have you recently gone through a divorce or something?” you ask, his tension returns with a vengeance.

“How did you…?”

“Your ring finger…” you answer his question before he’s even asked it.

Miguel glances down at his left hand. Sure enough, the ghost of his wedding band, clear as day. A visible reminder of his failure. He just simply nods but keeps his gaze off of you.

While you can see he’s clearly feeling bad about his separation, you feel slightly relieved. He’s technically back on the market, if he wishes to be. And maybe when he’s in a better headspace, there may be a chance for you? That’s a nice thought, but something to consider later on. The guy is clearly going through a tough time.

“Is that why you were in a mood during the flight yesterday?”

He thinks for a moment, pondering your question. Taking a deep breath he begins to answer.

“Yes and no. I’m normally like this to be honest. Serious - no messing around, boring I can imagine Parker describing me…”

“Pfft!” you suddenly erupt with laughter.

The Captain is not wrong, that is what Peter would say. A slightly crooked smile breaks across his lips as he hears you laugh. Things can’t be that bad between the both of you and you clearly don’t hate him.

“You and Peter seem pretty close… Are you um…” he starts to ask, but wusses out at the last second, however you realise what he means.

“Oh, God no! He’s funny, yes, charming too, but he’s married and has a kid. We just get on well.”

You said the ‘M word’. His gaze drops again.

“Married huh? Lucky him,” he mumbles, but you’re not sure whether he actually means that or if he’s being sarcastic.

A sympathetic smile spreads across your face.

“I’m sorry that you’re having a terrible time. If you ever need to vent, just text me-”

Miguel suddenly raises his hands to his face and flops against his bed. The image of that video pops into his mind when you mention texting you.

“Ahhh fuck! I can’t believe I did that. I’m such a fucking idiot!”

You stand and approach the foot of his double bed.

“Hey! Hey! It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.”

You reach and grab his arm to pull him back up, but he’s heavier than you realise.

“I said, it’s fine.”

“But you saw-”

“I know what I saw and it’s fine.”

His head lifts up from the bed as you insist on pulling him up. Parts of him wishes that you were complimenting the part of him that he drunkenly dared to show you last night in his video, but deep down he knows you’re just saying that what happened is water under the bridge.

Finally, the Captain relents and sits back up. The embarrassment still remains, but you have taken the edge off of it.

“So, what are you planning to do tonight then?” you ask as you take a seat next to him on the bed.

“Hmmm…” he hums pensively, “not drinking.”

Another sweet giggle fills the air as you find his response funny.

“You seem more talkative with some beer in you though.”

“Ha! Don’t tempt me,” he replies with a slight chortle.

“No, tonight will be alcohol free. I’m not making that mistake again…”

Miguel falls silent again, his thoughts running away with him.

“Thanks - by the way.”

“For what?”

“Offering to be someone to vent to. I’m not really one to vent and cry on people’s shoulders, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

You give him a gentle nudge with your elbow, making him turn to face you.

“Well, maybe you can try it. New life, new job, new you?”

He huffs as he smiles, showing off his white but slightly crooked teeth. You find his smile cute and makes you feel warm inside, even if it is brief.

“I like that,” he pauses as he thinks about your suggestion.

“Maybe I’ll give it a shot. I’m just not really good at… talking.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try.”

“I suppose it doesn’t…”

The back and forth continues between the both of you until you finally fix up plans for the evening. Miguel seems open for another night of quiet dining and socialising with just you, or maybe Peter, at a push.

You decide to give Miguel a break and close the curtains for him so he can take a nap to sleep off his hangover. Before you leave, you give him a gentle pat on the back that partially turns into a soothing rub over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you later…” you whisper to him with a sweet smile and he watches you leave his room.

Now completely alone, his hand goes to his shoulder, tracing his fingers along where you stroked him, trying to replicate that sensation. Eventually he shakes his head, strips off and crawls into bed to take a much needed nap.

Closing your door behind you, you decide to take your phone out and unlock it. Biting your lip, you quietly play the video back again and listen to his voice notes. The desperation and need in his voice does things to you.

It’s not fair that he had all the fun, just thinking about you, and you didn’t get to join in. But your quiet time alone now is going to fix that, as you play those sound files and that video over and over… and over until you come undone to your skillful fingers…

I hope you enjoyed Part 3!

Buy me a coffee! (And gain access to my discord)

Next Chapter >

If you're interested in commissioning me, please click on the link below to find out more.

[shmreduplication]

Uuuuuuugfh when i pulled up the link for the dropbox+dailymotion for the Lydia Bennet videos last night I read a few of the comments on the Reddit thread that was discussing those vids being deleted off YouTube

Ashley Clements, the actress who plays Lizzie, has a YouTube series called Look Back Diaries (notice the acronym that makes) that seems to be a weekly podcast interview thing for every episode of the show where she's talking to another person who worked on it, that came out on the tenth anniversary of each episode

Then there's a handful of Look Back Diary Post Script videos, I only watched the final one from 9 months ago which does a quick summary of the previous ones. Basically the show creator, Bernie Su, keeps trying to squeeze more money out of the show for himself but not for... anyone else who worked on it.

The most recent cash grab is an app that has all the videos queued up along with the tweets (but not the tumblr posts!) and sends them to you in real time with an integrated social media aspect that users can post reactions/talk with friends. The company that made the app has a second one that seems to be the same thing but for another transmedia show. And it's done in a way that seems like they just scraped everything from YouTube and Twitter and put a time stamp on it and queued it. Exactly what I'm doing painstakingly by hand and on tumblr and without asking fot access to people's contacts like the app does

I didn't even want to get the tweets for rtLBD! I just wanted to watch the vids with the tumblr community! Now I have two separate blogs for this project, 200 posts queued so far, 500 tweets screen shotted so far with a bunch more to get, and now I think I'm going to make a third blog to post the Look Back Diaries in real time and track down the professional websites for the talent involved in the show. Still need to think on it but overall it's like. Imo the social media posts adds very little to the story of LBD and if I'm putting in effort for that nonsense then I definitely want to put in the effort to help the talent get their recognition

Two months can be a long time so we'll see if I can get it all done before April, but it should be possible to get all of April& May set up before April and still stay ahead of the queue with this extra work. Queuing the videos is actually the fastest part, but tbh probably still needed to adjust my game plan even without putting in Look Back

(also before anyone says o don't have to do any of this, I know. I'm enjoying the process, I'm looking forward for it to all start, I like knowing that the actors also still care about LBD this many years later, i just also like kvetching. When i finished queuing all the vids for lbd, I also complained because it was too fast& easy and then i made more work for myself by getting the social media posts. I'm enjoying the process)

[davidmariottecomics]

Stuff That Sucks, Part 2 (Not Everything is Terrible)

Hello! 

This is going to be a long one covering a lot, so y'know, feel free to take breaks, stretch your legs, get some water. Take care of yourself. Because I took one week off and man, there is toooooooo much to talk about! One of my first blogs on my site, way back when was called "Stuff That Sucks, Part 1" in which I went over a bunch of stuff in the world that was bad. This time, I'm kinda revisiting that idea, but am also trying to put some silly or nice or just life-updatey things inbetween the bad stuff to have some balance, as much for myself as for anyone else! 

Palestine

Since I've last posted about Palestine, a ceasefire agreement has been floated. Early reports were expecting it to be resolved this weekend, but we'll see. It's hard to be optimistic (generally, given the state of the world) after 120 days of violence and an agreement that's still seeking pause more than permanence (and, in that, seems more for the benefit of the aggressor). But maybe something good can come of it. 

I also believe that it is because of the actions of brave people all around the world that we're starting to see more pressure and movement to resolution. Obviously, there are plenty of people and places who got it right in the first place, like South Africa bringing Israel to the International Court of Justice on genocide charges (still in review, but the ICJ did impose their rulings to not continue to kill people or commit war crimes and Israel... has ignored that). But there have also been so many protests, actions like last week's Global General Strike, and continued efforts in hitting them where it hurts (the pockets) with concentrated BDS plans. Even if it's happening slowly, minds are changing. The latest AP poll shows 1 in 2 adults in the US thinks Israel has gone too far, which I'm sure is bolstered by the repeated statistics that over 27,000 people have been killed, over 66,000 wounded, 85% of the population has been displaced, 25% is facing starvation, aid continues to be blocked, and hospitals and journalists continue to be targeted. 

But, even if things seem to be developing, don't slow down on the pressure and the help.You can still contact your representatives: Call. Fax.Email. Contact the White House. Join actions from organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, and the Democratic Socialists of America, or whatever local organization is making efforts near you. If spending money brings you any comfort and you feel a need to put something into good practice, the Cartoonist Cooperative's page still lists a ton of resources for E-Sim cards.

The other thing that feels obvious to say, but I won't not say it anyway, is even if the coming week does bring a ceasefire and some sort of agreement or resolution, the work's still not done. There will be so much rebuilding to do and aid needed in Palestine. There must be measures taken to not allow this to happen again. Even if Palestinians are given full free unfettered access without the threat of violence to Gaza and the West Bank, they're still living under colonization. There're so many other places that are getting wrapped into this in various ways (like the US getting into it with Yemen and Syria). And, of course, there are still so many other places under similar circumstances, like Ukraine and Sudan. The work will change, but it won't cease. 

(SIDE NOTE: You'll notice that one of the organic boycotts noted by BDS is Wix. I know a lot of people, particularly young people who are in school/freshly out of school use that for their portfolio sites. Might be worth looking into other options)

Barbie and Godzilla Okay, I'm going to try to alternate serious things with less serious ones. Because I didn't post last week, I am late entering the Oscar conversation, but my two cents is that Barbie did just fine (though... really, nominating Ryan Gosling for Ken???) with what they got. If there was one significant snub this year, it's that Godzilla Minus One only got a single nomination, when it rightfully should've been a contender in all major categories. Like, it was certainly the best picture I saw last year. 

KOSA and the Invest in Children Act

I've talked about KOSA a few times here. It's the "Kids Online Safety Act" and it's notable for being bullshit. So, tell your reps to vote no. The reason KOSA sucks--as if the CEO of X being in favor of it wasn't enough--is it doesn't actually addresses the problem it claims to, but is a tool of censorship overreach. As has always been the case, preventing access to information doesn't stop people from seeking it, it stops them from getting accurate information and limits who is in the conversation. So, while KOSA seeks to "hold companies responsible for eating disorder and suicide content" or whatever to protect the kids, as co-sponsor of the bill Senator Marsha Blackburn has LITERALLY SAID, (quoted here from the Melissa Mira Grant article linked above) “Protecting minor children from the transgender [sic] in this culture and that influence,” is one of the most important issues conservatives can take a stand on now, Blackburn said, in an interview with the Family Policy Alliance, a group pushing anti-LGBTQ rights laws. “And I would add to that, watching what’s happening on social media. I’ve got the Kids Online Safety Act.” This bill, she claimed, “would put a duty of care and responsibility on the social media platforms, and this is where children are being indoctrinated.… They’re getting onto YouTube to watch a video, and all of a sudden this comes to them.” 

Other advocates against KOSA have pointed out that not only is it seeking to further marginalize queer folks, but it'd also be bad for sex workers (who we'll get back to in a second), and potentially abortion information, as well as actual resources for people who are seeking help with disordered eating or suicidal thoughts. The only "good" that comes from this bill is, well, if you're an evil person in a governmental position looking to suppress information, you can do that if it passes. And if you want points for "protecting the kids", the name says you get them to people who don't know what's actually happening. 

BUT, with all that said, instead of just saying to reject KOSA, we now have legistation we can point to as what we want instead: the Invest in Children Act! Unlike KOSA, or it's shitty predicessor, EARNIT (which I've also previously rallied against), the ICA actually seems interested in fixing the problems that do actually exist in the gaps between internet companies that already widely report issues of child sexual abuse online and a lack of action from NCMEC and the DOJ. But, y'know, the name isn't as snappy and this bill would actually protect children (something that given their response to what's happening in Palestine and the US, most of our representatives don't actually care about) and would do good for the world, so unfortunately my expectations are low. 

(SIDE NOTE: Because this literally just happened while I was writing--I was listening to music on YouTube [not that they're great either because, I guess just everything is terrible now, but nominally better than Spotify???] and the video for Collective Soul's The World I Know was next in my queue and it paused. Y'know why? Because the website's already set up to tell me if a video may have references to suicide or self-harm! A thing that is already in place and doesn't need KOSA to happen!!!) 

Original Comic Art

Be on the lookout for a couple original pieces by J.G. Jones that were stolen from him at OAX. Poor guy had these commissions stolen from his table during the show and I'm sure everyone in the situation (barring the thief) would like to see this beautiful Poison Ivy and Fairchild go to their proper homes. And, semi-relatedly, there have been a lot of creators this week announcing they're parting ways with their current art dealer and if you'd like a commission or to buy their art, you should contact them directly. I don't have a full list, but if you were in the original art market right now, might be worth double-checking where you can make your purchases from. 

The War on Porn and Trans People

As if KOSA wasn't enough, it's been a bad few weeks for y'know, most people. In Oklahoma, a bill was introduced that sought to criminalize porn on an incredibly wide definition, brought forth by the sort of far-right Christian who despite being a preacher, has literally 0 understanding of what the Bible actually says because to him, religion is not about practice or belief in a shared understanding of how the universe was formed and how we got to this point, it's a tool of control.

There's a report that the owner of OnlyFans pleged $11 million to a pro-Israel group in the last few months. He has denied that claim. Regardless, as these things so often do, it has dragged performers on the site into the conversation despite A. OnlyFans not (yet) being a BDS target and B. with everything else going on, there are only so many places to move to left. At time of posting, PornHub is blocked in... 6 states. There are a lot of walls being thrown up to try to limit our access to adult material and further deplatform and marginalize sex workers, which was already a massive problem and it sucks. 

Meanwhile, this week, Florida's trying to revoke trans people's driver's licenses and Ohio's banning trans kids from sports or gender-affirming care in their quest to ban trans people from existence entirely. And these are part and parcel of the pattern of trying to further criminalize, censor, and legislate women's bodies, trans bodies, sex workers, and anyone who isn't a cis straight white man. In the US, the New York Times, and in the UK, the Guardian are both doing the Tim Robinson hot dog "we're all trying to find the guy that did this" thing despite how much anti-trans bullshit they've spread. 

As there are more bills introduced that forbid (or have to shield against consequences for) interstate travel of trans people and people seeking abortions, we're really reaching a breaking point and coupled with the dissatisfaction of both promient Presidential candidates for their records of *checks notes* inaction or hostile action toward the majority of the American people... let's just say I'm not looking forward to how this year shakes out for the most part. 

Wedding Plans One exciting thing, though, is Becca and I soft-announced our wedding plans. We'd still like to try to organize something in San Diego for our friends and family presumably around SDCC time, but tha'ts up in the air because that's expensive and coming up much quicker than I think either of us would like with no plans firmed up. But our plan for the wedding itself has largely shifted to doing it internationally. 

We were always thinking of a honeymoon in Japan and now have kinda figured that if we're going to do that, instead of trying to do a ceremony in the US and then also pay for a trip, it's cheaper and maybe more special for us to roll it into a single plan. Becca's been looking a bit at Sanrio PuroLand, the Hello Kitty amusement park, because they have reasonable packages and you can bring in an outside coordinator (and we'd love to find someone who has experience with queer weddings in Japan, if anyone might have any recommendations). I'm not quite as sold, but that is generally what we're looking at. 

As things maybe solidify around SDCC or otherwise we get our picture all figured out for Japan, I'll share more news. 

Virgilio Mendez Virgilio Mendez is a 19 year old migrant who has been held for a crime he obviously didn't commit. He's been charged with aggrivated homicide for a cop who confronted him for the crime of being brown and not speaking English. Mendez was literally just on the phone, repeatedly communicated that he does not speak English (and recently the court found the case couldn't move forward because, as a product of that, he has no understanding of the American justice system), the cop harassed him, ultimately called back-up, the cops proceeded to batter and tase him, and then the original offending officer had a heart attack and died, as the coroner has reported, of natural and pre-existing causes, and all of that has been pinned on this poor kid's back. It's just depressing and despicable. 

Baldur's Gate

Okay, so... at one point I thought this was going to be shorter (haha, I don't know why I thought that) and I was going to talk about how I've been playing a lot of Baldur's Gate 3 and my thoughts on it. But I've run out of room for this time, and soooo... next week. I'm going to talk about BG3, Persona 5, Honkai Star Rail, and the ways that things that might activate similar sensations can leave you with very different impressions in the long term. But that'll be next week, so see ya then! 

New Releases (2/7/24) Godzilla Valentine's Day Special (Editor - IDW)

Announcements: Happy Black History Month! This week, I want to spotlight Clarence Matthew Baker! He is notable for being one of the first successful Black men in American comics and one of the first successful gay men! That's a lovely little profile of him and his work, including some classic Phantom Lady and It Rhymes With Lust! The man had gorgeous art and influenced comics so much, not in the least because his art was one of the primary examples of the "seduction" of Seduction of the Innocent, the famous anti-comics book that turned comics into a witch hunt for pornographers because the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

Check out my Patreon where you can access this blog as well as a ton of cool other stuff! Some recent highlights include the holiday catalog I made at the end of last year is now available to all backers (though $10+ backers got it almost 45 days early) and I've previewed some materials for something I'm working on and hoping to launch in the next month or two. Patreon will also be where I start posting some of my new original comics work later in the year, so keep an eye out for that too! 

You can also check out my webstore, my Kofi (I still need to throw up my updated Anti-AI Zine), and Becca's site (also pending a new update)! 

What I enjoyed this week: Nancy (Comic), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video Game), Baldur's Gate III (Video Game), Blank Check (Podcast), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), The Traitors Season 2 (TV show), The Sopranos (TV show), Almost Famous (Movie), Heartburn (Movie), the mango pineapple chicken from the local Indian food place, getting new comics and making friends with an employee we don't know at the comic store (If you ever read this, hi, Clay @ Nuclear Comics North Park!), having had a good first couple of weeks at the new job! 

Pic of the Week: Feels like it has been a while since I did this, but here's a cute picture of Tiansheng for what it's worth, but Hourly Comics Day was this week and Becca put together some strips. First one's linked and you can find the rest on their Bsky page! 

[romanticizedlife-patchnotes]

*Patch Notes 8/22/23*

A lot has happened. Many improvements have been been made that probably deserve their own posts. Did a lot of back sliding, attempts at recovery, and more back sliding. Also kept forgetting this blog existed.

CURRENT GOALS:

Clean and organized apartment

Time and suitable environment to focus on art

Being caught up enough on responsibilities and housework that I can feel comfortable spending time on video games and anime

Making a less stressful environment for my cats

Time for and Accessibility of Proper Nutrition

Get to bed earlier

Get up when my alarm goes off

Toying with the idea of setting up an online shop for like stickers and junk

Stuff Done Yesterday & Today:

Clean and organized apartment

Stacked the white boards and cork boards that have been floating around the apartment since I moved in neatly behind the recliner in the living room. I won't have to move them again unless I'm (finally) putting them up.

Made progress cleaning in kitchen

Made progress cleaning in study

Slapped a label saying "SPARE PARTS" on a drawer of a plastic storage unit in my basement so, once I find where they are, all the little baggies of spare hardware/accessories/parts for various appliances and pieces of furniture (THAT I HAVE BEEN SO GOOOD AT LABELNG. WHERE ARE THEY?!) will have a home. Baggies Found: 5/??

Slapped a "MANUALS" label on another drawer so now I have a place for them too

Arranged the shelving units in the basement so I can actually see and access shit easily

Time and suitable environment to focus on art

Cleared off the folding table that's been piled with papers and junk for 6 months

Cleared off my desk

Cleared off most the floor of my study

Drew plans for a U-Shaped desk that I think would help. Not sure if I'm going for it. Won't have a chance to build it until late September anyway.

My current desk has a riser shelf that I took off a while ago, thinking it would give me more useable space (it did not). I have a worklight I bought at goodwill a couple weeks ago that I intended to use for a workbench I'm most likely not going to build. It just fits under the riser, but its power cord comes out the center of the back, which puts it at odds with the riser support bar. So I drilled a hole in the riser support bar. I don't think the bits I have are meant to be used on metal, but I got it to work somehow. And after some hack-sawing and filing, and some more hack sawing and filing because I didn't account for the nut at the base of the power cord, it works pretty well!

Rearranged my furniture a bit. Trying an L-shaped desk set up

Being caught up enough on responsibilities and housework that I can feel comfortable spending time on video games and anime

Put on an episode of anime while eating lunch

Finally tumbled and folded the sheets that have been in the dryer for, like, two weeks

Washed a load of darks

Making a Less Stressful Environnment for my Cats

Cleared floor space in living room, kitchen and study

Moved chair I was going to donate back into kitchen so they can sit with me instead of me moving them off my chair

Making effort to clean/rearrange things in a calmer fashion so Maou freaks out less

Time for and Accessibility of Proper Nutrition

Washed a shit ton of dishes, focusing on the takeout containers I use for ready-made meals

Cleaned the fridge out. Got rid of food that had gone bad (oh god it was gross) and washed off spills

Made a start on organizing cabinets so I can find the dishes and containers need when i need them.

Cooked rice, chicken, and vegetables and arranged them in microwavable containers so I can h eat them quick later

Get to bed earlier

Brought in water bottles from car and stocked under bed

Put empty water bottles in recycling

Cleared a bunch of stuff that's been covering the floor for ages

Moved my headboard power strip to the other side so I can have my white noise machine and bed lamp closer to my head

Get up when my alarm goes off

Set up an anime I really want to rewatch on DVD player in kitchen, so I can watch it while eating breakfast. Hoping this motivates me to get ouut of bed.

Logged into Crunchyroll on android box for the same reason. Looking for HiDive password.

Toying with the idea of setting up an online shop for like stickers and junk

Made a vague plan. Most of it depends on me actually neatly finishing art on purpose. Im good at making art. Finishing art neatly and on purpose are my weak points (My strong point is bullshit that looks pretty good). Should probably revisit this idea when I'm further along with "Time and suitable environment to focus on art"

[jaymarasigan04]

(3F) First Blog: First Meet: First Tumblr Edition

I DIDNT KNOW >3 I didn't know what to put here first because it is my first time creating a blog article and using this platform as well. I felt unsure about where to start, and it made me realize that writing, much like any skill, improves only through practice and exploration. Creating content feels daunting at first, especially when you’re trying to capture your thoughts and ideas clearly and engagingly. So, I decided to begin with POEM something that speaks to our subject: Knowledge Management.

Knowledge is like a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. This saying beautifully illustrates the importance of nurturing knowledge, just as you would take care of a garden. To make knowledge truly valuable, it needs attention and active management, much like a garden that needs planting, watering, and care to produce its fruits and flowers.

Knowledge Management is about more than just gathering information; it’s about continuously cultivating and sharing what you know so that it grows and becomes useful to others. In an organization, the process starts with planting knowledge. In a garden, you begin by planting seeds. In Knowledge Management, this is about capturing information—writing down processes, documenting best practices, or gathering personal insights from employees. This step is crucial because if you skip it, valuable knowledge remains scattered and untapped, like seeds that never make it into the soil.

However, planting isn’t enough on its own. A garden needs consistent nurturing—regular watering, weeding, and care to thrive. Similarly, knowledge must be shared and kept fresh. Sharing knowledge through meetings, collaborative tools, open discussions, and even casual conversations is like watering the plants. It keeps the information alive and growing, spreading ideas that can benefit the whole team. Without this sharing, knowledge can wither away, much like neglected plants do when they’re not cared for. It’s about fostering a culture where sharing what you know isn’t just encouraged but is a normal part of everyday work.

Organization is also crucial, both in gardening and in managing knowledge. A well-planned garden makes it easy to care for and enjoy, with each plant given the right amount of space and attention. Similarly, knowledge needs to be organized in a way that’s easy to access, using systems like databases, document management tools, or intranets. Good organization ensures that when someone needs information, they can find it quickly and easily, much like knowing exactly where each plant is in a well-tended garden. It’s not just about having information; it’s about making sure it’s readily available when needed.

Maintenance is another key step in the journey. Just as a garden requires regular care—like pruning, protecting plants from pests, and removing dead leaves—knowledge must be maintained to stay relevant. This means updating information, checking its quality, and removing outdated content. If left unattended, knowledge can become irrelevant or misleading, much like a garden overrun by weeds that choke out the healthy plants. Regular maintenance ensures that the knowledge remains valuable and ready to be used when needed.

The true value of both gardening and Knowledge Management comes at the time of harvest. For a gardener, this is the rewarding moment of picking ripe fruits and flowers, the tangible results of months of care and effort. For an organization, the harvest comes when knowledge is put to good use—solving problems, making better decisions, improving products and services, and driving innovation. This application of knowledge is where the real rewards lie. Without applying what’s been learned, it’s like having a garden full of produce that never gets picked, leaving all that potential wasted.

This saying about knowledge and gardening reminds us that cultivating knowledge is an ongoing effort. Just like a garden requires constant attention, knowledge needs to be continuously shared, updated, and applied. A culture of sharing is essential, where every contribution counts, just as every plant in a garden plays its role in the whole ecosystem. In an organization, it’s not enough for knowledge to sit idle; it needs active participation from everyone—from leaders setting the tone, to team members who bring their unique insights and experiences.

Reflecting on my experience so far, I realized that starting something new, like writing this blog or taking on a new subject, can feel overwhelming. It’s like stepping into an unfamiliar garden and not knowing where to start digging. But just like with gardening, the important thing is to start somewhere—to plant those first seeds, water them regularly, and be patient. The learning process in Knowledge Management is similar; it’s not about knowing everything right away but about engaging with the process, making mistakes, and learning from them.

During our first class, I felt a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Our instructor was engaging and encouraged everyone to participate, emphasizing that learning isn’t just about what the teacher provides but about what we as students bring to the table. He often reminded us that it’s not all about the instructor; it’s about us taking responsibility for our learning journey. This really resonated with me because it highlighted that, just like in gardening, the effort you put in directly affects what you get out.

Our instructor’s approach reminded me of the importance of cultivating my learning process. It’s not enough to just show up to class; I need to actively engage, ask questions, and apply what I learn. It’s similar to tending a garden—without putting in the work, I won’t see the results I’m hoping for. I realized that this course isn’t just about gaining knowledge; it’s about learning how to manage that knowledge effectively, turning it into something practical and useful.

As I look ahead to the rest of the semester, I feel hopeful but also aware of the challenges. There’s a part of me that’s still questioning my understanding of the course and its purpose, like seeds of doubt that need to be carefully managed. I’m learning that it’s okay not to have all the answers right away; the key is to keep engaging, keep asking questions, and keep cultivating my knowledge. Five months from now, I hope to look back on this blog and see growth—not just in my understanding of Knowledge Management but in how I approach learning in general.

Knowledge Management, like any garden, requires dedication, patience, and a willingness to learn from every step of the process. It’s not just about gathering information but about nurturing it, sharing it, and using it to make a difference. Whether in a classroom, an organization, or in our personal lives, the way we handle knowledge will always impact what we can achieve. So, I’m committing to this journey, embracing both the successes and the challenges, and looking forward to the harvest that comes from cultivating knowledge with care and intention.

To the future endeavors of this subject, this class, our instructor, and myself, I know this is just the beginning. I will look back on my first blog on this platform and reflect on how much I’ve grown. I know that some knowledge I have now will deepen, while other parts will be completely new. And that’s okay. The important thing is to keep asking myself, “What’s the purpose of this?” and to let that question guide me as I continue to learn and grow. Knowledge, after all, is not just something we acquire; it’s something we build, share, and harvest over time, much like the most beautiful and bountiful garden.

#FIRST #3FFF #BSIT-IS(3A) #JAY LAURENCE R. MARASIGAN #08/28/24

[karyacemplon]

Des 302- Week 1: Overall Reflection + Action Plan

Overall, the first week has been fine, though I am quite lost on what to do and if I am behind the rest of my peers. Truthfully, I do not often make schedules and plans, and doing it now is quite difficult. I am unsure what activities to put in each week, whether it will work to my expectations, and if it is sufficient enough to be on track. Despite this, I am unsure if it is understandable to everyone accessing my board. Hence, to improve this, I will rearrange and check with my peers to gain quick feedback about it.

Reflecting on my progress, I need to improve my time management so that all planned activities can be completed within the time frame I have set. Despite having the timeline colour-coded, I have only relied on my memory. I believe it will take some time to get used to; hence, I plan to import this timeline into an app or any medium I often use (such as the calendar app). Moving onward, I plan on importing and writing my blog on Tumblr (if I receive permission to), in an effort to post more updates regularly and on-time.

In week two, I will progress my update by finding areas of improvement in my proposal and gaining feedback from peers, tutors and partners. Moreover, I will polish my project timeline further, adding backup plans and ticking off points from my to-do list. Additionally, I will start researching and thinking about questions for conversations and questionnaires for my peers.

Connecting to my positionality, this project has helped me learn more about myself,

I have discovered that I am more spontaneous and find it difficult to stick to plans and schedules. Reflecting on my positionality and proposal helps me determine how I want to present myself aesthetically in a way that aligns with my philosophy and standing.

References

[Used Grammarly AI]

[burning-sol]

I've got a lotta things to do but for now I'm focusing on JRWI Bang art and then I am very sad but I think I will be opting out of any future community events.. But! What I will be doing this year.

1. I'm going to be finishing all my dresses for dresstober @exandrothinadresseveryday so!! I am so real, send that blog so many one word prompts. I desperately need more just spam it with asks if u want.

2. I'm going to finish setting up the @apotheosis-post-daily blog which!! We are still looking out for more mods to chip in. You're not required to contribute any set days if you don't want to, and you can contribute any form of art you want, it can be writing or webweaves, literally anything.. Get in contact and I'll hook u up with the discord server!!

3. I will definitely be trying to go back through my catalogue of art to add alt text and organise my art blog @apothygrossest . I'll be putting together a proper commission sheet too even tho I know there probably won't be a lot of takers for that.

4. I'm going to continue to maintain all my sideblogs, the JRWI playlist, and I might try to be more proactive in terms of the @jrwi-in-text blog. But these all require a lotta consistent effort so I'm not gonna guarantee anything in that regard.

5. I'm also going to just generally clean up this blog I swear to you. I'm even gonna try to figure out how to code my own blog, because there have always been things I wanted to be more accessible or formatted differently!!

And of course I have all my existing art projects that have kinda been sitting there a while but I still plan on completing. There is quite a bit there so I'm not gonna make a whole list but there is art, writing and animations in there. I also might put out more original work, since I've had a lot of OC stuff on the backburner that I think would be cool to share.

So yeah!! ^w^ And if I don't follow through on any of these ur allowed to kill me.

[rowanhawthorne22]

Progress Update 01 - Character Introductions

This is progress update 01 for my novel. I'm writing it for my master's classes at SNHU. To date, I have an intro, the first chapter, and half of the second chapter. I'm writing this blog to keep my shit in order and my brain on track and free of thoughts. Additionally, earning a following pre-publication seems like it would be useful, so I'll just be transparent about that. I'm not trying to live off my writing, but I do want an agent and a good editor. So I can't just publish my work and pray to god that people read it, I've gotta put in a little leg work.

With that in mind, the main focus of this blog is to talk about my progress with the novel and contextualize the writing process against the publication process. I have no specific plans for publication now, but as they develop I'll detail them here.

Let's get into the novel. The idea for The Stars have Always Beckoned Us is relatively simple. Ernest, a scholar at Solas Realt in a fictional Boston Victorian inspired city, feels the rush of discovery and love for magic. He wants to make a contribution to the field of Astronomy, which in this universe is a combination of arcane magic and science. Spells are created by invoking the names of certain planets and channeling their power. Ernest intends to find a new planet which he can harness the power of, and then cast a spell to observe farther and more closely than anyone before. He intends to leave a mark on the field and establish his name.

I wanted to use the name Ernest Ebreitas, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate or even legal to bite Bloodborne like that. Of course, the game is a huge part of the inspiration for the book, but that doesn't mean I can just copy it, I think. I mean it's only a name and a reference, I'm not like stealing the intellectual property of the game, or is just the name considered IP? It's a question an editor would know the answer to.

Ernest is determined. He's a little snobbish about the Academy; he doesn't have a lot of friends (two, to be exact, and one of them lives far away) and he doesn't make any effort to be social. All of his time is poured into his research and his classes. Ernest doesn't really understand the concept of "getting his hands dirty" because things sort of naturally fall into his lap. He's not exactly a genius, but things kind of tend to go right for him. This ease of access for him makes him look down a bit on his classmates. He can't understand why everyone else seems to be struggling and failing when it all comes so easily to him.

The first few chapters I want to spend setting up the academy and Ernest's interactions with it. Chapter 1 has Ernest arriving back at the academy after summer break to find that the headmaster still has not returned. He's been missing for three years now after a mysterious happening at his tower. Here we are also introduced to the interim headmaster, Alder Stately, and the mysterious new Professor Marwyn.

Chapter 2 introduces us to Ernest's friend Viola Tillman and Ernest's observatory space. It's not really his, but he has picked up enough of a reputation at the academy that most people just sort of leave it for Ernest. This chapter will be used to introduce some of the basics of the magic system as well. We'll see Ernest doing some Astronomy(TM).

In the next few chapters, I want to spend some time establishing the school and the magic system. The big problem will be hooking the audience - I need to drop some clues as to Elrick's (the headmaster) whereabouts. I think I will have Ernest overhearing chatter or have Viola drop some gossip, or something. Eventually, Ernest will demand to see the headmaster, and Elrick will reveal himself as having been mostly fine over the past three years. He's just been desperately trying to find out more about what happened to him - which was, of course, contact from an Old God residing deep in the center of a black hole. Elrick was given an inadvertent gift. Just as the planets are great sources of arcane power for the scholars of Solas Realt, this Old God was drawn on for power accidentally. This resulted in Elrick experiencing the first instance of blood magic ever recorded.

So, once Ernest and Elrick get in contact, they both make efforts to understand and control this new magic. It will go poorly for Elrick and he will be transformed into the primary villain of the novel. Somehow. This is subject to change.

Anyway, more blog posts forthcoming. I'll try to stick to a roughly weekly upload schedule so that I can continue to organize my thoughts and think through the structure of the novel.

I need feedback. If you, by chance, find this post, read the whole thing, and decide you want to rip me a new one and call my ideas stupid, I completely encourage you to do so. I need everything.

[gobeyondarchives]

Starting a Newsletter (overview)

Think about how many times you check your email per day. Personally, I check it every hour even when I know I’m not receiving an important email- it’s simply a habit of mine and many other people have. Over 4 billion people open their inboxes daily which makes it the ideal site to promote your affiliate links, blogs, building relationships with your audience and more. You may associate having a newsletter with online businesses and blogs but guess what- even someone who isn’t on social media or does not own any businesses can do it too. You can literally talk about anything and everything from how your day was to your new favorite movie. For the most part, it’s free of cost and all you really need to know is how to type and edit (it doesn’t even have to be on photoshop).

Like many things in life, starting a newsletter is gonna require effort but once you get it going you’ll likely start to see more traffic to your website or even sales if you’re a business. To me it doesn’t matter which order you start as long as you are doing it. So here’s a checklist of what you should be doing:

Coming up with an identity/concept/aesthetic. You don’t need one if you’re getting started but having a distinct online identity is always beneficial as it makes you stand out more. 

Design your newsletter template! Think about when was the last time you actually read an email. Think about what made you interested and try using that. If you’ve never opened one that's okay, you can find a lot of inspiration online but you can checkout my board if you’re lost.

Write content that solves a solution.and make it short. Most people receive a ton of emails per day and many do not have the time to be reading an entire 10 page essay you saved in your google docs. Keep it straight to the point and short.

Add a lead magnet or freebie! This could be a planner, journal page, excel sheet, pdf-guide, coupon/discount or anything really. The more convenient and practical it is the better.

Build a newsletter email. Most people do this by using their social media or websites contact information exchanges.

Use email analytics to determine who your audience is and posting accordingly. What time are your audiences generally reading your emails (use an email scheduler for your convenience), who is it? What kind of emails brought consistent conversion rates? What design layout do people respond to best? Create a content and distribution plan!

Encourage call to action/interact with your audience. You can do this by asking questions and letting them reply or being quite frank and telling them straight out that they should check out this or subscribe to this for more.

Find out how you’re going to monetize your content.

Here’s some ways you can monetize your email newsletter

creating digital products-if people really liked your email format you can sell email templates

sponsored content

Paid memberships-access to exclusive content, articles, materials, membership only products and more

Adding affiliate links

Putting influencer codes

Selling courses

Direct ads

The most important aspect of a newsletter would be its content. You could have a well designed newsletter which can lead to more clicks but if your content is not valuable then it will not likely create conversion. If you’re focusing on freebies and lead magnets make sure they’re valuable and help your audience in some way. Be consistent with your content, you don’t have to post everyday, you can post 3 times a week on any day you schedule your posts. If you can’t post weekly posting bi-weekly or even monthly. Just be consistent!

Keep in mind while you can write about literally anything it is better to niche down. Your viewers are most likely receiving emails for several of other companies or newsletter fighting to get their attention. You want to make content that you know they’ll come back too, so make sure you’re starting with a good subject line and write what people want to see.

[hael987]

My dear friend Allie Mason has authored her first published book ‘The Autistic Guide to Adventure’ - Illustrated by Ella Willis, so I just want to take a minute to talk about it here.

It’s a fantastic book targeted towards autistic tweens and teens featuring a full of a variety of activities to do. Though targeted towards an 8+ younger audience, I’m sure adults could benefit from and enjoy the activity recommendations as well.

It’s exactly what it says it is — a helpful guide on how to get involved in these activities and how you can navigate them as an autistic person.

Each activity has its own section and features content like:

‘Sensory Expectations’ [e.g sounds, visuals, textures, movements etc. — things you may encounter and want to be aware of before starting].

tips on ‘How To Get Started’, so you get a clear plan of action on how you can begin your new activity and navigate the adventures!

‘Support Recommendations’ — tips and suggestions for accommodations or preparations that might make the activity safe, more accessible, or more suited to your needs.

It also features some really cool sections such as interesting facts or interviews/ profiles/ anecdotal experiences around the activities from people who are actually autistic. It’s a great way for autistic young people to be able to read about other people just like them who are doing and enjoying these activities and know how they can do it too.

The activities cover a really wide range, so even with varying mobility levels, support levels, other disabilities, or specific sensitivities I think there’ll be an adventure right for everyone [or one that can be adapted].

I think this would also be a great resource for allistic parents with autistic children, you could even read it together. Sometimes it’s hard for parents to know what activities to do together with their neurodivergent kids, or even know where to start to broaden their kids’ interests/horizons (in activities), so I think this book could also be a great starting point for parents. It’s full of ideas that parents can suggest to their kids and details what to expect (sensory experiences) so relevant plans, accommodations, and/or sensory aids can be planned beforehand.

All children deserve the chance to have fun, experience new things, and enjoy the benefits of the outdoors if they can — this book aims to make that possible, making outdoor activities more accessible.

It would have been great to have had something like this during my youth too. Wanting to take part in these activities but not being able to simply because of not having enough information, knowing how to, or knowing what to expect can be really disheartening. So to see what this guide aims to do — making activities more accessible by giving all that information as well as encouraging interest — really brings a smile to my face.

You can hear more from (and about) Allie and also where to buy her book on her Blog > Everything Page | Instagram | TikTok

It’s a project full of love from both Allie and Ella, so I’d encourage you to please check it out. You’d also be helping to support autistic creators.

If you don’t want to click the links above but still want to purchase the books you can do so here: [UK] [International]. As far as I’m aware the book is currently (21.03.23) only available in English.

I saw just how much effort Allie put into this book and just how much she wanted to create something that could benefit and help autistic youths. While I do not know Ella personally, it’s very clear they put equally as much effort into their lovely illustrations for this book.