#instagram tracking apps free

[subjectsix]

KIP'S BIG POST OF THINGS TO MAKE THE INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY SUCK A LITTLE LESS

Post last updated November 23, 2024. Will continue to update!

Here are my favorite things to use to navigate technology my own way:

A refurbished iPod loaded with Rockbox OS (Rockbox is free, iPods range in price. I linked the site I got mine from. Note that iPods get finicky about syncing and the kind of cord it has— it may still charge but might not recognize the device to sync. Getting an original Apple cord sometimes helps). Rockbox has ports for other MP3 players as well.

This Windows debloater program (there are viable alternatives out there, this one works for me). It has a powershell script that give you a little UI and buttons to press, which I appreciate, as I'm still a bit shy with tech.

Firefox with the following extensions: - Consent-O-Matic (set your responses to ALL privacy/cookie pop-ups in the extension, and it will answer all pop-ups for you. I can see reasons to not use it, but I appreciate it) - Facebook Container ("contains" Meta on Facebook and Instagram pages to keep it from tracking you or getting third party cookies, since Meta is fairly egregious about it) - Redirect Amp to HTML (AMP is designed for mobile phones, this forces pages to go to their HTML version) - A WebP/AVIF image converter - uBlock Origin and uBlacklist, with the AI blacklist loaded in to kill any generative AI results from appearing in search engines or anywhere.

Handbrake for ripping DVDs— I haven’t used this in awhile as I haven’t been making video edits. I used this back when I had a Mac OS

VLC Media Player (ol’ reliable)

Unsplash & Pexels for free-to-use images

A password manager (these often are paid. I use Dashlane. There are many options, feel free to search around and ask for recs!). There is a lot that goes into cybersecurity— find the option you feel is best for you.

Things I suggest:

Understanding Royalty Free and the Creative Commons licenses

Familiarity with boolean operators for searching

Investing in a backup drive and external drive

A few good USBs, including one that has a backup of your OS on it

Adapter cables

Avoiding Fandom “wikias” (as in the brand “Fandom”) and supporting other, fan-run or supported wikis. Consider contributing if its something you find yourself passionate or joyful about.

Finding Forums for the things you like, or creating your own*

Create an email specifically for ads/shopping— use it to receive all promotional emails to keep your inbox clean. Upkeep it.

Stop putting so much of your personal information online— be willing to separate your personal online identity from your “online identity”. You don’t owe people your name, location, pronouns, diagnoses, or any of that. It’s your choice, but be discerning in what you give and why. I recommend avoiding providing your phone number to sites as much as possible.

Be intentional

Ask questions

Talk to people

Remember that you can lurk all you want

Things that are fun to check out:

BBSes-- here's a portal to access them.

Neocities

*Forums-- find some to join, or maybe host your own? The system I was most familiar with was vbulletin.

MMM.page

Things that have worked well for me but might work for you, YMMV:

Limit your app usage time on your smartphone if you’re prone to going back to them— this is a tangible way to “practice mindfulness”, a term I find frustratingly vague ansjdbdj

Things I’m looking into:

The “Pi Hole”— a raspberry pi set up to block all ads on a specific internet connection

VPNs-- this is one that was recommended to me.

How to use computers (I mean it): Resources on how to understand your machine and what you’re doing, even if your skill and knowledge level is currently 0:

This section I'll come back an add to. I know that messing with computers can be intimidating, especially if you feel out of your depth. HTML and regedits and especially things like dualbooting or linux feel impossible. So I want to put things here that explain exactly how the internet and your computer functions, and how you can learn and work with that. Yippee!

[moonikabear]

Let's #SaveDeadBoyDetectives!

Hi everyone!  

As you’ve probably already seen on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, or even the articles that are already written about how furious the fandom is right now, we are currently trying to fight for Dead Boy Detectives. 

There is A LOT that we can do to make some noise and so much is already being done that it’s all getting very overwhelming to keep track of. So I've made this masterpost listing all (or at least most of) the things people in the fandom are trying to do right now that you can absolutely help with too! Thank you to everyone who’s fighting for the show! <3

DO NOT cancel your Netflix subscription in a fit of rage because of this. Netflix does not care about that. Here’s all the things you can do instead to make some noise to reach the people who worked on the show and hopefully the people at Netflix as well:

Rewatch the show with sound on! You can just connect your headphones and leave it running in the background while doing other stuff.

Interact with the fandom online and share the Hashtags as much as possible! Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, wherever, spread the message as much as you can. The currently used hashtags are ‘save dead boy detectives’, ‘savedeadboydetectives’, ‘renew dead boy detectives’ and ‘revive dead boy detectives’. Try to boost the hashtags that are already used by the fandom but also feel free to create new ones on top of that or just generally tag the show etc.

We have sent out a tweet to Beth Schwartz asking her if there is any possibility of finding a new home or an alternative way of saving the show - if you’re on twitter, share the tweet by retweeting, quote tweeting, adding hashtags and tagging Beth in it! Here’s a link to the tweet: https://x.com/papysanzo/status/1829996492247220319

If you’re not on twitter, you can share the tumblr post about it and tag it using the hashtags mentioned above! Here’s a link to the tumblr post: https://www.tumblr.com/thepopsicle/760364779568300032/the-tweet-is-out-people-were-confused-about-the?source=share

There’s a petition for saving the show - sign it and ideally also share it wherever you can! Here’s the link to the petition: https://chng.it/M8dvDk9BcL

You can fill out the title request form and request Dead Boy Detectives Season 2 three times to let them know we still want it! Here’s the link to the request form: https://t.co/wkLf2DS06j

You can send (anonymous) asks to Netflix’s Tumblr account as long as they’re still open! Tell them how much you love the show and that the fandom wants more of it. Please remember to be polite in the message, rudeness won’t get us anywhere. Here’s the link to Netflix’s Tumblr account: https://www.tumblr.com/netflix

If you want to do more, you can send emails or physical letters to Netflix itself! Please remember to be polite here as well.  

Here’s an email address you can write to: info@account.netflix.com 

And here is the address you can send physical letters to: Netflix, Inc. 121 Albright Way Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA 

If you have a subscription, you can also sign into the app and follow these steps: 1. In the lower right, tap “my Netflix” 2. In the upper right, tap the Menu. 3. Tap “Help”. 4. Tap the Call or Chat Button.

We would love to coordinate big watch parties, fandom events and hopefully a big online meetup with as many people as possible! Please feel free to join any DBDA event you see shared online and of course also share the events you know about with others! 

And last but certainly not least, keep creating, interacting and sharing the love within the fandom! Even if all this effort leads to nothing in the end, we want to make sure the fandom stays active for as long as possible and that everyone involved can have fun and a good time with it despite the awful news we got. So keep the happy and positive fandom posts going as well as the fight for the show! <3  

Please don’t feel bad if you’re not doing every single thing on this list, but know that every little bit helps. 

Also, a quick reality check: The chances that Netflix will actually reconsider the cancellation are probably very slim. However, we’re still fighting for any little bit we can get, whether it’s the show being sold to another network, an audio format for season two, some sort of podcast with the cast, getting to read the script, anything. It’s not impossible to get something out of this, even if it isn’t a regular complete second season of the show. We'll keep fighting, even if it's scary, and the odds are bad, and we might die horrifically.

So, on that note - Thanks for reading this ridiculously long post, remember to drink some water, take care of yourself, and have a lovely rest of your day! 

[smartgirrl]

navigating screen time for better time management

it’s easy to get sucked into hours of scrolling without realizing how much time is passing, so this is what I find useful!

track your usage -> seeing your app usage helps identify where your time goes and where to cut back.

set limits -> set specific time blocks for when you’re allowed to use certain apps.

ex: i have a 10 minute limit for Instagram and TikTok

create tech-free zones -> designate certain times of day as screen-free, like during meals or before bed.

implement a "no phone" rule during study or work hours to maintain focus.

focus on real-life connections -> balance online and offline time by enjoying screen-free activities with friends and family.

use technology for good -> use apps like Structured or Notion to stay organized and productive throughout the day.

reward yourself -> set up rewards for sticking to your screen time limits.

after two hours of focused study, reward yourself with 15 minutes of social media.

turn off notifications -> turn off non-essential notifications to avoid distractions and stay focused on important tasks.

[zxcvbnmj0]

if you call yourself an anarchist/leftist/punk/anti police/anti government/anything of the sort consider at the very least reading this post to the end & reblogging. honest to god i was going to add a d#nation option but it will never reach us quick enough because of reasons you'll figure out if you do read. just know what's going on.

there is an ongoing rebellion in turkiye due to president erdogan canceling imamoglu's (his so far most successful left wing rival in the presidential race who is favored by young people due to his policies + being the most promising rival who could replace erdogan) university diploma, essentially forcibly removing his one true rival from the race since those without a diploma can't be elected as president. this is an act of dictatorship. there are no valid claims of illegitimacy about imamoglu's diploma. erdogan is known to have used tricks and bribery to stay in power throughout his presidency along with being involved with scandals and claims of his own diploma being illegitimate. he is a conservative, right wing, anti queer, fascist dictator. he violently opposes free speech by banning social media + communication apps like whatsapp, instagram, twitter, tiktok, discord & ordering his police to be outright violent to protestors.

(imamoglu got arrested as i was writing this post due to suspicions of "corruption". it's clear they're giving it their all to make sure he cannot be elected & the protests are sure to escalate from now on.)

groups of mainly high school and uni students between the ages of 17-25 are being pepper sprayed, attacked with tear gas, shot with plastic bullets, beaten, kicked, and arrested for practicing their Legal right to protest his dictatorship. protestors are being tracked & arrested at their homes at night hours after the protests. everyone between these ages are going to the protests as much as possible, to the point of abandoning school or work. they are being treated as terrorists and straight up physically attacked by the police. there are countless students with severe injuries. the police is not simply doing their job, they're attacking violently and enthusiastically. they're enjoying doing this.

antiacid medicine + milk to wash away the effects of pepper spray, industrial masks/gas masks, protective eyewear, food and water all cost a lot to distribute to such a huge group of people. even with these materials protestors face serious injuries like cornea damage, blindness, chemical burns on skin, poisoning, even death in the case of those with existing heart/breathing problems. pepper spray is a chemical weapon and it's being used on students using their right to protest. it can and has caused serious health risks. helping out financially is barely an option at this point because of the laws regarding receiving Anything from abroad but i'd like you to at least spread this and talk about it

some examples of how brutal the protests are & how badly people get injured 1 2 3 4 5 6 (<- what they're spraying on people is pepper spray and tear gas) 7 8 (7 is the police screaming at protestors who took shelter in an hotel lobby to come back out. 8 is an officer pulling another back by the neck and yelling "come back to your senses" because of disproportionate violence. an example of what i was talking about. this is not doing your job. this is cruelty)

some general sources on the situation -> 1 2 3 wikipedia page of erdogan's party that lists their harmful ideologies erdogan's anti queer views <- 2

[fabaulti]

I think most of us should take the whole ai scraping situation as a sign that we should maybe stop giving google/facebook/big corps all our data and look into alternatives that actually value your privacy.

i know this is easier said than done because everybody under the sun seems to use these services, but I promise you it’s not impossible. In fact, I made a list of a few alternatives to popular apps and services, alternatives that are privacy first, open source and don’t sell your data.

right off the bat I suggest you stop using gmail. it’s trash and not secure at all. google can read your emails. in fact, google has acces to all the data on your account and while what they do with it is already shady, I don’t even want to know what the whole ai situation is going to bring. a good alternative to a few google services is skiff. they provide a secure, e3ee mail service along with a workspace that can easily import google documents, a calendar and 10 gb free storage. i’ve been using it for a while and it’s great.

a good alternative to google drive is either koofr or filen. I use filen because everything you upload on there is end to end encrypted with zero knowledge. they offer 10 gb of free storage and really affordable lifetime plans.

google docs? i don’t know her. instead, try cryptpad. I don’t have the spoons to list all the great features of this service, you just have to believe me. nothing you write there will be used to train ai and you can share it just as easily. if skiff is too limited for you and you also need stuff like sheets or forms, cryptpad is here for you. the only downside i could think of is that they don’t have a mobile app, but the site works great in a browser too.

since there is no real alternative to youtube I recommend watching your little slime videos through a streaming frontend like freetube or new pipe. besides the fact that they remove ads, they also stop google from tracking what you watch. there is a bit of functionality loss with these services, but if you just want to watch videos privately they’re great.

if you’re looking for an alternative to google photos that is secure and end to end encrypted you might want to look into stingle, although in my experience filen’s photos tab works pretty well too.

oh, also, for the love of god, stop using whatsapp, facebook messenger or instagram for messaging. just stop. signal and telegram are literally here and they’re free. spread the word, educate your friends, ask them if they really want anyone to snoop around their private conversations.

regarding browser, you know the drill. throw google chrome/edge in the trash (they really basically spyware disguised as browsers) and download either librewolf or brave. mozilla can be a great secure option too, with a bit of tinkering.

if you wanna get a vpn (and I recommend you do) be wary that some of them are scammy. do your research, read their terms and conditions, familiarise yourself with their model. if you don’t wanna do that and are willing to trust my word, go with mullvad. they don’t keep any logs. it’s 5 euros a month with no different pricing plans or other bullshit.

lastly, whatever alternative you decide on, what matters most is that you don’t keep all your data in one place. don’t trust a service to take care of your emails, documents, photos and messages. store all these things in different, trustworthy (preferably open source) places. there is absolutely no reason google has to know everything about you.

do your own research as well, don’t just trust the first vpn service your favourite youtube gets sponsored by. don’t trust random tech blogs to tell you what the best cloud storage service is — they get good money for advertising one or the other. compare shit on your own or ask a tech savvy friend to help you. you’ve got this.

[boizandgurlzinthehouse]

𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐁*𝐓𝐂𝐇 (𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐑𝐀)

; 𝐆𝐔𝐍-𝐖𝐎𝐎 𝐗 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈. 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐒.

summary: killing kim myeong-gil would bring many people satisfaction. as hyeon-ju, gun-woo, woo-jin and the others begin to plan on how to do it, choi knows that there's someone in seoul who would take part in it with much pleasure.

wordcount: 3.348k (i got a little bit excited, the other chapters gonna be shorter don't worry)

tw: swearing, almost-fighting, so just plain bloodhounds-things (i update this section with every new part of the story)

author's note: i watched the k-drama in one day, it's wonderful. a little explaining for the "y/h/c", i wrote it with creme-blonde haired character so i'd recommend some extreme or light color. other than that, it's free for every hair color!!

in the burger shop, the pregnant silence after gun-woo's confession about the loan and his mother's café shop was broken by the arrived burgers, brought by woo-jin. hyeon-ju's face became hard again.

"as you heard, my grandpa is no longer a loan-shark. he provides zero-interest loans to people in need. but we occasionally come across punks who try to take advantage of his good heart. yang jae-myeong was one of them. he lied about his mother needing to get an operation. he borrowed ten million won and vanished. it took me half a year to track him down. i saw him begging in front of a train station. at first, I thought he had really become homeless, but i noticed how clean his teeth were as I was passing by. so i tailed him, I found out that he and his goons were pretending to be homeless and stealing IDs from actual homeless people. they use the IDs to create shell corporations and open bank accounts. then they con loan sharks and take out loans anywhere from tens to hundreds of millions of won. this tactic was so professional, we thought there could be someone behind yang jae-myeong. i heard that this person had connections to yang jae-myeong. do you know him?"

after the photo was shown, they talked about how to follow yang jam-myeong's gang, but before the trio stood up from the table, hyeon-ju nodded to the guys to stay sit. digging into her jacket's pocket, she took out a piece of paper that seemed to be like a photo.

"before you begin stalking the gang, i want you to find this girl. i didn't have the time to talk to her, since i was searching for yang jae-myeong, but now i want you two to talk to this girl. gun-woo, tell her about the loans your mom signed and what happened after. she's hard-headed and kind of keeping to herself."

"fine, but who's she?" woo-jin asked, as gun-woo looked at the picture. long y/h/c hair, the mask was on her face, but she had wide, clear speaking eyes. ones like woo-jin's, the ones you look in and can read from them without a loud word.

"she's y/n. i heard my grandpa talk about him on the phone, this was the only picture i could get about her. she doesn't have instagram, facebook or any of these apps, i took this from my grandpa's office. it's possible that she won't open up to you, but it's a must to talk to her."

"yeah, i get it. but why do you want us to find her?" gun-woo was also interested about this question. was she an enemy? young kids can also be stolen by criminals and raised by them, to be as loyal as a dog can to do anything for theirs.

"y/n is good, don't worry. as far as i know from what my grandpa said on the phone, she is someone whose parents were close to my grandpa. she followed her father's track and trained herself in the most brutalist martial arts, like the israelite krav maga, the russian systema or muay thai."

"aisssh, i wouldn't want to confront her in any way", woo-jin said. gun-woo thought about these fights; he only saw muay thai on tv, and that seemed really dangerous in itself. he knew that as soon as they begin to track the girl, he's gonna search up the other two martial arts on his phone.

"yeah, me neither" gun-woo added.

"will you two do? and asking for her phone number?" hyeon-ju asked, the guys nodded.

"yes, of course. but i'll bring a white flag just in case", woo-jin answered as they stood up from the table.

a few hours later, gun-woo and woo-jin were on the streets, wandering around buildings.

"fuck, how can we find someone in a town where nearly ten million people lives?" woo-jin asked. gun-woo looked at the picture. 

“hyeon-ju said that she’s a pro in martial arts. maybe we should look in the gyms?” 

woo-jin patted his chest, “look, a real genius here.” 

going to every gym around the town, gun-woo and woo-jin began to lose hope. 

“maybe she’s working today or just doesn't feel like coming down to train.” gun-woo began to think about what to tell hyeon-ju if they don’t find the girl. she sure will be pissed or angry, but this is a really difficult task. 

“aish, gun-woo, don’t be like that! would you say something like this? people like us, people who train daily, their safe place is the gym. feeling sad? go to the gym! feeling happy? go to the gym! did your date went well? go to the gym! you just broke up with your girlfriend? go to the gym! look, for every problem, there’s a solution, and the solution is called–”

as woo-jin talked and talked, gun-woo thought he’s hallucinating. on the other side of the crosswalk, a girl tapped on her phone. same (y/h/c) hair, same (e/c) eyes, the same way she dipped her shoulder as she looked behind her, even the black sweater was the same. she wasn’t tall, the arms of her sweater weren't puffed from muscles. maybe she isn’t y/n, but they can try. 

“woo-jin, look. do you think that is her? y/n?” he asked, cutting off his friend. woo-jin looked at the picture, than at the girl, than at the picture again, and the girl again. 

“honestly, how could we know if we don’t ask her?” woo-jin smiled, just as he always does when he’s in some doubtful situation. they began to walk behind the girl. she wore earphones. woo-jin went to tap her shoulder, but when he touched her shoulder, the girl turned around, grabbing woo-jin’s wrist to keep him still so she could punch him in the face, gun-woo hurried to stand beside woo-jin. the girl took out the earphones with her free hand. 

“what the fuck do you want from me?” she asked, looking up from under her eyebrows, looking from one second to another at each of them, like she waited for some attack. she really was a pro, gun-woo said to himself. gun-woo had to admit that she was quite pretty. not like pretty girls from clubs or his high school and university, or the nurses at the marine, but some pretty girl that his mother would like to date him. he bent deep down. 

“we are sorry to disturb you, but we have a question. we don’t mean harm, we don’t intend to hurt you” he said fast, and the girl let go woo-jin after looking at the guy, and making sure he nodded. the girl turned, pointing to one of the restaurants. 

“can we talk while i eat? i just came out from training, i’m starving.” woo-jin and gun-woo nodded, following the girl. 

“so, what did you want to ask?” the girl began eating. woo-jin looked at gun-woo, who watched her dainty fingers grabbing the utensils. he sighed and took out the photo, placing it down to the table so the girl could see, she stopped eating instantly. pulling up her eyebrows, she distanced from the table a little bit. before any of the guys could talk, the girl began to speak fast and stark. “are you from the police? the secret service or some fucking spy-bullshit? what the fuck do you want from me? it doesn’t matter, i shouldn't talk to any of you, i’m not gonna do this shit. how did you get this photo of me?” gun-woo wanted to talk, but the anger in her eyes made his mouth shut. “doesn't matter, i hope i'll never see you again.” she began to pick up her things. gun-woo thought about hyeon-ju, sir choi, her mother, and the ugliest guy that beat him up that night in the coffee shop. 

“we just want to ask you about your name,” he spoke clear. “we’re just curious if you’re y/n or not. anyway, my name is gun-woo, and he’s woo-jin.”

“yeah, why? you probably know this because you have every information about me.” she replied, her chest rising and falling a little bit faster than usual. 

“no, we don’t. we… so, well… we know a man who’s name is sir choi. and her granddaughter… her granddaughter told us to meet you.” 

y/n looked around herself, like checking if someone else was there as a spy or some third wheeler, but when everybody was lazily chomping down on their dinner, being on their phone with some boring video or tweet, she slowly sat back down. sir choi’s name moved something in her, because she leaned closer to the guys. 

“if that’s what about i think it is about, then this is some serious shit. really, maybe the most serious shit in seoul’s money and business history, so if you truly mean sir choi’s name, than i really recommend you two to turn around and walk away from all of this. understood?” gun-woo sighed. 

“i think that i’m deeper in this than i wanted to”, he replied, the girl looked at him from under her lashes. 

“what do you mean? is this about loans?” gun-woo nodded, the girl looked up to the ceiling, sighing, letting out a long whisper of swearings. “then we aren't talking about the price of my dinner, aren't we?”  

“we don't talk about money, we talk about catching the men who are behind this.” woo-jin continued, y/n looked up at him, smiling sadly. 

“i hope that you are alright in the head, so you can understand that this is nearly impossible.” 

“it is not, believe us. we gonna find a man who’s in contact with them.” y/n sighed, looked to the side, looking at her phone. 

“how can i trust you two? really, anyone can talk to me about this, anyone who took loans from the old man.” “we found this photo of you in sir choi’s office.” 

“you two? how did you get into sir choi’s office? not even his closest people could get there.” gun-woo looked at woo-jin, sighing. 

“well, not us, but his granddaughter. her name is hyeon-ju, we are her so-called bodyguards.”

“i don’t know anyone who’s name is hyeon-ju. so, summing up, not sir choi, but his granddaughter wants to talk to me? why?” 

woo-jin looked at gun-woo. “can we talk a little bit?” 

“sure.” y/n responded, turning back to her food. woo-jin gulped. 

“should we tell her about the plan? yang jae-myeong? but what if hyeon-ju wants to tell her this?”

“i think she would understand it better if we told her. she doesn't know who we are, and sir choi’s name means something to her, but in this case, sir choi doesn't know about our mission.” woo-jin shrugged his shoulder, turning back to y/n. 

“it’s about catching a man who’s in connection with the loan-sharks, and the one smile capital. since hyeon-ju told us to find you, we think that you’d be interested to catch these guys.” 

“this is real, they have some repayments for me.” gun-woo somehow knew that this wasn't about money, but how could he ask when they knew each other for two hours? 

“so, are you in it, or not?” woo-jin leaned forward, offering his hand for a handshake. y/n pointed up her forefinger. 

“one talk. only one session with hyeon-ju, and then i decide whether i'm in or not.” she stated, woo-jin and gun-woo nodded, while they smiled lightly. looking at each other, they shared the ‘we made it’-look, making the girl scrunch her eyebrows. “okay then, where and when should we meet tomorrow? i guess this can't wait, if that’s so important that you found me.” y/n brushed her hair behind her ear, gun-woo didn’t miss the tattoos on her fingers, and the 

“maybe… tomorrow at noon? here, in front of this restaurant.” gun-woo offered, the girl nodded. 

“deal. see you guys tomorrow!” she said as she stood up, gun-woo stood up too. he didn't know why, he just felt that he needed to accompany the girl, no matter where she went home. 

“wait, y/n!” the girl turned around, woo-jin looked at him like he had some shock or something. “where… where do you go home?” 

‘to yongsan, and you?” she asked, gun-woo’s eyes lighted up. 

“me too. would you mind if i… so, maybe we can go home together?” he asked, hoping that the girl wouldn't mind. 

“yes, we can. goodbye, woo-jin!” she answered easily, bidding goodbye to the guy beside gun-woo. after she went out of the door, woo-jin began to lap gun-woo’s back. 

“aye, gun-woo! did little y/n just trickle some love into your heart?” he asked grinning, gun-woo shook his head. 

“no, it’s just… what if she gets into trouble at night? it’s dangerous.” gun-woo answered innocently, making woo-jin do a little ‘tsk’ in the corner of his mouth. 

“by her grabbing on my wrist before he almost punched me to death, the one who needs protection is me!” woo-jin dramatized the situation, pointing at his wrist. 

“she didn’t do anything, and she won’t again. she seems… peaceful.” 

“yeah, well, stopped beating me because she found his prince.” woo-jin continued the teasing by adding some eyelash flutter that girls do when they find someone really handsome, making gun-woo roll his eyes. “okay, well, just go. and tell me everything when you get home. or… if you haul up at hers. or i hope that your house has thick walls and your mother doesn’t mind the constant whining noise!” he giggled, having fun. he could tease his friend forever, now that this girl was in the picture. 

“woo-jin-ah! don’t do this!” gun-woo replied, making woo-jin laugh. 

“okay, okay! have fun, and bring her too! don’t forget to ask for her phone number!” 

“goodnight, woo-jin.” 

stepping out into the chilly night air, y/n waited for him. they began to walk to the bus station. gun-wo thought about what he should ask from her. family? no, that's too personal, and they just met today. he wasn’t good with girl stuff, only had one girlfriend and she dumped him after two months, when he applied to the marine. 

“so, since when do you box?” she asked, making gun-woo looking at her wondering. 

“how… how did you know that i box?” y/n snapped with her tongue, looking at him. she had pretty eyes, and although her mask was on, she seemed like this was the easiest question in her entire life. 

“when your friend grabbed my shoulder, his grip was firm, his palms are not too big, but they are strong. he lifted his other arm, just in case he needed to protect himself. i think i even saw your friend on the tv. you two are muscular, it can be seen from under jackets, but your legs’ aren't as muscular as your torso. in other martial arts, you need to train your legs too, to kick as strong as you can, but in boxing, you only use your arms. oh, and bodyguards are most of the time professional agents, but you two are young. or am i wrong?” 

gun-woo didn’t know how to respond, he wanted to tell her how cool it was to deduce what they did, just from looking at them. 

“no, you are right. and… hyeon-ju told us that you are a pro in many martial arts, so… since when do you train?” 

“since my childhood. it’s not that difficult, many movements and styles are similar.”

“did you fight competitively? like, in championships?” 

y/n shook her head. 

“no. only in gyms, i don’t like championships. you can get burned out easily. but i guess, since you asked that, you do championships. what is it like?” 

gun-woo smiled under his mask. y/n was really cute as she asked about him. otherwise, maybe he could never tell her these things. he wasn’t a man of words, and only a few times he knew what to say. 

“you would like it, really much. before covid, the arenas were filled with people, and the energies, the mood was really high and good.”

y/n hummed as they got on the bus, sitting beside each other. gun-woo protested that he should sit on the outer seat, and as y/n didn’t sense any dangers from him, she accepted and sat down. 

“i hope that this hyeon-ju girl is cool, because i had some cat fights with others in the last weeks. girl fight in the gyms, you know.”

“cat fights? with girls?” 

“yeah, but it wasn't so serious, i wondered where all the girls were, who'd ripped each other apart. a year ago, those fights were brutallic, like some freaking mma-cage fight, and now… at there, we say about these lazy gym-championships that there were no claws, but only strokes.” 

gun-woo snickered. 

“and these gym fights, do they pay well? or… do you work somewhere?” 

the girl looked at him, scanning him from bottom to top while leaning to the glass window, leaning on her elbow, tilting her head. “you don’t look like a drinker, so i don’t think we would meet at my workplace.”

“you're a bartender? woo-jin would like this! he likes to drink, sometimes, always saying how good he can bear alcohol.”

y/n laughed. 

“yeah, he looks like the typical tough guy who grew up on the bad side of the river, but when the two of you constantly looked at each other, i knew that he’s just as rookie as you.”

“yeah, that’s right. we began to work recently at sir choi, we are his granddaughter’s, hyeonju’s bodyguards. but she said she don’t need bodyguards.”

“but if she doesn’t need you, then how did you stay?” 

gun-woo sighed. 

“i… i begged for her to stay. i have a debt to work off to sir choi.” 

“oh, so you work down the loan sir choi gave you, and this is the way you are affected personally by these loans?” 

gun-woo thought about that night. when in-beom beat him up, when the boss threatened him not to call the police because his mother would end up dead, when he felt like he can’t do anything. looking at y/n, he didn’t want this girl to get involved in this business. gulping, gun-woo nodded. 

“yeah. my mother too.”

“you work for your mother and her protection? you take life danger upon yourself so that she doesn't get hurt?” y/n asked, pulling together her eyebrows. 

“we could say so.”

y/n sighed, looking forward, leaning back on the seat. looking at her hands, picking at the tattoos she had on her fingers. after a few seconds, she bent closer to gun-woo. she had dauntlessness and bravery in her eyes, without a blink of her eyelashes. her lashes were longer than usual, giving her the attitude on the outside as on the inside. pressing the get-off button of the bus, she gathered her bag in her lap. 

“i understand it now. in this case, count me in, too.” 

gun-woo looked at her. 

“why? you doesn’t even know what is this about, this is serious danger, y/n.” 

y/n shrugged her shoulders as gun-woo let her out from her seat, as they stood, y/n gave her a piece of paper. 

“because it’s personal for me, too. see you tomorrow, gun-woo.” 

gun-woo bent deep down as the bus stopped. 

“thanks, y/n, for talking to us, and not beating up woo-jin.”

y/n giggled, and bent slightly down too. 

“thank you for giving me an opportunity.”

as she got off, gun-woo sat back, folding out the paper. it was her number, they didn’t even ask for her number and she gave it to him! on the paper, there was a little message too. 

show this to hyeon-ju. you guys forget everything. make sure she notes my number. and don’t worry, we are going to figure this out, one way… or another. y/n. 

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃.

author's note: i hope you liked the first chapter. sorry for my english, it's not my first language, and i just got back to writing after a looong break. leave a like or comment if you liked it!! by babes

ask for taglist in comment or here

[richarlotte]

Do you have any Instagram tips for on campus?

Instagram is the main form of social media used on my campus and on the campuses surrounding me. Snapchat, VSCO, Discord, YikYak, and a few smaller social media apps are popular on my campus, but Insta is the king of kings, and I find it to be the most useful when it comes to creating connections, getting to know people, and actually getting asked out to things.

I’d recommend starting fresh; either delete your old account or get to removing followers. Not everyone in the world needs to follow you; you don’t need to open your world to prying eyes, and it looks better to start small and slowly build instead of following and being followed by thousands of people. If you’re going to buy followers, don’t start with 20,000 or anything close to it; slowly buy followers and increase your following naturally and make sure that your following-to-followed-by ratio looks natural. 

Along with that, turn off your likes and comments if you’re going to make a habit of buying likes. I don’t think it looks weird, and if you have 6,500 likes on a picture, no comments, and no sign of real (not bot) interaction, people will know. I have a friend who is very popular on campus, has tons of engagement, and keeps her likes/comments off because of an eating disorder, and no one thinks of it. If you’re building your world up artificially, don’t be afraid to look for inspiration on other accounts (don’t copy and cover your tracks), keep your head on straight, and start now so that you have time. 

You don’t need to post a million selfies, and I’d recommend against it. There’s been a push to make Instagram more casual again, and so the attractiveness of your profile is very important. You can also go with the bit and have a funny IG, but no matter what you do, be sure to post pics of your surroundings, the things you notice, and slowly build your profile up. I personally have only a few photos of myself/my body, plenty from my travels, highlights of food/friends/events/everyday life, and plenty of casual snaps. You do not need to post frequently if you’re not interested in growing a following. 

Your bio can be whatever you want it to be; you don’t have to add your snap to it (and I’d honestly recommend against it). Follow campus organizations and make an effort to follow the people who you meet and want to follow you, and use Instagram as a tool to stay in the know. When I first moved out of my home and started making it on my own, Instagram was my lifeline and my way to get to know people, and it continued to be just that when I moved to school. 

Remember that you can remove people from your following and do so frequently. I had a bunch of club promoters following me and offering to get me in free; I took them off my list, removed the minor influencers, and kept it moving. I’d also like to stress the importance of using Instagram as a way to connect with people, not just as a social media app. I have no shame in saying that most of my professional sports connections and so many of my lasting friendships happened because I was willing to slide into the DMs and start conversations. 

This is all over the place, but most of my points are there, and you can come into my messages if you have any questions or want examples. I can also post my tips for introducing yourself in the DMs and meeting people, what to post if you want to catch someone’s eye, and how to move if you want to get into events or be invited out. It’s not a hard game to learn, but you have to be willing to learn and play it so that you win. 

[lemoncrushh]

This is why I haven't been writing...

This got long, but I had to say it.

The lack of feedback has always been something writers struggle with, at least in the ten years I've been on tumblr. It's nothing new. But it feels like instead of improving, it's gotten even worse.

Years ago, I had a long-time mutual bash me for complaining about it, calling me entitled. I was upset about it then, but here's the thing...I am entitled. And so is every other writer on here. We are all entitled to a little feedback and interaction. That's what we're here for.

I understand the drought we're in without any new Harry content. But I would think that would bring even more readers. Instead, it's crickets. There are a handful of popular writers on here who constantly receive asks and get interaction, and I am in no way saying they don't deserve it. They absolutely do. But the rest of us do too.

Writing fanfiction is not a job. We do this shit for free. But it's still as time-consuming as a real job. And to only get likes with very few random reblogs here and there is very disheartening. We are content creators. I understand tumblr may not be like other apps and websites, but it's still content. And likes here mean nothing. It's not like on tikok or instagram where the algorithm somehow keeps track of likes. On tumblr it doesn't mean shit. Your like is not going to make my post show up on someone else's dash. The only way to get content shared on this app is to actually SHARE IT. That's what the reblog button is for.

Imagine how a content creator on any other platform would feel if they got no feedback. If nobody was interacting with them, they would probably get their feelings hurt and eventually pack it in. That is now I feel now. Tbh, I can't believe I've been here this long. If this were a job or a relationship, and I was telling someone else about how long I've been doing this with little to no reciprocation...they would shake their heads at me and tell me I was a fucking fool and I needed to get out of this situation.

Am I getting on my high horse? Damn right I am. I have been biting my tongue for far too long. I have made so many excuses over the years...that fic was too personal and didn't appeal to the mass audience, that fic was an AU and not everyone likes AUs, that fic was too long and most tumblr readers don't read chaptered fics, that fic had such-and-such trope that readers don't like, there are too many writers here now, nobody reads that kind of fic anymore they only want smut, that fic was too smutty, you're just too old and nobody likes you anymore...yes I've told myself all of it. And maybe I'll never really know why you guys don't like my fics or why you won't interact with me. All I know is I'm sick of trying.

I had - and actually still HAVE - loads of ideas for Harry fics. I am honestly so sad that I may never write them. But I just can't bring myself to get motivated and excited to write something when nobody gives a damn.

This definitely turned into a rant, but it's how I feel. I used to really like it on here, but that joy is long gone. Things really changed after the pandemic, and the newer fans don't seem to use tumblr the way we used to - and the older fans like me have mostly left or only pop in sporadically when something happens.

I was never here for likes. I'm bored just scrolling through pictures. Fandom to me was all about interaction and about finding people who loved the thing you loved. Nobody here gives a shit anymore.

I love Harry Styles. And tbh I still love fanfiction. I'm not deleting my blog because I deleted my heart-attack-harry one I'd had for years back in 2021, and I regretted it. This one will remain. And I'll still pop in now and then to read. But my heart is just not in the writing anymore.

Court

[suzume2moon]

blue lock boys in other sports/part1

including: nagi, itoshi brothers, chigiri, zantetsu

Nagi -> e-sport

It's practically canon. He's a natural, having quick reflexes and thanks to his gaming history, he can see over the rules and concepts with ease. After a while when he gets famous, he starts to stream and has a lot of followers instantly. He has hundreds of fans who secretly or not-so-secretly admire his voice and draw fanarts of him as he has never did a face reveal. I feel like he would be the best in FPS games like CS:GO, COD Warfare, PUBG and LOL but as a relax he would play some chill games with beautiful graphics, such as Genshin. And of course he has a Roblox account.

Itoshi Rin&Sae -> figure skating

I feel like these two would have an epic rivalry in the all alternative universes and ice skating just suits them well - they have inhumanly beautiful faces, liquid movements and an elegant, cold attitude. They rule Japanese and Asian male figure skating with ease but they are in top 10 in the global field too. They have multiple fan accounts on each social media apps. Here still was Sae who taught Rin skating, he even instructed Rin's first toeloop. Since they parted ways, Rin hates toeloops. Whatever. Sae's free programs are usually giving an otherwordly aura (beautiful destruction), cold and beautiful - if you want living reference, I picture him as someone like Hanyu Yuzuru. Rin's free programs are darker, letting free his inner bitterness towards his brother and the whole lukewarm world (hideous destruction). He would enjoy skating to movie soundtracks and epic remixes, such as 2WEI, Jung Youth-In The End.

Chigiri -> track, 200 meters sprint

It's an ideal distance for him as he can run as fast as he is able to but it's over before his legs would acidify (idk if it's the right word in English but when your muscles go rigid and you can't move them well). He would be sponsored by Puma and he usually wears colorful spikes matching to his hair. He's not "just" an athlete but also a celebrity with a self-managed Instagram account and reels in every week. He would post about healthy foods, training hairstyles and remixes of his competitions. His main race might be the 200 meters but he sometimes gets in finals in 100 meters too, when qualifies for it. But on the shortest distance he has never outran Zantetsu, who is a killer 100 meters sprinter, often the only Asian in the race.

Zantetsu -> track, 100 meters sprint

In his entire life before going to international championships, he was only rivalled by Chigiri, none other. Even if in global field he is always in the finals, often as the only Asian. His fake glasses make a signature looks by now and so do his misheard quotes and disciplines. These "wisdoms" eventually became a whole new brand with quote-patterned t-shirts, hoodies, bags and stuff like that. They have a teasing friendship with Chigiri, calling each other snail, sloth and other nice things but still updating posts together and hang out after competitions.

second part here

©suzume2moon 2025.01.09.

[pinetreesandtea]

Clone Wars characters and their favourite apps

Ahsoka Tano

TikTok

The space version of TikTok ofc, but a redacted version bc she’s in the war

She’s either have no account and free to scroll to her hearts content, or one of those accounts with no profile and a number username

Would constantly harass everyone to watch TikTok’s she finds funny

Would be all over TogrutaTok LMAO

Pinterest

She’s a Pinterest girlie for sure

I like to think she scrolls through Pinterest during travel and longggg hyperspace trips

When everyone is busy and she can’t really bother anyone

Same as TikTok, it allows her to get a peak of normal everyday life

Secretly loves cottagecore

Has boards of aesthetics, combat poses, recipes she plans to make but never gets around to doing, outfits, and memes ofc

Friendship bracelet patterns.

LinkedIn

This one’s a bit interesting think about but I think she likes to look for gossip on there somehow 😭

“Hmmm… this senator is beefing with this engineer?”

Minecraft

If you’ve seen my Clone Wars Minecraft post that iykyk

Animal Crossing Pocket camp

Rip the free app but I feel like she’d LOVE the game

Would immediately get Animal Crossing Rex into her camp

Snapchat

I think she’d purely only have Snapchat only for the clones and the other padawans

Her location tracking would obviously be off but her highest streak would be with Fives

Their streak would only be broken bc of missions

Anakin Skywalker

TikTok

He’d only download the app because he got annoyed with Ahsoka sending him hundreds of TikTok’s and unable to watch them

Instagram

To keep up with Padme’s posts

Made an anonymous fan account for Padme

Also to keep up with his public image lol

Would be one of those people leaving the most diabolical comments on reels under another anonymous account

Has a 4th account pretending to be rich house wife from Naboo or Coruscant

Twitter

Under yet another anonymous account and amassed quite the following due to how diabolical he is

Might’ve doxed some people

Facebook

Just to keep up with his fellow Jedi knights and masters

Comments on every single post on Obi-Wans page and trolls the dude

Block blast

No comment

Roblox

Once again, he’d only have this game to purely troll and bully children 😭

Obi-wan Kenobi

Doesn’t have TikTok despite Ahsoka’s insistence

BUT he will patiently sit with Ahsoka and let her show him all the TikToks she wants❤️

LinkedIn

Gets into beef with people and academics

He claims that it keeps his wit

But mainly uses it to keep track of the academic/professional world

Whatsapp

To keep in touch with all his off world friends

Has a group chat with some clones

Goodreads

I just KNOW this man has hundreds and thousands of book reviews on there

Might get into the occasional witty back and forth with another reviewer

Will giggle and sip tea as he purposely aggravates someone and starts beef with said person

YouTube

Guided yoga and meditation

Follows cooking videos

Space version of Liziqi is his favourite YouTuber

Garden videos and videos about different cultures

Candy Crush

He has it at FULL brightness and full volume

A clone will be walking down a hall passing his quarters and hears “DELICIOUS” “DIVINE”

Facebook

Is in a Jedi master Facebook group

Responds to Anakin’s with the most disrespectful and diabolical comebacks

Reposts the cheesiest memes (gets a lot of hate from Anakin when he posts these)

Posts nature pics and pretty sunsets

Gets into back and forths with Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, and Quinlan Vos, all of them are willingly doing it for fun

Rex

WhatsApp

Is involved in numerous clone group chats

Likes to keep up with his bro’s

Snapchat

Begrudgingly got it because Ahsoka wouldn’t stop annoying him about it

His snaps are essentially pics of hyperspace and redacted paperwork

YouTube

Watches those military vids that details about weapons and combat

Air soft vids!!

Puts those bushcraft vids on the side while doing something else like filing out reports

Also a big fan of space version of Liziqi

Has watched videos about Togruta culture etc when Ahsoka first became Anakin’s padawan

Watches Workout vids occasionally

Discord

Keeps an eye on his bros as a mod

Solitaire

Plays the game whenever he’s bored

Facebook

Only got it to witness the snide remarks and friendly bickering between the Jedi

Also in a Clone Commander facebook group where they may or may not make fun of the Jedi but it’s very light

Gets into some banter with Cody

[tgmsunmontue]

What to write weekend? 17-19th Jan 2025

I have a busy weekend ahead of me, however my down time will be spent writing. So that I spend time actually writing rather than just day-dreaming about writing, please reply to this post, send me an ask (anon is on), or a DM. You can choose up to three letters/numbers from the PINNED POST which I just updated (I've copy/pasted below the ones I'm most interested in working on). I will write 150-200 words per letter/number.

Tracking is here for those of you that like spreadsheets.

GIF by trapstrblog

(Hopefully removed the tags from the people so they don't get MORE notifications!)

1) Sagas of Solitude 17/21 - IceMav with side Hangster AU - angsty Nepo!Baby Bradley Bradshaw who has to keep his relationship with Mav and Ice a secret when he starts at the USNA. Featuring married Ice and Mav (but not to each other). Prologue He Remembers and Lonely Nights are both set in this verse. (Last updated 2nd Jan)

2) Season to Taste 36/42 Celebrity Chef Bradley and Naval Aviator Jake Seresin who have a relationship spanning the globe before they realize how tightly bound they are to one another. Heading into this little world. (Last updated 9th January)

WIP STATUS (+ FIC IDEAS CURRENTLY GERMINATING)

FYI - everyone is welcome to take any of the ideas and do their own spin. Don't plagiarise obviously, but definitely feel free to take it and add your own twist.

A) Upon which our souls touch - 8/? - Hangster Fantasy AU (Last updated 1st January 2025)

B) Never knew I was missing you - 7/9 - Hangster AU with Jake a naval aviator and Bradley and A-list Hollywood star. They meet on a dating app. Famous and cat fishing that isn't cat fishing because online relationships are rife but...? (Tumblr idea) (Last updated 9th January 2025)

D) IceMav with unknown about children because the US Navy is evil and produced offspring because of genetics being a THING. (Tumblr ramblings)

E) Cyclone/Maverick - Cyclone is struggling to deal with being attracted to the most annoying person he's ever met. Why does he like him so much?

H) From the top 4/? - an Ice/Mav epistolary fic where Jake and Bradley matchmake them, not realising exactly who it is they've matched together. AU divergent ish. (Last updated 4th January 2025)

K) Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide - 12/?Transformers cross-over for help me yeagrave is 110% to blame for me adding this... (related to this post) (Last updated 1st January 2025)

L) Hangster Sports Team AU with Hangster being ex-es (like stood up at the alter type exes) and the trade deadline coming in hot and Bradley being traded in and all hell is about to break loose... Ramblings and more here.

S) Jake is a blacksmith and artist and Bradley is a high school history teacher.

T) Jake and Bradley becoming friends on Instagram through competitive thirst traps. (Tumblr post)

U) Jake vs Bradley kissing competition with no touching (tumblr post from iprefervillains)

V) Actual fleshed out "wrong number" AU from caystar13star

W) The amnesia fic if the-ace-with-spades doesn't mind me absconding with another of their ideas.

[sgiandubh]

Tools of the trade

Came home an hour ago from a reception I literally fled (busy week in this respect, unfortunately). And I kept being internally nagged during the short taxi ride, by what is probably at least this season's Anon. Landed in @bat-cat-reader's inbox with regard to Marple's most recent innuendo:

I had to know more about this, since I had no idea such deep diving tools were now available for pretty much everyone. Here's the gist of how it works, in pics and a quick review:

What Snoopreport promises its subscribers is to basically keep them posted on the targeted accounts' online behavior patterns...

... without the need to publicly follow them on Insta (sounds familiar?)...

...leaving no trace (zero accountability, because it uses only public data: this can be interpreted differently, in a different legal system/context, since several European countries, as I already discussed, have more protective legal provisions for a person's right to his/her own image)...

... at minimal costs (I suppose the most cost-effective, if we assume this is one of the used monitoring tools, would be the small business pack, allowing the super sleuth to track 10 different accounts, for peanuts):

A review of this product I have checked here (https://www.techuntold.com/snoopreport-review/) points out the obvious Achilles' heel of this app. Snoopreport obviously does not work for private accounts:

Which brings up a logical question: could the (in)famous 'resource' be S's private Insta account, in which case it would be very difficult for the sleuth to admit stalking it? Is it even technically possible to stalk a private Instagram account and remain unseen?

The answer to the latter is yes: other actors of this apparently very lucrative market, such as Glassagram (https://glassagram.com/), do not have Snoopreport's scruples and monitor even private accounts.

I think this is pretty self-explanatory and to be honest, it gave me the chills:

Serious reviews (https://www.techuntold.com/glassagram-review-spy-instagram/) are raving about this one, calling it the best app on the market, mainly because you can save all the snooped content on your own device:

... and the price, for stalking (their own choice of vocabulary, not mine, for once) an unlimited number of accounts is reasonable:

Best of it? They've been around since 2017.

In a nutshell: is it legal? it would seem so, in the US, not so sure about the UK/EU. Is it moral? It's up to you to decide what to think of a firm which has no problem admitting to encouraging stalking (but hey, don't listen to the nutcase here, huh?) and uses completely different real-life situations (infidelity, kids' monitoring) to assert its legitimacy and utility.

What I mean by this very long and illustrative post is this: you do not need inside sources/information to have one day the idea of crossing what is obviously (at least in my book) a red line. You just have to be able (lots of free time), willing (asserting power over a very thirsty and not so digitally skilled audience) and voilà: a Super Sleuth is born.

It is one thing to analyze and speculate, based on open sources, to your heart's content. It is a different affair altogether to obsessively monitor someone, with so much detail and personal (& financial) investment, over a substantial period of time. I will die on this hill and you will never change my mind on this one.

Is the emperor naked? I wouldn't venture speculating. What I do know, is that this emperor is a very, very sad one.

[intermittentstitcher]

List of Online Embroidery/ Sewing / Needlework Resources

Hello my name is Cleo and this is my masterpost full of resources and information that will help you in your stitching journey.

Taglist Form

Invite link to my community Fibre Artists on Tumblr

My Tags

Intermittent Stitcher Recommends

I don’t go here but I wanted to pass it on

Intermittent Stitcher Thoughts

Intermittent Stitcher Opinions

Intermittent Stitcher Poll

I love myself a beautiful gradient

Intermittent Stitcher PSA

Intermittent Stitcher FO’S

Intermittent Stitcher Tips

Cats of Craftblr

Personal Project Poll

My Perchance Generators

Random Things to Stitch

Needle Type generator

Random Textile Craft and Technique generator

Random Thread Colour Generator - DMC .

Random Thread Colour Generator - DMC Colour Variations

Embroidery Website randomiser

Embroidery Hoop Size randomiser - in inches

Embroidery pattern Design Prompts

Random Embroidery stitch Generator

Aida Fabric Count generator

Embroidery Styles

Embroidery Project Generator

Other resources that I have made

My Goodreads book recs

Needle Organisation System

Embroidery Organisation Bingo Card

My Embroidery Pinterest board

Songs to Stitch To - my Spotify playlist for when I’m crafting

Orchestral Crafting Music - for when you really want to focus on your projects.

Crafting Acronyms - a list of acronyms used in the crafting community.

Videos to embroider to - videos that I like to put on in the background whilst I’m stitching.

Other Resources that I have found

Threadcolors.com - colour matching for DMC threads

Thread - Bare Stitching - tools and calculators

Flossmaxx - colour conversion for major floss brands

Needle N’ Thread - blog with useful tricks and tips.

Royal School of Needlework Stitchbank - has a wide variety of modern and historical stitches.

Sarah’s hand Embroidery Tutorials - a visual dictionary of embroidery stitches

StitchLifeStudio - an Etsy store that sells custom frames for embroidery hoops

Colour Scheme - good for helping you to select fabric/ thread colour palettes for your projects.

Color Designer - a website that has a wide variety of tools that can help you develop colour palettes for your projects.

List of colours ( alphabetical)

List of colours by shade

List of Crayola crayon colors

The symbolism of flowers

Sew What Podcast - A podcast where the host Isabella Rosner talks about historical embroidery and interviews a wide range of guests

Sarah Homfray Embroidery - YouTube channel

Antique Pattern Library

Bernadette Banner - Historical recreation YouTube channel

Sewstine - a historical recreation YouTuber that specialises in machine embroidery

Danielle Clough - A South African embroidery artist who produces beautiful pieces with bright colours. I have linked her Instagram.

Quilter’s Paradise - free online quilting calculators

ImageColorPicker - allows you to pick colours from photos

Loose Ends Project - This allows crafters to sign up to finish the craft projects of those who have passed away or have become disabled.

DMC - A well known embroidery supply brand. They produce high quality stranded cotton as well as a litany of kits and free patterns.

The DMC Youtube channel- has lots of tutorials and information. 

Sylko thread colour inventory list - for those who have inherited their grandmother’s thread stash

Omni calculator - allows you to convert various lengths

Thread colour palette generator - allows you to generate colour palettes to use in your projects

Stitchpoint - allows you to write phrases in 7 different cross stitch fonts

FlossCross - a free online cross stitch pattern maker

Hours Tracker - the app I use to keep track of the hours I spend stitching

r/Embroidery - the embroidery subreddit is a really good source of information, encouragement and inspiration

r/CrossStitch - the cross stitch subreddit is a really good source of information, encouragement and inspiration

Code Crafters Quilt Generator - allows you to generate a random quilt design

Freebloss - a Amazon store that produces kits for many crafts including embroidery and they are affordable and high quality

prettycolors - a Tumblr blog that posts random colours along with the hex code and this can be a helpful resource for fibrecrafters when they are trying to pick a colour for their project(s).

colour-palettes - a blog that posts user submitted colour palettes and I think that this blog can also be used as inspiration for fibrecrafters when selecting colours to use in their project(s).

Swatches - this app allows you to swatch colours from photos as well as being able to swatch colours in real time.

John James Needle Guide - a guide to different types of needle and their uses.

Cable Patterns - allows you to make your own cable patterns for knitting

RSN collection and archive- photographs of objects in the Royal School of needle work collection. The first 100 objects have just been digitised and put online.

Hand exercises for knitters- these can also be used by other crafters in general

Things that I suggest you buy

I have not received anything in exchange for recommending these products

A colour wheel - this will enable you to choose the best colours for your projects

Multicoloured cases - this box filled with multicoloured cases will help you to organise your threads ant to easily take them on the go.

Plastic embroidery hoops- I find that plastic hoops are able to maintain tension and keep your projects drum tight.

Embroidery Floss Organisers- these help you to keep all of the various colours that you are using in your projects in one convenient place.

Pellon Stick-N-Washaway Embroidery Stabilizer - allows you to trace or print out your design and stick it onto your fabric, stitch over it and then wash it off once you’re done.

[sweetfirebird]

More Things You Can Do

aside from protesting

There are a lot of boycotts going on right now. I have seen calls for an official day (February 28) of no shopping and others that are extended avoidance or limitation of using: Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Amazon, Airbnb, Tesla, Meta, CNN, Fox News.

I've also seen boycotts, individual and collective, of businesses like Sephora or CVS, which voluntarily rolled back their DEI. (So did Disney, btw) But while boycott is a power you can flex (and save yourself money in the process), I think it's easier to list some places that have NOT caved on their DEI and/or who are even actively supporting it: Costco, Walgreens, Ulta, Lush, Penzey's, King Arthur Flour, Bob's Red Mill, Albertson's grocery stores (includes Safeway), Apple and more

Delete any Meta apps you aren't using/don't need. This includes Threads, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and whatever stupid VR thing they try next that will fail. If you do need to keep using them (small businesses, unfortunately, still often do), you can still keep Meta from profiting from you by going into your Privacy Settings and turning off any function that allows them to collect your information for ads. Meta does not make this easy to find, btw. And you are going to end up with weird ads, but just ignore them.

Go into all of the Meta apps you use, find the Privacy Center, under Settings, I think, find Ad Preferences or Common Privacy Settings. It's then going to make you click on more things, like Manage Settings. And then you can turn off settings like "Use your information to show our ad partners"

Then you have to find the other settings to turn off other companies sharing your information with Meta jfc

Here, John Oliver explains it better

Switch from Chrome. (I have to use Chrome to pay my electric bill, they won't let me use another browser. Dicks. But for everything else, I use Firefox or Ecosia) Firefox isn't Google but also Firefox lets you add extensions to block tracking or ads and I have one up to help limit Meta's information scraping anyway. And it's free! Switching only takes minutes!

Use Mapquest --Mapquest is not referring to the Gulf of Mexico as anything but the Gulf of Mexico.

If you are into these sort of podcasts, The Meidas Touch is openly critical of Trump and Musk, and just ousted Joe Rogan from Spotify's top spot.

This one is difficult for trans people right now but everyone, yes everyone in America, get your IDs in order and up to date. They are going to try to push some Voter ID shit too (where they haven't already) so take the time NOW to get your paperwork in order. Go request (or order through the mail) a certified copy of your birth certificates from the county where you were born. Going in means you only pay the County Clerk fees. Through the mail usually means you will have to have something notarized as well. (Hell, anyone who changed your surnames when you got married, maybe get a certified copy of your marriage license too.) Get a Real ID. Get a passport if you can afford it. Passports also require a certified copy of a birth certificate. If you have a valid passport, it will work in place of a Real ID but get both if you can. American passports are good for ten years (for adults).

Also, and this sucks, get your affairs in order. You could get hit by a bus or something, and you want to make sure your death is handled *how you want* and your loved ones get what you feel they should, regardless of your gender and how many roadblocks the govt is going to try to throw up in your way. Protecting Trans Bodies in Death and Making Your Death Plan (videos from Caitlin Doughty). Also and I know I keep harping on this, MAKE A WILL. MAKE IT LEGALLY. Look up your state's requirements for such a document or hire someone to do it for you. (Sometimes credit unions or regular unions will offer this as a service. LegalZoom also exists if that is more your jam.)

Fun stuff (cuz sorry about the death stuff!)

Got Spotify or Tidal or even Youtube? Start making playlists of POC and queer artists, and make them public. Search for BIPOC and/or queer podcasts and video essayists.

Personally, I've been putting on all the booktuber videos about ditching Kindle and just letting them play in the background while I do tasks. Someone is out there on Youtube speaking the truth? Like and Subscribe! (It helps them get visibility and shows Youtube there is an audience, and if it worries you... it's not permanent. You can unsubscribe later if you want.)

Like books by BIPOC and/or queer people?? Recommend that shit. Check it out from libraries even if you've read it before!

Be Kind. Be kind to people and to yourselves. Participate in boycotts and remember they can mean *totally avoiding* a store, or, if there is no alternative for what you need, then *spending far less* there than you normally would. Shop local. Shop small. Spread correct information as best as you can. Remember that Black lives matter, that trans lives matter, and that way more people on our side than they want us to realize.

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

Okay again with this whole 'AO3 needs an app' bs - people are saying that one of the best features of fake unofficial apps they have used is that it keeps track of fics you have already read.

1) AO3 highlights links you have already clicked on before (this does expire after some time, and it differs between desktop and mobile, but it's something).

2) Why the fuck do people act like it's such a crime to click on or re-read a fic you have already read before?

This is just a huge problem for me as a fanfic writer, and it does fall in line with people constantly asking me for sequels to fics or asking me to make fics longer when I have a huge backlog of similar fics or fics with my similar style - you don't constantly need a stream of brand new fics. You don't.

Most fanfic readers today are spoiled brats.

Having thousands of people on the internet at your fingertips who enjoy the same show you do and enjoy the same characters you do, actively providing you with hundreds of thousands of words of fiction for free - it is a privilege.

You would not have survived in the days when people had to mail each other hard copies of fics or when most of the fics on websites were one or two chapters in and then abandoned forever and you were lucky to find a fic that was finished. But even then it was probably riddled with grammar errors and funky ANs because it was written by a middle schooler. Because every single fanfiction writer was a middle schooler back then.

Please, please - learn to reread old fics without complaining about it. "Ugh, that feeling when you click on the perfect fic only to find out partway through that you have read it before."

If you are reading so much fic that you can't even tell them apart in the first few lines or paragraphs, that means you are blindly consuming fics rather than appreciating them. If you think that finding out you have read a fic before is a disappointment - you are a problem.

If you get partway through a fic and find out you have read it before, fucking enjoy it. Leave the author a nice comment telling them how much their fic captured your attention.

Fanfiction authors do this for free. And you eat up all their work so quickly and then ask for more, and then have the gall to complain when you 'accidentally' click on the same fic twice. Please - check yourself.

You don't need an AO3 app, you need to gain some patience and understanding and appreciation for the people who make your favourite form of entertainment in this mass consumption tiktok era.

Also, just in case I have to say it - reading and commenting on really old fics is not cringe. AO3 and even Tumblr is not fucking Instagram - if you go back and comment on someone's work from six years ago, you won't seem like a creepy stalker, you will seem like a cool explorer. You will make the author's day bright. So please, please - I dare you to go into your favourite AO3 tag, and go all the way back to the oldest page, find something you like - and leave a comment on it. Read older fics. Please!!!

[thecozycat]

🧡 Tuesday Tips #4: 🧡 50 Reasons to Build a Personal Website Instead of Relying on Social Media

So you’ve been thinking about making a personal website, huh? Maybe you're feeling a little burned out from ad bombardments, or just social media in general lately. Good news: you’re not alone. There’s a growing group of people carving out cozy corners of the internet that are completely their own. We call it the Small Web (also known as the Indie Web), and it’s honestly kind of magical.

Still not sure if you're ready to dive in? Here are 50 reasons why building a personal website beats relying on social media. (Warning: may cause spontaneous domain name purchases.)

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1. It’s yours. Like, actually yours.

When you post on social media, you're essentially renting space. Your content can be removed, shadowbanned, or buried at any time without warning. With your own site, you're the landlord, the designer, and the content creator all rolled into one. It’s digital ownership in its purest form.

2. No weird algorithm whispering.

Social media is a game of guessing what the algorithm wants. One day, it loves video. The next, it punishes you for posting too much. With a personal website, what you post is what people see—no weird magic tricks required.

3. No ads.

Unless you choose to put them there. Your website doesn’t need to shout at visitors to buy toothpaste or download the latest app. It can just be a calm, ad-free oasis of you.

4. Zero doomscrolling.

You know the drill. You go on to post something and 45 minutes later you’re deep into a thread of rage. Your personal site? No feed, no drama. (You can create a blog feed though via RSS if you want to!)

5. You can make it look exactly how you want.

Want a sparkly cursor? A cozy vintage theme? Maybe a floating cat gif? Go for it. Your site is your canvas, and there are no design police.

6. You get to be weird.

Weird is welcome. In fact, it's encouraged. Build a shrine to your favorite childhood cartoon or create a digital bookshelf of every novel you’ve ever loved. There are no rules here.

7. You’ll learn cool stuff.

Even if you’re starting with zero knowledge, making a website teaches you things—HTML, CSS, design, structure, creative writing. It’s the kind of learning that feels like playing.

8. You can make it feel like a digital home.

Social profiles are rented apartments. Your website? A house you get to decorate, organize, and live in. It becomes a familiar, comfortable space that reflects you.

9. No one’s watching your every move.

Unlike social media platforms, which track everything you do to serve you ads, your website can be a surveillance-free zone. Visitors can hang out without being followed around the internet afterward.

10. You’re not competing for likes.

There’s no like button on your site (unless you want one). So you’re free to post what you love, not what will perform best in a popularity contest.

11. You set the vibe.

Want lo-fi music autoplaying in the background? Go for it. Want every page to start with a motivational quote or your cat's daily wisdom? It’s all up to you. Your site, your mood.

12. It can evolve with you.

Unlike a locked-down profile, your personal site can grow, change, and shift over time. Turn your blog into a portfolio. Make your old art gallery a recipe archive. It’s a living space.

13. No random feature changes.

Remember when Instagram tried to become TikTok overnight? Yeah. Your website isn’t going to suddenly switch up on you because a CEO changed their mind. Stability, baby. You make the rules.

14. You decide what stays up.

Posts don’t disappear unless you want them to. No mysterious removals. No content warnings slapped on your grandma's casserole recipe.

15. You won’t get locked out.

Unless you forget your password (write it down!), you can’t get banned from your own website. No more waking up to “your account has been suspended” emails.

16. You control the narrative.

Algorithms love to de-contextualize things. Your website gives you the full story. A place to explain, explore, and express on your own terms.

17. People visit because they want to.

They didn’t stumble in while scrolling. They came to see you. That kind of intentionality makes every visit feel a little more meaningful.

18. You can make timeless content.

Instead of disappearing into a sea of tweets, your thoughts can live forever on a well-organized blog post or static page. Evergreen content has a real home on the web.

19. It helps you build your digital legacy.

Someday, people will want to know who you were. Your website is a time capsule. A treasure map. A story of who you are in your own words.

20. You can connect without the chaos.

Guestbooks, comment sections, or even email forms let people reach out without the noise of DMs, trolls, or spam bots.

21. No character limits.

Got a lot to say? Say it. You're not confined to 280 characters or forced to cut down your thoughts to fit a format. Write a sentence or an essay—your site doesn’t care.

22. You can build your own community.

With a little creativity, you can add forums, guestbooks, chat boxes, or webrings. Create a cozy club of like-minded folks without relying on corporate platforms.

23. It’s immune to social media shutdowns.

When a platform dies or gets bought out and ruined (*cough* Twitter), your site doesn’t flinch. It’s still there, waiting for visitors.

24. You can express yourself fully.

From color schemes to quirky fonts and animated gifs, you’re not boxed into a single identity photo and bio. Let your personality spill into every page.

25. There are no trolls unless you invite them.

You can moderate comments or remove them entirely. Unlike public platforms, you don’t have to tolerate abuse, spam, or bad vibes.

26. You get to experiment freely.

Try a new blog format, embed a mini-game, host a digital pet. You can play and break things and rebuild—all without anyone watching.

27. It gives you creative freedom.

Poetry, zines, recipes, fiction, rants, longform essays, audio diaries—whatever you make, there’s space for it.

28. Your content won’t be buried.

On social media, your posts vanish/become irrelevant within hours. On your site, people can discover things you wrote years ago just as easily as something from yesterday.

29. You can showcase your work beautifully.

Whether you're a photographer, writer, or crocheter, your site can act as a curated gallery. Show off what you’re proud of without it being surrounded by chaos.

30. It’s a great place to archive.

Old blog posts, artwork, digital journals—your site becomes a place to store your memories, milestones, and the things that matter most to you.

31. You can link out to cool stuff.

Unlike platforms that try to trap you inside their walls, your website can point people to other places you love, including friends’ sites, resources, or secret gems.

32. You’re not a product.

Social media thrives on turning users into data. Your website doesn’t track or manipulate you. It’s just… yours. That's it! There's no catch.

33. It doesn’t interrupt you.

No notifications. No infinite scroll. Just a peaceful little world that sits quietly until you decide to update it.

34. You’ll meet kindred spirits.

People who find personal websites often do so intentionally. They’re curious, thoughtful, and usually pretty lovely. Great ingredients for real connection.

35. You can revisit and reflect.

Years later, reading your old posts can feel like a time machine. Your site becomes a living archive of your thoughts, dreams, and progress.

36. It makes you more mindful.

Without the instant gratification loop of likes and retweets, you might find yourself thinking more deeply about what you post and why.

37. It’s free of FOMO.

You’re not constantly seeing other people’s highlight reels and comparing your behind-the-scenes. Your site focuses on you, not everyone else.

38. You can go slow.

No need to keep up with trends or daily posts. Update when you feel like it. Take a break. Come back refreshed. Your site will still be there.

39. You can use your own domain.

Having yourname.com just feels cool, right? It’s like planting a flag in your own corner of the internet.

40. You don’t have to chase followers.

Instead of playing the growth game, you can focus on making cool stuff. The people who find you will be the ones who genuinely care.

41. It encourages intentionality.

Because updates aren’t instant, you’ll likely spend more time crafting your content. That care shows, and it makes your site feel special.

42. You can build your own tools.

Want a mood tracker? A mini wiki? A spell-crafting generator? You can code or embed whatever tools you dream up.

43. It’s surprisingly fun.

There’s joy in creating just for the sake of it. Tinkering with layout, colors, and content can feel like digital gardening.

44. You’re contributing to a better web.

Every personal website weakens the monopoly of Big Tech. You’re helping build a diverse, vibrant, human-centered internet.

45. It’s nostalgic in the best way.

Remember the early internet when people made fansites and blogs and shared links just because? That energy is still alive on the small web.

46. You can go offline anytime.

Want a break? Just stop updating. No pressure. No guilt. The web will wait.

47. You’ll have a creative outlet.

Even if you don’t consider yourself an “artist,” a website gives you a space to express and explore yourself.

48. It’s easier than ever.

You don’t need to be a tech wizard. Tools like WordPress, mmm.page, Straw.page or Carrd make it super beginner-friendly.

49. You can inspire others.

Your little corner of the internet might be exactly what someone else needed to see. You never know who you’ll touch.

50. Because you deserve a space that’s 100% you.

No ads. No algorithms. No noise. Just a place where you get to be yourself, unapologetically and fully. The internet needs more of that—and more of you.

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So, Why Wait?

The internet doesn’t have to be a loud, crowded mall where everyone’s shouting for attention. It can be a quiet cabin in the woods, a secret garden, a tiny café glowing with string lights where you share your thoughts, dreams, art, and self with whoever wanders in.

Building your own personal website isn’t just about escaping the chaos of social media—it’s about coming home to a space that reflects you. Your humor, your quirks, your passions, your pace. It’s a chance to slow down and make something meaningful. Something that doesn’t ask you to perform, compete, or conform.

And here’s the beautiful part: you don’t need to be a tech wizard. You don’t need to have a niche or a “brand.” You just need to be curious, a little bit brave, and willing to make something for yourself. The rest? That comes with time—and it’s honestly kind of magical to watch it all unfold.

So go ahead. Plant your flag. Build your nest. Start small, dream big, and know that every pixel you place is a step toward reclaiming your presence online.

We’ll be here cheering you on, one cozy corner of the web at a time. 💻

When you're ready to get started, head over to the Resources page! There are tons of helpful links to help you start building your personal space on the web. ✨🌿 See you there!

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Want to help the Small Web movement grow? Join us on other platforms. ♥

FB Page & Group: facebook.com/thesmallweb facebook.com/groups/thesmallweb

Twitter/X: x.com/smallweblove

Tumblr Community: tumblr.com/communities/thesmallweb

Mastodon: indieweb.social/@thesmallweb