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magic-ace · 10 months ago

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[Dolls, Barbie] The Short Yet Fabulous Life of Earring Magic Ken

Or, that time Mattel gave Ken a cock ring and created a legend.

This is my first time writing a post here, but this story has made me laugh for years now, so I'm excited to share it with all of you. I'll have my sources listed at the bottom of the post. If I get anything wrong or miss any crucial details, please let me know and I'll edit the post.

Anyway! Gather 'round for a tale of marketing, frosted tips, and kitsch.

# Who is Ken?

Ken, full name Kenneth Sean Carson, is a fictional character and fashion doll sold by Mattel. If you know who he is, you probably know him as "Barbie's boyfriend," and that's because that's exactly what he is. Barbie is *the* fashion doll, easily the most iconic doll in America and one of the most famous toys... ever. She's had hundreds of careers and thousands of iconic fashion looks, and has appeared in a wide variety of media, including a movie coming out July 2023 where she's played by Margot Robbie. Barbie is The Legend. Ken, while not quite as famous as she is, does have a lot of name recognition - at least, while he's standing next to Barbie.

While various toys and tie-in media has depicted their relationship in various ways (coworkers, serious committed couple, childhood besties, friends with a mutual crush they're both too shy to act on, sometimes they're even married), Ken is Barbie's primary love interest, male companion, and boytoy/trophy husband. (Okay, okay, to give the guy some credit, he's had 40ish careers since his introduction. Not quite as impressive as Barbie's resume, but then again, few things are.)

Ken debuted in 1961, two years after Barbie, both characters invented by Ruth Handler. (Fun fact: just as Barbie was named after Ruth's daughter Barbara "Barbie" Handler, Ken was named after her son. Feels a little weird to name love interests after a pair of siblings, but it is a cute tribute.) Ken dolls tend to be less detailed and complex than Barbie dolls. Ken dolls, especially in the early days, didn't always have bendable limbs or torsos, and in general there's less clothing options available for them. One fun fact is that while the first Kens had felt hair, after a couple years, he started having molded plastic hair, rather than the brushable synthetic hair Barbie had.

Barbie at her core is a feminine power fantasy, and Ken is very much part of that. If Barbie is meant to emulate who the little girl playing with her wants to be, Ken is meant to emulate that girl's ideal boyfriend. (Of course, not everyone who played with Barbie is a girl or wants a boyfriend - a young not-yet-realized queer kid, I thought Ken was boring as hell and never wanted one; I was perfectly happy to have my Barbies living in a vaguely gay girls-only castle going on adventures.) He's handsome in the blandest way possible, and always dressed to the nines, and if you buy a Barbie and Ken doll that are packaged together, or a set of clothes for both dolls, Ken's clothes will always match and complement Barbie's.

So, that's Ken. Handsome, well-liked, presumably rich, multitalented and with the world's most beautiful and accomplished woman as his adoring girlfriend. He's even going to be played by Ryan Gosling in the upcoming movie! Let's be real - Ken's got it made. Why would anyone want to shake things up?

# "Cooler"

Well, like I said before, Ken just isn't as impressive or #iconic as Barbie. He's not as sparkly or fun or memorable, and is often more of an accessory than a character. There's a reason the meme of the moment is "Barbie is everything. He's just Ken." That has been their dynamic for decades, and Ryan Gosling GETS it. Lots of kids ask for a new Barbie for Christmas, and can often point to one or three or seven specific Barbies they want - but how many ask for a Ken? Apparently, this showed up in the sales numbers, too.

So, in the early 1990s, Mattel sets out to find out what they can do to make Ken more popular - or if he should even stay at all. Yes, you read that right, Mattel was considering getting rid of Barbie's boyfriend altogether. So, what do you do when you want to find out what your demographic will buy? You ask them what they like! Working with a focus group of 5-year-old girls, Mattel asked them what they wanted, and what would make them like Ken more. Should Barbie dump Ken for someone more hip with the kids?

The girls responded with, no! They liked Ken! Barbie should definitely stay with Ken. Phew! The then-thirty year old romance was saved.

(This would not, however, be the last time Ken would be on the chopping block - anyone growing up in the early-to-mid 2000s like I did who was into Barbies likely remembers the tragic but ultimately temporary breakup between Barbie and Ken, during which Barbie dated an Australian surfer named Blaine. But that's a different story.)

But, the girls said, they did wish Ken was... cooler.

"Make it cooler" is quite possibly the least helpful bit of advice ever, right up there with "do what feels right" and "take that business opportunity from your high school friend." There's a reason there was a My Little Pony meme about this.

But, okay, the girls said they wanted cooler. Mattel could do that. They could totally do that. They knew what was cool.

Right?

# The Makeover

How exactly the Mattel execs collected their coolness data is unclear. This was pre-social media, so figuring out the hottest trends wasn't as simple as opening TikTok and scrolling until you have 4 new insecurities. Most sources I've looked at seems to agree that what *probably* happened is that Mattel looked at what little girls found cool - aka, singers on MTV, dressed in bright colors and funky jewelry - and also did some research to find out what the hot trends are. And where do you go to find the hot trends? Go to the hot clubs! It's worth noting that we can't be 100% sure, because Mattel hasn't ever talked about the process behind creating Earring Magic Ken. Actually, they don't like to talk about him much at all. Strange.

What we do know is that within two years of the focus group, Mattel had given Ken a makeover. You can check out Ken's look [here](https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/earring-ken-proud-billy-new-york-historical-celebrates-pride-two-new-acquisitions), but I'll break down the basics.

First, he had platinum blonde highlights. And he was wearing a leather(?) purple vest over a mesh purple top in a look that I'd describe as "so tacky it circles back around into being kind of awesome." Like Tyler Durden's fur coat and bright orange pants. The key is confidence!

Per the name, Ken also has an earring in his left ear. Interestingly, Mattel *did* expect some pushback from this line, but they thought it'd be about the earring, which in hindsight is hilarious. But it does make sense from their perspective; in the early 90s, men wearing earrings wasn't exactly mainstream or accepted fashion. But, times were changing, Mattel reasoned. You see more and more guys wearing earrings nowadays, and Ken should keep up with the times. People might complain, but so what? Little girls would love it.

The most important detail to note for our story is Ken's necklace; a long chain with a big, silver ring on it. Now, Mattel will swear up and down that the ring is meant to match Barbie's accessories - he can even wear some of the charms from her bracelet on his necklace, how cute! And, to be fair, all the Barbies in the line wear rings like this, too, on their belts.

Mattel had *greatly* misunderstood those pretty necklaces that some guys were wearing out to the club. But they didn't know that yet. (As I stated in the Hobby Scuffles thread, there must've been at least one employee - probably several - who *did* know that and could make a couple predictions about how this was gonna go, but they couldn't say anything without explaining *why* they knew that. Or maybe they just thought, "Oh, this will be *hilarious*.")

Earring Magic Ken was released in 1993.

# Ken-sation!

Honestly, whoever set up that focus group with those little girls must've been spiking the football when Earring Magic Ken hit the shelves. Because the grand plan to make Ken cooler and sell more toys? Reader, it fucking *worked*.

Earring Magic Ken was not a standalone doll, but rather, a one in a collection of six. The "Earring Magic" collection featured Barbie and her friends in bold, bright colors, with their hair done up in big bouncy curls, with flashy, sparkly earrings. You can check out the other dolls [here](https://www.flickr.com/photos/20837663@N08/4671335912). (Wikipedia says it was six dolls, but for the life of me I cannot find a picture with all six dolls in it, so unless someone has one they'd like to drop in the comments, you'll have to settle for five.) Each doll comes with a pair of clip-on earrings for the owner to wear and match with their doll.

By all accounts, all the dolls in the line sold well, but none more so than Ken. I have to imagine they were pouring the champagne over at Mattel - the line was doing great, and for the first time ever, Ken was outselling Barbie. Hell, they couldn't keep that doll stocked!

Earring Magic Ken was the bestselling Ken doll of all time when he came out, pun intended. (Whether or not he still is is unknown.) He was inevitably the butt of some gay jokes; a man wearing an earring? Absurd! Frosted tips? Hilarious! A mesh top? Get out of here! In many ways, it was the same kind of jokes late night hosts would crack about male pop stars who dressed flamboyantly. Annoying to some, sure, definitely at least slightly homophobic, but ultimately, nothing Mattel didn't probably see coming. And, hey, kids clearly loved Ken's new look. They were raking in the cash, so what did they care what adults had to say?

And then one man, like the child who finally points out that the emperor is naked, was brave enough to stand alone with his head held high. And he said:

"That doll is wearing a fucking cock ring."

# People Notice the Cock Ring

I didn't know until I started research for this post that the "whistleblower" as it were in this whole rainbow debacle was Dan Savage. But now that I do know that, I am not even slightly surprised. Like of course it was him. For those of you who don't know who he is, Dan Savage is a relationship/sex advice columnist. He's openly gay and known for being very sardonic, very blunt, and, depending on who you ask, very funny or very obnoxious. Sometimes both. His column, Savage Love, has been going since 1991, and he also has a podcast by the same name. (He also started the It Gets Better Project, which is neat.) To give you an idea of his general vibe, his catchphrase is "dump the motherfucker already," aka DTMFA.

It really is no surprise to me that when Dan Savage sees "cock ring," he *says* "cock ring."

See, Ken's outfit wasn't just any old clubwear. It was *gay* clubwear. It was stuff that gay men were wearing to raves and nightclubs and parties.

And that necklace? Yeah, that circular "pendant" would be a cock ring. As u/ginganinja2507 put it in 4/10/23's Hobby Scuffles thread: *"yeah if it had been barbie finger sized it would've probably not raised any eyebrows but it is. not that size."*

Obviously, Dan was not literally the first person to notice this, but his article helped bring the conversation from "this doll looks kinda gay with his vest and his earring" to "no, y'all, this doll is literally wearing a gay sex toy. He's gay."

The irony that this doll with no genitalia was wearing a cock ring was lost on nobody.

I'll let Dan himself explain, in his article "Ken Comes Out." I linked to the article in my sources below if you want to read the whole thing.

>*When they’re not fashion statements, cock rings are worn around the base of your cock or your close personal friend’s cock if you don’t have one of your own. Slip one on when you’re soft; once you’re hard, it traps blood in the penis, increasing sensitivity and prolonging orgasm.*

>*Chrome cock rings like Ken’s were long worn by the leather crowd on the shoulders of their biker jackets (left for top, right for bottom). In the waning years of our long national nightmare (aka the Reagan-Bush years), younger gay-boy-activist types with brand-new leather jackets took to wearing cock rings on whichever side looked best or, to the horror of the leather crowd, on both sides. Tops? Bottoms? Versatile? Clueless? Who knew? Then dykes started wearing them—cocks or not, they didn’t want to miss out on any of the sex-positive accessorizing.*

>*Cock rings exploded (ouch!)—as vest zipper pulls, as key rings, as bracelets; rubber ones, leather ones, chain ones. But the thick chrome variety, the Classic Coke of cock rings, was and is most often worn as a pendant. Chrome cock ring necklaces became de rigueur rave wear. For about a year every gay boy at a rave was wearing at least one—these cock rings were often pressed into service later in the evening, to help totally tweaked ravers keep up what the X was pulling down.*

>*On closer inspection, Ken’s entire Earring Magic outfit turns out to be three-year-old rave wear. A purple faux-leather Gaultier vest, a straight-out-of-International Male purple mesh shirt, black jeans and shoes. It would seem Mattel’s crack Ken-redesign team spent a weekend in LA or New York dashing from rave to rave, taking notes and Polaroids.*

What I find especially funny about this is the fact that Ken wasn't just wearing gay clubwear, but *outdated* gay clubwear. I feel like Barbie would be more affronted by that than anything.

So, a lot of those astronomical sales turns out to have come from adults buying the doll not for a kid, but for themselves. This is nothing new; loads of adults collect fashion dolls, either because they find a specific doll really beautiful or interesting, or they consider it to be culturally significant, or it has a schtick or branding that aligns with another interest of theirs. In this case, a lot of the buyers were gay men, who found the doll hilarious and honestly, kind of iconic. (In a bit of anecdotal evidence, my mom, who's always had a lot of queer friends and remembers when this all went down, says she knew gay men who owned multiple "Cock Ring Kens." I assume some were given as gifts, but I also know people who would definitely have, like, four of these guys around just for the hell of it.)

It's worth noting that Ken, to quote Savage again, "always read kind of gay." I'm guessing it's a combination of the fact that Ken often wears soft, pastel colors (to compliment Barbie!), rides around in a pink sports car (he's a passenger princess!), and, well, look at that hair. I've always seen jokes about how Barbie is Ken's beard... or maybe they're each other's beards.

While some of this is pure "haha, man cares about appearance is gay! Children's characters being gay is funny!" coming from cishet people, I do know a lot of queer people (myself included) on social media who love Barbie and Ken, and consider them to be "ours," whether because Ken is a bit on the "meterosexual" side (to resurrect a term that died in 2008), or because Barbie is an ultra femme icon, or because of the campiness of the franchise, or because some of those direct-to-DVD Barbie movies are kind of sapphic (hello, Diamond Castle), or because the franchise was near and dear to us as children and we want to make it our own in adulthood. I think that's why Earring Magic Ken was such a hit; not just because of the inherent hilarity in Mattel unknowingly making Ken a gay club-goer, but because, in a batshit, accidental way fueled by capitalism, he *is* ours. I know I'd love to get my hands on one.

# The Aftermath

Obviously, once the alarm rang that Earring Magic Ken was getting the nickname Cock Ring Ken, and for good reason, Mattel issued an apology and the doll disappeared from shelves. Cowards!

EDIT: I originally said there was a recall, and many articles on this whole thing say this. However, as u/InevitableBohemian pointed out, it's hard if not impossible to pinpoint where that claim started, and no contemporary articles about a recall seem to be out there. It seems highly likely that the doll was simply discontinued and unsold dolls were pulled from shelves, but that the "recall" detail is an exaggeration.

They adamantly denied that they'd meant to put a cock ring on a Ken doll, because of course they did. To be clear, I do believe them - there's absolutely no way they would've let that go through on purpose. But it did give us this amazing quote from Lisa McKendall, who was working for Mattel's marketing department at the time.

>We’re not in the business of putting cock rings into the hands of little girls.

Incredible.

# The Legacy

Earring Magic Ken is still famous in the Barbie enthusiast community. It's one of the first stories you hear when you get into dolls as an adult collector/enthusiast, and these days, he's highly sought after. (As of this typing, a new Earring Magic Ken goes for $179 on ebay. A commentor on the lot said they have one, which they keep next to their Cher doll, which - amazing, incredible, no notes.) This is one of my favorite stories to tell to people who don't know much about dolls, so writing this up has been an absolute joy. I really hope this Ken gets a cameo or a reference in the movie, because it's such an iconic story and doll; it's just the right blend of camp, corporate cluelessness, funny, and audacious to be not just a memorable scandal, but one that's looked back on with fondness. (Seriously, it is so nice to talk about a drama where the worst outcome was some embarrassment.)

I think Dan Savage put it best:

> The little girls of our great nation wanted a hipper Ken, and Mattel gave them a hip Ken. A queer Ken.

He may have only been on shelves for six months, but Ken and his purple mesh shirt and his glorious, glorious cock ring will live on in our hearts forever. Amen.

# Sources

* My mom, when she could stop laughing.

* [Ken (doll)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_(doll))

* [Earring Magic Ken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earring_Magic_Ken)

* [Barbie Media: Ken Timeline](http://www.barbiemedia.com/ken/timeline.html)

* [How Barbie's Boyfriend Ken Became an Accidental Gay Icon](https://money.howstuffworks.com/barbie-earring-magic-ken-gay-icon-1993.htm)

* [The True Story of Mattel Accidentally Releasing a Super Gay Ken Doll](https://www.intheknow.com/post/earring-magic-ken-gay/)

* [Ken Comes Out](https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/ken-comes-out/)

* [Toys Will be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html)

* [Earring Magic Ken and “Out and Proud” Billy: New-York Historical Celebrates Pride with Two New Acquisitions](https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/earring-ken-proud-billy-new-york-historical-celebrates-pride-two-new-acquisitions)

I do not know how to respond.

...Penis blast?

#textposting #askposting #...#I want to know what is happening at the moment in your intoxicated psyche #Your thought process seems fascinating

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vjinstruments · 2 years ago

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Fbd Fluid Bed Dryer: How to Use Them Properly in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Why is an FBD fluid bed dryer advantageous?

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For what purposes do medical tools exist?

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To facilitate the production of tablets, numerous pharmaceutical instruments are commercially available (one of the most important processes in the pharmaceutical industry). Pharmaceutical ball mills, double cone blenders, and Fbd fluid bed dryers are the three most popular processing equipment. All of these serve unique purposes and come with unique benefits. To get the most out of them, you need to know when and how to use them effectively. The purpose of a ball mill in pharmaceuticals is to grind the ingredients down to a smaller size. To accomplish this, the particles are ground using a ball mill. The grinding process in a ball mill involves rotating a cylinder with grinding media inside (usually steel balls). As the balls roll around, they shatter the substance into smaller fragments. The double cone of a blender is used to ensure a thorough blending of multiple ingredients. To achieve this, we give the ingredients a good tumbling in the blender.

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#fluid bed processor #plethysmometer #Y maze

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vkelleyart · 4 years ago

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Thoughts on fandom: inclusion and engagement.

(Art credit to the kindhearted @penpanoply!)

There’s been some stuff floating around on Tumblr about strife in the CO/WS fandom, and though I haven’t been explicitly named-dropped on anything public, my DMs have been... active. lol Rather than rehash what’s been said already, I just want to impart a little wisdom and perspective in the hopes it may soothe frayed feelings and offer a way ahead for cultivating a respectful community. As someone who has been an active participant in online fandoms since the mid-’90s, which was the advent of online fandom content creation (shout out to my fellow X-Philes!), and who has also spent a chunk of her professional life managing social media for the federal government and for activist groups, I can promise you it’s all gonna be okay.

Here’s some context for why strife happens and what we can do to create a more inclusive and communicative fandom environment.

1) It sounds cliché, but fandoms go through growing pains.

In the case of the Simon Snow fandom, what was once a small and cozy space untouched by cataclysmic events (such as the release of *gasp* a sequel) has grown exponentially in a relatively short amount of time following the release of Wayward Son. Newcomers are eager to find a home in this space at the same time as folks who’ve been here a while may be consciously or unconsciously wary about widening their circle, and It’s important to remember that this is not necessarily an expression of bad behavior on either side but just human psychology doing its thing.

The byproduct, however, is that tension and stress builds over time from the lack of meaningful communication across the divide, which subsequently fuels misunderstandings. Ironically, the interfaces we use to communicate don’t help with this because any existing communication about the tension happens in tiny vacuums until a trigger goes off and bad feelings go public.

Way Ahead: These moments of destabilization are opportunities to see where we can be more self aware about how we engage with fandom and the kind of community we want to be. Can you promote, support, or befriend someone trying to gain a foothold? If yes, please do! Each person must reach their own decision about what they can do within the confines of their available energy, health, and time, but a little self awareness goes a long way as long as you’re honest with yourself and others if applicable about what you can contribute. Anyone who judges you for it isn’t worth the strife.

2) In a fandom comprised of vulnerable/marginalized people, it’s more accurate to say that cliques are “bubbles of trust.”

This one's important. Just by nature of the source material, the CO/WS fandom includes fans with a wide array of backgrounds and experiences, especially when it comes to those who identify with the characters’ queerness, mental illness, and/or trauma. I really believe––based on individual conversations/group chats––that the difficult lived experiences that so many of our fandom peers have endured has produced one of the most open, aware, and accepting fandoms I’ve had the pleasure of participating in. Our vulnerability is, in a real way, our strength.

That said, a community of survivors also has the side effect of cultivating small circles of engagement that I call “bubbles of trust.” When you’re a survivor of abuse, marginalization, mental illness, fill-in-the-blank, it’s often quite hard to risk casting a wide net and expanding your circle to include new faces––which can subsequently be internalized by equally sensitive and vulnerable newcomers as rejection, judgement, or inadequacy.

Way Ahead: First of all, there may indeed be gatekeeping and exclusion going on. But before internalizing someone’s cagey behavior as gatekeeping or purposely exclusionary, ask yourself if you have all the information. Many people are private (I include myself in this assessment) because life has regrettably taught them to be this way, and so they may insulate themselves to a small group of people who have earned their trust. Some people might also triggered by certain content (case in point: smut triggers my anxiety) so they don’t engage with it. Others might have something in their pasts that define how they handle certain subjects (for example, a person of color should not be tone policed for getting angry when confronted with a racialized microagression, however accidental it was). You just don’t know what you don’t know.

The solution here is to regularly check your privilege and ask questions in a private space if you sense you’re being treated unfairly by someone. If you go public with your grievances in hopes of mobilizing the mob, you may accidentally find yourself stepping into the role of the aggressor instead of the victim.

3) Social Media is not built to help you get engagement. It’s built to help itself make money off of you.

Repeat after me: Hits/likes are not a measurable indicator of talent or worth. There are ridiculously talented folks on Tumblr and elsewhere who, for whatever reason, haven’t had their viral moment, and it’s not their fault. Loads of factors come into play where things like likes, reblogs, and comments are concerned, among them being posting frequency, subject matter, the time of day, the day of the week, the week of the month, the month of the year, the current administration, the stock exchange, the concentration of middle class users, who just won the Superbowl, a madman trying to steal an election and undermine the democratic process, a PANDEMIC, do you get where I’m going with this?? lol

At the end of the day, my humble successes have been helped along by good luck, good timing, high profile signal boosters, and an absurd amount of work. (This is why I try to signal boost new work whenever I get a chance over at @vkelleyshares.)

So while you cannot control Tumblr’s interface, trends at large, or your fellow users, here’s what you can do to ensure you give your work the best possible chance of exposure.

Have an image ready to go with your post. Tumblr is a visual platform (no matter what it says about being good for text). Not good with images? Set up a Canva.com account and get access to free graphic software with a gazillion templates to create whatever attractive image you want to attach to your post.

Keep the outward facing text brief and easy on the eyes. Too long and eyes will glaze over. Put excess text behind a “read more.”

You may think you’re being cute when you do this, but don’t put yourself down in your posts. (Don’t put yourself down in general, of course.) Doing so acts as engagement repellant. If you don’t believe in your work, no one else will.

Related: Be your best cheerleader. Confidence is a magnet, and if you don’t have it, go ahead and fake it until you start to convince yourself you are worth the buzz. So promote yourself! You have gifts that only you can impart. Use that knowledge to fuel everything you do from your art/fiction writing to your outreach with other content creators, and by golly, if someone’s done it already, acknowledge that contribution and then tell the world that this is YOUR unique take on it.

Treat your fellow fandom creators as human beings, not art/fiction/content boosting machines. I cannot count how many times I’ve had folks slide into my DMs with offers of friendship only to disappear once they realize I’m not available to draw a picture for their fic. It hurts because it’s manipulative and it makes me want to hole up and not signal boost anyone. Creators who truly support each other will not give off a transactional vibe. I want to help you reach more people, but not if that’s all I’m good for in your eyes.

The long and short of it: Lead with compassion, do your best with the opportunities at your disposal, and remember that fandom belongs to everyone in it. ❤️

What saves a fandom made of sensitive and vulnerable souls from imploding when it goes through growing pains is radical compassion from those who can offer it. Begin with the assumption that your fellow fandomers are not trying to harm you, and wade into the water knowing that your insight into the lives of your peers is limited by default and you may need to temper your words or actions accordingly. If you’re a content creator, save compassion for yourself as well, as there are indeed challenges to gaining an audience, and lack of engagement does not mean you lack talent or skill. Be your best advocate, and if you have the bandwidth to lift up a fellow creator and make a new friend, please, go ahead do it!

And finally, fandom belongs to everyone, and no one has a monopoly on characters, tropes, or themes. Create and consume what you love (with respect for your more vulnerable peers), and bask in the variety, my friends!

That’s all I’ve got in my head at the moment, although I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting. Thanks so much to @penpanoply for letting me use her art for this and to everyone else, hang in there and try not to judge each other too harshly. These are unprecedented times, and most of us are doing our best in circumstances that are pushing us to our limits.

As always, if you have questions or want to sound off on anything, shoot me a message or an ask, or ping me on Discord. It might take me a second to respond (thanks, Covid) but I’ll get to it! Love, love, and more love to all.

#fandom stuff

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nugnthopkns · 4 years ago

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eyes full of stars

word count: 3.1k

warnings: insinuated!fem reader, cursing, alcohol consumption, slight sexual innuendo (kind sorta maybe, minors please be aware)

recommended listening: cowboy like me | taylor swift

a/n: it’s cold and snowy. to combat the winter blues i wrote about a sunny minnesota summer with brock :))

You can’t remember the last time you’ve seen Brock this carefree.

The season was hard on him. There were large periods where he didn’t put up any points, and trade rumors started to circulate. Halfway through, before the playoff push even started, the negative social media comments came rolling in. You frequently saw fans request a trade or say that the organization should regret drafting him. Brock did his best to brush everything off, but it was beginning to waer on his mental health. You’re devastated when they fail to make it to the postseason, but you know it’s for the best. The injured team will spend the offseason recuperating and be ready for the next one. Besides, it means you and Brock will get to spend more time on the lake.

So here you are, packing the car for the twenty-seven hour drive to Minnesota. Brock insists on driving, says it’s relaxing, but you aren’t sure you agree. Prone to car-sickness so fierce you can barely look out the window, you’d much rather fly. Everything is exasperated by the fact you’re a nervous traveller to begin with, afraid of taking a wrong turn or missing an exit. You’re a terrible road trip partner but at least Brock could talk to the dogs. Coolie and Milo loved car rides, and you can typically hear your boyfriend having full on conversations with them as you fade in and out of consciousness.

“Ready to go babe?” Brock asks as he closes the trunk. The question is delivered with a bright grin, and despite your anxiety you return it with ease.

“I don’t really have much of a choice do I?”

He shakes his head, chuckling as he moves towards you. Sliding his hands into the back pockets of your jeans he kisses you lazily. It’s comforting and all-consuming at the same time; doing a great job of occupying your mind with thoughts of him instead of the journey ahead. “I suppose not,” he says, planting a final kiss on your forehead. “It’ll be fine. You can take a Gravol right before we cross the border and you’ll be asleep before we hit Seattle.”

It’s the best plan of attack, so you agree immediately. After taking one last run into your shared apartment to use the bathroom and make sure everything is in order, you make yourself comfortable in the passenger seat of Brock’s jeep. Music filters through the speakers at a low volume, and you focus on the retreating skyline of Vancouver. You’re excited to get back to Minnesota, to relax and see your boyfriend in his natural habitat. Countless days are about to be spent lounging lakeside enjoying each other’s company. It will also be nice to spend time with Brock’s family: they’ve been incredibly welcoming over the years and you can’t wait to catch up with them. You know Brock’s itching to spend time with his nephew, and just to be at home.

Just as Brock said, you’re asleep before Bellingham. It’s fitful, and you’re frequently woken up by the dogs barking a little too excitedly in response to something Brock said. However, it does a good job of keeping you from emptying the contents of your stomach onto the floor. Somewhere in Idaho, a good seven hours after you left Canada, you awake for the final time.

“Look boys, Mom’s finally awake!”

You laugh at the comment and lean over the center console to ruffle his hair. It’s still long from the season, and curls slightly around your fingertips.

“You’re hilarious.”

Brock takes his right hand off the steering wheel, unravelling yours from its resting place and entwining your fingers together. He places a kiss to the back of your palm. “You know I’m just teasing,” he whispers. “I know these drives are hard on you. Thank you for doing it twice a year.”

Instead of answering verbally, you squeeze his hand tighter. Though it’s true you hate driving through five states, you’d do it twice a week if it would make Brock happy. It seems a bit much to convey with a single gesture, but you can tell from the smile that graces his features that Brock understands. The two of you sit in silence, enjoying the scenery and trying to scout for a rest stop. Coolie and Milo are getting antsy and you’re also due to stretch your legs.

After letting the dogs run around to release some energy and using the bathroom, you start the final leg of the day. Missoula, Montana, is the destination. Not quite the halfway point, but close enough that you could tackle the rest of the miles tomorrow, the city has a wide variety of pet-friendly lodging. You insist you drive the rest of the way, giving Brock a well deserved rest. Looking at the interstate for hours can cause serious highway hypnosis. Not even twenty minutes after getting back on the road he’s asleep, snoring softly as he rests his head on the window.

You take a moment to admire your boyfriend. He looks so relaxed and peaceful, and the forehead creases that are starting to develop from over analyzing hours of tape disappear. Brock looks years younger, and you know the youthfulness will creep back into him the longer you’re in Minnesota. You can’t wait to see him without any cares again.

Less than two hours later, the hotel creeps up on your left. Pulling into the first available parking space, you turn the car off before waking Brock.

“Brock, we’re at the hotel,” you say softly, jostling his shoulder. “Let’s get checked in and then we shower.”

The mention of washing off a day’s worth of travel has him letting the door fly open. You had made sure to pack your overnight bags in an easily accessible spot, and work at getting them out while Brock wrangles the dogs. For being cooped up all day, they’re extremely well behaved. Once cleaned up you imagine you’ll take them on a long walk and grab some food.

“Hey, give that back. Milo!” you hear Brock yelp, and peek around to see what’s happening. The younger pup has Brock’s bucket hat between his teeth and is in the process of tearing across the parking lot.

With a giggle you call him back. “Milo, come here baby,” you say. Without a second thought, the dog bolts towards you, knocking against your shins when he fails to stop in time. You lean down to scratch Milo’s ear, and as soon as you ask him to drop the object he places it in your open palm. “Good boy,” you coo, letting him lick the side of your face.

“He’s your dog alright,” Brock huffs from where he’s standing, Coolie running circles around his ankles.

You toss the hat over the roof of the car as you laugh at him. “You’re just jealous he listens to me.”

“I sure fucking am. He’d be an absolute nuisance if it wasn’t for you.”

The rest of the night is spent unwinding from the long day. Dinner consists of the greasiest burgers you can find, and you roam around the city hand in hand, the dogs leading you. By the time you get back to the hotel you’re spent. Sleep takes over rather quickly, and you’re dozing off before Brock gets back from brushing his teeth. Once ready for bed, he slides his body against yours. The pair of you fit together like a puzzle, and after a quick kiss you let sleep consume you.

The second day of travel is much the same, except you do a better job of staying awake. You take a different anti-nausea medication and frequently switch with Brock. Conversation flows easily, ideas for summer excursions and repairs that need to be done around the house. The Boeser’s are kind enough to lend you their lake house during the off season, but the property can be a lot to manage. Brock takes it all in stride, and somehow actually enjoys spending hours mowing the grass. He says it’s relaxing, mind numbing work, so you let him handle it. Country music flows from the car speakers, and eventually talking turns into a full on concert. Milo and Coolie do their best to harmonize with Brock, and it’s too cute not to post somewhere. You sneak your phone from your pocket and manage to catch some of it on video, posting to Instagram immediately. Those from the Canucks organization you have on social media will love it; Brock’s teammates will most definitely chirp him for being tone deaf.

It’s late by the time you pull into the driveway of your temporary home, almost eleven. Grabbing only the essentials and leaving the rest to be unpacked tomorrow, you unlock the door before flopping on the couch. The dogs follow suit, laying on top of you. When Brock walks in he shakes his head, but still leans over to kiss you.

“Make sure you text your mom and let her know we made it,” you call to his retreating figure. “And let her know we’ll be over in the afternoon once we get situated.”

You swear he flips you off, no doubt poking fun at your maternal instincts. “Yes ma’am,” he replies.

“Ma’am?” you shriek. “I am not fifty. You’re so gonna get it Boeser.”

After gently nudging the dogs off your legs you’re chasing after him, laughing all the way. Brock’s a lot faster than you, being the athlete he is, but you don’t give up hope. In a last ditch attempt to get him back, you launch yourself forward, square into the middle of his back. The change in weight distribution has him falling to the floor, sprawling the width of the hallway. Both of you are giggling messes, delirious from lack of sleep and the knowledge you get to spend four months of uninterrupted time together.

“I love you, you know that right,” Brock murmurs into the crook of your neck. He dots chaste pecks along the skin and you sigh at the feeling.

Pulling him closer, you make sure to properly enunciate your words as you respond. “Yes sir.”

Brock eyes darken visibly, and he shifts his body so he’s resting on top of you. “You’re in for it now,” he groans, dragging himself to his feet. You quickly follow, meeting his lips in an eager kiss. The pair of you stumble the rest of the way to the bedroom, bodies intertwining like ivy vines, and Brock makes sure to kick the door shut to ensure your pets don’t interrupt the salacious activities he has planned.

☼☼☼☼

You settle into a routine fairly quickly. Mornings are spent alone while Brock works out, and afternoons are for lounging in the sun. The hours after the sun fades away are spent huddling around a bonfire with friends, and midnights are for just the two of you. Sometimes Brock lets himself rest and spends the day in the middle of the lake doing his best to fish, leaving you to spend time with his mom and sister. They’re lovely; warm and welcoming, making sure you’re never too lonely or bored. You and Brock also spend a lot of time with his nephew, doting over the toddler. Seeing your boyfriend with him makes you want kids, but that’s a conversation that is yet to be had in any serious light.

Sometimes you join Brock when he does typical professional hockey player in the summer things. It turns out you're quite the golfer, and have put him to shame many times. Countless days are spent helping him fix the roof of the lake house because he insists on doing it himself even though he knows nothing about roofing. At least seven phone calls to his father and a desperate run to the hardware store later, it’s completed; sealed and free of cracks. Though you’re a terrible fisher, Brock tries his best to teach you. Truth be told, you don’t have any interest in the sport, but his tongue pokes out slightly when he’s thinking about how to explain a concept and you think it’s adorable.

Coolie and Milo are loving being able to roam free, and you both spend a lot of time outside with them. You’re only ever really in the house at night, reading or playing games on the patio furniture Brock’s mom picked out. It’s peaceful; existing like this. You swear you could do it forever.

Being home allows an invisible weight to be lifted off Brock’s shoulders. There’s a pep in his step, and he’s always smiling. Even the intense at-home workouts can’t seem to bring him down. You’re delighted, how could you not be? It’s as if the only things that matter to him are enjoying a few beers lakeside and coaxing you out of shorts in the dark. You suppose that’s the truth.

☼☼☼☼

It’s incredibly warm out. The sun beats down on your back as you turn the pages of your novel, half listening to the conversation Brock is having with his friends. A group of you are on the boat, enjoying one of the last full days of summer. Later in the week you and Brock will pack up the car again, making the long trek back to Vancouver. You’re sad time has passed so fast, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t excited to be back in the city. It’s your home, and the boys seem to be really fired up for the new season. You have a feeling some really good hockey is going to come out of Rogers Arena.

“Yo Y/N, who’s the better driver. Me or Boes?”

The question pulls you from the fantasy taking place on the pages, and you look to see who’s speaking to you. It’s Brock’s dearest childhood friend, someone you consider family at this point. “It’s absolutely not Brock,” you shrug. The comment earns a loud laugh from everyone and you find yourself joining in.

“Ouch babe, that hurts,” Brock says as he slides into the free space next to you. Casually wrapping a strong arm around your shoulder, he leans down to whisper into your ear. “Looks like you need to be taught a lesson.”

His words have a vaguely sexual connotation, and you look around nervously. Your swimsuit won’t cover the flush that will be sure to rise on your skin if Brock tries anything. Everyone seems to be engaged in their own conversations, but you still feel queasy about getting caught. Though Brock’s friends are the type to laugh it off, you’d be absolutely mortified.

Before your brain can overthink anything else, you’re being lifted from your seat. It only takes two seconds for Brock to hoist you over the side of the boat and throw you into the cool water. You land with a glorious splash, but take your time coming to the surface. Partly to bring your temperature down, partly to make your lover squirm.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” you yell to him from below, but the bright smile you flash him lets Brock know you don’t mean it.

He sets his hat on top of your book before climbing over the edge. “Shut up,” he fires back, diving gracefully to join you in the water.

A small splashing match breaks out, and soon everyone else is in the water, picking sides. You swim until your skin is wrinkled beyond recognition, pruned and puckered something akin to a raisin. Only once the sky begins to redden do you head for home. Brock keeps the boat at cruising speed, and you sit comfortably in his lap. Once back on land, dinner is quickly thrown together. A mish-mash of what’s left in your fridge and what others have brought, but it works. The boys huddle around the grill and everyone else swoons over the dogs, who are on their best behaviour.

Later in the night, once the dishes are cleaned up and some guests with day jobs have left, you settle into Brock’s side at the fire. Not caring if you get chirped for the PDA, you hold his face in both your hands and rest your forehead against his. The scruff that’s grown in since the last time Brock shaved tickles slightly, but you’re too in love with him to care. It’s been so refreshing to see him relaxed, acting without a care in the world. Hopefully the attitude he currently has will stick and not disappear once you hit the Vancouver city limits.

Brock takes a sip of his beer before offering the bottle to you. You gingerly place it to your lips, making a face at the taste. He laughs at your reaction, pushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear.

“Still tastes disgusting,” you mutter, reaching for your own drink to wash away the taste.

The fire crackles gently behind you but you barely register the sound, in your own little world where everything is perfect. It’s you, Brock, and the dogs living in a house similar to the one you’re currently residing in, living life to the fullest.

“You gonna come back to me, space cadet?” Brock chuckles, tracing the outline of your nose.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry,” you apologize. “Was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Us. The future. Living in a lake house just like this one and spending all our time being so in love with each other that our friends constantly make fun of us. Maybe having kids in a couple of years. How I love seeing you like this; so at peace and full of life.”

In lieu of a response, Brock kisses you passionately. It’s a soft kind of passion: one that holds you tenderly and whispers sweet nothings in your ear. He tastes like the Coors Light he’s been drinking, but somehow the idea of beer is much more appealing when mixed with Brock. You lose yourself in him for a while, relishing in the gentleness of his hands resting on your waist. Eventually you return some of your attention to the others, but even then you can’t find it in yourself to focus. Your mind is filled with nothing but love for Brock.

It’s seems that he’s feeling the same way, because he continually leaves kisses across your shoulder blade. “I really, really love you,” Brock confesses, and you feel him smile through the thin material of your worn hoodie.

You intertwine your pinky with his and let them sit comfortably in your lap. “I love too. So much that it’s all consuming.”

Brock often leaves you breathless in more ways than one, but sweet sentiments like this will always take the cake. Especially when they happen on summer nights where he’s free to be his authentic self.

☼☼☼☼

taglist: @jamiedrysdales @kiedhara @tortito if you want to be added shoot me an ask :)

#why tf did i spend so much time detailing the car ride lmao #brock boeser imagine #brock boeser x reader #brock boeser fic #vancouver canucks imagine #hockey imagine #hockey fic #nhl imagine #nhl fic #cwrites

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pr · 4 years ago

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@ 👻 anon

I have so much sympathy for you because that is exactly what my quarantine experience has been. Like 0 judgment at all, whatever we need to do to cope dude, do it. You seeking comfort and community during this is in no way the same as our vague posts.

In fact I actually have some similar things that might fill the same hole for you??

Be There In Five hosted by Kate Kennedy is a delight. She has several feature-film length deep dives about Taylor, and the one I've linked above is her actually discussing Karlie, reputation, and stunting! She has a wide variety of pop culture and thoughtful content, and it feels like you're listening to your best friend chat. And also, shockingly, there is a really non-toxic and actually fun Facebook group for this podcast if you want more people to engage with or find other media to consume!

Lately, the fandom at large (Gaylors and Swiffers alike) have been really into the Ringer Dish podcast because they're doing a series reviewing every TS album. I haven't listened to it but I've heard there's some interesting takes, so give that a go!

Some others that make me feel less alone and also laugh and thinking Thoughts: Confidently Insecure, Baby Geniuses, Pop Culture Happy Hour, You Can Sit With Us, Ologies with Alie Ward, You're Wrong About, The History Chicks, Doin' The Devil's Tango, and Let's Make A Music!

All of them are linked to Spotify but they're available on whatever platform you fancy.

And followers: please reblog and add more podcasts that have been your Comfort Buds throughout quarantine!

I hope some of these can help bring you comfort and make you a lil less lonely like they have for me, Nonnie. ❤

(And the best part is they're free, original content..."The best people in life are free"...)

#podcasts #gaylor #asks #anons

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sierraraeck · 4 years ago

Text

Dancing, Drugs, and Lies (Pt.1)

BAU x OC Aundreya

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

(This is my gif so please give credit if used)

Summary: Morgan’s cousin is in danger. Aundreya decides to use some of her ‘special talents’ to help the team find her. Story seven.

Category: Working a case with the team. A bit angsty, I guess.

Warnings: Cussing. Drugs. Implied drug abuse. Normal CM gore and situations.

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: Just a reminder that this is all fiction and I don’t actually know about drugs or exotic dancers. Also, I didn’t want this to be 3 parts, but Tumblr told me that I can’t have more than 250 text blocks so … here we are.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

It was 3am. Three. Fricking. AM. And I was getting a call. I had finally gotten my brain to shut off for the best quality sleep of which I was capable not even two hours earlier, and I was getting a damn phone call.

“What?” I answered, my voice groggy and annoyed.

“We need you here, right now. Morgan’s cousin is missing.”

That was all I needed to snap me right out of my complainey mood. I was already out of bed and felt wide awake when answering, “I’m on my way.”

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

When I got to the office, everyone except for JJ and Rossi were there waiting.

“Aundreya,” Penelope said.

“Hi, I came as quickly as possible, what’s happening?”

“Morgan’s sister came to him saying that his cousin never returned home last night. She went to check her apartment and called her several times and nothing.”

“What about her phone? Can you track it?”

“I already tried but it was left at her apartment.”

“And there are no other places around that she spends a lot of time at?” I asked.

“No. If there are, no one knows about them,” Penelope answered. I saw Morgan standing a few feet away and I walked over to him.

No one wants to be asked how they’re doing, so I opted for, “Hey, we’re going to do everything we can to find her, okay.” He was clearly distressed, a hand on his head and he was slouching, something our big brave Morgan hardly ever did.

He met my eyes. “I don’t know what to do. Sarah and I split up and looked for her, Garcia tracked her phone, and none of us know where she was or should have been, or what she was doing.” He was trying to keep it together, but I could hear the panicked undertone.

“Okay, good to know what we can rule out. Do we have a picture of her that we can put out?”

“Yes,” JJ interjected. She and Rossi had just arrived. “I’m going to have Garcia get one out.” I nodded.

I placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder and looked straight into his eyes, “We’re going to find her.” That was a promise I intended to keep. No matter what. I walked back toward the rest of the group to see if there was any new information.

“Hey, how’d you get here so fast?” Rossi asked.

“I came as quickly as possible.”

“You live farther away from here than I do.”

“I said I came as quickly as possible.” I shrugged and he raised his eyebrows at me.

“I’m letting this go, only because we have more pressing issues.”

“I think that’s a good plan,” I agreed. I love Rossi, but sometimes he felt like a parole officer. Leave it to him to put together that I sped about 30 over to get here in under 10.

“Okay, we sent out a picture of her to the media as a missing person,” JJ said, rushing back into the room. I checked my phone and all the air inside me abruptly escaped once I saw the picture. I know her.

“I know her. I literally saw her last night,” I blurted before I could even think about what I was saying.

“Wait what? You saw my cousin last night?” Derek asked, chiming into the conversation.

“Yeah. Morgan, what does your cousin do for a living?” I wanted to be sure that this was the same person before I let on any more.

He looked perplexed, but answered anyway. “She’s a finance consultant.”

“During the day,” I mumbled.

“What? What are you saying?” Derek was on a short fuse and I was going to have to remember that.

“I’m saying that at night, she works in a strip club.” Everyone’s faces contorted around me into a variety of different emotions.

“How do you know that?” Emily asked.

“I went out for a walk last night-”

“Last night as in 24 hours ago, or tonight as in 5 hours ago?”

“Last night. I went for a walk because I couldn’t sleep and needed some fresh air. I walked by a strip club and saw her exiting it in a nice robe and I could tell she was wearing some dancing outfit underneath,” I said. It actually sounded like a pretty plausible story, but I still got skeptical looks from people.

“That had to have been just before she went missing,” JJ said.

“How do you even know it was her?” Morgan asked.

I held up my phone with her picture as if that was the answer. He was looking for more, though, so I simply stated, “I recognized her photo.”

“So if she’s been working at a strip club, that makes her a higher risk victim,” Prentiss said.

“Sure, but there are specific rules outlined for dancers. They do what they get paid for, and only what they get paid for. I don’t know a single dancer that would allow herself to go home with a customer,” I said. I gained more weary looks.

“So you don’t think there is any chance that she got abducted from the club or from outside of it maybe?” JJ asked.

“It’s highly unlikely.”

“But it’s possible?” Morgan asked.

“Yes. It’s possible. But if that is the case, this guy is super sophisticated. He’d have to get around all of the security cameras,” I answered.

“I’ll go check those now. What club?” Penelope asked.

“The Camelot,” I answered. She nodded and rushed as fast as she could in her nearly six inch heels to her bat cave.

“I can’t believe this,” Morgan said. It was Rossi’s turn to console, and I turned to follow Garcia to see if there was any way I could help her go through the footage. On my way, a familiar hand grabbed my arm and spun me around.

“You weren’t on a walk,” Spencer stated, confusion and, even a bit of anger, in his voice.

“Yes, I was.”

“What time did you leave?”

“11:25ish.”

“How far did you walk?”

“Down a few blocks and back.”

“What time did you get home?”

I did some quick math. “12:10.”

He studied my body language, trying to spot anything that would indicate otherwise.

“Why would you go walking by yourself at midnight?”

“I told you. I couldn’t sleep and needed some fresh air. Don’t worry, I had my gun with me,” I said. That part wasn’t a lie. I did in fact bring my gun.

“Fine.” He released my arm and stood there staring at me. I returned his gaze for a couple of moments before continuing my path to Garcia. Of course Spencer would decide to fact check my story for any inconsistencies.

The FBI hired me, which was great and all, but it wasn’t exactly like they were paying me. Kind of, but not really. I was as close to a volunteer as the FBI could manage. However, I needed extra money, just a little something that I could have for a rainy day. The best way I could think to achieve that goal, was to revert back to my old ways. My really old ways. Before I was thrown in prison, while I was in the gang and running the ring, I was dancing. I had been since the moment I landed on the streets. My stage name, and the one the ring came to call me by, was Alionth. I became one of the most well known dancers in the entire Chicago area, and even got prospects from clubs all around the nation. Once I got out of prison, it wasn’t that difficult for me to persuade the owners of certain clubs to let me ‘guest star’ here and there when I was available. One of those clubs was the Camelot. They allowed me to pop in on short notice (since I never knew when we’d close a case), and shift around their dance schedule. Of course, having me back drew more attention to that club, but my sketchy schedule actually worked in their favor. The manager said that they had more guys coming in, hoping to land on the right night that I’d be there. It kept customers in suspense and coming back for more. And they paid me really well.

Morgan’s cousin, Cinthia, or Thia as we knew her, was one of the girls that I worked with. She was there the night before and I saw her walk into a private showing room. After that, I don’t remember seeing her. I assumed she had just finished the dance and went home. Based on what Garcia found, or more like what she didn’t find, that wasn’t the case.

“Riiiiiight … there! Did you see it?” she asked me. There was a portion of the outside security footage that started over. The scene barely faltered, but with someone as good as Garcia, barely wasn’t enough to protect them.

“Yeah, I do,” I said. “This is not good.”

I returned to the rest of the team to give them the information.

“So this guy is sophisticated enough to hack into the feed and set it on a loop before he abducts the women,” Emily confirmed.

“Or worse. Someone on the inside is helping him change the footage,” I offered. Neither one was a good scenario.

“Chambers, Prentiss, why don’t you go down there and see if you can get anyone to talk,” Hotch ordered. Prentiss nodded at me and I followed her lead out to the elevator. Hopefully, without my wig and elaborate outfits, the girls wouldn’t recognize me.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

We entered the club and it was strange being there at 4am. I was usually out of there at 2 or 2:30 at the latest, so I never knew how it looked when it was more calm. There were about a third of the people there than during the busy hours, but luckily I still saw some girls that we could talk to. We approached them and I recognized them immediately. They were the two new girls who unfortunately had to work the crappy hours until they moved up the ranks. Steph had huge, curly blonde hair and Heidi had short black waves.

“Hi, I’m Emily and this is Aundreya. Could we speak with you for a moment?” Preniss asked. I was definitely going to let her take the lead on this one. I wanted to stay as inconspicuous to both parties as possible.

“What for?” Steph asked.

“We were just wanting to ask you about a woman who works here, Cindi Burns?” Prentiss held out the photo to them.

“I don’t know a Cindi, but the girl you’re showing me is Thia. She works here,” Heidi answered.

“Okay, well have you seen Thia recently?” Prentiss pressed.

They both just shook their heads. “Why?”

“She’s been reported missing.”

“Missing? By who, I thought Thia didn’t have anyone,” Heidi asked.

“Her cousin.”

“Oh damn. We didn’t see her last night. Sorry,” Steph said. Both of them turned to walk away and that’s how I knew something was up. Most of us stuck together, and were concerned when we heard about something happening to one of us. Not only because we cared, but because we knew there was a likelihood that we could be next.

“Was she with someone?” I asked.

They slowly turned around to look at me, sizing me up.

“Don’t think so. Sorry, we don’t know anything.” Lies, more lies. I shot Emily a look. She’d caught it too. I tilted my head in the opposite direction of the girls, asking her to let me talk to them alone. She arched an eyebrow.

“Trust me,” I said. She complied and walked away. I chased after the girls.

“Please,” I called after them, “She is in trouble and I know you know what’s going on.”

They ignored me.

“Look, we don’t have a problem but we could depending on if and how you answer these next questions,” I threatened. That’s when they heard it. The sass in my voice that was always more amplified when I was here, playing my character.

Both of their heads whipped around. “There’s no way.”

“Steph, Heidi-”

“Alionth?” they screeched and tossed their arms around me.

“It’s me,” I confirmed.

“What the hell are you doing with the police?” Steph asked.

“I know the cousin who reported Thia missing. Somehow I never put together that they were related,” I said, avoiding their real question.

“Oh wow. Small world,” Heidi said.

“Yeah. So she didn’t show last night?”

“No. She was supposed to, but she never came,” Heidi answered.

“Do you have any idea what happened to her?”

“I mean, I saw her go into the private room with that guy, but after that, nothing.”

“Have you ever seen that man before? Could you describe him?”

“Not really. It was dark,” Heidi said.

“No, but I’ve seen him before. Well, I didn’t recognize his face, but he was wearing a long trench coat that I’ve seen before,” Steph said.

I was about to ask if there was anything about the coat that stood out when a girl came stumbling out of the bathroom. “Help,” she croaked.

Prentiss and I rushed over to her.

“I tried to stop it,” she said. Her breathing was labored and she didn’t look familiar.

“Tried to stop what?” I asked.

“I tried. I tried. He did it again.” She wasn’t making any sense and she looked high.

“Who? Who’s he?” I pushed.

“The guy in the coat.” She started coughing, then collapsed.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

She woke up in the hospital dazed and confused. I stayed with her while Prentiss went back to report to the team and assist them with whatever else they needed.

“What happened?” she asked.

“You collapsed after we found you in the Camelot. You were high,” I told her. Once we got her to the hospital and she was stable, we looked through her clothes and found a small bag full of a white powder. The lab was running it to figure out what it was. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Amanda. I dance at the gentlemen’s club a few blocks away. Who are you?”

“I’m Agent Chambers-”

“Agent?”

“Yes. We are investigating the disappearance of-”

“Multiple women in the area?” she finished eagerly.

“No, actually. Just the disappearance of Cindi Burns, also known as Thia.”

“What? No,” she quickly became irritated. “This has been happening to exotic dancers all over the city.”

“What? How do you know this?”

“I’ve been tracking it. I bounce around a lot between clubs, and that’s when I realized that I kept seeing the same man. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, men go to multiple clubs, right? But it is weird if he wears the same exact coat each time he comes, and each time, he asks for a private dance with one of our girls, and then that very same girl goes missing the next day.” I was impressed at how observant she was. There’s a lot going on in a club, so most girls just tune it out and only focus on what they’re doing.

“Wow. How long has this been going on?”

“Probably four or five months. No one is looking for these girls because most of them don’t have people who are looking out for them. I tried telling the police but they brushed them off as run-aways.” She was very passionate, and I respected her dedication.

“Do you want to do something in law enforcement when you graduate?” I asked. Her eyes went wide and I knew I was right.

“Yes. How did you know that?” she asked in wonder.

“I’m with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. It’s part of my job,” I smiled. These girls didn’t hear it enough that needing financial help to get them through college was acceptable, that what they were doing was an acceptable form of secondary income to get them a higher education. “You seem like you’d be a great addition to the system.”

“Thanks. You’re literally my age, how is it possible that you are already working in a top unit of the FBI?” Her excitement quickly diminished. “You’re probably looking at me and wondering what in the hell I’m doing.”

“No, actually. I’ve been where you are. Actually, I still am where you are. I dance at the Camelot occasionally.” Amanda looked at me bewildered, but it brought light to her eyes.

“You work for the FBI and dance?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Must be. What are you going to do about this?”

“Can I ask you a few more questions?”

“Absolutely. What do you need to know?” It gave me hope that this woman was so invested in helping.

“Walk me through what happened and what you remember.”

She told me that she’d gone for a ‘smoke break’ around midnight because that’s when the man usually showed up at the club. She looked around for him but never saw him. Amanda had only ever seen him at three of the five clubs she worked at, so she called the other two to ask them if a man like that was there. When the Camelot told her that someone there matched her description of him, she hailed a cab and drove over. When she arrived, she went straight to the private rooms, and found him forcing a girl to take drugs. When he saw her, he panicked and yanked her into the room and forced her to take the drugs as well. They immediately kicked in, she recalled, but she had enough wits about her to keep hold of the bag because the drug was nothing she recognized. She finally came-to in the bathroom, but by then, Thia was already gone and Prentiss and I had arrived.

I called Aaron and relayed the information.

“She messed up his routine and he panicked, causing him to get sloppy,” he told me.

“Yeah, but that means he might accelerate, which means …” I didn’t want to say it.

“I know. Hopefully we’ll get the toxicology report back soon so we can narrow down our search based on whatever drugs are in that bag,” he said, still trying to stay positive, even though deep down he knew this didn’t look good.

“How’s Morgan?”

“As expected. See if Amanda remembers anything else, then head back here.”

“Will do.”

Part 2

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echodrops · 5 years ago

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I just read your post about shipping and energy and I finished it with an interesting question in mind. A los of the examples you use to defend the theory the "tension" Or energy beetwen the characters have some Interactions that could be consider "Toxic" Así a relationship, but because of that tensión that just make more fans ship it. Emotions of jelaously, hate, self worth bla bla. I would like to know your opinión on Toxic relationships on shipping and the difference (1/2?)

And the difference of how people Accept it depending if the ship is Slash or het. Dont get me wrong. What I try to exploin in My crappy English is that sometimes I have seen shippers calling Toxic and unhealthy het ships (I can give you plenty of examples) but at the same time drowning in feelings about the exact same concept on Slash. It can be domination, bickering, power dinamics etc. Please a dont send this ina negative context its just something I have notice (2/2)

No worries, I got you. I think your point is really valid and there are a lot of discrepancies in how people ship when it comes to het versus slash.

In this case, my answer to this has three different parts to it:

1) I am always very, very cautious about applying the term “toxic” to a fictional relationship because--and I am aware this is not a popular opinion to have on tumblr--I do see a clear distinction between fiction and reality. Can systemic, widespread efforts in media to normalize something have impacts on public perception? Sure. Japan’s thing for twelve-year-old girls in anime is fucked up, my dudes. But in terms of fictional relationships, would any sane person look at things like, say, a psychopathic villain and hero ship and go “Oh man, Sephiroth/Cloud is such relationship goals; can’t wait to find me a serial killer!”? “Yeah dude, I really hope my next girlfriend is a yandere who will stab me sixteen times in non-vital places for fun!” “I can’t wait to engage in armed combat with my evil boyfriend who has enslaved my best friends and won’t give them back unless I let the rest of the world perish!” ...said no real person ever. Lots of things happen in fiction that we--as readers and viewers--can fully appreciate would never be okay in the real world. (And yes, this does extend even to more realistic things like jealousy, bickering, bullying--I like Bakugou as a character, but I’d never be able to tolerate a person who acted like him in real life.)

I wholeheartedly believe that, outside of illegal things which should obviously be reported, each person has responsibility only for their own fandom experience, and I highly encourage people to make full use of the blocking and filtering features available in fandom spaces to avoid any content that makes them feel uncomfortable or any ships they find to be unhealthy.

So: My opinion on toxic ships is that virtually any ship in this world could be perceived as toxic by someone, and that the alternative--a world in which the ONLY ships we’re allowed to write about or draw or even just like are those which are perfectly healthy pure pure love-fests--sounds horrible to me.

2) Very few people ship without an endgame in mind. I can’t think of anyone who looks at two characters who absolutely hate each other and thinks “Wow, I can’t wait to write a 100,000 word fic in which their relationship does not evolve in the slightest and they end the story hating each other exactly as much as they did on Day 1!” JK, maybe I can, I was in the Durarara fandom, after all. When people ship “toxic” relationships, it is almost always with the idea of character growth and change in mind--the idea is “They are not healthy for each other now, but the whole point of my story or art is that they’ll become healthy for each other over time.” The power of love can heallll peopleeee.

Are the characters jealous of each other now, aggressive toward each other now, enemies right now? Obviously in the shipper’s mind, these are challenges that can be overcome in time by the characters learning and developing into better versions of themselves. Perhaps this is an overly optimistic worldview that leads people to make bad choices in real life--awful people in real life rarely change as much for the better as characters in fiction are capable of changing, but that’s the beauty of fiction: it doesn’t show us people as they are, but people as we wish they could be. We want to believe that the toxic pair of characters can find common ground and heal each other. That the people who are jealous of each other will instead come to appreciate each other by the end. That the misunderstandings will be cleared up. That mistakes will be forgiven. People typically aren’t shipping a toxic ship because they love toxicity--they’re shipping that relationship specifically because they see potential beyond that tension.

We typically ship with “happily ever after” in mind, with the understanding that the life is too hard and people too flawed for that road to always be an easy one.

3) I think you are right that there is a discrepancy in the way that people view het ships and slash ships; namely, there is a discrepancy between the way het ships and mlm ships are viewed.

There are probably a lot of long and complicated sociological explanations for this that someone with more research in the field could explain better, but my first thought on this is that the discrepancy is based primarily on how fans understand male and female dynamics versus male and male dynamics.

For example, society is coded strongly to view a man who hits, dominates, or is aggressive to a woman as a very, very bad guy. (Perhaps this is something widespread media depictions have normalized?) Whereas “dude kicks another guy’s ass” has a whole different connotation in modern views. It is certainly a double standard, and part of the reason that so many male victims of abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, etc. go ignored. Men are viewed as “too strong” to be victims; therefore, even many of the “wokest” fans can accept two male characters having a violent dynamic, when they would never accept that scenario between a male and female character.

That said, I think we also need to recognize that the way female characters are portrayed in media contributes to this problem. A preponderance of female characters in media are limited in what they can do and the situations they are allowed to engage in. As with BNHA, for example, “good” women are not allowed to be violent, jealous (other than over boys), aggressive, etc. Women are simply treated as not eligible for a wide variety of the dynamics that fictional men are written with. A male character having a superiority-inferiority complex over his also-male rival? Not surprising in the least. A male character having a superiority-inferiority complex over a female rival? Pshhh, yeah right. A female character bitterly jealous over a male character’s power, leadership, or skill? Surely she just admires his ability. Through a combination of misogyny and toxic masculinity, the stories themselves tell readers that unhealthy dynamics are commonplace and acceptable when they happen between two males, while “good” female characters should only be a source of healthy, supportive dynamics.

If we’re talking about unintended messages that writers send readers/viewers when it comes to character dynamics, this is definitely one of them!

tl;dr: Writers train their readers to expect and want certain things, but often do so carelessly or while unaware of the ways their own stereotypical societal views and cliche genre conventions will be taken and transformed by fandoms.

#shipping #shipping dynamics #female characters #writing stuff #echo answers asks #longpost

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famedexclusivearchive · 5 years ago

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[ARTICLE] BC, DIMENSIONS, AND GOLD STAR ANNOUNCED AS SPONSORS OF SEOUL SPRING FESTIVAL

The Seoul Spring Festival was announced earlier in the year by the local government as a city-wide event taking place from March 30th to April 5th. The city of Seoul will be hosting a number of events over the course of the week, as will private businesses.

Recently, it was announced that entertainment companies BC Entertainment, Dimensions Entertainment, and Gold Star Media will all be sponsoring the festival in part and the idols on each company’s roster will be performing at one of two concerts hosted during the run of the festival. Tickets to the live concert events will cost ₩30000 each and fans unable to attend the live event can access an official live stream of both concerts for ₩15000.

ADMIN NOTES:

The time has come for our next drop event! In something of a spiritual successor to our 2018 Busan Summer Festival event, this is a week-long event in-’verse with several different varied opportunities for interactions.

Everyone under the three companies will be required to participate in their respective concert part of the festival barring extenuating circumstances such as major injury or illness. It must be cleared with the admin if you want your muse to have a plot that will keep them from participating in that portion of this event. Public activities for the event as well as the Pink Party are entirely optional both in and out of character, while the other private and semi-private activities (the cocktail party, the art exhibition, and the charity gala) will be considered optional out of character, but you’re welcome to say your muse was forced to attend by management in-character for the sake of interactions.

Activities marked “semi-private” will be open to only a select guest list, not the public, but some press may be present. Activities marked “private” will be open to a very select guest list and no press will be present.

EVENT DETAILS:

The Seoul Spring Festival takes place in-universe from March 30th to April 5th.

A number of events will take place in Seoul over the span of the week, from fun public events designed to heighten everyone’s spirits to exclusive, private events only the country’s most in-demand citizens such as celebrities and the wealthy have access to. As sponsors of the event, all three companies have allowed their idols some leeway in their schedules to participate in the festival even in their down time.

Muses will have a variety of required schedules throughout the week, but in their downtime, they’re also allowed to spend some time at the festival on their own as long as they follow the normal rules of staying on their best behavior in public. Any music shows taking place on the days of the festival can be assumed to either not interfere with what can be done that day or will be pre-recorded at a more convenient in the morning.

Outside of scheduled events, during the week of the festival, there will be sales at local shops and restaurants and smaller, special spring-themed events at cafes and parks.

The beginning and end of the festival will each be marked with a concert, for which each performer will be dressed in colors and cuts to suit the spring season. The concert set lists and styling can be found HERE.

CHOICE ACTIVITIES:

There are open events on the schedule listed below open to individual muses. This Google Form has been set up for muns to submit for the activity of their choice. At the time of posting, this will be open to one muse per mun only. All spots will be first come-first served from the time the event post goes up since choice activities will not have major career effects.

Keep in mind that canonically, companies would have final say in where their idols are scheduled, so you can request activities that your muse wouldn’t enjoy doing! These are completely optional, but can give you situations to write solos or threads about.

OVERALL:

In game, this event takes place Monday, March 30, to Sunday, April 5, but threads and other posts for this event may be started from Monday, March 23, at the time this post goes up, to Sunday, April 19, at 11:59PM EDT. Threads may be continued past the end date if needed, but must be started before then. Non-event related interactions may of course be conducted during this time as well.

NOTE: All posts related to the event should be tagged #fmdseoulspring.

SCHEDULE:

MONDAY - MARCH 30TH

9AM-11:45AM: Mini solo fan-signs (up to 30 fans each) at COEX Mall in Gangnam, Seoul.

9AM-9:30AM: Open.

9:45AM-10:15AM: Open.

10:30AM-11AM: Open

11:15AM-11:45AM: Open.

**2PM-5PM - Seoul Spring Festival Day Concert in Songpa, Seoul

2 MCs: @fmdxhaeun & @fmdhajin - cannot be performing during this concert.

Performing artists: BC Soloist 1, Dimensions Soloist 3, Gal.actic, Gold Star Soloist 3, Dimensions Soloist 2, Aria, Lucid, Unity, BEE, Fuse, CHARM, WISH, Origin [SETLIST]

4 solo or collab performance slots: @durifmd, @fmdtaeyong & two open spots - must have released at least two points claim songs at the time of the concert; the muse(s) can perform up to two songs.

TUESDAY - MARCH 31ST

12PM-1PM - Casual S/S fashion show, designs done by local fashion design students in Mapo, Seoul.

4 runway models: @fmdxyoungjoo, @fmdjynx & two open.

2PM-3PM - Formal S/S fashion show, designs done by local fashion design students in Mapo, Seoul.

4 runway models: @fmdchanmi, @fmdhyejung, & two open.

**5PM-9PM - Cocktail party and red carpet hosted by Vogue Korea and sponsored by Dior in Gangnam, Seoul. [semi-private event]

Attendance open to all muses.

WEDNESDAY - APRIL 1ST

1PM-4PM - K-Pop Cover Contest in Mapo, Seoul.

3 MCs: @fmdjaein, @dawonfmd & @fmddaisuke.

5 surprise special cover performances: @fmdtaejin, @fmdminah, @fmdxlux, @fmdnara, & one open. - idols will surprise the fans participating in the contest by giving unannounced cover performances themselves. performances can be vocal, rap, or dance, and may be done solo or as a duo. the song does not have to be an idol song or even a korean song, but must be family-friendly.

**6PM-10PM: Contemporary art exhibition opening at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul in Jongno, Seoul. [semi-private event, exhibition theme: “new life”]

Attendance open to all muses.

THURSDAY - APRIL 2ND

9AM-11AM: Cherry blossom photo shoot for a spring/summer wedding line on Ewha Women’s University Campus in Seodaemun, Seoul. (concept references)

3 womenswear models: @fmdbyul & two open.

3 menswear models: @fmdjiseok, @fmdyunki & @fmdsamsoo.

**10PM-3AM- Pink Party at a high-end bar and lounge in Yongsan, Seoul. [private event, dress code: pink and white.]

Attendance open to all muses.

FRIDAY - APRIL 3RD

9AM-11:45AM: Mini solo fan-signs (up to 30 fans each) at COEX Mall in Gangnam, Seoul

9AM-9:30AM: @fmdboram

9:45AM-10:15AM: Open.

10:30AM-11AM: Open

11:15AM-11:45AM: Open.

**All day - Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival in Songpa, Seoul.

Attendance open to all muses.

**11AM-6PM - Food tasting festival in Mapo, Seoul.

Attendance open to all muses - will feature discount food stalls from popular restaurants and cafes.

SATURDAY - APRIL 4TH

**All day - Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival in Songpa, Seoul.

Attendance open to all muses.

**7PM-11PM - Charity gala at Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo, Seoul. [private event]

Attendance open to all muses.

SUNDAY - APRIL 5TH

**All day - Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival in Songpa, Seoul.

Attendance open to all muses.

**8PM-11PM - Seoul Spring Festival After Sunset Concert in Gangnam, Seoul.

2 MCs: @fmdsophie & @fmdmaverick . - cannot be performing during this concert.

Performing artists: Femme Fatale, Gold Star Soloist 2, MARS, 7ROPHY, Element, Silhouette, Alien, Dimensions Soloist 1, Decipher, Lipstick, Impulse, Knight, Gold Star Soloist 1 [SETLIST]

4 solo or collab performance slots: @fmdjoosung. @eunahfmd, @fmdsooyeon & one open - must have released at least two points claim songs at the time of the concert; the muse(s) can perform up to two songs.

POINTS AVAILABLE:

As with all events, there are special points up for grabs.

INTERACTIONS: Having an event thread with a starter and at least three replies (starter ▻ partner reply ▻ op reply ▻ partner reply) by the end of the event is worth 2 points. This is valid for up to ten threads.

INTERACTIONS: Having an event thread with someone your muse has never had a thread with before is worth 1 additional point for each thread for up to ten threads.

INTERACTIONS: Posting an open starter for the event is worth 2 points. This counts for up to one open thread starter (not a text/sms post) per character and does not count toward the monthly limit. To be a truly open starter, this should not take place during an individual choice activity or one of the two concerts.

SOLO: Writing a self-para related to spring in some way is worth 3 points not counting toward your monthly total. There are a lot of ways to interpret this prompt — it can take place during this event, or it can be about an important moment that happened in the spring in your muse’s past, or it can just be about their feelings about spring or something they like to do during the season!

If anything in this post is unclear or you have any questions, please feel free to contact the admin. Please like this post to let me know you read it.

#fmdevent #fmdseoulspring #queued post

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spoilertv · 1 year ago

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#SpoilerTV

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lecterspet-blog · 5 years ago

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Play Games And Get Paid On Gazpo

The Gazpo IO website allows users to compete against each other in games from a variety of categories. The basic concept of it is straight forward really. The users enter free tournaments on the site, win gems by being one of the best ranked players, and then redeem the gems they won for cash!

On the Gazpo Games website you can definitely compete in games and earn online there for free. The games site supports free users as well as upgraded Pro users. There is definitely no obligation whatsoever to upgrade. There are a number of benefits to being an upgraded member a you will see later but it is not mandatory in order to play games and get paid here.

When you have signed up you can then check out the wide variety of game titles available for you to play. There most certainly is something for everyone with what Gazpo Games has to offer. Whether it's action, shooters, arcade style or even card or puzzle games, they have you covered.

When you click to go to the games page from the main page you'll see large game cards for each title to play free games on Gazpo Games. You'll notice below each game card that there are three types of tournaments listed and they also show the prize pool of gems that players can win.

When you choose the game you are going to play, you then have to select which of the three game tournaments you want to go in from Free, Coin and Pro tournaments.

All site users can play in the free tournaments and compete to get on the leader boards to win some gems. The Gems are just like an internal currency that can be redeemed for USD in members bank accounts.

The Coin tournaments are the mid-level tournaments on Gazpo.IO. These tournaments cost 10 coins to enter into and all users are able to freely earn coins. These coins are like a type of internal currency and are earned by doing easy tasks such as browsing a webpage, watching a video or doing a simple survey. On all of the pages for doing the tasks you will see there are a couple of ads and this is the way the Gazpo Games website builds revenue. This allows them to pay the top players who play the games and get in the leader boards. It's a very well thought out system they have set up and one which is sustainable in the longterm.

The Gazpo coin tournaments offer everyone the 2nd-highest level of prizes on the website. You receive higher quantities of Gems compared to the free tournaments. Coins can also be redeemed for Ad-free game time where players won't be distracted by ads playing while they are trying to win a tournament.

To enter the pro tournaments, you have to be an upgraded member. There are three options to choose from. They are monthly, yearly or the lifetime option which is just a one time payment.

If you upgrade and become a Gazpo Games PRO player, you instantly unlock multiple benefits that will give you more coins, let you to enter every tournament, and access additional referral benefits! The earnings potential for pro players is substantially better than for free members and could possibly pay for itself in a short time.

On every week day, Monday to Friday, 1% of each tournament's payout goes to a bonus prize pool which is split between two larger PRO-only tournaments that are on Saturday and Sunday. Also every day 1% of every tournament's payout goes to a massive bonus pool that PRO members can compete for on the 1st of each new month!

These weekend and monthly PRO player tournaments definitely do add heaps more incentive! The exciting thing to remember here is this is still a relatively new game site with the SEO, regular advertising and social media promotion currently building. As all of this magic starts to work, the membership is going to rise. As more members play the games, the prize pools will become much bigger!

Earn Fifty Percent More Coins as a Pro member

PRO members receive fifty percent more coins for any of the coin earning activities that they complete. More coins gains members access to more tournament entries and more chances to get higher scores for higher rankings! Coins can also be used to buy ad-free time for a premium gaming experience.

Gazpo Games Referral Program Upgrades

PRO members unlock higher ruby rewards in the Gazpo referral program. They earn ten percent instead of one percent that free players earn from the gems that their direct referrals earn as rubies. Also PRO members get 5% of any gems earned on their second referral level as rubies, and 1% of any gems earned on their third referral level as rubies! Rubies are automatically calculated and converted to gems at a rate of 100 rubies = 1 gem.

Ad Free Time Bonus And Discount

Pro members get ten times the amount of complementary ad-free time added to their account every month compared to free members! PRO players additionally receive a twenty five percent discount on gem redemptions and cash purchases of ad-free time. You can enjoy more gaming ad-free by becoming a PRO player! More info on becoming a PRO can be accessed from the button labelled PRO on the top menu of the Gazpo website

Gazpo Games Payment Information

To enable payments of your USD balance, you must fully complete both of these steps.

On the 1st of each month any USD account balances over ten dollars that are eligible* to be paid will be queued for payment automatically. Payments will be made using the members chosen payment method within fourteen days after being queued.

* For members to be eligible for payment, they have to have verified their identity and submitted their tax & bank information. Payment will not be transferred until after the minimum payment threshold is met.

Please remember that payments will be listed as coming from Holy Fire Games Studio LLC.

You should check it out join gazpo IO for free today.

#play free games #gazpo games #play games and get paid #play games and earn online

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theonyxpath · 5 years ago

Link

This week is indeed a sequel of sorts, as I follow up on a variety of topics I mentioned last week. Sometimes as clarification, sometimes to give you more info, and sometimes because I just want to mention it again.

Like the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Kickstarter that is kicking butt and taking names and is over 200% funded as we approach the end of week two. Like I said last week, it is just so great that our existing long-time fans are as excited about bringing back this legendary game as we are!

Of course, I do want to mention this week a couple of things about the KS, and maybe more the KS process that I think backers and potential backers might find it worth considering.

First, this is a reboot or re-imagining of the Aberrant setting as well as using the Storypath rules. It’s not a sequel or just a port of the old stuff onto Storypath. The designers had several goals they needed to hit, like making the system actually work this time, advancing the setting in both time and relevancy to where we are now (not the 90s), and to make sure it fit into the Trinity Continuum concept.

As more and more of the text is released to backers, you’ll be able to judge yourself how well they hit those marks – but I think they accomplished all that and a lot more!

But please, bear in mind that excerpts and previews are still just sections of the greater whole, and so you are reading something that isn’t connected to the remaining sections of the book in ways that may illuminate aspects hard to see with what is available right then.

We provide the text as we do to enable conversation and fun speculation. If you find yourself gnashing your teeth and swearing eternal vengeance over an excerpt, then the method we’re revealing things might not work for you. You’re not a jerk because of that, and we’re not jerks because we’ve found a method we use in our KSs that works really well for us. (We’re jerks for other reasons, though.)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution art by Mark Kelly

Another thing to consider about the KS preview process is that it’s not the Errata phase. We do have one of those for pretty much all of our projects, and it grew out of our Kickstarter process, funnily enough, so we definitely will give backers a chance to let us know what mistakes they find.

In fact, depending on the KS, the text may or may not have made it through editing when it is previewed. So, while the previews are great for seeing and discussing the overall concepts and details, it’s during the errata phase that we need feedback on things that don’t make sense, add up, or contradict themselves.

In much the same way, just to get this out there, we don’t do PageXXs re-errata. We do them after all the tweaks have been made, in case the text referenced in the XX moves off the page due to a change we found we needed to do because of the errata.

Eddy has a post describing why it is really important for us to keep these feedback opportunities tied to the moments in the process we need them connected to in our Pugmire Forums on this website. The gist is: it ain’t arbitrary on our parts.

Coincidentally, (?), the Onyx Pathcast crew just posted an episode devoted to this very topic: the errata/playtest/editing process and the care and feeding of the creators involved. They have a great time breaking the process down into very clear segments here: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

M20 Book of the Fallen art by Oliver Specht

Following up on the Storypath Nexus Community Content site for Scion 2nd Edition, and I just want to say how thrilled we have been with the response so far. There’s already a handful of Scion products up there, with a surprisingly wide range of subject matter, size, and pricing. Good for all of you who have put together your projects and posted and let’s cheer on the creators working on their Scion projects even as I type this!

Bravo folks! It’s a great way to share your ideas, make a little money if you price it that way, let us here at Onyx Path see what you can do, and help jump-start an awesome community with awesome content.

And, of course, here’s some clarification items.

First, Storypath Nexus is the community content site for all the games powered by the Storypath rules set. So while we have started with Scion, the Trinity Continuum, Dystopia Rising: Evolution, and They Came From Beneath the Sea! game lines will also appear as they are released. Each of these will have different allowable content guidelines, and any of them may add or subtract from those guidelines as we see what works for that line.

For example, one Storypath gameline may allow fiction books to be posted, another may not. Then, some time later, fiction may be added to where it was previously not part of the allowable content. So, the Nexus is for Storypath game lines, not for Storypath as a system.

Much in the same way as White Wolf‘s Storytellers Vault is for all the White Wolf game lines.

Second, Storypath Nexus is not an Open Game License, but a community content site. Just like every other community content site, there are guidelines like I mentioned above and limits to what can be posted on the site. Maybe at some time in the future we’ll look at ways to license the system, but right now the community content site that is Storypath Nexus is what we are experimenting with.

Trinity Continuum: Aeon – Distant Worlds art by Sam Denmark

Speaking of community content, we also have a lot of projects available (and what seems like several new ones every week) on Canis Minor for the Realms of Pugmire, and the Slarecian Vault for Scarred Lands – including the epic campaign Vengeance of the Shunned (5e) starting with Part 1 – A Mishap of Ill Portent and Part 2 – A Scholarly Schism. All on DriveThruRPG!

And keep your eyes out for the annual Xmas in July Sale blowout on DTRPG, too, where you can get wild discounts on the PDFs of our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

The Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Kickstarter funded in less than a day and is now over 200% funded! We’ve already passed Stretch Goals that are enabling us to recreate missing first edition books, a compilation of the web comic, three sections of a book statting out the characters, digital wallpaper and dice, a backer-only T-Shirt, and:

N!WE N!TERNATIONAL WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT – A new PDF product discussing the N!WE, the performers and industry personnel, and various elements of professional wrestling in the world of Aberrant!

At $88,000 and climbing, we’ve got many more fantastic Stretch Goal rewards to come, so come check it out! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/trinity-continuum-aberrant

ONYX PATH MEDIA

Onyx Pathcast art by Michael Gaydos

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features an interview with Onyx Path Operations Manager and DTRPG guru Matt McElroy who will be mercilessly grilled by our corespondents as to the inner workings and secrets of Onyx Path: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

We broadcast a live edition of the Onyx Path News today! Check out https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOnyxPath for the footage!

Matthew started up his Wraith: The Oblivion chronicle with prologues for each of the characters while they’re still alive. Here’s video one https://youtu.be/TaMIrvGDZPM and here’s video two https://youtu.be/0qCc183IF9U

The Story Told Podcast is publishing a review of The Realm for Exalted 3rd: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/episode-32-exalted-the-realm-book-review

Caffeinated Conquests continue with their fumbling, bumbling, hilarious playthrough of The Gauntlet of Spiragos for Scarred Lands: https://youtu.be/BKb3fLWFlKE

A challenger appears! New on our blog is http://307rpg.com/, a fantastic podcast which has covered all kinds of games, including (but not limited to) Vampire, Scarred Lands, and Pathfinder!

Twin Cities by Night have just started a new Chronicles of Darkness series, named “The Ultimate Evil”. Please check it out! https://twincitiebynight.podbean.com/

Devil’s Luck Gaming continue with their absolutely superb Scarred Lands campaign. We can’t recommend this one enough: https://www.twitch.tv/DEVILSLUCKGAMING

Just to show you that V20 is still going strong, The Cult of Tea and Dice has started up a new V20 campaign for all your Vampire needs: https://thecultofteaanddice.net/

If written chronicle reports are your jam, check out GMorts Chaotica as they play a V5 chronicle and utilize elements from the upcoming V5 Chicago by Night: https://gmortschaotica.blogspot.com/

Occultists Anonymous continue their superb Mage: The Awakening chronicle here! Episode 28: A Spot of Bad Luck – Atratus, Mammon, and Wyrd the Seer investigate the large suburban home where the Spider had wanted to first meet. This is just as the cabal remembers that Web of Life only reveals the living. Songbird continues to fall… https://youtu.be/sHjba91g73I

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

ELECTRONIC GAMING

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And NOW Scion Origin and Scion Hero are available to order!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we are offering The Realm in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG!

CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con: August 1st – 4th Save Against Fear: October 12th – 14th GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year!

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon) Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

W20 Art Book (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Redlines

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Second Draft

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Development

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Manuscript Approval

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Editing

Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Post-Editing Development

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)

V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle

VtR Spilled Blood

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds – Sketches coming in.

Trinity Continuum Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars

They Came From Beneath the Sea

TCFBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

In Layout

M20 Book of the Fallen

Trinity Core – Getting cover specs from printer.

Trinity Aeon – Getting cover specs from printer.

CoM – Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel

Dark Eras 2

Proofing

DR: E – final PDF off for approval

Aeon Aexpansion

C20 Cup of Dreams – This week.

V5: Chicago – Inputting 2nd proof comments.

Geist 2e – Inputting Page XXs, then Indexing.

Signs of Sorcery – Implementing Errata.

At Press

Dragon Blooded – Deluxe at Studio2.

Dragon-Blooded Cloth Map – At Studio2.

Dragon-Blooded Screen – Shipped to Studio2.

The Realm – PDF and PoD versions on Sale Weds at DTRPG!

Trinity Core Screen – Shipping to Studio2.

TC Aeon Screen – Shipping to Studio2.

Book of Oblivion – PoD proofs ordered.

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs ordered.

Scion Jumpstart – PoD proofs ordered.

Scion Ready-Made Characters – Waiting to order PoD proofs.

Blood Sea – PoD file uploaded, waiting to order proof.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Today in 1834 – The Spanish Inquisition is officially disbanded after nearly 356 years. Or were they?…

#Onyx Path Publishing

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thygesendaugherty86-blog · 5 years ago

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How To Clone Website Online?

It allows you to download websites from the Internet to your local hard drive on your own computer. Website Downloader arranges the downloaded site from the original websites relative link-structure. The downloaded website can be browsed by opening one of the HTML pages in a browser. The web grabber takes each HTML file and downloads and clones it to your local hard drive. You can use an HTML editor to make changes to each HTML file locally or use an HTML editor online. In case you are not a coder you can use a WYSIWYG-HTML Editor instead. They convert all the links in the HTML files so that they work locally, off-line, instead of pointing to an online website.

CSS and JavaScript files will be downloaded under a simple folder structure and referenced correctly in the HTML files. Like other assets, also images will be downloaded and referenced locally. Clone Website enables you to easily copy any website online. We do all of the work for you. Simply enter httrack of the website you want to copy, make a payment and we��ll take care of the rest! You’ll receive a download link usually within 24-hours. We copy all websites using the newest technologies and provide you with a “ready to work” clone. It is a paid service. The verify process can take up to the max.

The popularity of torrent sites is decreasing each year but they still remain one of the most visited websites on the web. However, at times, accessing a torrenting source like The Pirate Bay or 1337x can be difficult due to bans imposed by schools, offices, authorities, and governments. Talking specifically about 1337x, it’s one of the best torrent trackers around. To help you out in case the website is down, I’ve prepared a list of the popular 1337x alternatives that people tend to visit if the website faces a downtime. The Pirate Bay is the first website that should rightly make an appearance on any list of torrent sites.

Often referred to as TPB or Pirates Bay, this Swedish-origin site is available in about 35 different languages. Over time, it has, somehow, managed to survive downtime (here are some TPB alternatives) and a long list of legal troubles. The home page of this 1337x alternative is very minimal. While its text-only interface might not be pleasing to your eyes, it gets the job done. There’s a search box for entering your query and tick-boxes to select the torrent categories like audio, video, apps, games, etc. There are some ads on the search results but they won’t bother you much. While TPB might be the most popular torrent site around, Zooqle is the one getting tons of attention in the world of P2P sharing. Although its interface contains lots of information and pictures, it isn’t cluttered.

Zooqle actually sorts the torrents and the categories in a very intuitive manner. The site claims to feature more than 4 million verified torrents and supports more than 2,000 trackers. LimeTorrents is known for hosting mostly verified torrent files to ensure that users don’t end up downloading malware. The website features a pleasant color theme and its interface looks a lot like KickassTorrents. You can search for torrents, choose various categories, and sort the files as per date, size, seeders, leechers, etc. This 1337x alternative also shows a star badge in the listings to highlight a verified upload. When it comes to ads, LimeTorrents doesn’t feature many. However, the website keeps showing VPN affiliate banners that take you to different VPN providers.

Overall, the experience isn’t much intrusive as compared to other torrent providers. Just like The Pirate Bay, KickassTorrents has also faced multiple troubles like losing its primary domain, shutdowns by ISPs, and legal actions by governments. There are many mirrors and fake clones of this torrent alternative floating around — so you need to be careful. Talking about the interface, it’s the same as the original site. However, for some reason, the sorting feature doesn’t seem to be working. While the site doesn’t display any intrusive ads, the lack of sorting feature is a big downside. In 2016, the original Torrentz was shut down after a series of legal actions.

Following that, Torrentz2 surfaced as an unofficial clone of the website with about 60 million torrents. Over time, this torrent search alternative for 1337x has managed to gain back its userbase. Talking about the site, it’s basically a metasearch engine for torrent — not a typical torrent download website. It means that it indexes the torrent files from all popular sources and displays them at one place. The search result page lets you sort the torrents according to peers, rating, size, and date of upload. There’s also an option to rate the torrent and provide feedback. While P2P file sharing isn’t an illegal activity, users often indulge in sharing copyright protected media on the web. But, how do you make sure that the torrent that you’re downloading is legal? Legit Torrents is one such website that provides 100% legally free media. The website’s interface is as clean as it gets; there are a couple of ads on the pages but they are non-intrusive. The home page of this legal alternative to 1337x features a listing of torrents and a search box at the top. You can sort the results as per date, seeders, leechers, etc. There’s a link to an Extra Stats section at the top that provides lists of different sections of top 10 torrents.

The ability to execute code in parallel is crucial in a wide variety of scenarios. Concurrent programming is a key asset for web servers, producer/consumer models, batch number-crunching and pretty much any time an application is bottlenecked by a resource. It’s sadly the case that writing quality concurrent code can be a real headache, but this article aims to demonstrate how easy it is to get started writing threaded programs in Python. Due to the large number of modules available in the standard library which are there to help out with this kind of thing, it’s often the case that simple concurrent tasks are surprisingly quick to implement.

We’ll walk through the difference between threads and processes in a Python context, before reviewing some of the different approaches you can take and what they’re best suited for. It’s impossible to talk about concurrent programming in Python without mentioning the Global Interpreter Lock, or GIL. This is because of the large impact it has on which approach you select when writing asynchronous Python. The most important thing to note is that it is only a feature of CPython (the widely used “reference” Python implementation), it’s not a feature of the language. Jython and IronPython, among other implementations, have no GIL. The GIL is controversial because it only allows one thread at a time to access the Python interpreter.

This means that it’s often not possible for threads to take advantage of multi-core systems. Note that if there are blocking operations which happen outside Python, long-wait tasks like I/O for instance, then the GIL is not a bottleneck and writing a threaded program will still be a benefit. However, if the blocking operations are largely crunching through CPython bytecode, then the GIL becomes a bottleneck. Why was the GIL introduced at all? It makes memory management much simpler with no possibility of simultaneous access or race conditions, and it makes C extensions easier to write and easier to wrap.

The upshot of all this is that if you need true parallelism and need to leverage multi-core CPUs, threads won’t cut it and you need to use processes. A separate process means a separate interpreter with separate memory, its own GIL, and true parallelism. This guide will give examples of both thread and process architectures. The concurrent.futures module is a well-kept secret in Python, but provides a uniquely simple way to implement threads and processes. For many basic applications, the easy to use Pool interface offered here is sufficient. Here’s an example where we want to download some webpages, which will be much quicker if done in parallel.

Most of the code is just setting up our downloader example; it’s only the last block which contains the threading-specific code. Note how easy it is to create a dynamic pool of workers using ThreadPoolExecutor and submit a task. Using threads works well in this case since the blocking operation that benefits from concurrency is the act of fetching the webpage. This means that the GIL is not an issue and threading is an ideal solution. However, if the operation in question was something which was CPU intensive within Python, processes would likely be more appropriate because of the restrictions of the GIL. In that case, we could have simply switched out ThreadPoolExecutor with ProcessPoolExecutor.

Whilst the concurrent.futures module offers a great way to get off the ground quickly, sometimes more control is needed over different threads, which is where the ubiquitous threading module comes in. Let’s re-implement the website downloader we made above, this time using the threading module. For each thread we want to create, we make an instance of the threading.Thread class, specifying what we would like our worker function to be, and the arguments required. Note that we’ve also added a status update thread. The purpose of this is to repeatedly print “Still downloading” until we’ve finished fetching all the web pages. Unfortunately, since Python waits for all threads to finish executing before it exits, the program will never exit and the status updater thread will never stop printing.

This is an example of when the threading module’s multitude of options could be useful: we can mark the updater thread as a daemon thread, which means that Python will exit when only daemon threads are left running. The program now successfully stops printing and exits when all downloader threads are finished. Daemon threads are generally most useful for background tasks and repetitive functions which are only required when the main program is running, since a daemon can be killed at any moment, causing data loss. So far we’ve only looked at cases where we know exactly what we want the threads to be working on when we start them. However, it’s often the case that we need to start a group of worker threads, then feed them tasks as they arrive.

The best data structure for dealing with these tasks is, of course, a queue, and Python provides a queue module which is especially geared towards threading applications. FIFO, LIFO and priority queues are available. Ok, that’s pretty basic so far. Now let’s use it to create a tasks queue for our website downloader. We’ll create a group of worker threads which can all access the queue and wait for tasks to come in. Note that in this example all the tasks were added in one go for the sake of brevity, but in a real application the tasks could trickle in at any rate. Here we exit the program when the tasks queue has been fully completed, using the .join() method.

The threading module is great for detailed control of threads, but what if we want this finer level of control for processes? You might think that this would be more challenging since once a process is launched, it’s completely separate and independent - harder to control than a new thread which remains within the current interpreter and memory space. Fortunately for us, the Python developers worked hard to create a multiprocessing module which has an interface that is almost identical to the threading module. This means that launching processes follows the exact same syntax as our examples above. We think it’s awesome that Python manages to keep the same syntax between the threading and multiprocessing modules, when the action taking place under the hood is so different. When it comes to distributing data between processes, the queue.Queue that we used for threading will not work between processes.

This is because a queue.Queue is fundamentally just a data structure within the current process - albeit one which is cleverly locked and mutexed. Thankfully there exists a multiprocessing.Queue, which is specifically designed for inter-process communication. Behind the scenes, this will serialize your data and send it through a pipe between processes - a very convenient abstraction. Writing concurrent code in Python can be a lot of fun due to the inbuilt language features that abstract away a lot of problems. This doesn’t mean that a detailed level of control cannot be achieved either, but rather that the barrier to getting started with simple tasks is lowered. So when you’re stuck waiting for one process to finish before starting the next, give one of these techniques a try.

Games download website PCGames-Download - popular for offering cracked games - has announced it’s shutting down. In an announcement post on the website, the owner says it’s no longer possible for them to continue managing the site, so they have decided to shut it down. The team members have taken other paths. We removed the notification of updates also a few months ago, because we can no longer provide 20-30 updates every day as before. There are also a lot of dead links on the site not fixed for weeks. I do most of the work, alone for months. I can no longer insure it for personal reasons. I made that decision a few months ago.

The owner says they will pull the plug on the last day of this year - 31 Dec 2018. So users have a few days at hand to download stuff they want. We’ll give you a few days to continue downloading until, 31.12.2018 the server will be closed on this date, so hurry up ! Not only that, the owner also cautions people about similar but fake sites that may crop up after PCGames-Download gets shut down. Clone sites may appear to take advantage of the disappearance of the site in order to trap you with viruses or other things.if you see a site that looks like this site, run away.

’s a fake. There will be no other site. Users can be seen expressing their disappointment regarding this shutdown across the online discussion platform Reddit. For those who aren’t aware, earlier this month, another similar games-focused website GoodOldDownloads also called it quits. All we can say is, farewell PCGames-Download. The shutdown indeed left users complaining. 31.12.2018 and I just saw it. NOTE: To read more news related to app or website shutdowns, head here. PiunikaWeb is a unique initiative that mainly focuses on investigative journalism. This means we do a lot of hard work to come up with news stories that are either ‘exclusive,’ ‘breaking,’ or ‘curated’ in nature. Perhaps that’s the reason our work has been picked by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and more. Do take a tour of our website to get a feel of our work. And if you like what we do, stay connected with us on Twitter (@PiunikaWeb) and other social media channels to receive timely updates on stories we publish.

Sometimes you may want to download a website, or part of it, to your local system. Maybe you want to make use of the contents while you are offline, or for safekeeping reasons so that you can access the contents even if the website becomes temporarily or permanently unavailable. My favorite tool for the job is Httrack. It is free and ships with an impressive amount of features. While that is great if you spend some time getting used to what the program has to offer, you sometimes may want a faster solution that you do not have to configure extensively before use. That's where WebCopy comes into play. 1. Paste or enter a web address into the website field in WebCopy.

2. Make sure the save folder is correct. 3. Click on copy website to start the download. That's all there is to it. The program processes the selected page for you echoing the progress in the results tab in the interface. Here you see downloaded and skipped files, as well as errors that may prevent the download altogether. The error message may help you analyze why a particular page or file cannot be downloaded. Most of the time though, you can't really do anything about it. You can access the locally stored copies with a click on the open local folder button, or by navigating to the save folder manually.

This basic option only gets you this far, as you can only copy a single web page this way. You need to define rules if you want to download additional pages or even the entire website. Rules may also help you when you encounter broken pages that cannot be copied as you can exclude them from the download so that the remaining pages get downloaded to the local system. To add rules right-click on the rules listing in the main interface and select add from the options. Rules are patterns that are matched against the website structure. To exclude a particular directory from being crawled, you'd simply add it as a pattern and select the exclude option in the rules configuration menu. It is still not as intuitive as HTTracks link depth parameter that you can use to define the depth of the crawl and download.

WebCopy supports authentication which you can add in the forms and password settings. Here you can add a web address that requires authentication, and a username and password that you want the web crawler to use to access the contents. 1. The website diagram menu displays the structure of the active website to you. You can use it to add rules to the crawler. Additional URLs. This can be useful if the crawler cannot discover the urls automatically. 3. The default user agent can be changed in the options. While that is usually not necessary, you may encounter some servers that block it so that you need to modify it to download the website. The program is ideal for downloading single web pages to the local system. The rules system is on the other hand not that comfortable to use if you want to download multiple pages from a website. I'd prefer an option in the settings to simply select a link depths that I want the program to crawl and be done with it.

If you need to download website, use the offline browser SurfOffline. Enter the URL in this field to start download website from. This name is displayed in the project tree. If you select this item, files (except for images) will be downloaded only if they are located in the folder of the start page or its subfolders. Images are an exception since they are downloaded from any servers. This item allows you to download the entire website. Links to other websites will be ignored. Images are an exception since they are downloaded from any servers. This item disables the limitations concerning the location of the files that can be downloaded. You should be careful when selecting this item because the program will go outside the start website. It makes sense to use this option only if you limit very much the depth of the project being downloaded. Depth level. Shows how deep from the start page the links will be downloaded.

Some people want to download YouTube videos to their computer to watch offline. For instance, if you have a favorite YouTube series you want to watch while you’re not connected to the Internet, you may want to watch the video on your computer or mobile device. Or, if you’re someone who wants to practice their video editing skills, you might want to download YouTube videos to edit on your computer. There are several web tools and sites that can be used to download YouTube videos and you might be wondering if they are legal or not. Depending on whether the video creator gives you direct permission to download their content, or explicitly states that their content can be downloaded, it could be illegal to use third-party web tools to download YouTube videos.

YouTube Terms of Service: Is it legal to download YouTube videos? According to YouTube’s Terms of Service, there are at least two sections that would describe downloading YouTube videos as an action that violates their Terms of Service rules. The “Your Use of Content” section provides further insight into whether it is legal to download YouTube videos. “Content is provided to you AS IS. You may access Content for your information and personal use solely as intended through the provided functionality of the Service and as permitted under these Terms of Service. You shall not download any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content.

You shall not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content. But let’s face it, sometimes you might want to save YouTube videos for personal use only without any intent to redistribute for any reason. While it might not be fully legal in terms of YouTube’s Terms of Service guidelines, it can be done easily with a simple click of a button. There are several web tools that allow you to download YouTube videos for free. Some sites may force you to watch an advertisement, or send you into a black hole of ads to click on and never actually let you download the video. Most of the sites work the same.

You first copy the URL of the YouTube video and paste it into the address bar on the download website. Depending on how the video was uploaded to YouTube, you’ll be given the options to download the videos at different sizes. If you know you’re just going to look at the video on your mobile device, you may want to consider downloading a smaller size to save space on your phone. If you’re looking to play the video on your computer or practice video editing, you may want to download the largest size available and then choose to scale the size down. Here are a few sites that allow you to download YouTube videos quickly and easily.

Beware: You should scan your computer each time you visit these sites, as they can sometimes inject malware into your computer. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. A quick Google search could also lead you to other web tools, browser extensions and standalone apps that will do the same thing. If you’re someone who wants to follow YouTube’s Terms of Service agreement and download content legally, you can download videos if you’re a YouTube Premium (formerly known as YouTube Red). YouTube Premium lets you download video content to watch on your mobile device offline the same way other streaming services such as Spotify. If you're a YouTube Premium (Red) subscriber, you simply have to look for the download button in the video player to download the content and watch it offline. 11.99 and you can do a free three-month trial to see if you like it.

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onsitetechhub · 6 years ago

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Warrenton Virginia On-Site PC & Printer Repairs, Network, Voice & Data Cabling Solutions

Warrenton Virginia’s Most Reliable Onsite Computer System, PC and Printer Repair, Networks, and Voice and Data Cabling Providers.

The Most Thorough On-Site Tech Providers Coverage You Will Find in Warrenton and Throughout the Entire State of Virginia.

Computech Technology Services offers remarkable onsite computer repair, network, and voice and data cabling services throughout the whole city of Warrenton Virginia. Our high quality, industry certified on-site computer repair and network technology technicians travel straight to your Warrenton site to provide fast, cost effective installation, setup, troubleshooting and repair services on an exceptionally wide variety of various computer, printer, and networking technologies. Whether you require Windows Operating System error repair carried out on your desktop or laptop workstation, Virus Elimination, or complex hardware troubleshooting and repair for MB’s, RAM, CPU’s, or Hard Disks, our high quality computer system PC service technicians have you covered. If you need networking services installation, setup and repair services including complete voice and data structured cabling services, our expert qualified voice and data network service technicians are ready to service your Warrenton location today. Whether you need diagnosis of your ISP modem, network router troubleshooting, or simply need one of our skilled Virginia technicians to pull some brand-new cabling to support your growing network, we have it all covered, quickly and professionally. Give us a call today and discover why we are Virginia’s most complete on-site computer repair, networking, and voice and data structured cabling service provider – (859) 780-3020.

Warrenton Virginia Expert Network Setup, Repairs, Voice and Data Cabling Providers.

We Have Pro On Site Voice and Data Network Services Throughout Warrenton Virginia.

Computech Technology Services supplies trusted voice and data networking services throughout the entire city of Warrenton, Virginia. Our professionally trained, industry accredited network and low voltage voice and data cabling technicians perform an incredibly wide array of onsite technology services daily throughout the state of Virginia. We are the on-site tech service industry leaders, and we have all your on site network setup, configuration, troubleshooting, repair, and voice and data cabling services covered. Our technicians also perform on site wireless wifi heat mapping evaluations, installation, and troubleshooting, in addition to complete Point of Sale network and cabling assistance services. Whether you require repair work or setup and configuration of existing network router, switch and hardware firewall devices, or troubleshooting and repair of your current structured cabling, our on-site network service technicians have it covered 100%. Our high quality low voltage inside wiring voice and data contracting services have you covered for one single drop to one thousand cabling drops in your brand-new or older building area, fully compliant, with cabling certs provided for all Cat5e, Cat6 and Coax structured cabling. Our licensed telecom voice network service technicians are available to carry out full PBX and VoIP installation, configuration and repair, in addition to complete telecom voice network structured cabling end to end. So, whether you require complete cabling installation for a brand-new workplace, or merely require troubleshooting and repair of your present network cabling or voice and data jacks, we have the best on site service for you. Reach out and give us a call today and see why many Virginia organizations depend on our exceptional on site network and voice and data cabling services! – (859) 780-3020.

Warrenton Virginia Network Installation, Repair, Voice and Data Cabling Services:

Warrenton Network Installs, Diagnosis & Repair Services.

Network Voice and Data Structured Cabling Services Specialist in Warrenton.

Cat5e and Cat6 Network Cabling Installation and Repair.

ISP Modem Diagnostics & Troubleshooting Professionals.

Warrenton Virginia Network Router Installs, Config and Repair Providers.

Network Switch Diagnosis and Replacement Providers.

Virginia Telco Inside Wiring, Low Voltage, Structured Voice Cabling Providers.

PBX Installation, Troubleshooting and Repair Providers.

Wireless WiFi Installation, Diagnostics and Repair Services.

Virginia Point of Sale Network Structured Cabling Services.

VoIP Setup, Troubleshooting, Repair and Low Voltage Cabling Solutions.

SMB Low Voltage Voice & Data Cabling Solutions in Warrenton Virginia.

Business Structured Cabling Network Inside Wiring Solutions.

Network Rack Installation, Network Cable Management Services.

Security Cam Cabling and Installation Providers.

Retail Digital Media Display Installation and Cabling Services throughout Warrenton Virginia.

DMARC Extensions for Broadband, Coax, Cat5e, Cat6 and T-1 Telecom Voice and Data Services.

Voice and Data Jack Repair.

Voice and Data Cabling Testing & Certifying Solutions.

Wireless WiFi Site Survey and Heat Mapping Services.

Virginia’s Leading Choice for Commercial Network Solutions in:

Retail.

Hospitality.

Industrial.

Medical.

Residential.

Warrenton Virginia On-site PC and Printer Installation, Config & Repair Services.

Our Warrenton Tech’s Travel Straight to You for Unequalled On Site Computer System PC & Printer Repair Assistance.

Computech Technology Services provides high quality expert onsite PC repairs services throughout the entire city of Warrenton, Virginia. Our PC industry accredited, background checked on site computer system repair technicians are very experienced, are mobile throughout Warrenton, and travel straight to your site to carry out high quality PC and printer installs, configuration, and diagnosis & repair service. We are not restricted by being a PC brand specific company, and our onsite PC repair and printer techs carry a wide range of accreditations for an extremely variety of different makes and models of desktop, laptop computer, and printer types, so we have you covered despite your present equipment brand or current setup. Our service technicians are also on call to carry out installation, configuration, and complete repair of Point of Sale systems, for all software and hardware makes, models and types. With over 300 certified on site computer system and printer repair service technicians readily available throughout the state of Virginia, we have you and all of your on site technology needs covered, on time, each time. With our mobile on-site services, there’s no need to carry your expensive desktop, laptop PC, or printer in to a local Warrenton repair shop, and unlike many other gimmicky “PC nerd”, “computer repair expert”, and “pc medic” services, our mobile staff specialists are industry certified, background checked, and fully vetted to ensure absolutely the highest quality professional on site services for you and your local site. The choice is clear. Give us a call today and let us show you why so many Warrenton services and residents choose and depend on our total on-site computer system repair and printer services to keep their tech equipment working like brand new! – (859) 780-3020.

Warrenton Virginia On Site Computer PC Repair & Printer Services:

Virginia Total Laptop PC Troubleshooting & Repair Solutions.

Thorough Desktop PC Diagnosis & Repair Solutions.

PC RAM Troubleshooting & Replacement Providers.

Motherboard Testing Solutions.

PC CPU Troubleshooting & Replacement Providers.

HDD Diagnosis, Repair & Replacement.

Peripheral & External Drive Troubleshooting & Repair.

Data Backup & Recovery Solutions.

Trusted Virus Elimination Solutions.

Adware & Spyware Removal Solutions.

Malware Eradication Solutions.

Complete PC Optimization Solutions.

Warrenton Small Business & Enterprise Server Diagnosis and Repair.

Power Supply Diagnosis & Replacement.

Computer PC Networking Diagnose & Pro Repairs in Virginia.

Windows 7, 8, 10 Operating System Errors Support.

Warrenton Virginia PC Installs & Setup Services.

Printer Installation, Setup and Diagnose & Repair Services.

Point of Sale & BOH System PC & Network Repair Services in Warrenton.

Fast, Same Day Scheduling for Onsite Service Calls throughout Virginia.

Virginia’s Top Option for Commercial PC Repair Services in:

Retail.

Hospitality.

Industrial.

Medical.

Residential.

The Trusted Leader in On Site Tech Support Services Throughout Warrenton Virginia.

Virginia’s Trusted Commercial & Residential, SMB and B2B On Site Technology Installs, Configuration & Repair Providers.

Going all the way back to 2008, Computech Technology Services has provided expert on site computer and printer repair services, along with networking and technology services throughout the amazing city of Warrenton and the whole state of Virginia. Our high quality, mobile, industry certified on site computer repair and networking professionals have resolved countless service calls throughout the area, and we are on call to service your technology needs right now. From computer system PC issues, hardware, and software application errors to complete network cabling and technology equipment setup services, we have your on site requirements covered, quickly and professionally. Whether you require professional on-site services for your regional organization, branch office, or simply need on call white label information technology onsite smart hands support in Warrenton, our Virginia onsite Tech Services have the fast and economical option for you and your onsite technology requirements. Reach out and give us a call today and let us fix your PC, printers, and networking issues, you’ll be pleased that you did – (859) 780-3020.

Pro On Site Technology SolutionsAvailable throughout Warrenton Virginia

Computech Technology Services of Warrenton

Warrenton, Virginia 20186

(859) 780-3020

https://www.computechtechnologyservices.com/warrenton-virginia-on-site-computer-printer-repairs-networks-voice-data-cabling-solutions/

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