#my Pinterest feed showed me interesting photos

[lopsaii]

why hello there

[bamfkeeper]

Sweet Iced Tea.

RQ: 'Could I give you a penny for your thoughts on nightcrawler with a southern s/o. I’m from the deep south and He Is So Dear To Me. I just wanna feed him and make him go horseback riding with me.' - @leon-de-la-vega

Pairing: Kurt Wagner x GN!reader | Warnings: None

A/N: Half my family comes from the south, so I get this hard. Written as headcannons because this idea can be so versatile. Please ignore mistakes it's 4am ;; Dankeee

Kurt is very interested in your lifestyle. He grew up in a circus where the animals were kept in poor conditions and abused, so when he hears about you taking care of animals he is very intrigued.

He's a little nervous, not sure what to expect, but upon seeing your horses and how you treat them, he's pleasantly surprised.

"Mein Gott, they are so shiny," Kurt pets one of their manes, grinning at the horse.

He would adore horseback riding, he'd be a little skeptical at first. He'd be afraid to make the horse uncomfortable, or doing something wrong, but you promise him everything is fine and you both end up having a lovely ride.

There is a joke to be made here...

He helps with the animals if you need it, and he gladly lends a hand around the farm if you have one. Helping clean, feed the animals, collecting tools or following you around like a puppy to aid in anything you ask.

He'd love the food. He eagerly asks questions about the foods you eat. He loves corn and potatoes, since German meals are often hardy, it's not much different.

Brisket?? God he loves it. Sometimes he helps you cook too, but he mostly likes to watch while holding your hips.

You have a game where you hold up ingredients and he says their name in German. You try to repeat it, often mispronouncing, but he doesn't have the heart to correct you.

He tries on your hats and clothes, which are too big on him, but he's absolutely adorable in them.

He has a hard time learning the lingo.

You have to explain to him the terms since English isn't his first language anyway, and some terms in English confuse him. Now hearing Southern ones further makes it difficult for him to understand.

"Liebling...what does druthers mean? I cannot find it anywhere..." Kurt frowned, looking to you with confusion. "Und dog won't hunt? Dogs do not hunt, they eat inside? They are not wolves anymore."

His first time trying sweet iced tea, his eyes about bug out. Especially when you made it fresh. "Ach, das ist wunderbar!" Kurt practically downs the glass, looking expectantly for a refill.

He loves when you fuss over him. It can be over anything, a wound, what he's wearing for the weather, how much he's eating, etc. You fuss over him so lovingly, it's how you show your care and he is more than happy to sit and be the center of your attention.

Kurt gets used to the unique scents of your lifestyle too, and eventually he seeks out smells of your home and you to feel comforted when he's at the mansion.

You're kind and respectful as you were raised, and he is drawn in by your warmth and generous hospitality. You are so hard working and loyal, you never expect anything back for kindness.

You had so many traits he adored, and it only made him love you even more.

Thanks for reading.

*BAMF*

Dividers by @/adornedbylight

Forgot which comic this image is from, please let me know! Other photos from pinterest.

[mariacallous]

A few years ago I wrote about how, when planning my wedding, I’d signaled to the Pinterest app that I was interested in hairstyles and tablescapes, and I was suddenly flooded with suggestions for more of the same. Which was all well and fine until—whoops—I canceled the wedding and it seemed Pinterest pins would haunt me until the end of days. Pinterest wasn’t the only offender. All of social media wanted to recommend stuff that was no longer relevant, and the stench of this stale buffet of content lingered long after the non-event had ended.

So in this new era of artificial intelligence—when machines can perceive and understand the world, when a chatbot presents itself as uncannily human, when trillion-dollar tech companies use powerful AI systems to boost their ad revenue—surely those recommendation engines are getting smarter, too. Right?

Maybe not.

Recommendation engines are some of the earliest algorithms on the consumer web, and they use a variety of filtering techniques to try to surface the stuff you’ll most likely want to interact with—and in many cases, buy—online. When done well, they’re helpful. In the earliest days of photo sharing, like with Flickr, a simple algorithm made sure you saw the latest photos your friend had shared the next time you logged in. Now, advanced versions of those algorithms are aggressively deployed to keep you engaged and make their owners money.

More than three years after reporting on what Pinterest internally called its “miscarriage” problem, I’m sorry to say my Pinterest suggestions are still dismal. In a strange leap, Pinterest now has me pegged as a 60- to 70-year-old, silver fox of a woman who is seeking a stylish haircut. That and a sage green kitchen. Every day, like clockwork, I receive marketing emails from the social media company filled with photos suggesting I might enjoy cosplaying as a coastal grandmother.

I was seeking paint #inspo online at one point. But I’m long past the paint phase, which only underscores that some recommendation engines may be smart, but not temporal. They still don’t always know when the event has passed. Similarly, the suggestion that I might like to see “hairstyles for women over 60” is premature. (I’m a millennial.)

Pinterest has an explanation for these emails, which I’ll get to. But it’s important to note—so I’m not just singling out Pinterest, which over the past two years has instituted new leadership and put more resources into fine-tuning the product so people actually want to shop on it—that this happens on other platforms, too.

Take Threads, which is owned by Meta and collects much of the same user data that Facebook and Instagram do. Threads is by design a very different social app than Pinterest. It’s a scroll of mostly text updates, with an algorithmic “For You” tab and a “Following” tab. I actively open Threads every day; I don’t stumble into it, the way I do from Google Image Search to images on Pinterest. In my Following tab, Threads shows me updates from the journalists and techies I follow. In my For You tab, Threads thinks I’m in menopause.

Wait, what? Laboratorially, I’m not. But over the past several months Threads has led me to believe I might be. Just now, opening the mobile app, I’m seeing posts about perimenopause; women in their forties struggling to shrink their midsections, regulate their nervous systems, or medicate for late-onset ADHD; husbands hiring escorts; and Ali Wong’s latest standup bit about divorce. It’s a Real Housewives-meets-elder-millennial-ennui bizarro world, not entirely reflective of the accounts I choose to follow or my expressed interests.

Meta gave a boilerplate response when I asked how Threads weights its algorithm and determines what people want to see. Spokesperson Seine Kim said what I’m seeing is personalized to me based on a number of signals, “such as accounts and posts you have interacted with in the past on both Threads and Instagram. We also consider factors like how recently a post was made and how many interactions it has received.” (A better explanation might be that Threads has a rage-bait problem, as this intrepid reporter learned.)

What scares me most about this is not that Meta has a shitbucket of data on me (old news) or that the health hacks I’m being shown might be completely illegitimate. It’s that I might be lingering on these posts more than I realize, unconsciously shoveling more signals in and anxiously spiraling around my own identity in the process. For those of us who came of age on the internet some 20 to 30 years ago, the way these recommendation systems work now represents a fundamental shift to how we long thought of our lives online. We used to log on to tell people who we were, or who we wanted to be; now the machines tell us who we are, and sometimes, we might even believe them.

As for Pinterest, I granted the company access to my account so they could investigate why the app recommends ageist, AARP-grade content to me in its emails. It turns out I hadn’t actively logged in to the app in over a year, which means the data it has one me is, ironically, old. Back then I was researching paint, so the app thinks I’m still into that.

Then there’s the grandma hair: Not only had I searched on Pinterest for skincare products and hairstyles in the long-ago past, but Pinterest gives a lot of weight to data from other users who have searched for similar items. So perhaps those other, non-identifiable users are into these hairstyles. The company claims its perceived relevance for recommendations has improved over the past year.

Pinterest’s suggested solution for me? Use Pinterest more. Un-pin stuff I don’t like. Threads also suggested I can fine-tune my own feed by swiping left to hide a post or tapping a three-dot menu to indicate I’m not interested. It’s on me, young buck. In both cases, I’m supposed to tell the algorithms who I am.

I’m supposed to do the work. I’m supposed to swipe more. I’ll be so much better off if I do. And so will they.

[exile-eroticize-exsanguinate]

EXILE. EROTICIZE. EXSANGUINATE.

19. Trans male. Ask for main.

Aesthetic blog for my own pleasure. Will post some of my own photos.

I have several other blogs, so if you've seen a photo before, it may be me from another corner of the web. Feel free to ask me for clarification if you're unsure, or ask the other accounts. If my content shows up on Pinterest, that is not me.

Ask to use/repost photos, and credit me.

Asks are open. I suppose submissions are open as well, if you want to offer content. I like dark, liminal, tense aesthetics and gory-feeling places and subjects. Gore itself may be posted, but anything that looks like it may hold malice or stage the scenery of a death is welcome. I have special interest in black and red colored images.

DNI: Minors (this is adjacent to a gore blog), pro-contact pedos and zoos.

Block me if you don't want gore in your feed.

[who-the-fuck-is-sennalye]

In order of my grievances we have:

Twitter: run by a Manchild. Safe space for the scum of the earth. Musk I say more?

TikTok: if I had to try to fit in TikTok's short form video ecosystem I think I'd yeet myself off a trampoline. It's a whole lot of talking with nothing being said.

Snapchat: as someone who regularly reads back old chat conversations the very premise of Snapchat makes me gag. What do you mean the photos and chats are just gone? Sounds awful. Also their news section is filled with stuff no one with more than two brain cells would give a shit about.

Facebook: last time I went into my Facebook feed two thirds of it were "suggested posts" for shit I had -100% interest in seeing. Also the Metaverse is just VRchat but worse and I'm convinced it's only a matter of time before Meta buys it and drags it down to its level.

Pinterest: poisons google image search. I refuse to use it out of spite.

Instagram: the algorithm changed to only show people reels and I've hated it ever since. Also I hear they just made hashtags useless which uhh.. yikes. It's too late for me but I'm sure that broke somebody's camel's back.

Deviantart: I dunno... wasn't there some AI art controversy a little while back? I dunno I don't use Deviantart.

Reddit: run by Manchild Lite™. Wasn't bad until spez started charging for access to the API. Lots of people are understandably mad at this. Had bad places, but if you stayed away from popular or right wing subreddits you were good.

Miiverse: shut down in 2017.

Which leaves us with

Tumblr: tolerable.

man it's crazy how all the popular social media apps suck nowadays. I mean it's 2023 you think they'd come up with at least one good one by now

[deanpinterester]

noah fence but pinterest's algorithm freaking sucks

[turvi]

Art Deco

The picture was taken from Pinterest obviously

George Weasley X f! Reader

You have always loved taking pictures and have requested your father for a camera for a long time. When you finally turned 18 your father gifted you a camera. When you took your camera back to Hogwarts all your friends were amazed at the photography skills you had. The Weasley twins were especially interested.

Because whenever they asked you to let them see the pictures in there you would refuse. So when during the holidays you were at the Burrow along with your friends Harry and Hermione you decided to bring your beloved camera, Fred and George made a plan to get hold of your camera as soon as you left it.

"Y/n hurry up we are getting late" Ginny yelled from downstairs.

"Just a minute I can't find my camera," you said breathlessly

"Oh, Merlin Y/n were are going Christmas shopping, give your camera a break you won't need it there" Hermoine voiced

"Hermione my love you never know when a pretty view is in front of my eyes and I would like to capture it with my camera, for example right now," I said descending the creating stairs

"Right now we are standing in front of you," Ginny said putting her hands on her hips resembling a lot like Molly.

"Exactly my point," I said finally giving up my search for the camera to look at the two blushing girls.

"Ok girls looks like I am going without my camera" you huff

As soon as you close the door Fred and George come out of their room.

"Ready to look at some pictures George?" Fred asked with his signature smirk

"Absolutely Fred"

"Why don't I make us some hot chocolate Ginny said they will be out for a while so while we look at the pictures we will have a hot beverage to enjoy" Fred suggested

"You read my mind, Fred"

Soon Fred entered their living room with two mugs brimmed with steaming hot chocolate.

"Ready George?"

"Ready Fred"

They soon were going through the pictures you had taken and as expected they were very beautiful. It looked like a professional photographer had taken them. You had taken photos of literally everything from the first sunrise of the winter to birds feeding their babies to George. Wait!??

"Go back"

Fred clicked the buttons to see a candid picture of George.

"She must have clicked my photos too since I am more handsome than you" Fred quipped

George didn't even bother answering as he was busy calming his beating heart. He had feelings for you ever since Ron first introduced you two but never acted on it since Ron is your friend and thought it would make things awkward.

"Huh, looks like our Y/n has feelings for you"

He was stunned at his words. He stopped paying attention as soon as he saw himself on her camera

"What makes you say that?"

"Look she has taken only your pictures" Fred had a shit-eating grin now. He was enjoying this. His twin brother and Ron's friend who would have thought?

Yeah, sure he saw when George would dagger stares at some poor boy when he approached you, or the time when he caught George giving you heart eyes when you were discussing your passion at the dinner table, or the time he walked in on George smelling the blanket you used. Ok yeah, he knew it was very obvious.

"Show me" Fred handed your camera to George's shaky hand. He noticed how the color of his twin's cheeks was turning the same as the color of their hair as he went through his photos. You made him look so beautiful. There were so many pictures of him.

Pictures of him laughing with Fred, sleeping on the couch, smiling in the sunlight, all sweaty playing quidditch. The butterflies were now breakdancing in his stomach.

"So are you going to finally tell her about your feelings?" Fred interrupted him from his thoughts.

"Wha- what feelings?" his palms were sweaty, there was no way Fred knew about his feelings

"Come on George I am your twin brother you thought you would be able to hide your feelings from me for too long?" he patted George's back

"Now you better tell her how you feel or I will kick you out of our home because your puppy love is slowly driving me crazy"

With that Fred left George in the living room to wonder how will he confess his love.

It was getting dark when you, Hermione and Ginny returned to the burrow. A huge commotion started forming at the doorstep. Everyone excited to see their presents.

"Kids no one will see their presents until Christmas" Molly berating the kids trying to clear the crowd

As soon as everyone took their spots you noticed George was still there leaning on the wall looking at you with an enamoured look.

"So you like taking pictures of sunrise?"

"Ye- yeah I think they are beautiful"

"You think I'm beautiful too?" he asked without missing a beat.

Your breath hitched his smirk only growing at your reaction. He closed the distance between you not breaking eye contact. You felt sparks when he took your hand putting your camera on your extended palm.

"I am so sorry I -

You got interrupted as he closed you in between him and the wall, putting an arm beside you.

"Sorry? Oh no love I loved the pictures you took there are so many I bet if I try looking I'll find more"

"ah," that's the most you could get out of your mouth.

"Don't worry I think you are beautiful too, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me sometime?"

You quickly nod

"Words baby" nuzzling in your neck with his nose enjoying the reactions you are giving him.

"Y-yes I would l-like to" you took a deep breath to calm your beating heart

"Good I am looking forward to our first date," he said leaning away but not before kissing your cheek.

A/N: Was that good?

[yungchaeng]

Roommates (Twice series: Chaeyoung)

III: Grass genre: fluff - word count: 3414 content warning: detailed marijuana use in the latter half of the chapter

chaeyo.0: cool shirt, new hair, same me

Chaeyoung had posted a photo you took of her during lunch, showing her new hair-do. Finally, you found out about her online presence when she asked you for your account in order to tag you in the photo.

Her Instagram was…interesting. It was quite cool and alternative. It emphasized her love for art with some posts of her own works, or pieces she admired. There was the occasional mirror selfie, but also a bunch of random pictures of her like one where she stared off into the distance with a strawberry in her mouth.

Yes, it was odd. But you couldn’t help but smile at her feed. It represented her very well. And you grinned at the thought that you now had a place on her feed as well.

In the midst of your fawning over your roommate and her Instagram profile, you locked eyes with a random guy on the other side of the library that was probably wondering what was making you smile like an idiot by yourself. You shot him an awkward tight-lipped smile and quickly buried your head back into your book in embarrassment.

You were supposed to be studying for multiple exams and writing essays which was why you were in the library in the first place. However, concentration didn’t come easy as your mind kept wandering to a specific place, a specific person.

You and Chaeyoung were cool. Whenever you both were home, it was comfortable and never really awkward which you were glad about. You hung out and there was always a light-hearted vibe which you liked, but it was always short-lived as she always seemed to be going somewhere. Sometimes she was already gone by the time you woke up and sleeping when you came back from the library.

Although you two didn’t spend as much time together as you were hoping you could, she did have her ways to occupy your mind during the day. Some days she’d randomly send you artworks, clothes she saw on Pinterest that reminded her of ‘your style’ and most days you’d be flipping through your notebook in class and she’d left a little doodle on the corner of a page, probably when you left it open on your desk.

But you didn’t mind thinking about her this much. In fact, you liked it – a little too much.

Seemingly out of your control, your hand wandered back over to your phone that was still open on your roommate’s Instagram page.

“Hey there,” a voice sounded out, saving you from the rabbit hole you were bound to fall in again looking at Chaeyoung’s Instagram.

Nayeon plopped down on the seat next to you with her own roommate sitting next to her. You had grown close to both Nayeon and Jeongyeon over the past few weeks. As they have been at the college longer than you they could help you out and their chaotic dynamic together was always entertaining to you, so you were at their place quite often.

“How’s studying going? Or should I ask how insta-stalking your roomie is going?” Nayeon asked.

“Oh my god, I wasn’t insta-stalking.” You blushed under Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s knowing smirks. “She tagged me in a post, so I wanted to like it…”

“A post of 138 weeks ago?” Jeongyeon quipped, gesturing to the particular post that was open on your screen.

“Ah, shut up.” You pleaded, defeated. Maybe if you lay face down on the table for long enough they would go away?

“What are we talking about?” The voice of your classmate and friend Jihyo chimed in, chirpy as always. She joined the table with another one of your classmates, Momo, completing the small group of people you usually hung out with.

“Someone here has a little crush on their roommate.” Nayeon sing-songed, nudging you in the process.

“Jeongyeon?” Momo asked, genuinely confused.

“Ew, no.” The said girl grimaced teasingly.

“Whatever, I’m out of your league anyway.” Nayeon shrugged and stuck her tongue out at Jeongyeon. “But no, I’m talking about this one here.” She pointed to you.

“Ah, is that the one that make little love drawings for you during class?” Jihyo teased.

“Oh my god, love drawings? You don’t tell me anything, do you?” Nayeon feigned offense and slapped your arm.

“Ship.” Momo simply stated while rummaging through her bag for something to eat.

“I’m your mentor, you know? I should be helping you through these moments in life.” Nayeon went on.

“You’re my mentor. Not my mom.”

“Mom, older sister, mentor, same difference.” The older girl shrugged. “But tell me all about this Chaeyoung!”

And so you did. You firmly stood your ground that you weren’t crushing on the girl. However, seeing your friend’s smirk as you told them about her interests, habits, cute gestures and whatever else you rambled about, you knew they weren’t believing that for a second. Honestly, you slowly were coming to terms with it yourself.

The girl’s teased you relentlessly over your soft spot for the girl, but didn’t seem to know her in the way you did as they said they wouldn’t expect you to be into such a ‘rebel type of girl’.

You understood that she seemed that way though. The tattoos, her slight introvertedness and a slight air of mysteriousness that followed her would make it logical that she would be some sort of hard-ass. However, you knew that that idea disappeared when she smiled at you.

No rebel without a cause could have a smile as sweet as hers. Impossible.

“Okay,” you sighed. “Maybe I do have a bit of a crush on her then.” The table was silent, your friends simply giving you a look.

“Anyone surprised?” Momo broke the silence followed by a string of laughs and shaking of the heads of your other friends.

After what seemed like ages of teasing you, you and your friends all got back to studying. You were surprised at how much faster it was to do your schoolwork with them – it was probably more efficient anyway since you couldn’t distract yourself thinking about Chaeyoung without getting called out for it. Before you knew it, you were done typing up your last essay and were packing your bag to go home.

And boy, you couldn’t wait to get home. You had been fantasizing about diving into your bed as soon as you got back all day and that was exactly what you did when you walked through the door. You groaned into your pillow, releasing all the pent-up stress from being busy with schoolwork for so long.

Much to your surprise, Chaeyoung walked through the front door and paused at the sight of you. It seemed like neither of you expected the other home at this time, but it was a pleasant surprise.

“Hey?” she said, a look of amusement on her face. “You’re back so early.”

“Yeah,” a sigh escaped your lips as you looked at her. “I’m finally done with all the deadlines, which is good…but now I just hope I did well.”

“Aw,” she cooed. “Don’t worry. You worked so hard, so it’s definitely going to be okay.” Your roommate moved over to her own bed and lied down, looking over at you with care in her eyes. “Are you stressed?”

“Yeah, a bit I guess…”

She simply hummed in response and thought for a second. “I think I might know something that could calm you down?” Chaeyoung bit her lip and in a split second she walked over to her desk and rummaged through the top drawer. You watched her pull out a little plastic bag from it, with something inside that you couldn’t quite make out yet. When she sat next to you on your bed you realised.

“Chaeyoung, is that…” you lowered your voice to a whisper and scanned the room as if you two weren’t the only two in it, “marijuana?”

Your roommate chuckled at your antics, “Yeah, it is.”

You fixated on the green bud in the plastic bag. “Is that even allowed in here?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged with a mischievous smile, “probably not, but no one is here to stop us, right?” She had a point and you thought for a second. “But please,” Chaeyoung locked eyes with you as she went on. “No pressure, alright? It’s just a suggestion, okay?”

Maybe it was her genuine expression, the residual stress you still felt from school or simply just your curiosity, but you decided. “Okay, fuck it. Let’s do it.”

“Cool,” she simply said with a smile.

You watched her as she walked over to the kitchen table and took out some stuff from a little bag next to her bed and took the bud from it’s plastic bag. You weren’t sure what exactly she was doing but she seemed like such an expert at doing it. Before you knew it, the little bud had been rolled into a joint and you looked on fascinated.

You didn’t realize you were biting your lip watching her lick the paper as the last step until her eyes met yours when doing it. It was the quickest you have ever looked away from anything, but you still managed to catch her smirk at you. You awkwardly cleared your throat as you felt yourself blushing.

Chaeyoung had moved your desk chairs over to the open window and you sat down next to her. “Have you ever smoked before?” she asked. You shook your head and rubbed your arm. “Do you know how to?” When you shook your head once again, she smiled. “Okay, that’s fine. I know a way that might be chill for you.”

She explained that there was a way for you to smoke by her inhaling it first and transferring it over to you in some kind of way. You had no clue what she was talking about, but trusted her when she told you “Just inhale when I guide you to, okay?” Chaeyoung got up from her chair and stood in front of you. She cupped her hand to shield from the wind as she struck her lighter.

As she was so focused on that, you took the chance to look at her. She wore sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt, stained with what was probably paint or ink of some sort. You couldn’t help but check her out. Her hair in somewhat of a messy bun, cheeks rosy from the cold wind on her, her clothes showing off her mid-riff and soft tummy…

As if she could read your mind and your deepest desire, she came closer to you. Chaeyoung lowered herself to face you by going on her knees in front of you and placed her hands on your thighs. Your breath hitched as she leaned into you and she softly tapped you. Taking that as the said signal, you closed your eyes and tentatively inhaled the smoke coming from her parted lips.

When you opened your eyes they met the worrying eyes of your roommate. “Are you alright?”

You nodded. The feeling of smoke in your lungs was definitely something you had to get used to. Then it was as if everything hit you all at once. Chaeyoung’s hands still on your thighs, her scent, her face only inches away from yours, her presence, her lips. Everything. “Wow. Yeah, but wow.”

Chaeyoung only laughed and the sound and it sounded like music in your ears. Chaeyoung helped you the same way a few more times and a combination of the weed and her proximity to you made you feel lightheaded in an odd, but good way. You rest your back in your chair, letting the pleasant wave of euphoria wash over you.

“Relax, okay?” she instructed and sat back down in her own chair. “and let me know if you need anything.”

You pouted and held your tongue. What you wanted was for her to come closer again, but that would be silly to say, right?

“Tell me about your day.” She said, taking a hit for herself. In your mind her eyes bore right through you. You don’t know if it was just the weed, but it felt like the first time you truly had someone’s full attention in order to talk about something as mundane as your day.

So you did as told. Told her about your school assignments, procrastinating in the library and your friends joining you (you skipped over them teasing you ofcourse). You even rambled on about the smallest detail, until you saw her smiling to herself. “Oh my god, should I stop talking?”

“No, don’t.” she reassured and leaned her back against the wall, eyes closed. “Your voice is very soothing.”

You internally thanked the gods for her eyes being closed so she couldn’t see you blush. “It feels like I’ve been talking for hours…”

Chaeyoung took her phone out and chuckles slightly. “Yeah, that’s the weed.” She said and showed you on her screen that only five minutes had passed. “And even if you were, I wouldn’t mind.”

Honestly, you wouldn’t mind talking to Chaeyoung for hours either. The idea of having a moment like this with her last for so long actually brought a giddy smile to your face, one that you didn’t even mind hiding.

“You know, for someone who’s kind of quiet you have a good way with words.” You remarked earning a giggle from your roommate.

Chaeyoung giggled “Thanks, I guess?”

“Anyway, the floor is yours. Talk to me.” You slouched down in your seat and closed your eyes, awaiting her voice to fill the room.

She talked about her day with a smile, describing how she went to an art studio with some friends to paint and listen to music together.

“Is that where you always are?” you cocked your head to the side, “You’re not actually here very much.”

“Aw, did you miss me?” she teased. You held your tongue as you felt yet another blush coming on. Due to the embarrassment you felt of her being kind of right, you only managed to playfully roll your eyes at her. “Yeah, I guess. Either there or in the library or something.” She went on (thankfully). “I noticed you were heavy on all your school work for the past week or so, so I didn’t want to, like, distract you or anything.”

You paused for a beat. You wanted to tell her that there was no problem and that she wasn’t distracting you at all, but from the few times that you actually did study when she was home, you knew that you would be a lie. After reading every other word, your mind drifted to her and what she could be thinking or doing on the other side of the room. You couldn’t help but glance at her every now and then and admire her.

When you thought she wasn’t looking, you peeked at her. Looked at her reacting to videos on her phone and smiled at the way her eyebrows furrowed then or happily sighed at the sound of her soft giggles. Or when she was furiously typing away on her laptop you yearned to ask what she was doing, just to hear her voice fill the room again.

Had she noticed that? Is that why she left? Was it weird? Is that why she kept leaving? Were you being weird right now?

Omg, say  s  o  m  e  t  h  i  n  g  

“Oh,” you simply let out.

The other girl burst out laughing and you weren’t sure why. She held onto her stomach and actually folded over in laughter. And for some reason, you couldn’t help but laugh with her. After you both laughed for what seemed like ages she wiped happy tears brimming at her eyes. “You were thinking for so long, and you had the shortest reaction.”

“I think my brain might have just glitched,” you chuckled.

“No worries.” the other girl smiled. “Anyway, you should come with me to the art studio sometime. It’s really pretty, plus I think my friends would really like you too.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You smiled.

The two of you talked longer, every minute felt like an hour and you enjoyed all of it. You learned so much more about Chaeyoung. You watched with adoration as she described the intricacies of “Girl” by The Internet and explained to you why it was her favourite song at the moment. You admired her as she went on and on about Justin Bieber, trying (and failing) to hide her inner Belieber. You smiled as she told you about a new spider tattoo she planned on getting on her hand and you laughed at how she cringed when telling you about her first kiss.

You were enthralled by her. Captivated.

“I could go for some food, how about you?” she randomly spoke up, breaking a small silence that had fell. She stood up and walked towards the kitchen area.

“You read my mind.” You muttered as you shuffled behind her.

“Good,” she chuckled. “I got some Ramyeon.” she smiled bright and held the noodle packs next to her head.

“Ah, it’s my favourite flavour as well!” you exclaimed.

“I know, I noticed you preferred it over the others. So I buy mostly this one now.” Your roommate casually said as she prepared the food. “You’re right. It’s really good.”

“Oh my god, Chaeyoung. You’re such a sweetheart.” You let out, admiring your roommate. She laughed at your remark and you went on, “I can’t believe I was intimidated by you at the start?”

The other girl burst out into laughter when you spoke, “Ah, you make my day. Me? Intimidating?” she put her hand against her chest and raised an eyebrow, acting offended. However, she quickly composed herself and turned the amused look on her face into the most adorable wannabe gangster one you have ever seen. “I mean, yeah, as you should.” She cutely quipped.

“Shut up, chae.” You slapped your roommate’s shoulder. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

When the food was ready you ate, going on and on about how this was the best Ramyeon you had both ever tasted – although that was probably just due to the munchies. Both of you were sitting on your roommate’s bed, still talking while tiredness was slowly taking over. Your voices had gotten lower and you had somehow, someway slowly found comfort being close to each other. Chaeyoung sat up against her bed frame and you rested your head against her shoulder. From this position, a seemingly permanent smile was plastered on your face as you got lost in her eyes.  

You were taking turns asking each other random questions, being stubborn and trying to avoid falling asleep. “what is your ideal date?” she had asked you. It was a good question. Not one you had really thought about before.

“I don’t really know actually,” you admitted. “Having a bite to eat with them would definitely be on the list. Maybe also do something cool before or after? Like visit a concert, or an aquarium or something – I don’t know. I also enjoy the arcade. I always used to go on my birthday when I was younger.”

“That sounds fun.” Chaeyoung said. You could hear it in her voice, she was tired too. “When is it actually, your birthday?”

“Saturday.” You said, mindlessly snuggling up closer to your roommate.

“What? So soon?” the other girl said, slightly taken aback. “were you going to tell me this?” she jokingly quipped.

“ah, no big deal.” You replied through a yawn.

You didn’t know if it was an after effect of the weed or the comfort you felt laying on Chaeyoung’s shoulder, but it felt like you had never been as tired as you were at that moment. However, stubborn as you were, you didn’t want the night to end.

“I disagree.” The other girl muttered under her breath. She looked down and chuckled at you fighting your natural urge to close your eyes. “You’re tired.”

“I’m good.” You tried.

Your roommate swung her arm over you, pulling you closer into a more comfortable position. “uhm,” she started tentatively. “you’re welcome to stay with me tonight…I mean, if you want.”

You melted in the comfort of her grip, and through the tiredness you managed to smile at her. “yeah, I’d like that.”

And just like that, you closed your eyes and another day was gone.

[decidedlyundecidedgirl]

Summer 2020 I was only vaguely aware of Tom Felton to be honest. Being a Potter fan, I knew him of course as the Draco Malfoy. But other than that, he really wasn’t on my radar.

Now here I am, 18 months into a Tom Felton dedicated TikTok account, (TikTok has a lot to answer for in this whole thing) an ever growing amount of photos saved on Pinterest, money parted with quicker than you can say ‘You’re not in Hufflepuff are you?’ when announced Tom will be starring in a west end play, eagerly awaiting his latest goings ons and a cushion with his face on (but we won’t talk about that.)

So what is it about Tom that’s made myself and many others be caught under his spell?

Well where do I begin, let’s start with his adorable, kind, funny and incredibly endearing personality. The way he has been interacting with fans through social media is very special and pretty rare.

His lives on Instagram have captivated fans with his personal, down to earth, funny and sometimes chaotic approach. He sings,plays guitar, and he introduced us to his dog Willow. (Who happens to be equally adorable.) He still embraces all things Potter and sometimes allows fans to join his lives (with varied results!)

I began following Tom on Instagram after #dracotok gloriously entered our lives in late summer 2020. #dracotok (incase you don’t know) was a huge trend to appear on Tiktok featuring a collection of videos dedicated to Draco Malfoy. POV’s (point of views) were particularly popular and still are.

To cut a long story short I began watching his lives and became hooked pretty quickly. #tomtok soon followed #dracotok with Tom himself interacting with the Draco videos and posting his own TikTok duets with fans. So the obsession deepened. I found myself wanting to make edits and things only got worse better. I’m sure this is a similar story for many others!

There are now countless creators on TikTok making Draco and Tom content. The #dracotok tag has 25.1 billion views with #tomtok at 982.7 million. Which gives you a rough idea of how much this blew up!

But why? Well when dracotok first happened we were in the middle of a global pandemic. Our lives were far from normal so Draco Malfoy POV’s became the perfect escapism we desperately needed.

Tiktok also of course works by showing us more and more of what we like, so once you like one Tom or Draco edit, you will be shown more. So does this feed the obsession? Absolutely! Do you like him more because so many others like him? Probably. Herd mentality if you will.

The above for me has definitely changed what would usually be a fleeting celebrity crush into much more entirely. Although I'm very aware that these things have influenced my feelings. I know it wouldn’t be enough to make me feel this way for this length of time. So I believe my affections for Tom are real and long may they continue! (Totally have this all under control of course!..)

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room…Yes, Tom is kind,funny and endearing but he’s also, let’s be honest, freaking HOT. Like seriously fine. I’m not sure I’ve been this attracted to someone I’ve never met before.

Tom may not be someone you immediately find sexy. In fact he’s totally not my usual ‘type’…My usual preference is brunettes.. But it’s not just about looks. It’s about, well, pretty much everything he does.

The way he acts,plays golf, skateboards (yes Emma, I get it.) plays several musical instruments and writes his own songs, his little habits, his voice, his walk, his HANDS. Let me repeat. HIS HANDS…..

Sorry where was I?.. Oh yeah so basically Tom Felton is the whole package. I’m not saying he’s perfect. Nobody is. I’m not saying I actually know the real him. But as celebrity crushes go this will probably be like nothing else you’ve experienced.

I usually lose interest in almost everything quickly, but at this point I’m not sure I could stop being interested if I wanted to. Don’t get me wrong, me and Tom have had our ups and downs. I get mad at him…usually for no reason (he’s obviously unaware of our ‘fight’ and doesn’t know I exist..) sometimes real life is busy, sometimes Tom is quiet. But it always comes back again strong as ever.

There’s so much more I could say about Tom and the possible reasons he’s had such an effect on myself and many other people (maybe he really IS a wizard?)

But why not go and check out his socials for yourself. But be prepared… to fall in love.

Article written and owned by decidedlyundecidedgirl.

Photos all courtesy of Pinterest.

[seizetheedae]

SaturDAE: April Showers Bring May Flowers!

Written: 4/19/2021 @ 2:06AM EST

Happy May, Hunny!

What better time is there to launch than the month of BLOOM?! Spring brings about a time of ‘rebirth’ and ‘renewal’, making it my favorite season for that very reason! So as we all break out the sunglasses and dresses, don’t forget a nice umbrella to go with the ‘fit[1], Hunny. Here at SEIZEtheDAE, not only do we show up and show out, but we also come well prepared.

Now, how does that translate from May to sunglasses to trying to coordinate them with a clunky umbrella? Let me break it down. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has had copious amounts of time to cook up some BOMB AF ideas during the parabola[2]. Now that it’s been over a year and outside is slowly opening back up to the public, (Ahhh, I can smell the bad decisions already…) it’s definitely a great time to show off some of these bright ideas. However, if Roro[3] has taught us anything at all, we’ve learned to always be prepared!

As Ms. Jackson was once told: “You can plan a pretty picnic but you can’t predict the weather.” [4]This holds true in many aspects of life and comes in handy when we’re talking about goal-setting 101. The #1 rule is… Well, it’s actually that there are no rules. BUT Rule #2 would definitely be to have a backup plan or planssssss in place! Make that Vision board! Do that manifestation reiki! Pray and let God know what you want and need! But please do not leave yourself hanging because this world definitely will! “When you fail to prepare; you’re preparing to fail.”[5]

My suggestions:

1.) Spring Clean.

I mean this literally and figuratively. Clear out your physical space (at home, at work, and your car too) of anything without a proper ‘place’ or anything you haven’t utilized in quite some time. [i.e. it’s no longer serving you bro/sis] Now, hear me out, do the same thing in your phone. I’m talking photos, contacts, apps, alarms even. Purge anything that’s not of good use to you at the moment. I would include any social media as well to really set yourself up for success in your season of bloom!

2.) Envision.

This is where you let your imagination run WILD and FREE! The easiest way to envision anything is by creating a vision board. (I know it’s cliché, but, it works!) Make yourself a visual reminder of the life you have planned for yourself. Physical vision boards are cute and allow you to get creative with your vision, but virtual vision boards are becoming more and more popular these days. The simplest, most user friendly and easily accessible way to create vision boards is through Pinterest. It’s user friendly, feeds that social media scrolling itch, while also providing ideas and visual references to look back on when needed.

3.) Grab that umbrella!

This is the part of planning where we are more ‘realistic’ or some may even say ‘pessimistic’ because we envision a reality where a goal, or goals, that we originally envisioned do not come into fruition. Honestly Hunny, don’t spend too much time here, it’s the ghetto. Just be sure to come up with a backup plan. Also, be mindful that depending on the goal, you may need a backup plan to the backup plan. In some extreme cases, a ‘front-up’ to the backup’s backup plan is necessary! Just keep in mind that you have to have your own back at the end of the day. I would start with this phrase as a prompt:“If all else fails, I know that I can: ___.”. Fill in the blanks from there and BOOM, you’ve got a solid backup plan written out. “You’re doing amazing, Sweetie!”[6]

So, that’s it, goal-setting 101. By planning ahead, we soothe not just our ego or that inner child that tells us we can conquer the world, but we are also calming our anxious self by starting with a fresh mind from the spring clean, focusing in on what we truly want out of life by envisioning, and then preparing for life’s rainy days by grabbing an umbrella or backup plan.

P.S. The Song of the DAE that’ll be of good use while you’re in Spring Clean mode is: Rolls Royce B*tch by 2 Chainz. This track is super inspirational because the beat is simple and uplifting while TityBoi hypes himself up in the lyrics, not just about the things he’s acquired monetarily, but his mindset as well. I made a MayFLOWRZ playlist specially for you if you’re interested in a deeper dive from this post. But until next time Hunny:

Pudge & Peace Always,

-DAE.

[1]‘fit: Slanguage for “Outfit” [2] *Parabola –Nickname for the COVID-19 Pandemic (We don’t call Sis by name) [3]Roro: Nickname for COVID-19/Coronavirus (Again, we don’t acknowledge Sis by name) [4] (Outkast, 2000) [5] (Wooden, 1977) [6] (Jenner, 2007)

[myfriedzucchini]

When I was 12, my cousin confined me to get an AIM account so we could instant message each other (even though we lived two miles away from one another and saw each other more often than not). I used AIM to talk to her and some of my friends that went to a different school than I did.

That year I also made a Facebook account, I am pretty sure the sole purpose of this was so I would stop logging into my mom’s (which she didn’t use) and asking her high school friends (who she does not talk to) for help on Farmville. I ended up deleting this account several years later because it was filled with embarrassing middle school memories, like collages full of neon colors and dinosaurs or whatever cringe thing was on the rise that week. When I remade the account it was for a sports team in high school. After the season was over it slipped my mind until college. I almost never go on it unless I am looking up something really specific.

In the seventh grade I made a Twitter. I used it a little, but then stopped for a few years. I think I started using it more frequently as a junior in high school and that hasn’t changed much in the past four years.

I also created an Instagram that year. I had several accounts for some reason, one of which was a relatively successful one that was just memes about soccer? I am unsure why it had so many followers, but there were upwards of ten thousand. I think it’s really interesting because I know so many people who had fan accounts for bands or sport accounts in middle school that all were relatively popular.

Snapchat is semi-irrelevant to me in this conversation. It is a more “closed” form of social media, in my opinion. People who aren’t your friends can’t see what you post unless it ends up on another platform. I never pay much attention to this app. Every once-in-awhile I use it, but I don’t think of it often.

Tumblr appeared at some point or another and then disappeared just as quickly. I couldn’t even tell you what year I had it or what my username was.

Pinterest got me through high school, I don’t really think of it as social media anymore, but we had iPads in high school and we would use Pinterest messaging to talk to each other in class because the school had access to our emails.

I created a “finsta” my freshman year of high school. I use it more than my regular instagram now. It’s a lot more personal due to the fact that it is not followed by random people I met once at a party and my fifth cousin who I met once when I was seven. It’s a place to rant and share and get advice. It’s a lot more comfortable than the much more public accounts I have.

The summer between high school and college my friend showed me this really cool app. I think it was called “reel” but I don’t remember. It was really short lived, but I thought it was so cool. Instead of posting photos to a feed, like on Instagram, you could post clips of videos or Live Photos with music of your choice in the background. I kind of with this app took off and replaced instagram, but oh well.

In 2019 I created a LinkedIn account because my dad told me to. I think I update it once or twice a year and I have never once read anything that is on the ”feed”.

I resisted Tik Tok for longer than all of my friends, but once the pandemic hit and I was sent back to my hometown to do nothing but stare at a wall all day, I caved. That app was seriously addicting at first. I do love the food, art, and animal videos on it. A cat shelter where I am from went viral on there and now they get loads of donations which makes me happy. I’ve seen a lot of good spread on Tok Tok from one community helping another. However, like all social media there is a bad side to it as well.

I did not consider professionalism and social media much until I was in my senior year of high school and the administration kept policing my Twitter account all because I was complaining to my very few followers how the school was bad and full of hypocrisy. The amount of effort this school put in to policing my account as well as several of my friends and someone who had already graduated made me very wary. Even though I did nothing wrong I was still being punished. So after my senior year, I started making all my accounts private. I started deleting posts and tweets and unfriending people. I wanted to become as anonymous as possible. I am still on private on all my accounts and I wish to remain in the background. I honestly don’t even enjoy using most social media anymore. It used to be a break from my life, some minimal form of escapism, but all the things I used it to avoid have made their way onto these platforms.

I was so mad about my school’s treatment of me and my online life. I know it is important to be aware of who you hire, who works for you, what business you are giving your money to and what the owners are like, but it was unsettling to find out that I could post a critic of something I was unwillingly a part of and be reprimanded for it. That made me more aware of my online presence and also really angry and uncomfortable.

[diveronarpg]

Congratulations, KAY! You’ve been accepted for the role of HELENUS. Admin Rogue: I will be honest and say I must have read this app six times since we got it, minimum. There was something about your words that made me want to live in them forever, to tell Hugo all my secrets and let him tell me his. Hugo is so easy to turn saintly or push toward martyrdom, and your Hugo is a good person with all his flaws on display, humanity shining forth so clearly from him that he breaks my heart. He reminds us that sometimes God’s will brings down the crusades; he understands peace the same as he has made war, and Hugo knows the sanctity of blood in how he cannot wash it from his hands. I think I fell a little in love with him in this app, in spite of his Jimmy Buffet obsession, and that’s when I knew we couldn’t go another day without him! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Obiwan Kaynobi

Age | 25

Preferred Pronouns | She/her

Activity Level | I feel like I’m active on the dash at least twice a week, and if I’m not posting replies I’m able to lurk the dash on mobile and plot on discord. But, with the quarantine and finally getting into a rhythm, I think I’ll be able to get on the dash more often!

Timezone | The Twilight Zone jk it’s PST now!

Triggers | REMOVED

How did you find the rp?  | One day Pandora showed up in my brain and I couldn’t get rid of her. Now Hugo also lives there with his Catholic guilt and honestly it’s a nightmare.

Current/Past RP Accounts | Here’s Panda’s blog!

IN CHARACTER

Character | Helenus, Hugo Kim. Hu-go, (German); meaning mind. Kim, (Korean); meaning gold, iron.

What drew you to this character? | Honestly, the thing that struck me about Hugo was that he’s the guiding light for so many people - and it’s ironic. He’s the prophet of the people, telling them each Sunday to do well, to be good and then he turns around and commands the other Capulet soldiers to harm others. And honestly, I think there are times that Hugo questions the good word. His hands are stained with blood and it doesn’t matter how many confessions he sits through because they’ll be stained red forever.

I also love that despite his affiliation with the Capulets, he does hold sermons on Sundays. Religion is the one thing that he has left of his parents - his mother - and Cosimo can pry that from his cold, dead hands. There’s a sort of natural confidence Hugo exudes when preaching and it spills over into his missions. In his bio it says, “They flock and he guides them, a SHEPHERD to Cosimo Capulet’s people.” He’s someone that people will listen to regardless of whether he’s leading the mission or not.

But, the one thing that really stood out to me with Hugo is his devotion. Whether it’s to his mother, God, Halcyon, he’s 100% devoted no matter what. He puts the time needed to do a job well done and I think that’s something most people look over with Hugo. There is no person more devoted to the morals he’s bound to than him. It’s something that makes him stand out from the rest of the gang members.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

a. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. The Cathedral is technically Capulet territory, but Lawernce wandered in one night and let every sin fall from his lips, tethering the two of them together whether the liked it or not. This encounter is something that can and will tear Hugo apart. He’s bound to both the church and the Capulets - neither of which he ever planned on crossing. Watching him struggle between his faiths is something I would love to see happen on the dash.

b. Sister Saint Monica, you’ve got me on my knees. Halcyon, his personal angel sent from Cosimo. She’s his guiding light, his angel of mercy, the one he’ll pray to each night - and I would love to see how far he’s willing to go for her. How much blood will he spill in order to feed the person he sees as a God? And of course, how will that guilt manifest after he’s done it? How often will he find himself on the bathroom floor, shaking and sobbing from the faces that haunt his dreams and the souls that claw at his throat all for the sake of Halcyon?

c. Bathe me in holy water and erase my sins. Killing his own brother is something that Hugo has yet to forgive himself for. The memory of his parents on the floor, the gun in his hand, the sounds coming from his mouth after he pulled the trigger play on repeat in his mind daily. How does he deal with the constant onslaught of this? Does he find himself crying in the confessional over what he’s done or does he simply let the memory play out and avoid thinking about it? It’d also be interesting if another character knew what he did and used it as leverage over him.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | As long as he gets to marry Brat first, feel free to kill him. That can be the first and last thing I do with him, please just let him marry them.

IN DEPTH

In-Character Interview:

What is your favorite place in Verona? | We recommend looking at the location page and reading it over to figure out where your character’s favorite place is – if it’s not their own house/room.

He’s positive that the woman across from him expects to hear the Cathedral. But, the stained glass and golden pews have long since turned sour to Hugo. Now, they remind him of blood and guns and the rush of guilt that burns in his throat like bile. He thinks of the theater, how he and Albert used to hide underneath the seats to sneak into a second showing. The library, once a place that he was able to roam without hesitation and devour any book he desired, now stings in his memory since it became off-limits. Finally, the corners of his lips quirk up. “Twelfth Night Museum holds a dear place in my heart. I can’t say much about the attendees who show up at night, but during the day it’s beautiful.”

What does your typical day look like?

Hugo pauses for a moment, mulling over the words before he speaks. He glances at the watch on his wrist, then his shoes, and finally meets the eye of the interviewer. The interview is for a profile on him, a puff piece to lighten the city when all it knows is death and destruction. “Well, it’s Saturday. I host evening mass then head over to Phoenix and Turtle for the bread donation. My days are typically the same, depending on whether or not the farmers market is here.” He graces her with another smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. What he leaves out is that his nights are filled with the scent of gun powder and his fingers brushing eyelids shut, a prayer whispered under his breath.

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

How was he supposed to pick just one mistake? There had been plenty of missteps through the years that would certainly be labeled the worst. The stolen liquor from the bodega, the moans in the backseat of a car, the night he killed Albert. Far too many things have been deemed his biggest mistake. “Even I’m allowed to have secrets.” Hugo glances out the window and watches the couples walk by. They’ll have to try harder than this to get him to reveal what it is. “That one is between me and myself.”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you?

His gut reaction is to say preaching his sermon. The words of the good book that fall from his lips and into the ears of the parish are nothing but lies - but now was not the time nor place to discuss that matter. “There are times I’m asked to stop helping those in need. I have to respect their wishes, but it’s not in my nature to walk away from those who need help.” He thinks of the dying who were left to bleed after he shot at them, of the unfortunate souls who end up injured by falling into debt with them, of the addicts who pump their veins with Theo’s latest experiment and can’t escape the warmth the drug gives them. Ignoring these souls only to have them haunt him later is the most difficult thing he’s done.

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

He nearly chokes as he takes a sip from the mug. As the interview continued, it seemed as if the questions were diving deeper and deeper into unsafe territory. Perhaps it would’ve been smart to let one of the emissaries approve the list of questions before he arrived. “As a man of God, I can only hope that no more bloodshed happens.” His lips press into a thin line. “Hasn’t our city seen enough?” His answer is honest, one that he never dared utter before now. The war his boss wages against the Montagues is one that he finds despicable. So much has been lost in the names of each family and yet, they continue to take more and more and more.

Extras: Bold of you to assume I don’t have any extras. Here is his mockblog, a Pinterest board, and as always, let me sprinkle some hcs here:

Hugo’s very into the arts. His favorite artist is M.C. Escher.

This man is not straight. Local disaster bi preacher is at your service.

There’s a photo of his parents tucked into his wallet so he’s able to carry them everywhere.

He does yoga whenever he gets the chance.

Hugo’s a huge Jimmy Buffet fan, I’m sorry but it’s true.

He’s also a huge Florence and The Machine fan so it balances out.

More often than not, there’s a bottle of cheap scotch in his chambers in the Cathedral. It’s hidden inside of a hollowed-out Bible.

[ericsonclan]

Pinterest Perfect

Summary: An overheard conversation leads Prisha to wonder what she'd want her own wedding to look like someday.

Read on AO3: 

Sophie and Marlon were eating lunch together in the break room when Prisha came in, planning to grab her coat before heading out for the day. As she passed by the table, she overheard some of the conversation they were having.

“Absolutely no meatballs at our wedding,” Marlon declared, taking another bite of his meatloaf.

“Really? I would have had you pegged as a meatball sub sorta dude,” Sophie replied, chewing on a carrot stick.

“Had a bad experience as a kid. Scarred me for life,” Marlon shivered before returning to his food.

“Well, we both know my number one rule…”

“No clowns,” the couple said in unison, fist bumping with a smile.

Prisha watched the conversation with amusement. She’d heard of this game the two of them liked to play: listing things they should and should not have at their wedding. It was some sort of ongoing joke between the couple, to continue casually planning their wedding even as they weren’t engaged or anywhere near that sort of thing. “Tell me, Sophie,” Prisha began, putting on her coat. “Do you think it ever could have been a real possibility that Marlon would arrange for clowns to come to your wedding?”

“Can never be too careful,” Sophie waggled the end of her carrot stick before popping it into her mouth. “Clowns show up when you least expect them. They’re sneaky that way,”

Prisha chuckled at her friend’s logic. “Well, you two have a good lunch. I’ll see you tomorrow,”

“Bye, Prisha!” the couple called in unison before returning to their mock wedding plans.

Prisha smiled to herself as she headed out to her car. Planning out their wedding so causally with no actual arrangements in place. Those two really make quite the pair.

---

Once she was home, Prisha found herself lost as to what she would do with the rest of her day. It had been an unexpected half-day at work, the builders coming in early to begin work on improvements to the bar. Perhaps she would finally get around to clearing out her inbox. Sitting on her couch, Prisha opened her laptop and began the monotonous but rewarding process. A few minutes into the process, she accidentally clicked a Pinterest notification that popped up rather than the email she’d intended and was whisked off in a separate tab for the website. Prisha glanced with mild interest at her feed. She hadn’t used Pinterest in a while, mostly referencing it for inspiration when decorating her apartment as well as providing the occasional healthy recipe.

It was so easy to get sucked in again with all the aesthetic, perfectly framed images. One in particular caught Prisha’s eye: a girl in a white sundress standing in a field of sunflowers. The girl’s short blonde hair reminded her of Violet’s. As Prisha gazed at the picture, a thought wandered into her mind. That sort of looks like a wedding dress. As soon as the thought coalesced, Prisha felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Immediately she closed her computer, standing up to get the tea she’d been considering. Beginning the electric kettle, she tried to think of other things to distract herself, but her thoughts simply kept returning to Sophie and Marlon and that lighthearted wedding conversation they’d been planning. They made the whole discussion look so easy, so natural.

Prisha poured the hot water over her packet of Earl Grey, warily eyeing her laptop as it lay upon the couch. There’s nothing wrong with daydreaming, is there? Hesitantly, Prisha returned to her computer, opening it back up. The screen immediately displayed Pinterest again. As she clicked on the search bar, a menu of suggested searches popped down with several categories. Desserts, sunsets, DIY furniture… weddings. This site is reading my mind. Prisha gulped heavily before clicking on the Weddings option. What sort of rabbit hole had she let herself wander into?

There were endless ideas for weddings on Pinterest: color schemes, flower arrangements, wedding gowns, cakes, there seemed to be an infinitesimal number of things to take into consideration when planning a wedding. Scrolling through the feed, Prisha found her eyes drawn to the wedding dresses first. There were so many options, so many different styles. Long, short, fitted, flowy, the fashion choices seemed infinite. Prisha gazed at a fitted mermaid, lace dress for several seconds, entranced by it. Could I pull something like that off? The woman in the photo appeared to have a similar body type. What would Violet think?

Violet always seemed to like whatever Prisha was wearing. There hadn’t been a single time where she’d said anything against a single one of Prisha’s outfits. Truth be told, she probably didn’t think about fashion very much, but her eyes did light up a certain way when she noticed Prisha was wearing one of her favorites: the cranberry red cocktail dress, that one pair of jeans that always did wonders for Prisha’s butt, her warm grey cardigan that was extra snuggly on cold nights. Whatever Prisha chose, she wanted it to make Violet’s eyes sparkle in that way.

I don’t know why I’m talking as though this is an inevitability, Prisha scolded herself. Marriage wasn’t even something that either of them had put on the table. But rather than continuing to scold herself on the likelihood of this even happening, Prisha found her mind back on the wedding dress train. Would they both wear dresses? She’d never seen Violet in a suit before. The girl didn’t own anything fancier than a jean jacket. Prisha found herself liking the idea of them both wearing dresses more and more though. Perhaps in different styles so they’d both stand out. Violet could wear something comfortable, maybe one of those cute shorter dresses with the pockets. They didn’t have to both be in white either. Prisha wondered how a cream dress would look against her own skin. There was a particularly lovely gray dress that she quite fancied too…

Amongst all the wedding dresses there were a myriad of other wedding ideas too. Prisha found the outdoor weddings to be the loveliest. It would be beautiful to be married under the trees with the natural light breaking through the branches and scattering upon us. Then at night we could dance under the stars. There were several photos of trees covered in twinkle and curtain lights. Such a simple touch truly brought magic with it. After coming across a particularly lovely photo of just such an arrangement, Prisha finally bit the bullet and made a secret board for herself so she could keep track of her favorite photos. Scrolling back up a ways, she collected several other pins that had caught her eye before returning to the point where she had been.

There were so many elaborate weddings, ones that looked as though they would be massively expensive. I believe we’d both want to keep things simple, Prisha thought to herself. A small ceremony with only our closest friends. Things like the cake and the bouquet could be kept simple as well. A white cake, classic, with some flowers curling round its tiers. Violets would be too on the nose and probably just irk Violet. Prisha didn’t see any cakes with them, but she wondered to herself if it would be possible to decorate a cake with morning glories. After all, Violet was her Morning Glory, it would be lovely to have that special name be celebrated at their wedding.

I’m smiling like a fool, aren’t I? Prisha thought, feeling the expression tug at the corner of her lips. No matter. It wasn’t as though there were anybody about to see her giddiness. Should we both have bouquets or just one of us? Would we walk up the aisle together? One at a time? Prisha supposed with all these things it would come down to what worked best for them. She’d never really considered being walked down the aisle, but Prisha supposed that if her father weren’t there to walk her down the aisle as would likely be the case, she’d rather do it on her own or not at all. Violet on the other hand… Would Louis walk her down the aisle? Prisha chuckled aloud at the thought. She knew Louis would be absolutely ecstatic about that idea. He’d probably fight off anyone else who tried to take the role, though Prisha didn’t think Mitch or Marlon would put up much of a fight.

Ringbearers, flower girls… Willy could be the ring bearer. Prisha was quite fond of the boy. Then again Violet was very much attached to Tenn. Why not both? Then A.J. as the flower boy. Probably not, Prisha thought with a smile imagining the chaos that would ensue with those three together. But it’s certainly an entertaining thought. Bridesmaids and brides.. men? Why not both? That seems to be the theme of this whole ceremony, Prisha thought wryly. Clementine and Louis were most likely to take the positions of honor among the wedding party, making the toasts and planning the bachelorette parties.

Ruby and Omar would likely take on the catering for the wedding while Renata handled the cake. Prisha was sure come hell or high water, Ruby would get involved in other aspects of the wedding as well: dress shopping, flower arrangements, wedding decorations. Considering how excited Ruby got during themed nights at Ericson’s Diner, that excitement was sure to rise tenfold for a wedding. Thinking of their friends and coworkers getting involved in wedding prep filled Prisha with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Prisha could just imagine all of them coming together and helping make this dream a reality. Perhaps I should look at rings next.

The sound of the front door unlocking had Prisha jumping off the couch in fright. Violet stood in the doorway, a to-go bag in one hand and the key to Prisha’s apartment in the other. She looked apologetically at her girlfriend. “Shit, did I scare you? Louis asked to switch shifts with me so I got off early. Picked up some food on the way here. Figured we could make a night of it, have an early dinner, but if you’re busy-”

“Not at all,” Prisha declared, closing the tab and slamming her laptop shut. She threw it off to the side where it landed upon a beige pouf she kept off in the corner. “What sort of food did you bring?”

“Thai. Figured we’d switch things up,” Violet closed the door behind her and walked over into the kitchen, beginning to take out the various boxes of food she’d carried within the bag. Prisha came over to help her. Violet glanced up and a shy smile crossed her face before she looked away.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Violet paused. “You’re wearing the earrings I got you,”

Prisha’s hand came up instinctively, brushing against one of the earrings. It had been a six-month anniversary present: a gold pair of earrings, a moon and a star. Prisha knew they were far nicer than anything Violet owned herself. “I love them. They match with everything too,”

Violet nodded. “I thought they would,” She glanced over at the television. “So… Cutthroat Kitchen tonight?”

“Sounds perfect,” They’d soon found the show to be the perfect combination of strategy and chaos to keep both of them entertained. After grabbing their food, both girls settled down on the couch, ready for a night of relaxation. Raising her legs up, Violet put them across Prisha’s lap without another thought. Prisha smiled. Violet had been so nervous about physical touch when they first started dating. It was nice to see how far they’d come together.

Running her hand absentmindedly along her girlfriend’s leg, Prisha glanced over at her abandoned laptop. The board she’d made for herself seemed like a faraway dream now. But being here with Violet, Prisha knew it wasn’t simply a fantasy for her. It was something she wanted, not quite yet, but someday. And every day with Violet made that someday feel closer and closer. With that thought in mind, Prisha grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

[lovemesomesurveys]

Have you ever done a craft that you found on Pinterest? I did dabble with some water painting a few years ago during Christmastime, actually. I made a few different Christmas poster things inspired by ones I saw on there. Like, they had different Christmasy quotes or song lyrics and some had pictures of Christmas trees or something. Do you get scrapbooking layout ideas from anywhere? I don’t do scrapbooking. What do you do to wipe off the dust from ordinary life? I’m always cleaning under the keys on my laptop. Are you content with mystery, or do you wish you knew everything? Uhh. I wouldn’t want to know everything. I like continuing to learn and discover new things. There’s also things I never want to know. I also like mystery in the sense of surprises. Like, I hate spoilers and I don’t want to know what any presents are before I open them.  What do you do when someone irritates you on Facebook? If I see an annoying or stupid post I just keep scrolling.

Do you think your hair looks better natural or dyed? I think it looks much better dyed red.  Do your parents disrespect you? My parents are respectful, pretty chill people. I mean, we get in disagreements and bicker sometimes, who doesn’t, but I wouldn’t say they disrespect me. Have you found that love covers over a multitude of sins? I mean, you can love someone but that doesn’t excuse their toxic, bad behaviors. It doesn’t mean people can treat you or others cruelly just because you love them. What was the last Grand Opening you went to? Hm. I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a grand opening. Not that I can think of at the moment. Do you have anything coming up tomorrow? Nope. What’s one thing that makes your stomach hurt? I’m lactose intolerant, so having dairy will definitely do that. Otherwise, I just have stomach issues and get stomachaches and pains for whatever reason. Ever had a living nightmare? These past few years in particular. Do you have a lot of haters? Ha. I’m so irrelevant. I’m sure I’m not even on anyone’s radar for them to feel that strongly about me. Outside of my family, I feel people are indifferent to me. I don’t make a big impression. 

Do you think successful people always come with a pack of haters? Yes. There are people who can’t stand to see successful, happy people. They want to try and tear them down. There’s also just a lot of trolls who think it’s fun to hate on people. Do you have supernatural abilities? Uh, no. Do you kick yourself when you make mistakes? Do you say, “I wish I would have” a lot? All the damn time. There’s so much I wish I did and didn’t do and I’m always kicking myself so to speak for it.  Are you doing the most you can with your life? Not even. I’ve completely let these past few years pass me by as I just waste away.  Do you let people walk on you? I’ve had it happen in the past. Are you ok? I always just wanna start belting out to MCR when a question like this comes up. Do you have a friend you miss right now? Former friend, yeah. Do you ever write snail mail to your friends? I don’t have any friends anymore, but nah dude. I’ll send you a text or hit you up on social media if I need to reach you, ha. Do you make your life look better than it is on Facebook? I guess in a way because I don’t post personal shit. I used to post like sad quotes and lyrics and images back in the day, but I stopped doing that years ago. I very rarely post anything anymore and when I do, it’s something funny or #relatable that I saw and shared to my timeline. Or a check-in to somewhere if I think it’s of interest. Mostly; though, I’m just on there scrolling through my feed and “liking” things here and there. Do you feel God’s presence regularly? Yes. Do you experience chronic pain? Yes. Do you believe God loves you and is rooting for you? I know He does. Have you ever dreamt that you were falling? Ugh, yes. Worst feeling. I hate that feeling of jolting awake.  What would your dream career be? I have no idea. Are you a daydreamer? ”You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Do you daydream so much that you wonder if there’s anyone who doesn’t? Uhh, I wouldn’t say that. My daydreaming is more me zoning out and dwelling  about things from the past, thinking about current things, or imagining up scenarios.  Do you ever just sit and daydream for awhile? My mind just wanders off like that. Is the snow falling where you are right now? It doesn’t snow here. :( What is your favorite part of nature? The beach, particularly the ocean. Though, we all know I’m not about getting into the ocean. That deep water and the creatures that dwell down there aren’t for me. Just thinking about that... :O I do love looking out at the ocean and just watch/listen to the waves crash in and out. It’s very, very calming. I let my thoughts get swept away with the waves. I also love the cool, ocean air and smell. Do you wish you could be a world traveler? Yes. Do you wish you could live in another city for a year? Ooh. That would be nice. I actually want to move to another city permanently. What city would you like to visit? There’s countless places I want to visit. What has been your favorite city that you’ve visited? Various ones in California.  If you had kids, would you take them to Disney World? Pfft, I’d go now if I could. I don’t need kids for that, ha. I’m the big kid. I love Disneyland, so I’m sure I’d love Disney World as well. Have you ever stood in line to get a Disney character’s autograph? Yeah. As a kid and as an adult, haha. My favorite was a few years ago when we got pictures with Chewbacca and Darth Vader.  Do you own a birthday crown? No. How long does it usually take your hair to dry? Do you dry it naturally or blow-dry it? I just let it air dry. It takes forever, though. Do you straighten your hair? Not anymore. I used to. Do you sleep with a teddy bear? I have a few stuffed animals on my bed that always just sit on my bed. Would you consider yourself a free spirit? No. Do you need to clean out your closet? I actually just did that a couple weekends ago. Do you watch YouTube videos regularly? Yep, everyday.  What’s your favorite coffee shop? Starbucks. Is your Pinterest page cluttered? I have a few pinned things, but I don’t use Pinterest much for that. I use it to find and save photos for my phone background, typically. Do you want to start a collection? I have a few collections. Are you a role model? Would you consider yourself a good example? No. Are you a leader or a follower? I feel like I’m just sitting on the sidelines watching the crowd go by.  Who’s your favorite person? Not a person, but my doggo. (: Who have been your favorite American Idol contestants? I liked a few from the first few seasons like Adam Lambert, David Archuleta, Tim Urban, and of course, Kelly Clarkson. Did you used to name your Barbies? Yep. What unnatural hair color looks best on you? I love dyeing my hair red. Is your life boring? ”I need another story, something to get off my chest. My life is kind of boring, need something that I can confess.” Do you usually feel better around people or alone? Depends. I like spending time with my family, but I also need my alone time. Is there a broken relationship in your life that you want to fix? Oh, like the friendships I ruined a few years ago because I’m a shitty person? I wouldn’t even know where to begin at this point. Like...what could I even say. I know they’re hurt and probably hate me, and I don’t blame them at all. They deserved more than I what I gave them. The more time goes by, the worse it is. I still don’t feel like I’m in the right headspace to try and fix things. Like...I don’t think things would change and we’d end up in the same spot because I’m still a mess. And I feel horrible for feeling this way, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to. :X I wish I went about things differently, most definitely, but having some people out of my life now is the worst thing.... Do you ever think about Heaven? Yes. Are you ready for Heaven yet? I pray it’s not my time, yet.  Are you afraid of where you’re going to go? I pray I go to heaven when it is my time. Do you have a tree outside your window? Yes. Do you feel better now than you did last night? I feel the same, really. Is your sleep schedule messed up? Ohhhh yeah. It has been for years. It switches up, though. Still all bad, but different. Like, currently my bedtime is like 5, sometimes 6, in the morning and I sleep until 1. Does your body have any problems with it? It has a lot wrong with it. Are you doing ok spiritually? I’m working on strengthening my relationship with God. Have you taken any huge risks lately? No. Silence or songs? I don’t like complete silence ever. I need something, whether it be the TV, YouTube, or music. I sleep with the TV on for that reason (and for some light because I can’t have it completely dark either). Tea or coffee? Coffeeeee. Books or movies? I enjoy both. Do you ever watch your favorite movies from when you were a kid? Disney movies are timeless. ^If you were going to do that, what would you watch? Something Disney. Do you ignore rude people or do you call them out? I’ll talk shit about them to myself or someone I’m close with like my mom, ha. I don’t confront people. Well, unless it’s someone I’m close to who says or does something rude. Do you have trouble staying organized? With my life, yes. It’s showing externally now; though, too. My room has gotten cluttery and I hate it. It never used to be that way.  What has been your most favorite adventure? All the trips I’ve taken. What has been your greatest mistake? I’ve made a long list of ‘em. Are you happy with your life right now? No. Do you take anything to make your feel better? ”I take prescriptions to make me feel a-okay I know it’s all in my head.” Sorry, ya’ll know I’m always breaking out into song. Anyway, I currently don’t take any anti-depressants or anti-anxiety pills. Are your parents still together? Yes. What color socks do you have on? White. Are you under a blanket right now? I have one wrapped around me. Are you hopeful? :/

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES & STUDIES, early February 2020

Welcome to my latest summary of recent ecommerce news, resources & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & Etsy! This covers articles I came across since the late January report, although some may be older than that. Report is a bit short because I was sick this last week; don’t worry, I used hand sanitizer before typing this up, so you are all safe 🤒

I am currently looking into setting up a new ecommerce business forum where we can discuss this sort of news, as well as any day-to-day issues we face. I need some good suggestions for a cheap or free forum space that has some editing tools, is fairly intuitive for inexperienced members, and is accessible. If you have any suggestions, please reply to this post, email me on my website, or send me a tweet. (I will put out a survey once we narrow this down to some good candidates, but if you have any other comments on what you want from such a forum, please include those too!)

As always, if you see any stories I might be interested in, please let me know!

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Searchmetrics says Etsy did quite well [podcast & text] in the Google January Core Update, while both Amazon and Walmart lost a little bit. “Who won January? I’m going to say Etsy. Etsy has really done a tremendous job [with Google visibility] over the last two years. Sure, they’ve been on the winning side of the algorithm update, but consistently, being in that a position, from my experience, isn’t by chance.” Here’s more analysis listing the US winners and losers, including by subject category (sadly, not shopping sites). Marie Haynes says that the update likely targeted sites that aren’t properly disclosing affiliate links, as well as some pet health sites. 

Since a quarter of Americans have a disability, your website, your products & your marketing should be more accessible. Lots of good ideas in here! 

ETSY NEWS 

TOU alert: Etsy has banned the sale of spent bullet casings (often used as craft supplies). It’s not clear why. There is a thread from a seller whose listings were pulled here.

The 2020 wedding trends blog post is one of those pieces that is useful to sellers & buyers alike, and is also good for Etsy because it attracts outside articles and links. Some trend & keyword info of interest: ”there has been a 171% increase in searches on Etsy for bridesman items and a 72% increase in searches for best woman items”... “searches for ‘70s invitations increase 18% and searches for disco ball items increase 18%” ...”24% increase in searches for bridal jackets and a 4% increase in searches for women’s pantsuits” …”searches for reused, recycled, or reclaimed wedding items increasing 7%” in the last six months (compared to the same time the previous year).

Etsy released its annual diversity & inclusion report on January 29, getting some media coverage along the way, for example here, here and here.

Reverb hired David Mandelbrot as their new CEO; he most recently ran Indiegogo. (Etsy bought Reverb last year.)

The 4th quarter 2019 results will be out Feb. 26. I am currently planning on doing my usual summary thread in the forum. 

Decent overview of product photography for beginners, with some pointers on what Etsy wants you to do with photos. For example, “The recommended size for listing images is 2000px for the shortest side of the image, and a resolution of 72PPI.”

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

So you know what Etsy tags are, but you get confused when people talk about tags for search engines? Read this beginners guide to SEO meta tags. (not needed for Etsy shops, but it is terminology used by some website builder sites, as well as coders of course.)

Data provider Jumpshot will be closing due to the controversies over the revelation that their parent company Avast (the anti-virus software) provided user activity to Jumpshot while perhaps not always fully disclosing this to the users. This will affect some SEO tools that relied on these click stats to generate estimates for traffic & search term use, Hitwise & Moz among them.  “In all likelihood, Avast took the action to protect its core business, as multiple articles, including from Consumer Reports, called out the company for its data collection practices, while some called for the uninstallation of the Avast software. This is probably as much PR damage control as it is driven by any principled position.”

Forbes appears to have been hit by some Google search issue, but it happened later than the Core Update, so no one is sure what is going on.They were previously penalized for selling links, but that was years ago.   

John Mueller listed all of the big Google search news from January in this almost 9 minute video. Click to see the detailed info under the video, because they helpfully summarized the important topics by timestamp, and linked to text resources as well. (Some of it is technical/coding relating; you have been warned!)

There may be another big Google ranking update happening right now (Feb. 9), as tracked by Search Engine Roundtable. Check that site over the next few days for any updates. 

CONTENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails) 

The time you send your marketing emails matters, although it’s going to vary more than this article lets on. Keep track of your own stats. 

Debunking some myths about Instagram, including the importance of your follower count. “...your follower count isn’t the most important metric on Instagram. Your engagement rate is. Your engagement rate (which is found by calculating the number of engagements you receive divided by EITHER the number of people who saw it OR your total followers, depending on who you ask) is crucial.”

If you use the app Social Captain for Instagram, be aware that your Instagram password was publicly available in the source code. 

Facebook’s algorithm has a lot of different factors controlling who sees your posts, including actually having conversations with others, and including “quality, original videos.”

Facebook’s revenue was up 25% in the 4th quarter of 2019, to $21.1 billion, but they expect the privacy controversies to cut into growth this year.

Pinterest is testing an augmented reality tool called “Try On” that allows users to see what they will look like with specific lipstick colours. 

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS) 

Google Shopping Ads will soon be shown in Gmail accounts, YouTube and the Discover feed, starting March 4th. Note that “Retailers have been steadily shifty more of their search budgets from text to Shopping ads.”

A comparison of Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads, with plenty of tips. According to them, if you are seriously considering one, you should probably do both. “When we talk about Facebook, we’re also talking about Instagram, What’sApp, and Facebook Messenger. Google also includes YouTube, the second-most trafficked site in the world (behind Google itself).”

Google’s revenue was up 17% in the 4th quarter in 2019, almost all of it from advertising. YouTube makes more on ads than Amazon does. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS 

eBay released its 4th quarter results for 2019 on January 28, with revenue down 2% and gross merchandise value down 5%. Amazon’s sales were up 21% for the 4th quarter. 

BigCommerce now allows customers to check out in over 100 currencies, integrated with several different payment processors. 

Wondering what a good conversion rate would be for different ecommerce pages? Here’s a brief overview of the known stats, with some tips on improving.. (Note that any action can be counted as a conversion, including signing up for an email list, so this isn’t just about purchases.)

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Are you marketing to Generation Z, or think you should be? Here are 52 facts (with the citations); some highlights: Gen Z has more members than millennials do, and “As of 2020, Gen Z makes up more than 40% of U.S. consumers.” and finally “When shopping online or in stores, 65% of Gen Z prefers to see as few items as possible out of stock” (that last one explains a feedback I received, I think LOL Kind of hard on Etsy when you might have a listing with multiple choices & you only have the one left.)

A study of Cyber Week email open & click rates shows that it might be better not to mention the holidays or discounts. 

This article warns consumers of the tricks ecommerce sites use to nudge people to buy more, including some clear examples of deception. “A study by Princeton University and the University of Chicago singled out online clothing seller Fashion Nova, which tells customers that items in their cart “are in high demand.” The problem? The message appears for any item that’s added to the cart. Fashion Nova’s cart also tells shoppers that their items are being “reserved” for 10 minutes. But nothing happens to the items after the 10 minutes are up.”

MISCELLANEOUS 

YouTube wants Clearview AI’s face recognition program to stop scraping its videos for content, and to delete anything it has already collected. (Twitter did the same last month.)

[felixthekoala]

Kroojin Wedding!

ahhh the first of the nine muses to wed, I’m so proud :’)

@hey-hey-chan ily <333

(this is just a fun thing we were joking about that I decided to do bc I love weddings and I love the nine muses)

The Proposal:

Okay so Kris and Woojin were vacationing in Iceland over their anniversary

And Woojin took her to this frozen lake at night to see the aurora

Kris was like “It’s so beautiful.  I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life”

and Woojin was like “I have”

(looking at her obvs)

and then he dropped to his knee and did the whole thing 

ya know “I love you, you’re the light of my life, I want to spend the rest of my life with you” and all that jazz

and Kris was kinda speechless for a second

and then she said “yea ily2″

(obviously)

and poof they were engaged!!

The Ring:

Okay now onto the actual wedding...

Season: Winter

Ceremony: In an atrium of a luxurious hotel in Alaska

Favorite Couple Photo: in the snow outside the hotel

The Reception: In the ballroom of the hotel

Color Scheme: Navy & Silver

Song: Halo ~ Beyonce

Special Drink: Winter White Cosmo (cranberry vodka, Cointreau, lime juice & syrup, white cranberry juice)

Hair: Up-do (see photo above)

Cake: Layers of dark chocolate champagne & country spice

The Wedding Party:

The bridesmaids ( @doublekn0t @s0ftminho @straycuties @scene-stealers @realstraykids @hwangs @hyyunjinn and myself) wear these sleeveless navy blue dresses 

and the groomsmen (Chan, Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin, Jisung, Felix, Seungmin, and Jeongin) all wear gray suits with navy ties.

(it’s a lovely wedding party and hey everyone’s together isn’t that perfect XD)

The Menu:

Before we move on to all the interesting events, I gotta show y’all Woojin in his tux...

Okay now onto the fun stuff...

okay so the wedding ceremony itself was not super dramatic

like nothing went wrong bc nobody would mess with these fluffy bears

like the flower girl went the wrong way and Chan ended up with a basket on his head

but he and his date (Em ofc) just laughed it off and he helped the flower girl by throwing all the petals that were on him back onto the aisle

and ofc the typical Kris enters and Woojin smiles so brightly when he sees her

like “am I actually lucky enough to marry this beautiful girl”

and they exchange their vows and its beautiful

and they kiss and Jeungmin and Jeonglin pretend to be grossed out bc we’re fetuses

and Chan’s crying 

and Em’s judging Chan for crying

And Minho’s just like “yea get it Woojin!!”

and Cici just lowkey scoots away from her dork of a bf

and Changbin's trying to hide his tears

but astrella hugs him and starts crying with him

and Hyunjin’s snapping a million photos with Maria helping him

tbh he’d probs rope her into using his polaroid camera to get some artsy polaroid as well as his professional-grade photos

and haz and felix are lowkey playing footsie the entire time

and then Jicolle are trying not to laugh bc they managed to get away with coloring a small strip of Woojin’s hair neon pink when he fell asleep

okay onto the reception

so everyone’s like eating and all that and it’s super cute like woojin’s feeding Kris

and then Changbin turns to Astrella and is like “why can’t we do that?”

and she shoves an entire loaf of bread in his face

and everyone’s laughing at Changstrella and joking around and Em and Chan are making sure the chillings only drink a little alcohol (except we all know how Em would actually be *ahem*)

so Chan would probs have to subtly switch Em over to mocktails

im kidding guys Em doesn’t have a drinking problem em pls don’t kill me lol

But yea everyone would just be having a blast and cooing over the newlyweds

Minho wouldn’t stop making honeymoon jokes

Cici would tell him he’d be sleeping on the couch that night if he doesn’t stop

tbh I’m probably just stuffing my face the entire time

who am I kidding I’d be so enveloped with Jeongin like I couldn’t stop paying attention to him

except ofc to be a supportive friend to ma girl Kris who just got hitched

so after dinner the music starts so ofc Hyunia is the first to go out there and bust some moves

and soon after comes Minci who starts grinding (cici I warned you i’d make him grind in this lmao sorry but also its funny so I dont regret it XD)

Hazlix are just dabbing and doing the shoot dance until Chem drag them from the dance floor and force some chamomile tea into them

where tf they got chamomile tea idek, tbh chan probs brought a bunch of teabags for that purpose

wow I've officially turned chan into a british grandma ok

aNYway, pretty soon everyone is on the dance floor

except Jeonglin bc I refuse to dance

until the cupid shuffle comes on

then everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is on the dance floor dancing along and Jisung and Nicolle are so hyped they go ham on the cupid shuffle

and end up causing a human domino effect

and the entire dance floor is on the ground

and they are too

but from laughing too hard

time for chem to give them a time out

so then Kroojin’s song comes on 

(halo ofc, remember the info about the wedding from like a decade ago?)

and everyone parts and stands to watch as Kris and Woojin dance along to it, beaming at each other with so much love in their eyes

oof im soft

soon other peeps join in

even Jeungmin join in being all touchy-feely for one song, and they’re like cuddling up together until Chan whips out a ruler and shoves it between them

sorry this is turning into such a crack fic oml

but yea everyone is slow dancing and it’s all nice and sweet

and Minci is lowkey making out while dancing

I’m so sorry Cici I’m making you guys so wild lmao

so the song ends and the party gets crunk again

(And I go back to my seat and shove my face with chocolate mousse

and Jeongin’s never had chocolate mousse so I’m taunting him with mine

until he finally tricks me into giving him some

sorry I just gotta add Jeongin in here more bc I love him sm

so by the time the cake’s arrived everyone’s danced up an appetite

and Hazlix just stuff their faces with cake

and Jicolle teams up with Hazlix to steal the leftover wedding cake

(don’t ask me how but they pull it off)

and manage to frame Jeungmin

so Chem is furious at Jeungmin for the rest of the night

and Kroojin is clueless bc they’re just so in love

nobody get’s blackout drunk bc Chem is there to be moms (is that foreshadowing I see for the Chem wedding where they’re too busy/distracted to monitor the chillings??? O.o)

nahhhh it couldn’t be 

so anyway the night ends too soon

bc Kroojin’s gotta hop on a plane to

SWITZERLAND!!

for skiing on the swiss alps and cuddling together by the fire with hot cocoa

and ofc they bring teddy bears

wow this was thick but if you’ve stuck it through this far first of all im impressed and secondly wtf are you doing with your life

jkjk ily for reading all of this tbh it was actually really fun!  I love weddings too much lmao I got carried away while doing this it was originally gonna be like a short bulleted list about the fun stuff that went down with the nine muses and skiz during the reception but pinterest sucked me in

anyway that’s all for tonight!  get hyped for the next wedding coming soon!

(hopefully)