#this is just a meme replacement for 'google search:'

[autogeneity]

asking chatgpt when I will feel better from being sick

[itsblasttothepast]

What are you ideas about the meeting of dan with horner? and the max/dan video? do you think checo is out now?

Uh, I had to google the Dan-Horner thing because I didn't have the context. Honestly, all the things I have seen so far is about an allegedly meeting happening tomorrow to discuss Checo's future, but the press always takes everything out of proportion.

Like the Max/Daniel thing.... they are friends, besties, and contrary to common belief, Max and Checo aren't tied to each other's hips so they go together everywhere. Checo has a life of his own, and so does Max, and that doesn't mean that Checo is out of RBR, although at this point it wouldn't be that bad, to be honest (as long as he gets another seat for the 2025 season... in Audi... WITH NICO!).

Here I see three options:

Checo stays and keeps complaining about the shitty car, unless they actually do something in this break to fix it instead of just relying on whatever thing they believe it works. However, this option has the downside of everyone still blaming him for anything that goes wrong with the team (this brings another bunch of conspiracy theories about Max going to Mercedes and Carlos hired in RBR, but that's another rabbit hole).

Checo ends this year fully, and moves to another team for 2025. This seems like the most likely option, if RBR keeps their bullshit policy of 'performance'. But for this, Checo needs to know that this will be his last year and his two year contract will be cancelled or something, so he can check his options with other teams (Audi... with Nico).

The most popular by the haters and the European Press: Checo is fired right now and he doesn't come back from summer break to RBR; this means promoting someone from VR Cash (Alpha Tauri/Toro Rosso or whatever name they want to use), and apparently Horner's favorite is Ricciardo. This means a break for Checo as well, and he could join Carlos in the search for a new team (Audi... with Nico).

But whatever happens, as a Checo fan, I'll be with him all the way. However, something to remember... Ford wants Checo, so that's important in whatever decision RBR makes, and also, if they want to have their 'drivers' test' with potential replacements for Checo (as the press is speculating), they should do it in the RB20 that Checo drives, with the set up it has now and with the shitty strategies they give him, it's only fair.

Finally, the press loves to make things up to stir the pot, and RBR helps a lot with that, so I've learned to take it with a grain of salt. If Checo leaves, we leave with him, if Checo stays, we suffer with him... whatever happens, let's just hope for the best.

I rewatched 'Mean Girls' today, so I'll add to my anon asks a meme from the movie.

[steelbluehome]

USA Today

'You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?' Kamala Harris meme resurfaces after Biden drops out

Emily DeLetter

USA TODAY

"Before, Harris spoke how "everything is in context," and about her mother used to give her a hard time, before saying the phrase."

"You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."

No, that isn't a quote from an ancient philosopher or a classic author. It's from Vice President Kamala Harris.

As rumors swirled in recent weeks over President Joe Biden's ability to win and complete a second term in office, and following the recent news of him stepping down as the Democratic nominee, Harris (as well as the internet-famous coconut tree) has drawn increased interest in the political sphere as voters look to her as Biden's potential replacement on the Democratic side of the ticket.

But what does the Harris' "coconut tree" quote mean, and why has it become a meme? Here's what to know.

What is the Kamala Harris 'coconut tree' meme?

Harris uttered the now-famous phrase on May 10, 2023, while making remarks swearing in the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.

Before, Harris spoke how "everything is in context," and about her mother used to give her a hard time, before saying the phrase.

The quote perhaps stuck with people more than Harris' others from the many appearances she makes due to the absurd image of falling out of a coconut tree, and her sudden tone shift from joking to completely serious when she added, "you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."

It took nearly a year for the quote to catch on online, and its memefication arose in full force after Biden's disastrous performance in debate against former President Donald Trump in June. Since the debate, as some people online and some lawmakers began to publicly urge Biden to drop out of the race, many pointed to Harris, already the vice president, as a suitable replacement.

Google searches for the phrase "coconut tree," as well as corresponding searches about the meme and other quotes from Harris, began to rise around June 28, according to Google Trends data, days after the Biden-Trump debate and as calls for Biden to step out of the race began to grow.

Social media embraces the 'coconut tree' meme

Whether some of these social media posts were made ironically or if they are in full support of Harris taking over Biden's spot in the presidential race, the number of memes referencing the "coconut tree" skyrocketed in 2024

[rarepears]

So how do you think Will &/or Hannibal will react to SQQ & SQH being transmigrators? because they definitely still either talk or write in english in order to disguise what they're talking about, which is both a language Hannibal learned and Will's NATIVE language. So, it's highly likely they will find out. How are they reacting to this? also do you think SQH & SQQ are a) from the Hannibal universe as well, b) from a universe that has the show/movie/book series Hannibal or c) don't have any of that (boring). I just think it would be funny if either SQQ obsessively bing-watched the show (because you know he would) or like airplane actually recognized the Chesapeake Ripper purely thanks to some random google searches he did while trying to come up with a knew villain-of-the-week for bingge to save the girl from. Or both (just replace the show with a podcast/tattlecrime).

But would Will and Hannibal realize that Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu are transmigrators though? We got swords that enable one to travel through various dimensions, the two cultivators being known for being creative (ahem author Shang Qinghua and his well known acerbic editor Shen Qingqiu) on top of their vast knowledge of all sorts of various cultures - cultivation, demonic, and mortal cultures - and most importantly... the HUGE cultural and social differences between modern America and China.

The slangs, the memes, the customs are all different! So incredibly different! Plus Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu have been in this PIDW world for so many decades that they have also adopted a lot of the local customs. They've traveled to various mortal kingdoms (the ancient equivalents of India, Japan, etc.) and hundreds of demonic clans. Maybe they even hopped over to Medieval Europe for funsies (and then left when they realized how not fun it was).

Shen Yuan's English would be better than Shang Qinghua, yes, but his grammar would be beyond crap. They string together some English words in between Chinese in this Chinglish mixture that is honestly 85% Chinese and 15% English. And with only each other to talk English with and no proper English speakers to reference, their English evolves into a whole new dialect of its own of mispronounciations and weird accents and just...

Can it even be called English anymore and not a secret language between the two?

Add in their original Chinese accents in their English speaking skills and Will and Hannibal are not going to really be understanding much of the English in the first place. What little they do understand, they are going to brush it off as a coincidence - or maybe the origins of some English words haha.

As for Shen Yuan, he wouldn't had watched Hannibal NBC - I'm not sure if the show was available outside of the US and it's even more unlikely that it was available in China. In which case, he would had specifically went out of his way to hunt down the show... and Shen Yuan already has so many other shows and animes to watch!

[More in #hannibal lector reborn as Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe's firstborn son AU]

[the-writing-moon]

so i work in a well-known library, right, as a part-timer, and it's been great working with the books, they're real friendly and everything. but this is a very exclusive library, right, you have to send in an application and maybe get interviewed to get in because we're dealing with really old archival material here; i've had to dust crumbled paper off of desks and some of the spines of these hundreds-of-years-old books have been replaced with electric tape with their titles rewritten with wite-out from how much the spines have fallen out. i look up and see dead white men glaring down at me from murals and paintings and busts from the ceiling, probably aghast and wondering how a fucking little island girl is handing their precious books and poking at their dutch-painted glass windows with her grimy brown fingers. this is just set-dressing, so you really know where i'm coming from.

anyways, you know those memes that go around writing communities? doesn't matter if you write fics or manuscripts, we've all seen them, liked them, reblogged them.

"writing a slash fic instead of writing i've been googling what jewelry young german women wore in the 1700s"

"i'm pretty sure i'm on the fbi and interpol hitlists because of my search history"

"story prompt: overly helpful serial killer sweetheart x clueless crime fiction writer"

"when you don't know long division but you can talk about the taxation laws in victorian england because you needed to find out how taxes work to make your story believable"

they're memes that make you chuckle, guffaw, and nod because they're relatable! everyone hates the idea of being corrected by a random poindexter who can call you out on your bullshit on victorian tax laws, you uncultured fool, or who happens to know how blood sprays look if you shoot a person a certain way, you gormless coward, not because they were shooting the gun but they were part of the forensics team, pinky promise, i wasn't there on the 15th of november. and it's a bit absurd. like, who exactly knows - or cares - about victorian tax laws? does it really matter to write about reality in all its facets into fiction? majority of your readers probably aren't vampires or other extant immortals so does it really matter if you don't hold history up as accurately as possible in your 30k friends-to-enemies-to-lovers dark academia yuri slashfic? does historical accuracy matter when you're writing about samurais in the heian period in modern english with modern sensibilities? who would even know what stuff was really like back then? some things aren't googlable, and you can't always trust google anyways.

i don't know the answer to all these questions. but i know the answer to one.

so, back to the library.

one day, i'm shelving history books one after the other, listening to an audiobook from a public library using a library card of which i faked my address for me to use. reparations. and way more ethical than piracy in my eyes. support authors, patronize libraries, and all that. when i shelve books, i like to wonder about who reads them and why. what research they're doing. what they're doing here. whether they know how lucky they are. i envy this library where i work. i envy the people who live in this town. i envy the readers. they have all of this because someone recognized the value of hoarding, the value of taking and tabulating and preserving. one could argue it's the colonial way. but enough of that, i'm shelving books, books that i sometimes wonder at, because i never could have imagined so many books on so many topics, and sometimes they are topics that are so trivial and-

and i'm holding, in my hands, a book about the jewelry young german women wore in the 1700s.

being in a university town, you come to understand that academics have their pet projects; the drive to understand the minutiae of their field, of humanity, of nature. think of a topic and there's probably a dissertation for that. you also understand there is a lot of publishing politics, that researchers' papers are paywalled behind exorbitant fees for which they receive no royalties from. you also understand that academia can also be elitist, even when the people inside it call for open access.

to other people, i'm sure i sound incoherent and raving. but i'm sure that there are people out there who understood why i took several moments staring at this book, recalling all those fucking memes about historical accuracy, of people joking that they're looking for things even the internet has no answer for. because the answers do exist. someone's written about them. someone took the time to look at and tabulate and write about german jewelry. someone else, tax laws. some other person, blood sprays, either through study or applied experimentation. the knowledge is out there. they just aren't available to you.

[foliejpg]

5, 19 and 22 for the fic ask meme! 😊💖

ily han<333

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? (copy and pasted this bc i answered it already)

i’ve had this au in my head where patrick (20-21) works at a convenience store and pete (mid 30s, idk specifically) just doesn’t leave him alone at work💀 but unfortunately i suck with real plot lines and there isn’t much more to it except again a very specific scene of when they first meet 😭

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

this is a part 2 to “i’d do anything to make you feel” that i do plan on Eventually working into something i think is fit to post

He sees the watermarked images of Pete and a woman on his arm, someone he doesn’t recognize but a quick Google search reveals that she’s a model. She’s taller than him by a few inches and Patrick can feel her grace through the screen. He looks more attractive next to her, like maybe Pete had started going to her stylists for his newly buzzed hair.

Maybe it’s not so superficial. Maybe they’re madly in love and planning a life together that Patrick isn’t allowed to see. Maybe she’s set him straight, put him on the right track to deal with the myriad of issues that used to be Patrick’s problems. Maybe she helps him pick up his prescriptions and talks to him in the middle of the night when he can’t sleep. Maybe she’s replaced him.

It’s not fair. She’s beautiful, absolutely gorgeous and entirely out of Pete’s league. Patrick hates her, hates her beauty and clear skin and her stunning gown and her long legs and dainty arm around his shoulders. He knows that’s cruel, she’s done nothing to him, and he's positive he’ll feel bad about it later, if he were to ever meet her. He doubts it, but nonetheless, she seems perfectly fine. But there’s a selfish, vicious voice in his head that hates Pete even more, for even trying to move on.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

absolutely not 💀 because i don’t typically write long fics i don’t worry abt endings too much, although they’re definitely a struggle for me. i can write a beginning no problem but fuck an ending 😭

[lmdhawk]

It has value because *you* made it. Because *you* decided "this is a thing that should be shared" and you spent the time and effort to share it. That is, at it's heart, the intrinsic value of art.

AIs don't find a piece of art they think is cool and recreate it. They take everything unthinkingly and mush it together. More importantly, they mush it together unthinkingly. What AI creates isn't memes, or shitposts, or pastiches, or reimaginings, or tribute pieces, which are art forms in themselves that transform art. And they aren't just taking a copy, the way, say, right click saving is. That's not really different than, say, photographing the Mona Lisa.

What they're doing is trying to replace a specific artist, or, more generally, artists in general. Before, if you wanted art of a specific character or scene, you a number of options: 1. Make art yourself, 2. Find existing art that came close and call it good enough. 3. hire an artist.

That third one? That is why people are so up in arms. This is people's livelyhoods on the line. And you can claim that people using AI are the sort of people who couldn't afford to hire artists anyway, and would just google image search an approximation or face claim an actor, so that it really isn't taking away from their work, which is, to a certain extent true, although you know there are people who wouldn't settle, who could pay for art, who absolutely go for the cheaper option, because they don't think about the artists who make these things possible. And more importantly, it's mostly non-commercial for now, but you know it isn't going to stay that way. People see the writing on the walls.

More than that, it's stripping artists of their personhood, in a way. It's taking something that was often very personal and tied to people's emotional core and how they viewed themselves and linked to their creativity and just...making that without them. And using the hours they put into their work and honing their craft to do it, in a way that using someone else's work directly to convay an idea that you cannot articulate or memeing or creating reinterpretation art never could. Direct copying or falsely claiming authorship is the closest analogue, and that is, in most circle, considered art theft in a way that right click saving isn't. But even then, there is an actual person on the other side who can think and chose, and chose your art work.

One might argue that there is some of that with work being chosen for AI training corpuses, but that isn't even done by humans anymore, it's just auto stripped, and most of those who do train AIs by hand don't even understand what they're doing by using a persons art to create this machine designed to replace them, which make is worse, really.

You asked what the inherent value of art is? It's in the tiny piece of themselves that every artist puts into their work. Even corporate work done just for pay that they half-ass still has their years of honing their skill and passion for the craft, and their understanding of how elements go together, and what it means to break that.

The piece you made which was a recreation of of an AI image? That holds your enjoyment and amusement at the original. And that is what makes it valuable in a way that the original couldn't be.

i think that gay sex cats is the new duchamp's fountain

[konzeptachr]

Creative SEO Strategy to Rank Your Website: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s digital world, ranking your website high on search engines is crucial to driving traffic and achieving your business goals. But with evolving algorithms and stiff competition, how do you create a winning SEO strategy that stands out? Let’s dive into a creative approach to SEO that will not only rank your website but also make it a hub of engaging content and user satisfaction.

1. Start with Keyword Research: Find the Gems

Keyword research is the foundation of any SEO strategy. But don’t just go for the obvious; think creatively:

Use Question-Based Keywords: Identify what your audience is asking. For example, instead of “SEO tips,” use “How can I rank my website in 2024?”

Explore Trending Searches: Use tools like Google Trends or AnswerThePublic to discover what’s hot in your niche.

Long-Tail Keywords: Target specific phrases like “creative SEO strategies for small businesses” to attract focused traffic.

2. Create Unique Content: Go Beyond the Basics

Search engines love fresh, engaging, and valuable content. Here’s how to take your content game to the next level:

Tell Stories: Share case studies or success stories to connect emotionally with your audience.

Mix Formats: Use a combination of blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts, and downloadable resources to cater to different preferences.

Focus on E-A-T: Establish Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in your content to build credibility.

Pro Tip: Regularly update older blogs with new statistics, insights, and keywords to keep them relevant.

3. Technical SEO: Lay a Strong Foundation

Your website’s backend plays a crucial role in SEO. Ensure that:

Your Website is Fast: Compress images, use a content delivery network (CDN), and minimize code to improve loading times.

Mobile Optimization is Spot-On: With mobile-first indexing, a responsive design is non-negotiable.

Your Sitemap is Submitted: An XML sitemap helps search engines crawl and index your site effectively.

Schema Markup is Implemented: Add structured data to help search engines understand your content and display rich snippets.

4. Build High-Quality Backlinks: It’s About Quality, Not Quantity

Backlinks are a major ranking factor, but only if they’re high-quality. Here’s how to get them:

Guest Blogging: Write insightful articles for authoritative sites in your industry.

Create Link-Worthy Content: Develop unique resources like original research, how-to guides, or interactive tools.

Outreach for Broken Links: Identify broken links on related websites and suggest your content as a replacement.

5. Optimize for Local SEO: Dominate the Local Market

If your business has a physical presence, local SEO is key:

Google My Business (GMB): Fully optimize your GMB profile with accurate details, images, and regular posts.

Local Keywords: Use location-specific keywords like “best cafes in Calicut” to attract local customers.

Encourage Reviews: Positive reviews boost your credibility and rankings.

6. Engage on Social Media: Amplify Your Reach

While social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, it helps drive traffic and engagement:

Share Your Blogs: Post snippets or summaries of your blogs with engaging visuals.

Encourage Sharing: Create shareable content like infographics and memes.

Leverage User-Generated Content: Feature testimonials or user experiences to build trust and engagement.

7. Voice Search Optimization: The Future is Here

With the rise of voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, optimizing for voice search is essential:

Use Conversational Keywords: Focus on how people speak, not type.

Answer Questions: Structure your content to answer “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where,” “Why,” and “How” questions.

8. Monitor, Analyze, and Adapt: Stay Ahead

SEO isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process. Regularly analyze your performance to refine your strategy:

Use Analytics Tools: Track your traffic, bounce rates, and keyword rankings with tools like Google Analytics and Ahrefs.

Adapt to Algorithm Changes: Stay updated with the latest SEO trends and Google algorithm updates.

A/B Test: Experiment with different headlines, CTAs, and layouts to see what works best.

The Bottom Line

Ranking your website on search engines requires a mix of creativity, technical expertise, and strategic execution. By combining keyword research, engaging content, technical optimization, and consistent monitoring, you can create an SEO strategy that not only drives traffic but also builds a loyal audience.

Start implementing these tips today, and watch your website climb the search engine ranks!

If you’d like, I can tailor this blog to fit your specific industry or audience. Let me know!

4o

[trixybobbitt]

AI generated art is theft, do you have to have an AI Art Profile picture?? It really bums me out ):

Yes, I was using an AI profile portrait. It was one of those early photo style edits from before the AI art stuff really blew up. The photo it was based on was of me and taken by me. Still, I recognize that it is inexcusable laziness and complicit in theft almost certainly committed when the AI was trained. It was a placeholder which is overdue for replacement. This new vaguely heart shaped icon is one I created myself with a freeware vector art program called Inkscape for use in my book. It is based on a heart shape which I think is old enough that no one is quite sure where it's use started. It's also meant to resemble a pen nib. Pen nib shapes are largely functional and whether you would judge their origin in Roman ruled Britain in the 40s AD, or Egyptian reed pens far before then, those are both a bit past the copyright cutoff Mickey is staring down. I don't think I can get any more theft-free than that and still use a standardized web image format. I could be wrong. Posting publicly on the internet is an efficient way to be corrected and learn. I think I'll add some genderqueer colors to it after I'm done writing this. While the genderqueer flag was designed by Marilyn Roxie, it's covered by Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License so I think I can use it without taking food from the mouths of creators. I also own commissioned cover art, which I did not draw, but I own the reproduction and modification rights. If I wanted to use that for a bit more color, do I credit Angrboda in my profile, or a pinned post? Do I post the artist's legal name to avoid confusion with the norse goddess? Is it enough that tineye will reveal its origin? I haven't seen anyone else posting citations for their avatars, so I do not know the appropriate convention. I'm not sure what is enough. I also love the art of simz, but I have not commissioned a piece from them. Is there a way to use their art in an avatar without bumming you or other folks out? Is it enough if I'm a contributor to their patreon?

In addition, I've probably used one or two Felix Argyles in my few 'original' content posts which were not illustrated by Shin'ichirō Ōtsuka, and some backgrounds which may not have been either stock, meme template, or from recognizable intellectual properties. (I made a few of them while drunk-posting on a friend's couch, and probably didn't click through my google image search to check.) I'm not sure if they represent fair use, but I don't think you were raising a legal complaint, just feeling bummed about art friends struggling to commoditize their creativity in a capitalist society that is predatory toward small business, so I'm not sure what to do to cheer you up. ☺

[mllekurtz]

14 and/or 22 for the weird writer asks meme! <3

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back? I do lend my books to people! I do it much more infrequently now that 1) most of my friends are online and 2) I usually buy ebooks instead of physical books. I used to enthusiastically drop books in people's laps because I love to share the things I'm excited about, and yeah, I had a list of all the people I gave my books to when it became hard to keep all the loans straight in my head.

I like to think I have a healthy relationship with physical books. I've never truly venerated the book as an object (yeah, I'm an amateur bookbinder, but appreciation is not the same as worship), and working in publishing put the final nail in the coffin of my being precious about paper and ink. After all, you put all your efforts in the words themselves, and holding the bound object is just the last part of a long process. With all the due exceptions, as long as they're not out of print or ridiculously expensive, books can be replaced. The story is what's important, the reader is what's important; I'd rather never see a beloved book again than keeping a friend to enjoy a story I love.

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

(this got long so it's under a cut!)

Story ideas usually live in the hivemind, aka discord chats or servers. Once an idea develops and starts to turn into a proper outline, I create a channel for it in my private discord server where I can chuck ideas on my phone when I wake up at 2 am. Once the fic is done, I move the channel into the graveyard.

This is what the graveyard looks like btw (not all of it):

(If you're wandering what is essek-thoughts, I was too, so I checked: they're notes on a better man than me. idk-shadowgast is the early stages of all this science i don't understand)

I keep using discord even when I start working on the fic properly in Google Docs; all the random thoughts I have when I don't have access to GDocs go there, as well as most of the darlings I kill while editing. (I also download copies of my docs in my hard drive very often, because 1) I was born in the '90s and I don't trust the cloud 2) you never know when you'll need to go back in time and search through an old version of your work.)

I usually break down the fic into scenes and/or chapters, depending on its length; I use various headings to make an organised outline in the sidebar. I've also started using the summary function to write notes to myself (future developments, changes I need to track, the tags that I add as I go, things I need to remember to say in the A/N and so on).

This is what my outline for the emergency contact au looks like right now:

It's not very detailed because the structure is very straightforward and the chapters are short, but I would usually have nesting headlines so I can keep track of scenes I need to go back to, flashbacks and so on. The days of the week are a necessity because I often have to refer to something that happened "three days ago" and I wouldn't remember when that would have been. I also need to remember that offices are usually closed on a Sunday, and so on.

I also often leave comments to myself and/or my betas throughout to highlight the parts that need attention. And this is it, I think? It might sound convoluted but it's actually a very straightforward process that keeps me from messing up and forgetting ideas.

[doomdoomofdoom]

Learn Piracy. Learn Emulation. Learn Torrenting. Learn Troubleshooting. Learn Basic Maintenance. Learn Modification.

Learn where to get your information and files reliably. It's so much easier than you think.

The digital space is becoming harder to navigate and digital properties are becoming near impossible to own.

Shape the way you engage with it. Also get yourself a fucking adblock.

Extended Ramble on each point below the cut

Learn Piracy: The one everyone should know about is your bread and butter Movie/TV Show Piracy. Streaming services are recreating cable and splitting the content you're looking for across 15 individual platforms to pay for. You do not have to do this. In a rising number of cases, piracy is the only way to access something. Currently, media piracy is as easy as typing "[show] watch online free" into a search engine of your choice and you'll almost definitely find an option in the first three results. Familiarize yourself with the websites that reliably give you the content you want. Occasionally one will go down, but there's plenty of replacements. Streaming a movie online isn't technically legal, but unless you down- or upload, theres virtually no way anyone cares. Use a VPN and private browser to be on the safe side. Get yourself an adblock before browsing free streaming sites. Trust me. Literally everyone can do this. Piracy Bonus Tip: Go to https://lumendatabase.org/, search for the media of your choice and filter by DMCA complaints against google. You will get a list of every site that had to be removed from google results for providing said media. Try a few.

If you are looking to pirate (audio) books, consider checking your local online library first. Not only is that 100% legal, but it also supports libraries.

If you are planning to pirate software, vet the source before downloading. It's pretty easy to tell if a website is trustworthy once you've seen a handful.

Learn Emulation: You can play console games on your PC. Even the shittiest laptop can run a Nintendo DS Emulator. You ever see the price of physical copies of old Pokémon games? Don't pay that. In 9/10 cases it's as easy as looking up "[console] emulator" and "[game] rom" Emulation requires downloads, so be sure to vet the source of any files you grab. You'll be fine. If it's on the first page of search results, it's almost definitely safe. Consider buying a cheap controller that connects to your PC, most games will play better that way. Emulation Bonus Tip: Playing on an Emulator gives you access to tools your regular console does not have (without jailbreaking it). This includes Mods, Cheatcodes, Quicksaves, and changing the game speed. Pokemon Sun/Moon plays much nicer on 1.25 and with the option to speed up cutscenes.

Learn Torrenting: Torrenting is basically downloading's big brother. It's a bit scarier. However, it holds a plethora of files you won't find elsewhere, like that childhood game from 2007 you couldn't even play if you still owned a physical copy because your PC doesn't have a disk drive. In an era where media can just be wiped from a platform with little to no warning, torrenting is an act of preservation. Always use a secure VPN when torrenting. This one isn't my area of expertise, so do proper research before engaging. Torrenting Bonus Tip: Torrenting is basically crowdsourcing the Internet. The more people offer a certain file, the faster it is to download. If you want, you can then join in and offer the file you downloaded. (Keep you VPN on at all times, tho.) Sharing is Caring!

Learn Troubleshooting: If you're a bit younger, this isn't necessarily something you've been taught anymore. Basic Troubleshooting is a vital skill. You can solve about 90% of your software problems by turning your device off and on again after a brief wait. (Yes, it's basically a meme at this point. For good reason!) If that doesn't work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the troublesome software or drivers. Other common solutions are running it as administrator or in compatibility mode. For general problems, like your PC randomly slowing down, check your task manager to identify the source. Most operating systems and software also have built-in troubleshooting options, but the mileage varies. Troubleshooting Bonus Tip: You can find most of your problems online. If you can't, don't be afraid to ask. There's dozens of forums with surprisingly altruistic tech savy people. State your problem clearly and kindly, and you have a good shot at tailor-made help. Also familiarize yourself with basic lingo, like what a driver or an Operating System is.

Learn Basic Maintenance: Learn it out of spite. Electronics keep being "optimized" to allow as little physical maintenance as possible. Apple in particular. If you don't know how to maintain your device, you have to send it to the manufacturer so they can do it for you. At a price, of course. Or even better, you have to buy a new one! You should know how to safely open your device, clean where necessary (usually the fans), check for loose connections, and reassemble. Ideally, know how to remove and exchange parts if they become outdated or damaged. A new laptop battery is much cheaper than a new laptop, and is in my experience the first thing to give out. Plenty of manufacturers try to prevent this by making the insides inaccessible or using special screws. Look online. You can buy the according screwdriver. Avoid using devices that cannot be opened at all. Maintenance Bonus Tip: Whatever your device is, no matter how specific, there's a YouTube tutorial for it.

Learn Modification: The base settings of anything are 9/10 times the worst ones for you. "Accept All" is the default for website cookies. Installing a program often comes with additional stuff they try to sneak into the installation process unless you remove the right checkmark. Modify your settings; never assume good will. You can modify so much more than they want you to know. Modify your key binds, modify your start menu, your notifications, your entire User Interface! Modify your favorite games! There are so many options already out there, look for them! Modification Bonus Tip: Get an Adblock. Get an Adblock. Get an Adblockgetanadblockgetanadblockgetanadblockget A Fucking AdBlock. Whatever browser you are using to access the Internet, modify it with an adblock. My personal recommendation is uBlock Origin, which has blocked 116 elements on this site alone as I type this. Do not perceive 116 elements of advertisements. Free yourself of autoplaying videos and pop ups. If you watch ads to support a creator, you can disable adblock on the sites in question.

All of these are thing you can do. Things you can learn in a day or two. I don't consider myself particularly tech-savvy, I just like convenience.

Here are some things I've done and learned with nothing but a search engine and the countless helpful forums out there (allegedly): - Gotten Spotify Premium for free forever - Played every Pokemon Game I ever wanted, including randomizers and enhanced fan versions - Set up a Jarvis-like Desktop Interface with music player, weather report, and shortcuts to different programs and websites (abandoned that after a few months because it wasnt very convenient after all) - Saved over 1000 bucks by not purchasing every single Sims 4 DLC (seriously, they add up in the quadruple digits) - Installed a second mode for my controller that lets it function as a collection of shortcuts for my drawing software - Blocked literal millions of ads

you have to learn basic facets of Computer. do not avoid technology because it is "scary". there are 1 million youtube tutorials out there. do not let capitalism convince you that you have to buy a new computer every time it starts to fail. do not let capitalism convince you that you have to pay for shitty subscription garbage and just suck it up and deal w/ it. I'm going to be fully honest, I am a dumbass with computers. everything I know about them comes from sheer autistic fascination or necessity, not a brain that is compatible with them on a fundamental level. but I use linux, I pirate adobe products and I built my own damn computer. you can too

.

[maulish]

Game of Stones

This is an incomplete list of my issues with the Amazon Prime Tolkien series (Game of Stones). And make no mistake, I will keep complaining about each new bit of information we learn, but I think what bothers me most is what they add up to, not any particular decision, but an approach I fear they have because of who is making this series and what is driving the production.

I don’t think I have to explain how bad a start it is that this is Amazon money behind it. If Amazon is notorious for anything it is for making money at any cost. No one is making this series out of the goodness of their hearts and dedication to Tolkien’s legacy. Money is the bottom line. I hardly need to get into it here because it’s all just a Google search away.

Another red flag is the inconsistency around Pete’s involvement with the production of the series. Especially because there has been a lot less ambiguity on the production side of it. He, Fran and Pippa are the only ones with experience in adapting Tolkien for screen and as of right now, none of them are said to be involved. And no one seems to have indicated otherwise since 2018.

This brings me to the next thing. One of the most glaring issues has to do with understanding the source material. There were several Tolkien scholars involved with LOTR, including Tom Shippey. As of now, there is no confirmed Tolkien scholar on board as a consultant. Just some “lore experts”, whatever that means. It sure sounds like they found a couple people off Twitter posting Tolkien memes or something. The bad omen here is that although Tom Shippey (generally considered one of the world’s preeminent Tolkien scholars) was initially on board, he left the project in early 2020. I also doubt this is for some arbitrary reason, given how dedicated Shippey is to Tolkien. The reason also couldn’t be because of something like him fulfilling his role as a consultant given how extensive the material is and that Amazon’s filming rights have been extended considerably from what they originally covered, now also including  parts of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. This seems highly suspicious and concerning. Not to mention that no replacement has been named as far as I’m aware.

This is also alarming if we look at the very short tenures of people working on it, before we get to them individually. Game of Stones isn’t supposed to be an anthology series, but seemingly every episode has a different director, writers come and go. I really wonder how they are going to build a cohesive whole and how anyone involved would be able to familiarize themselves with the material in any significant way if they’re not even going to work on a season, but a single episode.

Now lets take a look at the people in charge of making this series. Perhaps most concerningly, Brian Cogman, the husband of David Benioff’s nanny. That’s how he got Benioff to read his writing which Benioff was amazed by. If that alone isn’t bad enough a sign, he also has no prior experience as a writer or producer. But has since given us such beloved gems as Game of Thrones S8 E2 (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Game of Thrones S5E6 (Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken), S4E4 (Oathkeeper). Cogman has already packed his bags and left The Game of Stones however.

What sticks out to me like a sore thumb however is how the entire executive branch consists overwhelmingly of Americans. And I have an underlying fear that there is a layer of meaning that is lost when the makers, particularly the writers of something like this don’t have a deep personal connection to the material and for whom it is first and foremost another franchise like action films based on comics, not legendarium, mythology and culture. This is a disconnection I fear because Tolkien didn’t set out to create entertainment. The driving force and idea behind Middle-Earth is creating mythopoeia, specifically for England. And there is so much depth to the material that writers who don’t have an understanding of it couldn’t possibly do it justice.

I’m just looking at this incomplete list of things sticking out to me and I am not feeling confident. Please tell me I shouldn’t worry about all this.

[kojinnie]

Attack On Titan characters as K-Pop stars I’ve worked with…

Based on my personal and my co-workers’ experience working for k-pop agency for three years. All in good fun!! K-pop stans, don’t come at me, I fear you.

☁ ARMIN In his group, he is amongst the least popular member because he doesn’t stand out in all performance aspects. But the guy has a huge creative vision. Is a better creative director than most of actual creative directors I’ve worked with. Ended up directing a lot of k-pop groups’ concerts.

He’d like to come over and make small talks with the staffs, seemingly very interested with us personally. Asking how long have we worked in the company, where did we go to school, and how’s the industry nowadays from our perspectives. All in all, a very amicable figure. He deserves more love than he gets from his own fandom.

☁ EREN The ace and face of the group that’s oftentimes alienated by his own members. Wasn’t born talented but worked his ass off during trainee years. Now one of the best dancers around. Tries to motivate his members “We gotta work harder!” in unnecessary times and places, resulting in a lot of eyerolls from his members.

In backstage, likes to kill time by trying to fish the staff’s attention, because he doesn’t get along well with the members. Sitting around at staffs’ lounge (although he’s got his own huge ass lounge), poking at staffs doing their job (“Hey, what are you working on?”) or make weird ass noises, or do some questionable things (like chasing bugs?). Would be encouraged if we laugh or giggle to his odd antics.

☁ REINER The gentle giant. Looks intimidating at first for his buff and stoic look. All the new staffs would try to steer clear off him at first. But when we set up things for shooting, he’d unexpectedly help around. If he sees a female staff picking up heavy utilities he’d immediately intervene and help carrying it. Would open the door for you even though he is the artist. Does not talk a lot, but his kind actions replace all words needed. Days after your schedule with him, you may expect fancy chocolates for you and the rest of the team, with note: Thank you for the hard work. Best, Reiner Braun.

☁ ERWIN Master manipulator that is not just handsome, but extremely smart and calculative. Would catch you by surprise the first time you hear his actual voice, because it’s entirely different that the deep voice he dons in front of the camera.

Would ask to go to the airport early so he can bully you for the things you did not do in the waiting lounge. Would later realize that you have close connection with client, and be suspiciously nice to you the next time you work with him again. Invite you to take photo with him and the other members after the concert because he thought he was doing you a favor. Would invite you and your team for a dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town, you’d think of how generous he is. Later your boss tells you that he billed it on the company’s account.

☁ LEVI The all-rounder talented artist who is sick of the k-pop industry. Very quiet and wants to be taken seriously. Loathes the industry’s fan cultures that often infantilize the artists. Would only do aegyo once encouraged by his members. Very polite to the staffs and incredibly professional. Enormously successful in both music and acting. In interviews, does not look at script as he’d like to answer all the questions truthfully, would study the questions a day before. But he will not take shit if he knows he is being mistreated, looking at him uttering his disagreement is one of the scariest things because this man is otherwise so nice and kind.

☁ PORCO Actually a very stiff and conservative guy, does not have even one funny bone in him. Knows that his fans make meme of him and realizes that’s how you make it to trending topic these days. Would text you at 2 AM in the morning and ask to make a funny joke that he can tweet in the morning. You’d pretend not to see the text. The morning you wake up, he’d have unsent the message and tweeted a template joke he found from google search. Does not make it to trending topic.

☁ CONNIE Would take an hour shitting and smoking in the toilet despite tight on schedule. After multiple effort of banging on his door, he’d go out, see everyone packed because it’s already an hour away from a 12-hour flight he’s supposed to take, he’d be like, “HEHE, sorry guys.”

Would be uncharacteristically quite during the ride to the airport that is 30km away because he’s feeling guilty and nervous about missing the flight.

☁ COLT The golden voice who is overtly polite to the staffs. Quite awkward too. Would profusely apologize if he eats snacks and does not have spare ones to share with the staffs. His downside is he can be quite inattentive, takes selfie at odd times and places. One time he takes selfie where he manages to have your butt captured from very unflattering angle in it. Uploads it to Instagram of several millions followers without realizing the error, only beginning to notice once the comment section is filled with “lmao look at the staffs’ butt”, would feel extremely guilty to you and choose to avoid you during the entire overseas trip.

☁ ZEKE Charming as fuck, the first time you ever feel weak on knees over an idol despite working in the industry for years. Painfully aware that he is handsome, tall and sexy – would intentionally stare at you while you’re doing your work, and immediately throw his gaze away once you become aware. He wants you to gush over him.

When you have your team dinner with him, he’d say that you remind him of certain manager at the company. Turns out he used to date the manager – makes you daydream about him days on end, thinking, “What if…?”. Would look at you directly in the eyes as you brief him his storyboard, and pat your head or poke you with his script bundle occasionally. Makes you live the dream for approximately 12 hours. Would definitely forget you entirely the next week you have schedule again with him.

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 22

First time reader click here

TWs/Summary: FLUFF! Inappropriate jokes! The team being a family of mother hens. Steve + WAP! Reader's old man fetish is ✨blossoming✨. Stephen is finally evolving from Grinch into a human being.

a/n: How do we feel about Wanda/Loki pairing? Loki is comparatively around Wanda's/Reader's/Pietro's age, e.g. he's a young adult. Also, new divider.

All three of us spilled out of the elevator in a flurry of wet hair, outrageously large shopping bags and the smell of autumn leaves and cinnamon-infused chocolate. Picture perfect friends - our arms were linked, we stood side to side, our bags mixed up. Loki's silky black hair was dripping cold water onto my face and my own clothes sticking to me in uncomfortable places.

It started pouring buckets when we got into my car to go back to the tower. Wanda complained about being hungry and after a brief detour in one of the hole-in-the-wall, hidden gem, French boulangeries, all three of us were pleasantly relaxed and companionable under the influence of hot chocolate and fresh, warm croissants (Loki ate, like, ten, royal manners be damned). The five minute run from the parking lot to the main entrance resulted in us being way too soaked to be comfortable - thankfully, the shopping bags seemed to be waterproof. Or, perhaps, Loki enchanted them somehow.

"Stop fucking cheating, Rogers..." Tony was grumbling in frustration, looking at an array of cards in his hands, squinting suspiciously at a smug Steve.

Noticing us, the room perked up immediately. Thor lifted his head and we saw him and Pietro splayed out on the couch, each male holding a play station controller. Stephen Strange was sat cross-legged on the floor, reading a book, while Natasha filed her nails next to him, a face of tranquility and indifference.

We almost backpedaled from the amount of puppy eyes suddenly gazing at us.

"Sup?" I decided to go first, seeing as both of my companions were still mostly confused. What the hell, I was equally perplexed.

"How was your day, brother?" and "Got yourself a nice dress?" and "Marchesa? Not bad." Were the most intelligible words I could make out of the cacophony that descended upon us.

And it suddenly downed on me. Neither Wanda nor Loki had previously left for the city on their own. Their siblings were worried. I sighed, concealing my happiness behind a quiet complaint of being cold and wet. My bags were picked up by Thor who abandoned his game in favour of greeting his brother with a hug. Surprisingly, Loki didn't refuse and let Thor embrace him and relieve us of our items to deposit them out of the way.

"Cold," Wanda whined, stripping off her damp sweater to reveal simple black leggings and tee underneath.

"Wet," Loki mumbled, gathering a ball of green magic to dry out his dripping hair.

"Gross," I said, walking straight into Tony's open arms. He didn't say anything, just indicated my place was in his lap, squeaking and shivering as soon as I reached my destination.

"Baby girl, you're gonna get sick. Let's go take a bath," He unsuccessfully attempted to lift my limp body. I groaned in protest, dead on my feet. It felt like I had walked a thousand miles. Wasn't gonna remove myself from a warm, soft Tony.

"I'm dead, like, I'm a zombie. If you move me, I'll eat that sexy brain of yours," I threatened fitfully.

"Well, at least change out of these clothes. You're dripping me in gross, polluted rain water," The engineer laughed.

"Lazy," I replied, nestling myself closer to his warmth. He tugged on my clothes, wrestling me out of the top layers, leaving me shivering like a newborn kitten across his lap. His eyes darted across the room - evidently, he was looking for some sort of a hoodie as he wasn't wearing one at the time. Tony knew how much I loved those and always kept one in his vicinity. Thoughtful, lovely Tony.

"Have you seen my MIT sweatshirt?" He asked and everyone replied negative. Tony frowned.

"Here, have mine," Strange stood up, unzipping and handing me his own plain grey one. "I'll make some herbal tea for the girls least they actually get sick." With that, the grumpy doctor walked off into the kitchen. I watched his broad back retreat with renewed interest. Hate to see you go but love to watch you leave...

One warm hoodie and hot tea later, I was feeling less like a drowned cat and more like the fabulous human being that I was. Wanda had told everyone about her two cute new dresses without actually revealing the idea behind her costume. Somehow all of us silently agreed to surprise each other after I pulled my stunt on Stephen.

Strange didn't seem to be mad at me; his presence was amiable and delightful. He made usual small talk and we engaged in a brief, friendly battle of the wits and he and Tony managed to not piss off each other too much. Loki and Wanda hung nearby, and we chatted, too, mostly about less popular but very cool movies the three of us could watch... Yeah, so we were arranging a sleepover. Bite me.

"So, everyone ready for the party?" Clint was all but bouncing in his seat. "Me and Sammy-boy, we'll have the coolest costumes!" He exclaimed, smirking in Tony and Bruce's direction. Something was coming, something great, from my two boys. I could sense it. Natasha probably knew and tattled to Clint already. The bird bros fist-bumped with an obnoxious cheer.

I was feeling drowsy. The tea Strange made had something calming in it. My usual energetic spirit was gone, replaced by a mellow sort of mood. Plus, my feet hurt from all the walking. I moaned in distaste, flexing my toes.

"I disagree," Wanda shared a secretive smile with Loki and me.

Apparently, my discomfort was quite obvious. It took only another quiet, pitiful groan from me for Bruce to scoot closer, remove my socks and tenderly knead the arch of my foot. He smiled at me, soft and gentle, pressing the pads of his fingers into the soft, painful spots.

"Yeah, Pigeon, no amount of make-up will help that ugly mug," Tony declared with a wave of his hand.

"Tony!" Sam defended his bird bro, tossing a pillow at the engineer and missing me by barely an inch.

"You don't need any make-up, bird. You need plastic surgery." I jumped on the bully Clint bandwagon for the lolz. He was actually quite handsome, but his reactions always were fucking priceless. All of us occasionally ruffled his feathers but never to an actually hurtful extent.

"Not gonna lie, that one hurt." Barton huffed, crossing his arms.

Meanwhile, Bruce had moved onto my other foot. I had to hold in a bunch of very lewd, inappropriate noises. Tony was grinning above me, not at all affected by me squirming around. Banner grinned back at the engineer. They were definitely plotting something.

That just wouldn't do, I decided. Time to throw Rick and Morty off their course a little. I stretched leisurely, allowing the hem of my borrowed hoodie to lift, exposing an inch too much of skin than strictly appropriate.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steve's arched eyebrow and the small secretive smirk he hid behind a cup of tea. The Captain wasn't as virtuous as the others thought and he definitely was onto me.

Bruce still wreaked havoc on my vestibular system by doing some magical voodoo shit to my toes and traded suspicious grins with Tony who radiated an unfair amount of smugness.

"Oh my God," I stretched with a moan of contentment. "Fucking rail me." I might have used this particular choice of words on purpose. The Avengers that memed with me knew the actual meaning but they were in the minority. Most, including Tony and Bruce, gasped in shock at my choice of words. I grinned innocently. "What?"

"We don't use that kind of language around here!" Steve exclaimed, barely hiding a full-fledged laugh behind his cup.

"Cap, a lot has changed in the past seventy years, if you didn't notice," Barton rolled his eyes. "Women are allowed to express themselves now."

"Men think it's pretty hot, actually," Tony remarked, giving me one of his positively mischievous smiles, gently stroking my cheek and dipping his index finger under the hem of my top, following the lines of my collarbone. "It's just that Cap got left out in the cold."

"Very funny, Tony," Steve groaned as the rest of the group laughed. "We don't need a repeat of the WAP incident."

I choked on my breath. "The WHAT incident?!"

Laughter drowned out Steve's stuttering explanation as the supersoldier blushed, possibly, the most saturated shade of scarlet I'd ever seen on a human's face. I had to stop Bruce from continuing to make my limbs into Jell-O, wanting to hear the full story clearly. Anything that warranted such a strong reaction from Steve was bound to be, like, equal parts extremely embarrassing and hilarious. Bucky was laughing up a storm, a tell-tale sign of him having taken direct actions to ensure Steve would be as confused and ashamed as possible.

"Steve caught Peter listening to the song and asked him about it. Peter refused to answer at first, so Bucky decided to mess with Steve a bit," Pietro began explaining. "So Bucky goes: WAP stands for wasted academic potential. Steve sits on it a couple of days, believing his boyfriend like the naïve old man he is," Pietro was gesturing vividly, arms flailing, as the Captain buried his face in his hands. "Lo and behold, Steve had to give a Captain America speech at some sort of school for delinquent children. And at the end of it all - Natasha has that bit on video, by the way - he gives his stern Captain look and goes "WAP is no joke!"!" The speedster laughed out loud along with everybody.

I was howling at that point, staring at Steve. Did the old man realize all the answers to his questions were a simple Google search away? "NO, he didn't, oh my God," I wheezed, suddenly having realized where it was going.

"He totally did!" Clint continued, giving Pietro a fond look and a chance to catch his breath. "The whole student population was laughing, tears rolling down their faces, as the principal started angrily ranting right in Steve's face. And he was just so, so-o confused. Man, his face..." Clint shook his head. "He left so freaking red in the face I thought he was going to have a heart attack. The students had started singing the song, the uncensored version - mind you - at some point and Steve just progressively got redder and redder."

"I'm seventy percent Irish, I can't help it!" Steve cried in his own defense, the famous blush on full display, but laughing nonetheless as he clutched onto his left boob for dear life.

"And one hundred percent dumbass!" Bucky clapped his boyfriend on the shoulder.

I nodded along, me and Tony a howling pile of limbs. The engineer himself was holding onto me for dear life, too winded to make any of his usual snarky commentary regarding Steve's epic failure. "Pure of heart, dumb of ass," I wheezed out my sudden realization.

"Shit, I'm getting that on a t-shirt," Tony sent himself into another cackle fest. "That's brilliant, Princess."

Bucky nodded along, "I'm buying one for this punk." He pointed at Steve, poking him in the right pec.

"Jerk," Steve's gaze was annoyed but fond as he gently shoved his boyfriend before placing a gentle kiss atop his head. Old people in love, so adorable.

"May I request one for my brother as well?" Loki interjected, eyebrow raised, eyeing Thor trying to pry open a carton of ice cream and failing to notice the little plastic lid covering the top part of it. The blonde was utterly oblivious both to his brother and to the chaos around him, set on his quest for salted caramel pecan creamy goodness. I couldn't say I didn't see the appeal...

"What did you call - himbos?" Stephen eyed me curiously, pointing to Thor and Steve with a shaky hand.

I nodded in response. "Harmless, loveable, kind, beefy and utter dumbasses," I pointed out the main characteristics. "I love himbos."

"You said my brain was sexy," Tony pouted, pressing me closer to him and in turn, making my legs wrap around Bruce in a funny way that brought all three of us in a weird sandwich hug. I must've died and gone to heaven once again. "This is bullshit," And Tony fuckin' bit me. The bastard sunk his teeth into my shoulder strong enough to leave a mark.

"I love big, fat brains. Unf," My attempt at a salacious voice only made people laugh. "No PhD, no pussy. I don't make the rules," I snorted loudly.

"You and your old man kink," Wanda chuckled good-naturedly, casting me a knowing glance over the tops of her friends' heads.

"Yes," I agreed solemnly, pulling Tony in for a kiss without an ounce of shame or reservation, catching Stephen's amused face meeting my eyes for a brief second, his eyebrow raised meaningfully. Looked like someone took my comment a little close to heart. Nobody really batted an eye at Bruce being in the middle of our cuddle puddle so if I had to guess, Stephen Strange was at least interested... Or was he silently judging me?

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie

[onemillionfurries]

The problem isn't that you have to join a Discord or have an account to get something, the problem is is that Discord is a black hole for information that is completely un-googlable and doesn't allow for easy archiving.

If you want any answers to a basic question in a Discord, you're gonna have to either A. Wrangle with their abysmal search function, B. Pray that the answer is either pinned in the appropriate channel or in an FAQ, or C. Ask your common question and pray that someone doesn't yell at you for answering an already-asked question, get drowned out by people chatting in the same channel, or if the server is particularly dead, get a response at all. VS a forum or reddit where usually all the problems you can encounter have public questions and answers that you can just google.

Not only that, but when Discord inevitably shuts down, ALL servers and information spread throughout gets lost too. Sure there are programs to archive Discord servers, but who is gonna make all that public? Who is going to sift through thousands of messages of idle chat and meme spam in order to get to the discussions and information that actually matters? Whereas with web pages and forums, I have an extension on my browser that lets me send a page to the internet archives with a click of a button. I will archive this very post in fact!

Discord has its place as a casual IM and VC service, but it is an absolute dog shit replacement for forums and information hubs, and no one should be using it as such.

"want to learn more about this project? join our discord!" explode. "want to download this game? join our discord!" explode. "want to play this mod? join our discord!" explode. "need questions answered? join our discord!" EXPLODE.

[taetaespeaches]

“You think I wouldn’t recognize the face of Downy?”

jungkook x reader (or oc) genre: fluff word count: 1.6K

a/n: Ok, lovelies! Here is the fic where guk meets his girlfriend in the long term couple fic. It’s the most unrealistic meeting out of all the couples and I don’t care at all how unrealistic it is. Our darling romantic Jungkook deserves a crazy romantic chance encounter. Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! :)) 

A sigh left your mouth as you chewed on your bottom lip, searching the shelves full of a variety of laundry detergents and fabric softeners. They had so many kinds, and yet, not a single bottle of the kind you liked.

Pausing from your search, you typed the brand into google, hoping to find a decent replacement. However, when you typed in Downy Infusions Fabric Softener, your phone screen displayed several articles all titled something similar to “BTS’ Jungkook Causes Fabric Softener Shortage”.

You couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculousness of the situation, and just as you added “similar brands” into your google search, a man rounded the corner, drawing your eyes to him, and keeping them for a moment because, damn.

The man gave a polite nod, you returning it, though as he turned toward the laundry detergents, yours remained on him. You knew you should have looked away, but honestly, how could you?

He was dressed in a pair of black joggers that tapered in on his calves and ankles and seemed to hug his legs just enough to show you he was quite fit. His upper body was adorned in a baggy black hoodie and he wore a black mask on his face, though it was pulled down under his chin.

The man’s hair looked soft and bounced as he bent down to look at the lower shelves, where the Downy normally was at this particular shop. You noted the cute huff he released at there being no fabric softener of his choice, and an adorable pout found itself on his lips.

And as you looked at him, unable to pull your gaze from his handsome side-profile, you cocked your head in realization. Looking down at the phone, which displayed a meme photo of this said Jungkook with a bottle of Downy as if he was the face of the product, your lips curved upward in a smile. What are the chances?

“Are you looking for the Downy softener?” You spoke up with a small smile toying on your lips.

The man, slightly startled, looked up at you in surprise. “Huh?” His eyes scanned your face for a moment as he processed the question. “Oh, yeah, actually.”

“They’re all out,” you gestured to the shelf.

Jungkook looked at you in surprise again, his large eyes sparkling. “Really?” Jungkook asked, standing up straight as he looked from you to the shelves a few times quickly before his eyes settled on you. “Completely?”

You nodded, smirking. “Yeah, apparently some idol endorsed it on accident and now there’s a shortage.” You couldn’t hold back the breathy laugh that left your lips at the way his doe eyes widened.

“A what?” You noted that despite the look of utter shock and a tinge of guilt, his eyes glinted in amusement, his lips twitching upward just the slightest bit.

“Yeah, a shortage. The power of some idols, huh?” You smiled. “I’m looking for a replacement now,” you told him, pretending to peruse your options. Jungkook couldn’t hold back the smile at your words as he gave a small laugh, his eyes moving to the many containers of detergents and softeners.

You looked back to the man as his eyes darted from option to option. You could tell he felt nervous and was unsure of what to do next, and you found it quite endearing.

“So, you’re gonna help me find a replacement, right?” You asked with a bit of sass, obviously flirting with the man as he looked at you in wonder. “It’s the least you could do.”

“Huh?” He asked you, his eyes large and confused, giving him a very youthful and innocent look.

“What? You think I wouldn’t recognize the face of Downy?” You giggled, holding out your phone for him to see the article about his unintentional endorsement, accompanied by the meme photo. “That’s you, right?”

You had never seen someone look so pure before as he flushed with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” he quickly apologized, you immediately shaking your head with a kind smile.

“No, no, I was just kidding,” you laughed gently, immediately backtracking on your teasing. “No need for apologies.”

“Here, let me look up some brands real quick,” he continued his unnecessary plea for forgiveness as he leaned toward one of the softener bottles and speedily typed the brand name into his phone.

“I really was just joking, you don’t need to help me,” you insisted, though he seemed to ignore you as he continued his research. “Jungkook,” you said softly, the man quickly turning to you at the gentleness of your voice. “It’s ok,” you grinned, a small laugh slipping out between your lips.

Finally, a smile broke through his worried expression, though it was still small. “I still want to help you, if that’s ok?” He finished the comment as a question.

You nodded happily. “Yeah, if you want. I was actually thinking this one,” you grabbed one of the bottles off the shelf. “What do you think?”

He reached for the bottle, his fingers sweeping over yours accidentally, causing him to pull the softener from you quickly as your heart raced at the simple touch. Watching him as he read the label, you noticed how his head quickly tilted to the side. You couldn’t quite figure out why the gesture had you nearly cooing.

As he began to speak again, he stuttered his words a bit as he explained why he didn’t think the softener would be of your preference because, “I just don’t think it will soften your clothes as much”. Wow, he’s adorable. “But I think you’d like the smell,” he finished.  

“What one would you recommend?” You asked him, locking your gaze on his own. “I trust you.”

He took a deep breath in, raising his eyebrows as he turned to the options. He pulled one jug off the self, handing it to you. As you inspected the label, he reached for another container.

“I’m thinking one of these two,” he told you.

“Have you used either before?” You questioned, peering at the bottle in his hands.

“No, but I’ve used that brand once,” he nodded to the one in your grasp.

You slowly nodded as your mouth formed into a small smile. “Ok, Jungkook. I’ll take your word on it.” He flashed you a stunning smile as he went to put the other bottle back. “Wait,” you said suddenly, Jungkook stalling his movements in surprise. “You have to get that one,” you nodded to the bottle that was still in his hands, watching as he pulled it back toward his chest slowly. “And then we’ll see which one is better.”

“Right,” he nodded, a large smile spreading across his face, his eyes crinkling in the corners adorably. “Ok, deal.”

“Deal,” you held your hand out for him to shake, Jungkook’s smile widening as he reached to take it in his larger one. His hand was soft and warm and you had a feeling you could get very used to the feeling. He was reluctant to release your hand when you told him, “unfortunately, I have more shopping to do.”

He continued to stare at you, as if he was in a daze. “Oh, right,” he nodded suddenly, giggling a bit. “I’ll let you get to it,” he bowed as he let go of your hand and took a few steps backward, preparing to leave.

Just as he was about to turn away from you, you spoke again, already smiling. “Jungkook,” you called to him amusedly, Jungkook spinning eagerly to face you, making you chuckle. “Maybe you should, uh, take my number. You know, so you can text me and let me know how that softener works. And then, you know, I can relay my findings to you.”

Jungkook pointed at you with a goofy smile planted on his pretty features. “Right,” he said enthusiastically. The playful demeanor he suddenly took on had you falling into laughter as you allowed yourself to wonder just how silly he could get. It intrigued you, and you wanted to find out.

“We’re kind of like research partners now,” you joked, Jungkook chuckling at the comment as unlocked his phone. Looking up at you with those beautiful expressive orbs, you told him your number. When you were done, he held his phone up to you to confirm he plugged it in correctly.

“Yup,” you chirped. “And if you wanted a name to go with that contact, I’m y/n,” you smirked.

He gave you a bashful grin as he quickly typed it in before saving the contact and pushing the phone back into his pocket. “I was gonna ask you your name, I promise,” he chuckled.

You nodded understandingly as you began to back away this time. “Just let me know how that softener works for you, Jungkook,” you smiled before turning around.

As you started walking away, you looked back to see him still standing there watching you, a flash of embarrassment taking over his features at being caught staring. You gave him a small wave, which he returned cutely, his face blushing as he directed his eyes back and forth between the sides of the aisle.

You giggled at the cute awkwardness he displayed, feeling absolute endeared by him. Before officially parting ways, you pointed an accusing finger at him. “Don’t go endorsing these ones,” you teased.

Jungkook brought a hand to his mouth as he let out an adorable boy-like cackle, his smile uninhibited. You were pretty sure it was your favorite smile already. “I would never,” he told you, still smiling widely. “Brand loyalty,” he let out a small giggle, you laughing at the comment.

You backed away still looking at him, Jungkook doing the same before he reached the end of the aisle. Looking to his left, he looked back at you, flashing you another stunning grin. “I’ll text you with my findings.” And with that, he disappeared around the corner, leaving you with a fluttering heart and an undeniable excitement to receive his text.