#top 5 web hosting

[wphostzone]

5 Best Managed WordPress Hosting Providers for 2024 (Compared)

If you want to shift your WordPress site to one of the top-managed WordPress hostings, here are the best-managed hosts for WordPress: Managed Hosting Service ProviderRecommended minimum

Before I go into great detail, let me explain how I came to try over ten web hosting companies to produce the most careful list of the best-managed WordPress hosting on the Internet.

I launched BloggingInsight on a shared hosting platform in 2024.

However, over time, BloggingInsight gained popularity and, as a result, increased traffic. I knew I needed to upgrade to stronger hosting to meet my blog’s rising needs.

Eventually, I switched to managed WordPress hosting. I went through a couple of managed hosts before finding Kinsta, which also hosts BloggingInsight.

Kinsta is one of the best-managed WordPress hosts, but I’ll provide a list of other options at the end of this essay.

You can still use a low-cost host if you’re new to WordPress. If your blog acquires popularity, you should consider managed WordPress hosting.

The best-managed WordPress hosting providers

So now that you know what I look for in a well-managed host, here is my list of the best WordPress-managed hosts for your high-traffic blog.

Kinsta

WP Engine

WPX Hosting

Page.LY

Pressidium

1. Kinsta

Kinsta is what I use to host BloggingInsight, and it is recommended as the best-managed hosting by WordPress professionals.

They designed their hosting options expressly to help heavy-duty WordPress sites function quickly. They employ Google Cloud infrastructure, which is fully connected with Cloudflare and includes all of the best technologies such as Nginx, PHP8+, Redis, and Object cache. This ensures your website loads quickly.

Despite how popular BloggingInsight has grown, I can still achieve page load times in less than one second using Kinsta hosting.

They also provide excellent support. When I migrated BloggingInsight to Kinsta, I encountered some issues with outdated plugins that were not compatible with PHP 7, and guess what? Kinsta’s CEO stepped in to assist. That is their level of dedication.

Kinsta also provides other excellent features like:

Data centers are located on multiple continents, allowing you to choose the ideal location for your needs.

Backups are performed automatically every day and on request.

Security includes several firewalls, DDoS protection, and security assessments to keep your site safe.

Easy-to-use staging area

Free wildcard SSL certificates

Competitive pricing.

Excellent customer help is provided. 24/7/365

Their cheapest package starts at $35 per month and increases from there. I’m on their Business 4 plan, which includes unique pricing as a benefit of being an early customer.

From my personal experience, I can say that Kinsta is the best WordPress host.

Continue Reading The Blog Post Click Here...

[webhostground]

Are you looking for Affordable Best cPanel Web Hosting Provider in World? We have powerful VPS hosting, we provide maximum security, best speed. We also have dedicated IP and 99% uptime cheap VPS server. Our VPS server hosting is the best and cheapest. So come to Webhostground and buy cheap VPS hosting.

Our Core Features ✅ Full Admin RDP ✅ Low-latency ✅ Dedicated IP ✅ 24/7 Responsive Support ✅ No Hidden Charge ✅ Money Back Guarantee and many more

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/3w4fewbk

[freelancetips24]

The Top 5 Hosting Providers of 2023 - 5 Best Web Hosting Services All Time

We collected the top 5 Hosting Websites.

⭕NameCheap ⭕Bluehost ⭕Hostinger ⭕Hostgator ⭕GoDaddy

1. NameCheap: Best for Beginners

NameCheap is one of the most popular WordPress hosts out there.

They provide an excellent product which greatly optimized for WordPress websites. If you want all the Storage, you can get it for your WP blog or online store. It is the best host for you.

They provide the lowest-priced plan is $23/Year, and only for one 10GB site with a max of 25,000 visitors/month. 2. Bluehost: Best for new websites

Bluehost is one of the best web hosting companies in the world, especially among people launching their WordPress websites. Bluehost is the hosting industry officially recommended by WordPress.

If you get stuck or have a problem, Bluehost has 24/7 support by phone or live chat. 3. Hostinger: Best for content-heavy sites

Hostinger offers reliable web hosting at a budget-friendly price. Shared hosting plans start at $1.99 per month, which includes free weekly backups and enough bandwidth for 10,000 visitors to your site.

The most popular option is the Premium Shared Hosting plan which costs only $2.99/month. It lets you create up to 100 websites and host 25,000 visitors/month. 4. HostGator: Best for perks

HostGator offers all the hosting essentials you need at a great price and also comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee. If you need a standard business info website with e-Commerce, services, story, and so on, HostGator makes it as easy as possible.

You can also purchase optional services like their SEO package, which is especially helpful for those Who are not sure to optimize their website. 5. GoDaddy: Best for easy site setup

GoDaddy is one of the most well-recognized names in the web hosting industry, servicing millions of customers worldwide.

They offer services ranging from website builders and professional email to domain registration and web hosting.

[zvaigzdelasas]

A bipartisan House bill unveiled Tuesday would force ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to divest the shortform video app or face a ban of the platform in the U.S.

Introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is the latest effort to ban TikTok over concerned about potential national security threats posed by ByteDance.

The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” specifically defines ByteDance and TikTok as a foreign adversary controlled application. The bill also creates a broader framework that would allow the president to designate other foreign adversary controlled applications. [...]

The bill would give ByteDance more than five months after the law would goes into effect to divest TikTok. If the company does not divest from TikTok, it would become illegal to distribute it through an app store or web hosting platform in the U.S., effectively banning it even among current users.

The bill has more than a dozen bipartisan co-sponsors, with an even split down party lines, according to a committee aide. The aide declined to share the names of specific sponsors.

“This bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it. This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs,” TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek told The Hill.

A Republican-backed bill last year attempted to ban TikTok outright but faced pushback from Democrats, who said the effort was rushed and could impede on free speech rights.

5 Mar 24

[screentones-webcomicresources]

There are many web hosting companies to choose from if you're taking the plunge into making your own website with a comic content management system (CMS) like ComicControl or Grawlix, a Wordpress comic theme like Toocheke or ComicPress, or a HTML template to cut/paste code like Rarebit. While these solutions are generally free, finding a home for them is... generally not. It can be hard to choose what's best for your webcomic AND your budget!

We took a look at a few of the top hosting services used by webcomics creators using webcomic CMSes, and we put out a poll to ask your feedback about your hosts!

This post may be updated as time goes on as new services enter the hosting arena, or other important updates come to light.

Questions:

💻 I can get a free account with Wix/Squarespace/Carrd, could I just use those for my comic? - Web hosts like this may have gallery functions that could be adapted to display a series of pages, but they are very basic and not intended for webcomics.

📚 Wait, I host on Webtoon, Tapas, Comic Fury, or some other comic website, why are they not here? - Those are comic platforms! We'll get into those in a future post!

🕵️���♀️Why does it say "shared hosting"? Who am I sharing with? - "Shared hosting" refers to sharing the server space with other customers. They will not have access to your files or anything, so it is perfectly fine to use for most comic CMSes. You may experience slowing if there is too much activity on a server, so if you're planning to host large files or more than 10 comics, you may want to upgrade to a more robust plan in the future.

Web Host List

Neocities

Basic plan pricing: Free or $5/month. Free plan has more restrictions (1 GB space, no custom domain, and slower bandwidth, among other things)

Notes: Neocities does not have database support for paid or free accounts, and most comic CMS solutions require this (ComicCtrl, Grawlix, Wordpress). You will need to work with HTML/CSS files directly to make a website and post each page.

Hostinger

Basic plan pricing: $11.99/month or $7.99/month with four year commitment (monthly, 1, 2, and 4 year plans available).

Notes: Free domain for the 1st year. Free SSL Certifications. Weekly backups.

KnownHost

Basic plan pricing: $8.95/month or $7.99/month with four year commitment (monthly, 1, 2, and 4 year plans available).

Notes: Free DDOS protection. Free SSL Certifications.

InMotion Hosting

Basic plan pricing: $12.99/month or $9.99/month with three year commitment (monthly, 1, and 3 year plans available).

Notes:  Free SSL Certifications, free domain names for 1 and 3 year plans. 24/7 live customer service and 90-day money-back guarantee. Inmotion also advertises eco-friendly policies: We are the first-ever Green Data Center in Los Angeles. We cut cooling costs by nearly 70 percent and reduce our carbon output by more than 2,000 tons per year.

Reviews:

👍“I can't remember it ever going down.”

👍“InMotion has a pretty extensive library full of various guides on setting up and managing websites, servers, domains, etc. Customer service is also fairly quick on responding to inquiries.” 👎“I wish it was a bit faster with loading pages.”

Ionos Hosting

Basic plan pricing: $8/month or $6/month with three year commitment (monthly, 1, 2 and 3 year plans available).

Notes: Free domain for the first year, free SSL Certification, Daily backup and recovery is included. Site Scan and Repair is free for the first 30 days and then is $6/month.

Reviews:

👍“Very fast and simple” 👎“Customer service is mediocre and I can't upload large files”

Bluehost

Basic plan pricing: $15.99/month or $4.95/month with three year commitment (monthly, 1, 3 year plans available).

Notes: Free domain and SSL certificates (for first year only). 24/7 Customer Service. Built to handle higher traffic websites. Although they specialize in Wordpress websites and provide updates automatically, that's almost a bad thing for webcomic plugins because they will often break your site. Their cloud hosting services are currently in early access with not much additional information available.

Reviews:

👎"The fees keep going up. Like I could drop $100 to cover a whole year, but now I'm paying nearly $100 for just three months. It's really upsetting."

👎"I have previously used Bluehost’s Wordpress hosting service and have had negative experiences with the service, so please consider with a grain of salt. I can confirm at least that their 24/7 customer service was great, although needed FAR too often."

Dreamhost

Basic plan pricing: $7.99/month or $5.99/month with three year commitment (monthly, 1, 3 year plans available).

Notes: Free SSL Certificates, 24/7 support with all plans, 97-day moneyback guarantee. Not recommended for ComicCtrl CMS

Reviews:

👍“They've automatically patched 2 security holes I created/allowed by mistake.” 👍“Prices are very reasonable” 👎 “back end kind of annoying to use” 👎 “wordpress has some issues” 👎 “it's not as customizable as some might want“

GoDaddy

Basic plan pricing: $11.99/month or $9.99/month with three year commitment (monthly, 1, 2, and 3 year plans available).

Notes: Free 24/7 Customer service with all plans, Free SSL Certificates for 1 year, free domain and site migration.

Reviews:

👍Reasonable intro prices for their Economy hosting, which has 25GB of storage 👍Migrated email hosting service from cPanel to Microsoft Office, which has greater support but may not be useful for most webcomic creators. 👎 Many site issues and then being upsold during customer service attempts. 👎 Server quality found lacking in reviews 👎 Marketing scandals in the past with a reputation for making ads in poor taste. Have been attempting to clean up that image in recent years. 👎 “GoDaddy is the McDonald's of web hosting. Maybe the Wal-Mart of hosting would be better. If your website was an object you would need a shelf to put it on. You go to Wal-Mart and buy a shelf. It's not great. It's not fancy. It can only hold that one thing. And if we're being honest - if the shelf broke and your website died it wouldn't be the end of the world.The issue comes when you don't realize GoDaddy is the Wal-Mart of hosting. You go and try to do things you could do with a quality shelf. Like, move it. Or add more things to it.” MyWorkAccountThisIs on Reddit*

Things to consider for any host:

💸 Introductory/promotional pricing - Many hosting companies offer free or inexpensive deals to get you in the door, and then raise the cost for these features after the first year or when you renew. The prices in this post are the base prices that you can expect to pay after the promotional prices end, but may get outdated, so you are encouraged to do your own research as well.

💻 Wordpress hosting - Many of the companies below will have a separate offering for Wordpress-optimized hosting that will keep you updated with the latest Wordpress releases. This is usually not necessary for webcomic creators, and can be the source of many site-breaking headaches when comic plugins have not caught up to the latest Wordpress releases.

Any basic hosting plan on this list will be fine with Wordpress, but expect to stop or revert Wordpress versions if you go with this as your CMS.

🤝 You don't have to go it alone - While free hosts may be more limited, paid hosting on a web server will generally allow you to create different subdomains, or attach additional purchased domains to any folders you make. If you have other comic-making friends you know and trust, you can share your server space and split the cost!

Want to share your experience?

Feel free to contribute your hosting pros, cons, and quirks on our survey! We will be updating our list periodically with your feedback!

[the-broken-truth]

Leaving The Web [Part 5 - Finale] - Platonic Yandere Miguel O'Hara w/ Daughter Symbiote Spider Reader

Summary: The situation has escalated to a critical point. You and Venom have grown tired of Miguel's meddling and are prepared to confront him decisively. A confrontation ensues between Venom and Miguel, but the question remains: can the symbiote control its murderous impulses, or will it result in the loss of the Spider-Society's leader?

The Leader of the Spider-Society was taken aback by the thunderous footsteps approaching him. Two massive arms, locked together, were raised high in the air with a menacing snarl. The arms came crashing down at an alarming speed, causing Miguel to swiftly dodge out of the way. The impact of the components caused the concrete roof to crack, but it did not break. Miguel was then faced with Venom, who let out a loud roar before pursuing him with his claws locked in position. Miguel managed to escape by jumping off the building and swinging away using his red webs. Venom followed closely behind, utilizing his black webs to keep up.

"Be careful, V, I have a feeling that Miguel is going to try to lead us o the Portal where he came from." [Name] said from the depths of Venom's mind.

"We know, we're counting on it. We have a plan in case he brings us there and we hope he leads us to where he comes from. Hopefully, there's an audience of Spider-People, watching their leader get beaten by the beings he abandoned." Venom told [Name] with a smile, causing his host to smile at the thought of beating Miguel in front of his people, showing them not to approach herself or Venom.

Miguel swung until he reached the top of another building - where a portal to Earth-928 was waiting - soon enough Venom arrived at the top of the building and glared at Miguel with a smile on his face; that smile scared Miguel but he wasn't going to show it.

"Venom, this is your last chance - come with me peacefully or I will take you and [Name] back home by force." Miguel threatened but Venom started laughing with his long tongue waving around like a whip before it slithered back into his mouth and he spoke.

"You really think you can scare us? We have been alone for the longest time, Miguel, and now we have a home here; the fact you can't understand how much damage you have done to us shows how pathetic of a Father you really are. This is your last chance - leave our universe and never come back...or we shall break you and throw you back in that portal." Venom warned as he pointed at Miguel who shook his head and started running at the large symbiote and jumped to kick Venom in his face, but he grabbed Miguel's leg and started smashing him into the ground over and over again before throwing him off of the roof and chased after him.

Miguel lifted his hand to shoot a web but the air in his lungs was knocked out when Venom's Feet plowed into his stomach, ending the 2 of them crashing into the ground, Venom stomped on Miguel before he jumped off him and landed in a crouch. Miguel groaned as he turned on his stomach and pushed himself off the ground before weakly standing and looking at Venom, who rose to his full height once again; Miguel wiped the blood leaking from his mouth as he looked at the large creature.

"Mija...please...don't let Venom control you..." Miguel tired but his pleads were met with a punch to his stomach and another to his face that sent him flying into a cafe window, causing the people who shriek in horror as Miguel crashed into the wall behind the counter. Miguel tried to move but a black web connected with his chest and yanked him out of the wall, out of the building, and back onto the street before he was punched upward; Miguel went flying until he landed on the surface of a flat roof, groaning in pain as rips in his suit tried to reform themselves but there was a malfunction in his suit that prevented them from closing - his mask faded once again and he coughed up blood once again as Venom jumped up to the top and grabbed Miguel from behind and lifted him off the ground, forcing him to face him.

"[Name]... Mija... Please, come back to me..." Miguel said in his weak voice as he lifted his hand to try and touch Venom's face but the face of Venom moved away from his touch and revealed [Name's] angered face. "Mija... Please...come home."

"How long is it going to take before it sinks in? We. Am. HOME! Venom and I belong here and I won't let you take us away from the home we have built with the people who care for us - people who love us; sure I love and miss the others but I love being here more with Venom. Now, your body can barely move, your suit is destroyed and I will send you back home but the next time you come here; your brain will end up in our stomach." [Name] said as the mask reformed on [Name's] Face to the Face of Venom as the massive symbiote jumped from building to build until they reached the top of the building where the portal was, Venom looked at Miguel's broken body before tossing him in the portal, causing the portal to close behind Miguel. Venom exhaled and returned control to [Name], causing his body to get smaller to Spider-Woman's Body.

"You okay, V?" [Name] asked.

"I should be asking you that. You went through a lot before You and Me became We but now that we are the way we are and we shared memories. [Name], I am grateful for what you said, thank you, my friend." Venom said.

"You're my best friend, V, thanks for dealing with Miguel. I really needed that." [Name] said as she walked over to the edge of the building and swung away, "So, what do you want to have for dinner tonight?"

"I'll let you pick," Venom said.

"Then I want baked chicken and salad." [Name] smirked.

"NO SALAD! I HATE THAT!" Venom said.

"We need to keep the body healthy; we'll have chocolate for dessert." [Name] said.

"Fine!" Venom groaned.

With a chuckle, [Name] and Venom swung off into the sunset of their world, their universe, without Miguel O'Hara.

[gifsbymel]

host your gif packs on google sites

Since I received a question from an anon about how I upload my gifs to the google site, you can find the answer here. This is my first tutorial, and english is not my native language, but I hope it will be understandable and sorry if I wrote something wrong in english. I hope it's understandable and good luck, feel free to write if you have any questions and I'll try to help.

First of all, I always create the gif pack page on tumblr, it's easier to see the code there, it's easier for me to change things, because there is more space. And there I can see if everything is okay. However, it is important that there is a few code that works here, but not on the google site. When I find everything in perfect, I copy the code of the gif page and paste it to the google site page.

So I always open the google site page (You must log in with your gmail account to be able to use it.) : https://sites.google.com

When you open it, it will be a blank page, but there will be that colored plus sign at the bottom right. You can create a new page with it. I already have several, I tried to organize things there.

4. If you click on the plus sign, it brings up this, I don't usually change anything here. In the right-hand bar, there is "pages" (marked in green in the picture), you have to select it.

5. If you have selected the pages menu, you will see a plus sign again in the lower right corner. Click on it and select "full page embed". (I circled it in red in the second picture)

6. If you selected this, it will ask you to name the page. Enter the name you want. I usually include the name of the actor/actress + the name of the series and the episode in various formats. (Since I create the page both here and on the tumblr page, sometimes I copy the name given on the tumblr page.) When you press done, you will see what is in the second picture.

7. If you move the mouse over the part marked in green, i.e. on the name of the created page, 3 small dots will appear on the far right. Click on it and select "hide from navigation". If this was the case, then the small sign will be crossed out in front of the page name in the right side bar and there will be no menu bar at the top of the displayed page. After that, all that's left is to paste the code of the gif page, i.e. the gifs. You have to click on the "Add Embed" , which is in the middle and can be clearly seen in the picture. And choose "Embed code" and copy the cod / gif link here. [second picture]

8. I have marked on the picture where you can find after this, the edit button [in red], if you want to delete the page [in blue], or if you would like to preview it. [with purple color in the picture]

9. If you find everything OK, then all that's left is to press the "publish" button in the upper right corner. The previous picture shows where you can find it. Then it will ask you to enter a name for your web adress. Name it whatever you want, think of it as the name of a main tumblr page where you can always create gif packs. This only needs to be entered once, unless you want several main pages, as I have several (as can be seen in the very first picture). Eg: I named the current one gifsbymel2024.

10. I marked the paper clip / chain (?) icon in green on the picture, you have to click on it and then the link of the created page will pop up and you can share it with whoever you want.

11. If you always want to upload a new gif pack to your page after that, all you have to do is open the Google site page, select your page from the already created "recent sites" section and then go to the "pages" tab on the right side and repeat the steps as before featured. Only the name of the "recent site" will be omitted if you add the gif packs to an existing one.

[stonecrusherdrawsthearts]

World of Heroes R - Spider Squad

Who are the Spiders of New York? MENACES, that's who! Vigilantes with no official backing, who have taken it upon themselves to act as the 'protectors' of this city, but lack the real means to handle the crimes here. They focus on some maniacs with animal costumes tackier then even their own, and don't do anything to mitigate the damage left behind from their fights. I thought it was bad when there was just one of these freaks of nature here, but now there are three of them! Who knows when they'll strike next?! Whenever that is, you can bet the Daily Bugle will be the first to call them out on it!

MEMBERS

Spider-Man - the most infamous vigilante menace in this here fine city. Sure, his rabid fans will say he's "their favorite hero" who "never gives up" and "will always stand up for the right thing, even when its hard." And he sometime pays lip service to the idea of "Great Power coming with Great Responsibility." But if he wanted accountability, he'd register with the Avengers or Justice League or, hell, even the X-Men. But NO! He's a rogue, and that makes him just as dangerous as the 'villains' he fights!

Venom - For a month, Spider-Man tried out an edgier color palate maybe to avoid some real consequences for a shuttle incident, only to change back later. Then this guy showed up with the exact style, calling himself New York's new Lethal Protector! And wouldn't you know it, he's taking the Spider-Man motif and applying the Batman method of striking fear into the common man. Hell, some people claim he's actually a host to an alien symbiote, but I personally think that mouth is just... I dunno, makeup effects.

Web Ghost - The third webslinger to show up randomly in New York, and she's surprisingly even more active then Spider-Man herself. I don't know if she's just that dedicated to being a menace, or if she's trying to prove something. Hell, some people theorizes she's the reanimated corpse of the one person Spider-Man's confirmed to have killed "on accident," Gwen Stacy. I don't think this is true, but I can't help but wonder what it says to the world if it was. Like, the girl died at Spider-Man's hands and now she's swinging around the city like he does. Would he feel even a hint of regret? ...Ah, who am I kidding, she's just another girl with spider-powers, none of that death stuff.

NOT MEMBERS

J. Jonah Jameson - Former Top Reporter and Now Editor of the Daily Bugle, the best damn newspaper in the city of New York. People come to me for the truth, and I give it to them. You want my opinion on rich billionaires like Lex Luthor going into politics? They should have to give up literally every cent over 5 million as taxes, that way they actually contribute to society. You want my opinion on the Avengers? Reliable defenses against unwanted alien invasions, and so humble about it, too. Metahuman rights? That's something I support, and I hope Professor Xavier helps everyone. And Spider-Man... a goddamn menace playing hero in my city. This guy wants to help the greater good? Then show who you really are behind that stupid mask. Secret Identities are just a coward's way of avoiding accountability... unless we're talking the internet.

Mary Jane Watson - Some theater kid who works near the Bugle, I don't know. She's better behind the scenes then out front... look, what do you want me to tell you? I know nothing about her! Do you... look, just get out of here already.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb:

Seven years ago, I lost him for good. Now he's back, but is he still the Jay Gatsby I used to know…or is he something more? Something…darker.

Daisy Finnegan is looking forward to the endless golden freedom of summer. She doesn't want to think about life after college, or the newly awakened power of her voice, which has a way of making people do frightening things. But when her cousin goes missing at an exclusive house party, Daisy confronts the mysterious host…only to discover the wealthy recluse is Jay Gatsby, her childhood sweetheart—now sinfully hot and impossible to deny.

It isn't long before Daisy becomes entangled in a web of dizzying wealth and lies and obsession darker than she could have dreamed—culminating in a shocking act of violence that shatters the summer haze and threatens to drown them all.

But it isn't until Gatsby is shot through the heart—and survives—that Daisy discovers the truth of how Gatsby clawed his way up in the world by selling the secret of immortality to the highest bidder. Now with her friends' lives at stake, her own untested power still volatile, and an unimaginable threat closing in, Daisy will have to face an impossible choice: side with the man who claimed her body and soul…or with the monsters who would see him lost to her forever.

An addictive and truly original spicy New Adult retelling of The Great Gatsby with a magical twist.

Review:

A modern magical day retelling of the Great Gatsby except with Vampires and Daisy falls for the Villain (Jay)? SAY LESS I WANT IT. Daisy Finnegan is a college student who is looking forward to a summer of freedom and fun, especially after getting out of a terrible relationship with her ex boyfriend Tom, whom she found cheated on her. On top of that Daisy has just awakened a new ability, her voice can persuade people to do whatever she wants... and she has to keep that in check. When she is invited by her friend Jordan to a mysterious house party where her cousin goes missing at and comes back with mysterious marks on his body... Daisy is determined to find out what happened to him and who the host of the real party is. Only she discovers that the mysterious host, the extremely wealthy recluse... is none other than Jay Gatsby, her childhood sweetheart who disappeared and ghosted her.... and now he's back and determined to prove to her that he is going to be part of her life. Yet the closer Daisy gets to Jay the more secrets she is beginning to realize he has and that seven years apart has changed him in more ways than one. The closer she gets to Jay's world the more Tom's obsession with getting her back grows... and the darker both paths become as one of them is a monster and Daisy will have to figure out which villain she'll let into her heart and which one she'll destroy. This was a really fun take on the classic story and oh boy was it much spicier. I did enjoy the whole vampire twist of it all and I'll always be a Jay Gatsby girl so I love that he is a bit of a villain but he is also the love interest and they do get a happy ending. I am so excited for this series of villainous dark romance retellings of the characters and I can't wait to read the next on which just happens to be Dorian Gray!!! Absolutely pick up this book if you love a fun take on a classic!!

Release Date: July 16, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca | Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[dailycass-cain]

Birds of Prey #6 wraps up the series' first arc. So did it stick the landing? How was Cass in it?! Here's my thoughts on it.

I only have two nitpicks on this issue. #1 I really liked the whole Megaera is EVERYWHERE and sad it didn't continue this issue until when Megaera was subdued. I thought that'd be a neat little bit if it continued, but oh well.

That was a fun little bit that took me back when I realized it when reading #5 and I am a little sad it wasn't back for this one.

#2 Megaera didn't do anything with Barda's megarod. Or at least nothing HINTED at... YET. I mean given the time and it wasn't ever answered there's a chance Megaera could've done something and could be a seed for a future arc (or maybe how they were controlling the Amazons).

I'm probably overthinking it, but maybe hopeful this could be a seed for something. I guess we'll see.

I really did enjoy this issue though. Like again, top to end had me satisfied reading all six issues. It'll be interesting to see how Sin's new status quo goes from here.

I'm kind of curious if the reason why she made the perfect host for Megaera was due to her past origin?

I mean last issue said she summoned Megaera but the conditions can't be just due to that. Not to mention her training probably might be HOW she's able to do what she's doing this issue.

Also, do we call Sin by Megaera as a codename? Or.. she gonna get a new codename?

The last bit of nonCass (sort of), well to quote that web series again: I sure hope someone picks up that phone BECAUSE I FUCKING CALLED IT!

That little slip of dialogue between Mirai Maps and Cass last issue sets up our next arc.

It's interesting to find out Mirai Maps (at the behest of Dinah in another timeline) kept trying for the scenario where "EVERYONE LIVES!" And… still, one character's life kept getting affected.

It's a truly interesting hook for the next arc.

That leads us into the Cass. I really did dig the stuff with her in this issue. It was minimal, but writer Kelly Thompson gives her a presence with each panel space given.

You just know she's there seeing if Zealot's theory at the opening part of the issue pays off, not to mention assist in threatening Megaera out of Sin.

We as the reader know Zealot's line of "killers" is false pertaining in regards to Cass. Why this is called a "bluff".

Would she have stepped in if this would have really killed Sin? OH YES. Though I think Cass knew via the body language of Zealot and Sin/Megaera how this was gonna play out.

Just Cass fans knew this was how this was playing out. It didn't need to be spelled out completely.

But really the BIG thing for Cass is the end when we get TWO big things that do concern her. Really, this is something that Thompson outlays perfectly because for the first time in this series, we see Cass maskless.

But really the BIG thing for Cass is the end when we get TWO big things that do concern her. Really, this is something that Thompson outlays perfectly because, for the first time in this series, we see Cass maskless. by artist Leonardo Romero.

Because now the mission DOES concern her personally (sides Dinah). It's a nice nod to the history of Cass/Babs that's not spoken, but hey if you've read then yeah this feels like an, "IT'S ON." moment between Cass/Dinah.

Likewise, I do enjoy WHY Cass eavesdropped on Dinah. It probably was like a nervous daughter worried about what "mom" thought of the mission she was in.

Just that instead of leaving when Babs did, Cass was like, "Wait Meridian just popped up." And well.. the comic/Dinah said it best.

2024 and we get an adoption nugget to boot besides her real concern for Babs. Both parents represented!

This comic is the gift that keeps on giving even the smallest moments layered. SQUUUEE! 😊

So yeah, I really dug this issue and it was a fitting end to this arc, all the while setting up the next. I'm really curious to see where this one goes. What Thompson will explore with Babs and WHO is targeting her in the future.

I know it won't be but if it's a Mecha Calculator (Calculator basically a cyborg due to Deathstroke Inc. shenanigans) because his HATE for Babs kept him alive.

… Okay it's probably not but that'd be fun for me.

Anyhoot this was another fun issue, and I can't wait to see where this goes. Also, WILL Thompson lay an anniversary bit for Cass in the coming months?

Then again should she? I mean this issue gave us two goodies here.

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing Double Edition: #87 and #88

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing is a double edition and covers all things posted from February 18 – March 2. Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 

Challenges/Prompts:

Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote or know of one we’re missing? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

@thefinestmuffin and @JessBakesCakes are hosting the 3rd Annual Josh/Donna Rom-Com Fest. The fest revealed on February 14, but prompts and claims are still open and fics can still be added to the collection. Details here.

This Week in Canon:

Welcome back to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 1, Episode 16: 20 Hours in L.A. aired on February 23, 2000.

Season 2, Episode 15: Ellie aired on February 21, 2001. 

Season 2, Episode 16 :Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail aired on February 28, 2001.

Season 3, Episode 14: Hartsfield’s Landing aired on February 27, 2002.

Season 4, Episode 16: The California 47th aired on February 19, 2003.

Season 4, Episode 17: Red Haven’s On Fire aired on February 26, 2003.

Season 5, Episode 14: An Khe aired on February 18, 2004.

Season 5, Episode 15: Full Disclosure aired on February 25, 2004.

Season 6, Episode 16: Drought Conditions aired on February 23, 2005.

Season 6, Episode 17: A Good Day aired on March 2, 2005.

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from February 18 - March 2:

Allison Janney posted a video promo of herself in Palm Royale, which premieres on Apple TV+ on March 20. 

Amy Landecker posted a photo of herself kneeling on top of Brad while he’s stretching. 

Bradley Whitford posted a video with Wis Dems announcing the winner of their Dinner with Brad contest. 

Janel Moloney posted a video of her dog Ollie barking at a squirrel.  

Josh Malina posted a photo of himself with a trumpet from 1986. 

Josh Malina posted a throwback photo of himself and a friend. 

Josh Malina posted photos from his 2010 web series Backwash: 1 | 2 | 3

Josh Malina posted a video of his son Avi skateboarding. 

Peter James Smith posted a still from and link to his deleted scene in Superstore. 

Peter James Smith posted photos from a play reading he is doing. 

Rob Lowe posted a video of himself petting his dogs. 

Donna Moss Daily: February 18 | February 19 | February 20 | February 21 | February 22 | February 23 | February 24 | February 25 | February 26 | February 27 | February 28 | February 29 | March 1 | March 2

Daily Josh Lyman: February 18 | February 19 | February 20 | February 21 | February 22 | February 23 | February 24 | February 25 | February 26 | February 27 | February 28 | February 29 | March 1 | March 2

No Context BWhit: February 18 | February 19 | February 20 | February 21 | February 22 | February 23 | February 24 | February 25 | February 26 | February 27 | February 28 | February 29 | March 2

@twwarchive: February 18 | February 19 | February 20 | February 21 | February 22 | February 23 | February 24 | February 25 | February 26 | February 27 | February 28 | February 29 | March 1 | March 2

Edits/Artwork

#CJTOBY: enigma by lady gaga by @cjcreggswifey [VIDEO EDIT]

Editors’ Choice: 

In honor of the anniversary of the premiere of “20 Hours in L.A.”, here are some of our favorite fics based on/centered around that episode!

Go to Sleep by AndAllThatMishigas | Rated G | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | Complete | Post-ep for 20 Hours in LA of red dresses and things unsaid by JediAnnieScrambler | Rated T | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete | “CJ,” he managed, voice tight and strangled. Her dress was soft and silky under his fingertips, her perfume stronger than ever. “Are you drunk?” “No, Tobus, I am not drunk.” (20 Hours in LA missing scene) Gathering Rosebuds and Mixing Metaphors by Lily_Padd_23 | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | Alternate ending to 20 Hours in LA gather ye rosebuds by thefinestmuffins | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | “Gather ye rosebuds,” she’d said, all impetuous, up on her knees on his damn bed, and it’s so confusing, the way he’s almost positive that’s she’s flirting with him sometimes, even as she actively pushes him towards other women. Gather ye rosebuds. Joey’s door is within sight now, but Josh turns around without knocking, without pausing or even slowing down, driven by something sharp and immediate that seems to be lodged directly behind his solar plexus. ** A one and done smutshot, canon-divergent from 20 Hours in LA, in which Josh realizes where his rosebuds are and goes back to his hotel room to gather them. **

Fics from the past two weeks coming in the reblog!

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Fall Webworm

Hyphantria cunea

The fall webworm is in the family Erebidae. Described by Dru Dury in 1773, this moth is known for creating webbed nests as caterpillars and living in them until the pupa stage. They are considered pests in some areas due to their tendency to defoliate trees while feeding as larva and are known as an invasive species in East Asia.

Description Adult moths are mostly white in color with white legs that are black/brown and white in color. The top two legs are orange on the segment closest to the body. Under the eyes are patches of the same orange color and on occasion there are orange spots on the abdomen. In the north, the wings are completely white while in the south, the wings are speckled with brown or black spots.

Average wingspan: 38.5 mm (≈1.5 in)

Diet and Habitat The fall webworm feeds on just about any type of deciduous tree and can defoliate entire beaches or trees. In the eastern U.S., these moths prefer pecan trees, black walnut, American elm, hickory, fruit trees, persimmon, and sweetgum. In the west, alder, willow, cottonwood and fruit trees are commonly eaten. Adult moths do not feed.

This species is native to North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico, was introduced into other continents in the 1940s, and has since then spread. First recorded in 1949, this moth was introduced to the former nation of Yugoslavia and spread from France to the Caspian Sea and further into central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and southeastern Kazakhstan. When introduced to Japan in 1945, it spread to generations per year since its arrival.[5] It spread into China, southern Mongolia, Korea and southern Primorsky Krai of Russia. Now it is considered holarctic, meaning found in almost all regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Mating The mating season starts in late June and lasts until early July. In the northern part of North America, this species has one generation per year. The larvae hatch and live in late summer through early fall. In the south, which is cons to be under an approximate latitude of 40°N, there are two or more generations annually and nests appear progressively earlier the further south you go. Male fall webworms are typically only available for mating for about 30–60 minutes per day. This moth even shows a form of fall parental behavior. The female will try to protect the eggs after oviposition by covering her newly laid eggs with her abdomen hairs. Females lay the eggs on the underside of the host plants’ leaves in groups of about 100.

Predators The fall webworm has many predators such as Monomorium minimum, Vespula spp., Coleomegilla maculata, and Rogas hyphantriae.This species is parasitized by around 50 species, such as the flies Musca domestica and Muscina stabulans, and parasitic wasps such as Chouioia cunea and Therion morio. There are also several species of microsporida (unicellular spore parasites) such as Nosema necatrix Kramer, Weiser, and Nosema bombycis that are harmful. This species is also harmed by several viruses such as granulovirus and nucleopolyhedrosis virus. The caterpillars protect and defend themselves by shaking and jerking together, giving off a repellant scent, and irritants on their hairs or spines.

Fun Fact The fall webworm is a social insect as groups of caterpillars live in spun nests made from webs. These webs have many benefits like finding of mates, temperature regulation, increased growth rate, and protection from predators. However they also result in higher rates of infections and predation.

(Source: Wikipedia, USDA Forest Service, Missouri Department of Conservation)

@turkeygamemaster

[ashtonisvibing]

Ego/Septictober Day 5 - Jar + Halloween Decoration

holy shit i actually managed to get this out- it's short but i hope y'all enjoy!

-------------------------------

Fandom: Jacksepticeye Egos

Alternate Universe: Normalcy AU

Ship(s): Marvelsepticeye

Character(s): Jackieboy Man, Marvin the Magnificent

Warning(s): None

Author's Notes:

oooooooh jeez, big collection time! i am introducing y'all to, what i like to call, my normalcy au! :} as the summary says, this is just an au where all the egos (that i've chosen cuz they're the ones i like the most lol) are just... average people. cuz i like making my blorbos your average person, i'm a domestic lover. people doing the dishes together my beloved <3

this is also a prompt entry for egotober (hosted by @tracobuttons) and septictober (hosted by @jselorekeeper/@pagansheep). today's prompts are jar + halloween decoration, so why not a little blurb of marvin and jackie decorating their apartment together? :}

pronouns check:

marvin - they/them

jackie - he/him

if you liked what you read, consider giving this a reblog, please! it'll let more people see my work!

[plain text: if you liked what you read, consider giving this a reblog, please! it'll let more people see my work!]

Full Story:

Halloween was only a week away, meaning that homes everywhere were decorating for the spooky holiday. Fake webs, plastic gravestones, and inflatable witches stood on lawns and windows were covered with sticky decal depicting skeletons and pumpkins. And that was ignoring any decorations that might have been set up inside. One such home was Marvin and Jackie's, who only really had the ability to decorate their small apartment. They hoped one day they'd have a full house with a yard to really go all out, they were both lovers of Halloween. There were cut out pumpkins and cats and all sorts of monsters taped to the walls, bats hung by nearly invisible string from the ceiling. There was even a table top cauldron placed on the shelf near the door, ready to be filled with candy and trinkets for when the big day came.

The couple had even more of a reason to decorate this year, as they were also hosting a Halloween party for their friends this year. It was a yearly thing among the friend group, in which a different person or couple hosting each year. Neither of them knew they couldn't top Anti and Jameson's horrifying haunted house theme from last year, possibly no one could. But they were both fine with sticking with a more cutesy and cartoonish theme for their turn. Marvin never liked jumpscares anyways.

Jackie was in the living room at the moment, tossing up sticky rubber bugs so they could stick to the ceiling. Chances are these would now stay up there for years if they were good quality, he was just mentally crossing his fingers that he wouldn't suddenly have a rubber centipede fall onto his head one day. But it wasn't long until his decorating was interrupted by his fiance coming out of their shared bedroom, a giddy smile on their face. A smile that Jackie always treasured when he saw it.

"You wanna see the decorations I've been working on??" Marvin giggled, practically bouncing on their toes from their excitement. They didn't even give Jackie a moment to answer before they pulled him into the bedroom. Against one of the walls was a long desk that was always covered in containers full of clay and crafting related chemicals. It was a hobby of Marvin's, making various clay models of whatever gave them inspiration. It wouldn't be a lie to say that most of the inspiration came from their fiance. Along the light wooden table were several mason jars, filled with resin and containing small clay people. Upon closer inspection, Jackie noticed that the people were the couple and their friends that were coming to the party. Chase, Henrik, Anti, Jameson, Marvin, and Jackie suspended in the colored liquids, each resin colored to match each person's favorite color (or as close as Marv could get it). So this is why they were asking everyone what their favorite colors were.

"Woah, so this was why you bought all those mason jars..." The nerd laughed as he stood straight up again, looking at the person next to them, who was still giddy with excitement over their creations. "Is this why you've been cooped up in here every chance you got?"

"Mhm!" Marvin nodded, their lavender curls bouncing along with their head. They carefully picked up the purple tinted jar that contained their clay version, turning it around in their hands. "It nearly took all the clay and resin I had to make these. It doesn't help that I also messed up the resin for Chase's jar the first time, too many bubbles. I also tried getting a neat effect for Anti where blood would be coming out of xis neck, but I just couldn't get it right." They then looked over at Jackie. "I figured we could put these out on one of our shelves, and everyone can take their own jar home. Hopefully to just display and not try to break their mini counterparts out." They laughed softly and set the jar in their hands back on the table. Now that their hands were empty Jackie pulled Marvin into a hug.

"Sometimes I can't believe how talented you are." Jackie laughed softly, leaning up enough to leave a kiss on the other's lips. A wonderful bubblegum flavor, they must have had chap stick on. "Maybe I can try and get some wood and lights and make a custom display for these. It feels like they should be lit up instead of just standing on a shelf."

That thought only Made Marv's excitement grow, their dark brown eyes practically sparkling from joy. Oh, did they look so pretty when they got this happy. "I would literally love you for the rest of time if you did that." Jackie gave a laugh in response, returning the kiss he had been given a moment ago.

"Guess I've got my own crafting project to work on."

[bioshoook]

okay your ask inspired me so more AH asks for you: 1, 5, 8, 25, 34, 48, 51!! <3

Thank you for the questions Emrys :3

1) How did you get into AH?

Already answered, but I got into them by seeing a video somebody made on youtube with a bunch of other fandoms that were popular on Tumblr in 2014.

5) Favorite team?

Whatever the hell team name Trevor and Alfredo have now (tho Team Nice Dynamite is always right behind them in my heart)

8) Favorite AU?

Hmm favorite AU would have to be the Fake AH Crew AU just because of all the memories I have of messing around in that AU and all the great content that people have created using that AU. There's just so much to do when the characters you're playing with are literal criminals.

25) Has a video or specific moment ever made you emotional?

Not sure if this is for like sad emotional or happy emotional or whatever, but the first video I can remember off the top of my head that made me emotional in the sad way was when Meg had to host The Know after Monty passed away.

34) Have you seen the musical?

Yep I have! Watched the whole thing when it was mixed with the GTA video.

48) If you have one, who’s your favorite fic author or fan artist?

OOoohhh boy do I *cracks knuckles*

Since I know I can't narrow this down to like one author and artist I'm just gonna do a handful of the large amount of people that have created some of my favorite works and inspired me/influenced me with how I write.

So author wise I have to first give it up for @confusedeevee who without her I would most likely not be writing AH fanfic like I am today, plus she's an excellent beta, amazing writing partner and always helps me brainstorm when I need it and will listen to me rant and rave about all my au ideas even tho it's probably 3 am for her :') and her fics are out of this world, please go read them.

Next is @futureboy LIGHT OF MY FUCKING LIFE who fed (and continues to feed tbh) my alfreyco cravings and has some of the best written dialogue out there and a head full of incredible ideas when it comes to writing! They just have some of the best writing out there and they're honestly killing it with the ST fics right now.

And since we're talking about Alfreyco (because how could we not am i right??) @jusst-you-wait is honestly really to blame for me still writing AH fic to this day, because this lovely alfreyco obsession of mine started when I read her Fake AH fic about Trevor and Alfredo investigating some abandoned building for Geoff and that's all she wrote. Also one of the best hype mans out there and such a great writer!

And I can't forget @shadeofazmeinya and @sorcererinthestars who also have some of the best fics out there in my opinion. And tbh I included both of them in one thing because one is not far from the other when it comes to fics and tumblr and there places in my HEART! Love these two so much and both have them have produced such fantastic work in this fandom and appreciate that every single DAY.

Ok now with artists unfortunately there aren't as many as there used to be in the ye olden days of the fandom, but that doesn't mean we don't have some excellent artists still!

Firstly is @keeningthoughts who without them I would not have the lovely alfreyco outlast fanart that I cry over almost daily and would not have known the joys of being in a server dedicated to a podcast co-lead by two very silly boys. Clay, your everchanging art style and the art you've drawn, no matter how silly, have always made me so happy when i see them on here or twitter :3

And then @ursifors who has created some of the most awesome art in this fandom. Just the way you draw the AH members (and Jeremy lbr) is so incredible and fun to look at. Your shading and the way you draw expressions are always the best. Like the way you nail people's faces is just 👌👌👌👌

51) Any videos, series, podcasts, etc. you’d recommend to new fans?

Would definitely recommend Red Web (how can I not?) if you're into spooky things and conspiracy theories, but for general AH stuff I would recommend Off Topic because that is always a good, tho sometimes chaotic, way to get a feel for the vibes at AH. As for videos, any Between the Games and Shenanigans videos are always great to watch. Series wise, there are always MC and GTA videos, which are CLASSICS even if they're older and Play Pals which is 👌. Always recommend those. Some more recent ones would be GMOD and 7 days to die. Also the Rage Quit anniversary video they came out like two weeks ago. That was an excellent video.

[deshigeek]

What are the 5 best Copa America Team of 2024?

Before we get to know the current Best Copa America 2024 Teams, let’s see where this feature idea stems from. Deshi Geek has started this feature segment very recently where we write ‘Top 5’ articles to let our readers know about the best entertainment the pop culture world has to offer. In that quest, quite a few features have already been published in Anime, K-Drama, Web Series, Games, and many more genres.

[kedreeva]

I posted 8,066 times in 2022

That's 329 more posts than 2021!

1,893 posts created (23%)

6,173 posts reblogged (77%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@fiore-della-valle

@redbirdblogs

@idkfandomwhatever

@seananmcguire

@sleepymccoy

I tagged 8,043 of my posts in 2022

#stranger things - 1,920 posts

#asks - 932 posts

#steddie - 722 posts

#anon asks - 532 posts

#all the laughter - 517 posts

#good omens - 490 posts

#my pets - 481 posts

#good things - 438 posts

#peafowl - 405 posts

#eddie munson - 377 posts

Longest Tag: 96 characters

#we are all uncertain if our work is good or we've just been loving it despite its flaws too long

I sent 10 gifts in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I hope that once everyone's done laughing at the important blue checkmarks (no rush, it's fucking hilarious), Tumblr considers other icons we can put by our names. Like little hats or something we can send to friends for a day for a dollar. Little animal companions. Good job stickers.

28,252 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

#4

A snake in Thailand spent enough time sitting still in the water to grow moss and turn into a dragon, apparently.

More video at the source account!

34,063 notes - Posted March 3, 2022

#3

Oh god, I just aged several years in a single second, a friend of mine sent me a snippet from a fic that read someone put a VHS into a VCR and took so long getting back to it to press play that the menu screen had looped multiple times

36,575 notes - Posted September 1, 2022

#2

When I was a kid, maybe 14 or so (which is, you know, 20+ years ago), I belonged to a Yahoo! mailing list for an anime called Gundam Wing. It was mostly populated by other teens, of varying ages, as it was started by a teen and her friends. Eventually it migrated, when Yahoo! groups started as forums, and even branched off into non-GW related stuff in a second forum.

One of the things I remember the most clearly is the oldest person in the group. Her name was Steelsong. She was a 40-something Dom with a sub whose name we knew even though we knew nothing else. She ran her own fanfic archive because the web was still handmade HTML and navigated in webrings and I’m pretty sure Google didn’t exist or was only barely, barely launched and not well known. She was kind and patient and we loved her. She treated everyone on the group with the respect given any adult, even though most of the rest of the world was still treating us like we were children. Not teenagers even, but children. She never once condescended to any of us, never made our youth a barrier to her respect, never treated us like we were incapable of being full people or like we were less than her because we were young.

I remember that she hosted our fanfiction, as absolutely terrible as it was (and I still have some of it, I am WELL aware of how cringingly terrible it is, just absolute nonsense garbage), right there alongside of other fic that was soul-achingly beautiful. Not a separate section for her friends or for kids, just right there like we were good enough to feature alongside other authors. I never once received crit from her that I didn’t ask for, only support. Only love. I am still writing today partly because Steel was so kind about our fic, fanfic and original.

I remember that when I started doing clay sculpture, she commissioned a tiny pair of dragons from me, to support me doing artwork. She sent a check my mom cashed for me, and my mom helped me mail it when it was finished. It broke in transit, and Steel assured me that she mended it and that it was still beautiful. It was a small gold dragon curled up with a small silver dragon.

I remember that her patience knew no bounds. I remember that she was there for us, regardless of reason. When we wanted to know silly things like what to do with a single AA battery, she answered. When we had serious questions about sex, she answered.  When we had questions about writing, she taught us. When one of our group members, a young gay teen in Australia, ended up in the hospital and then stopped making posts, and we all knew what had happened, she let us talk to her about it because we couldn’t go to our own parents, even though we had just lost a friend.

She was not a replacement to my parents, but she was an extra parent, in some ways. A friend, certainly, but someone that had been through more life than we had and was willing to pass on knowledge if we asked for it. Someone older that we trusted with things that were too uncomfortable to go to our parents or teachers or whatever about, because we already knew she wasn’t going to judge us or something, and that we would get an honest answer.

I don’t know why I’m remembering this so hard tonight, and I’m not sure if there’s a point to sharing this, except that I know she’s gone now. She was ill the last time we spoke, and her site went down a long time ago, and I miss her. She was a huge influence on my life, then and now. She was hope, for me, that life as an adult didn’t have to be boring, it wouldn’t have to mean giving up the things I loved and Becoming Only Responsible With No Fun. Her presence meant I had hope I could still write and play with friends even when I wasn’t ‘a kid’ anymore. And she’s gone, and I miss her, and I wanted to share her from the perspective of youth, and the perspective over twenty years later has provided me.

And I think of her, when people go off about older folks being in fandom with younger folks. I’m an older folks now, or at least middle aged folks because there are certainly folks older than me still, but I wasn’t always. I’ve been here since i was a younger folks, and I know how much Steel’s presence and support meant to me, how much she helped not just me but everyone on that group. And I think of the people saying older folks don’t belong in fandom, and that they shouldn’t interact with younger folks at all, and I just think... I can’t agree. I needed that kind of solid presence in my life back then and even at the age I am now, I need the folks older than me to stay. I want them here.

So I guess, like, if you’re here and you’re 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 or whatever, I want you here in fandom with me, still. Your presence here is a comfort. It is hope. It is a reminder that life will continue to be fun, even as I get older, myself. And if you’re younger and you have this sort of elder in your groups, I hope that they are like Steel. I hope they are kind and patient and supportive, and that knowing them gives you hope for your own future. I hope in twenty years you look back and remember them fondly.

44,929 notes - Posted July 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

If you're ever worried about whether your writing is too self indulgent, I just want you to remember that Sharknado had 5 sequels. I'm only partway through watching Sharknado 6: It's About Time, but already they've traveled through time and ridden a pteronadon into a Sharknado so they could use the magic teleportation portal inside of it to travel forward in time to King Arthur's time, where they are currently battling a Sharknado full of fire-breathing dragon sharks with Excalibur, which is a chainsaw sword that calls lightning. You're fine. In fact, be a little more self indulgent if anything, because I am having a BLAST watching this specifically because I can see how much fun the writers were having.

45,937 notes - Posted June 17, 2022

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