#two years worth of url changes

[gumi-megpoidd]

Realizing just how long you list of "who I was" has gotten

Yeah

[anneapocalypse]

I am actually going to use the Dragon Age fandom's predictable reheating of stale wank from ten years ago like it's brand new to remind people to crosspost and archive your meta. I'm serious. Crosspost and archive and back up your fanworks generally, but I think meta is a particular place where people don't bother or think it's not worth the trouble.

Part of the reason fandom seems to have such a miserably short memory is that the centralization of it on social media platforms causes information decay at a staggering rate. Twitter is one of the worst offenders, as it's basically useless for any kind of archiving and near impossible to find something that was posted ten days ago, never mind months or years. But tumblr has its own problems, with the ease of changing urls making link rot almost inevitable. Unless a post is still in active circulation or someone is doing a tag dive on an old fan's blog, posts from when Inquisition was fresh out and we didn't even have Trespasser yet (for example) might as well be at the bottom of the sea.

Did you know you can post meta on AO3? You can. There are tags for it and everything ("nonfiction" and "meta" being two popular ones). Dreamwidth exists and isn't a bad place for archiving. Hell, set up a Wordpress blog if that's more your speed.

Maybe you want to help preserve access to other people's meta posts! Consider a meta rec list. Reblog their posts and include links to the reblog as well as the original in case of deletion or link rot.

These are just a few ideas. I just want to encourage fellow fans, at a time when fandom and information online generally moves so fast and things get buried so quickly, to give some thought to archiving and preservation. Ten years from now, will our fandoms remember what we were talking about today?

[vergess]

V, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the recent @staff announcement with regards to making Tumblr more algorithmic? Especially as someone very new to the site.

People are way too worked up about it, tbh.

First of all: The chronological dashboard is staying! No one ever said anything to fucking threaten that. People literally made that up, and @staff had to make a whole separate post about it.

The "algorithmic changes" would affect things like recommended blogs and the notoriously broken search feature we've all been begging for a fix to for a decade now.

This is VERY much the tumblr user base being hostile out of habit. Literally the announcement gave us two (2) features we've been begging for for years. Fixes to search AND the ability to make custom chronological dashboards featuring only specific blogs.

But instead of celebrating, everyone is losing their actual shit over the word "algorithm" with no idea what it actually means. Algorithm does not mean "super evil magical AI boogeyman that takes away your ability to blog with your friends." I know that's how facebook and google use it, and the fear is well earned, but it's misdirected in this case.

Of course, it's worth noting that I'm biased. I am very lenient with tumblr's current staff. I've lived through every era in tumblr staffing, and this is the only staff group that has ever taken user feedback seriously.

Unfortunately, people seem to think that the exorbitant excesses of the indie era and the obnoxious censorship of the corporate era are also the fault of the current staff.

In actuality, those are inherited problems that have been nightmarish to untangle from the heinous spaghetti code that they also inherited.

The stuff we love about tumblr (chronological dashboard, ability to turn off ads and recommendations, custom urls and blog themes, etc) is here to stay.

But fixes to the way the search and rec algorithms are long overdue. We should be delighted by this news, not enraged.

[fountainpenguin]

- Minor progress on "Kisses Full of Broken Glass"

- Spontaneous (and delightful) progress on the next Dog's Life buffer chapter ["Scatter By Sunset"], including changing a few plot points, so I'm intrigued by how it's going. Turns out when I was overwhelmed in October and needed that extra month for Chapter 42, that's because I actually needed 4-5 more chapters in between that and the plot point I was trying to hit :'D Dog's Life is not really what I expected when I started it, but it's my favorite and I like it.

- Sick all day (Visited relatives for two weeks, came home earlier today). Cold, tired, and hurting. Luckily I had nowhere to be except headed home (and when I got home, I was able to watch some YouTube videos and read a 'fic update I'd put off while at relatives'). I had a tasty grilled cheese.

-> I enjoyed Tango and Skizz joking about Skizz cheating on Tango (in his Hungry Hermit minigames team-ups) and in response to Tango getting in his face and yelling "Well, you cheated on me!" Skizz just casually replies things like "I know. It was so good" and Tango falls over laughing, choking out, "It wasn't even like 'No, no- Listen!' It was like, 'Oh baby, it was so worth it; I'd do it again'" and Skizz just falls to pieces, sldkfj... the juxtaposition. Silly. ["Back at Hungry Hermits with Skizz!"]

-> I hope TangoCam became dad to a new pet dog

-> He did not, but I see day-counter lamps

- Super rough outlines for some Neighborhood Watch AU 'fics I want to write (Yesterday, but still liking them today)

- Organized 44 downloaded 'fics today (All the ones from my FFN favorites). Making a collection of URLs next to download links because I prefer reading from webpages, but some of my favorite works have been deleted and I'm glad I can easily access their downloads from my same organizer sheet.

-> Not sure what it says about me that one of my most common filters is "Grief." Oh no.

-> Remembered how much I like some of these short story-driven favorites from my past (This is about SelenP's Fawful-centric pieces, like the one where Kamek and Fawful quest to revive Cackletta and shenanigans ensue, and multiple works of impeccable Kamek characterization... Kamek shouldering through the Koopalings' playroom door and yelling "Hey kids, I've got explosives!" lives rent-free in my head... I adore the Kamek-Kammy rivalry too.

-> Might make another sheet for my own 'fics (with download links) and post it for people to access in case FFN and AO3 go down unexpectedly someday, but not high priority right now (Thankfully)

- I'd like to do more self-indulgent one-shots this year, not binding myself so much to the 130 Prompts or my main AUs. I have a ton of things I didn't submit to Guess the Author that I'd like to finish, plus other one-offs. Mostly secret soulmates & Zombiewood, but. you know who I am.

- Listening to many songs for upcoming chapters, especially something that works for "Scatter By Sunset." Slow progress, nothing's hitting. Might be two too conflicting vibes for one song for this chapter, but at least it's low energy. I really do not want to split this chapter again.

- Mayhaps... song planned for something else could work better for "Scatter"?

-> It does not

- Funny to revisit some songs I'd used for Origin of the Pixies, considering them in a new light for Dog's Life. Don't think they work, but makes me go "Hm."

- So many animatics I itch to do, but it would be such a "small drop" of creation longevity (I presume) compared to what that time can give me for buffer-building chapters, and these 'fics are more important to me right now than drawing niche plot points. Might do some short clips for sillies (24-hour challenge or such)

-> There's a Total Drama scene I've wanted to animate Poof and Foop to for 8 YEARS, but I didn't have a good character to play the third part until Dev

-> "Other Side" is such a good song for the H.P. & Anti-Cosmo drama in Origin and Knots. I've have visions for ages...

-> Sorry for being who I am (Using break-up songs as inspo. for chapters about unrepentant kidnappers)

- Spent too long on this post and songs; tired. Feeling better than last night and hopefully better in the morning.

[epersonae]

The cooking project - Crêpes

If yesterday's post was probably one of my most-made recipe cards, this might be my most-made recipe in my binder, which is sort of a Binder of Theseus. My sister made me a binder full of typed-out recipes as a gift when I was a sophomore in college, and I still have the section separators, which were collages of images cut from magazines, and I have some (most? all?) of those typed recipes, though the binder itself has been replaced. And of course I've added many more recipes, printed from the internet or sent to me by email or clipped from magazines. (I had a subscription to Sunset for a while in the late 00s!)

This recipe, though, was copied from a webpage into probably a Word document and then printed out, and dates from March 15 2003. The URL in the image no longer works, but the contents can be found in the Wayback Machine (ctrl+f, "crepes"). It was posted as part of the author's "French Week" as sort of an oblique protest of the impending Iraq War. In any case, I have been making it since then.

Because this can be found in the Wayback Machine, and because the instructions are hilariously long, I am not going to retype the whole thing here.

My only personal notations are combining "whole wheat flour" and "white flour" into a single line (I've literally never made these as savory crepes in 20 years), and a note that 1 egg approximately equals 3 crepes.

Making the batter

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it scales really well: one egg to 1/4 cup flour. The sugar ratio is weird and I usually have to do a rough approximation, because 1/4 cup sugar is 4 tablespoons, but also it's a very forgiving recipe that way.

I have learned over the years to beat the eggs first and THEN add the flour/sugar/salt, much less lumps that way. (ironically, 20 years and I just noticed he never says when to add the salt, altho clearly it's with the flour)

I have literally no idea how much milk I use. I mix in a bit at a time until it looks like the right texture/color. It's all vibes, baby.

I don't think I've ever let it sit two whole hours but it definitely does change texture a bit, for the better, if left to sit at least a half an hour. (I have also never drunk a glass of red wine while waiting for the batter.)

Below is: just after mixing in the flour/sugar/salt, then after some milk, all the milk, and after sitting for idk half an hour? 45 minutes?

Jam! Eating while making!

As I said, I've literally never made them savory, altho the last time I had them with a little bit of local whipped goat cheese and strawberry jam, and that was FUCKING TIGHT.

My usual is to take out whatever jams I have (today: strawberry and raspberry freezer jam that I made in 2020 and 2021 respectively, quince jam that a friend made, and marmalade) and just alternate flavors as I make them. I usually end up eating some while I'm making them. (As the guy says, bachelor mode™️.)

Two eggs' worth did in fact make about six crepes, I think, which is kind of a lot for dessert but I guess I had dessert for dinner, it's fine.

(Oh, and I think I've tried flipping them without a spatula exactly once, I am just not that bold.)

In any case, this continues to be one of my favorite recipes of all time, I will make it for anyone at any time for any reason. (The longest stretch I ever went without making it was after Ryn died, and I finally had eggs and milk and enough energy...and found BUGS IN MY FLOUR and about lost my damn mind. But I have made them a couple of times since then.)

Fanfiction bonus content!

So if you are reading my fic for the benefit of all the broken hearts, and you have already read chapter 16, then you know why I posted this today. If you are reading it and have not yet read the new chapter, consider this a teaser.

If you are not reading it: for the benefit of all the broken hearts is a fix-it fic for Water Flowing Underground, a very strange beautiful fic that blurs the line between Actor AU and RPF, that plays with questions of identity and choice and intention and also what we are even doing with fanfiction. My fic picks up from the end of that fic, from the point of view of a character who is dismissed by the narrative of the original, and who finds a way out of the wreckage. (it's the weirdest goddamn thing I've ever written, and yes, I think that includes the Bigfoot fic, and also I think my best writing ever. Certainly the most work I've ever put into any writing in any medium.)

And also there are crepes.

[eossa]

How I'd Make Tumblr More Profitable

Yes, this is going to be controversial, since I know nothing about the behind-the-scenes spending, economics, and all that jazz. But I've been on Tumblr for long enough to have a rough idea of the userbase wants - which is what positions Tumblr in a niche other sites don't really utilize. Most of the points I list here are about improving the experience of existing users, as keeping users might be harder for tumblr than attracting new ones.

Please note that this posts reflects my personal opinions and some stuff I've seen people complain about it. Do not attack me over anything I've written here, it's not worth my time and I will resort to blocking if I'm being bothered. Constructive criticism is fine and encouraged!

[under the cut because this got quite long] [last updated 20th July 2023]

Features to Add

Block posts. Xkit has/had this feature, it was great. Sometimes I just don't want to see a specific post, and others probably agree with that.

Send asks and replies from sideblogs. Would literally make a lot of things easier and better.

Delete individual reblog additions from a post. Sometimes, you have a post where there is one"relevant" addition, multiple "irrelevant" additions ("yes!", "[repeated phrase in bold]", "this is a must reblog"), before there is a "relevant" addition again. But right now, you can only remove all reblog additions, not just individual ones. I feel like this would be a neat feature.

Direct blocking of anon hate which also tracks the IP and blocks the associated account(s). No rights for cowards, that's all I'll say.

Features to Bring Back

Reblog chains. Prev tags are the backbone of lots of interactions on here. If I click on someone's username in a reblog chain, I want to see that post on their blog, not their blog starting from the newest post. The loss of this feature is one of the things people constantly complain about in the replies of @changes.

Several text formatting options. As a theme maker, it would be nice to have proper preformatted text again - it makes code so much more legible. Other formatting options I miss are marked/highlighted text and text lines, which are really helpful to visually break apart passages of text.

Features to Ditch

Tumblr Live. There I've said it. If I want to see stuff like that, I have TikTok, IG Reels, Pinterest Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Twitter also has something like this. It's oversaturated, and aparently there are still enough cyber security concerns that it's not even accessible outside of the US and Canada.

Ads in lightboxes. Especially on mobile, there are already more than enough ads on the feed, no need to add more nested inside other elements.

Features that Make Money

Pay for NSFW. If this site allowed full nudity etc. again but hid it behind a paywall, we'd kill two birds with one stone: The site would probably still be allowed on the App Store, and the money influx would be huge. The userbase would also increase again.

(If Tumblr Live is kept.) Pay to snooze Tumblr Live permanently. It's the most complained about thing in changes' replies, so I feel like people would pay on a subscription base just to not see TL anymore.

Pay to increase limits. 250 posts per day is the maximum that can be posted - and there are people hitting those limits. If there was an option to buy a higher limit (500p/d, 750p/d, etc.), people might generally use it. Like those add-on charges for mobile data. Same goes for posts in the queue, posts in drafts, images in a photoset and so on.

Pay to pin posts at the top of a tag or search result. Ebay Kleinanzeigen has this neat feature where you can push your small ads to the top of a search query so that more people can see it. This could be a cool feature to try, as it would work in a more content-aware way than Blaze does.

Pay to buy inactive URLs. There are some really cool usernames on here that are taken by blogs that haven't updated for 5+ years and only have one post (or none at all), and I feel like it would be neat to be able to buy one of these cool usernames attached to an empty account. To make sure that usernames attached to redirect or something else don't get bought, tumblr should send an e-mail to the username owner - if the user doesn't react to that for 3 months, the usernames changed owners. [added 13th July 2023]

Existing Features to Improve

NPF posts. I feel like a combination of legacy and NPF would be neat. Think selecting a main element like in the legacy editor (e.g. video, image, audio) and then adding a caption that can add different content types like NPF does. Or at least create a better overview over NPF variables and release the full base code with documentation to make things easier for the web designers on here. There are more issues with the NPF format but I won't list everything people dislike about it here.

Block people. The block feature should make sure that the person being blocked doesn't see any posts made by the person they were blocked by, even if those posts were reblogged by another user. Also, like IG does, there should be an option to block either just a specific blog or the IP address attached to block side-blogs and other accounts of that user.

Color palettes. The color palette options for the dashboard are generally a nice idea but I think it would be better if there was a dropdown menu to choose a palette from rather than having to click through all the different options. For example, if I want to go from Cement (light mode) to Dark mode, I have to click through 10 options until I reach Dark again. There has to be an easier way. [added 20th July 2023]

Other Improvements Needed

Nuke spam bots. Users are reporting all the spam bots, yet, it doesn't seem like they are dwindling in numbers. Also - at least this is how it's being perceived by the userbase - tumblr isn't doing enough on their end to reduce spam bots. This is definitely something that needs to be fixed.

End hateful and criminal activities. It's the year 2023, yet there are still outright N*zis, violent tr*nsphobes, literal p*dophiles, and other people committing to the daily bit of hate speech and other illegal activities (fraud too considering all those fake GoFundMe sites) on this website. I'm not saying free speech should be banned but there is a bright red line between what is free spech and what is hate speech (or should get you jailed considering fraud and p*dophilia).

A through-out, perhaps even interactive, beginner tutorial. "The site is too complicated to use for new users!" – then explain how it works in easy terms, with examples, images, and videos. Every other application or web app has walk-throughs, just do the same here.

Improved ad relevancy. The ads I see on tumblr are usually so out-of touch with the userbase, and many of them feel like the sort of stuff you see on a spam-ridden torrenting site. I feel like increasing the relevancy of ads to what the users usually blog about would cause a higher click-rate and turn-over-rate than the current ads do.

Summary

There is probably more I could add, but that's it for now. Should I make any later additions directly to this post, I will mention it to prevent misunderstandings. If you have any ideas or constructive criticism, let me hear about it in the replies or reblogs of this post.

[unpairedbracket]

So it looks like @yoshihashismattebum, @thepenultimaterolo, and @thewaythroughthewoods have stood in front of a mirror and said my URL three times, compelling me to break my vow of silence and produce one (1) "post" on this "blog". My task is to spell out my URL with song titles

TL:DR - here's a playlist

Side A (don't worry about it)

Unacceptable - Bad Religion

Never Fight a Man With a Perm - IDLES

Paralytic States - Against Me!

Aneurysm - Nirvana (1)

I checked your cellphone - Otoboke Beaver (2)

Rollercoaster - Lauran Hibberd

Extraordinary Girl/Letterbomb - Green Day (3)

Dragon - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (4)

ballad of a homeschooled girl - Olivia Rodrigo (5)

Red Wine Supernova - Chappell Roan (6)

Art of Dying, The - Gojira (7)

Crying in Amsterdam - Sløtface

Knights of Cydonia - Muse (8)

Edmonton - PUP (9)

These Spectacles Reveal the Nostalgics - The Hives

Liner Notes

There seem to be two studio versions and lots of live versions of this; the one I'm thinking of is the studio version that was the B-side to Smells Like Teen Spirit, but the live versions I've heard are also good. Not so keen on the Incesticide version though

Or in Japanese, 携帯みてしまいました by おとぼけビ～バ～

Extraordinary Girl is, imo, one of the weaker tracks on American Idiot, but Letterbomb is probably my favourite (sub-9-minute) song on that album so I figured I'd take advantage of the weird way the track listing is arranged to sneak an L in here

King Gizz are bonkers good but a lot of their music isn't really my jam, genre-wise. This is one occasion where they made an album in a genre I like, and the results are excellent. 16th note double kick drumming at 145bpm for 40+ bars straight? Nice. Vocals in four different octaves? Of course. Two verses of chanting in Latin? Why not?

I'm not the only person I know who's mistaken the intro to this for a PUP intro. I don't think there's any other pop star I can say that of.

Yeah this is a repeat from the lists of two of the people who nominated me for this. Well-deserved.

If I said 3 songs back that King Gizzard's drumming was impressive, Mario Duplantier's is inhuman. I've seen a 10-minute video essay about what polyrhythm he's even drumming in the intro, and the kick drumming on the chorus is like 40% faster than on Dragon. Wild stuff.

I feel like Muse work best in the "horseshoe theory" region of a scale from sublime to ridiculous, and this song is a good example

This is from one of the two EPs that soundtracked a locked-down 2021 for me - very cathartic, and much-needed at the time

Side B (A.K.A you should have worried about it)

Ur Mum - Wet Leg

New Born - Muse

Passport - Sløtface

Alone at Home - Jonathan Coulton

Ignoreland - REM

Reject - Green Day

Everlong - Foo Fighters

D-7 - Nirvana (1)

Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine/Denzel Curry (2)

Red Light - The Regrettes

A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T - The Hives

Coast, The - PUP (3)

Kyoto Now! - Bad Religion (4)

EAT - Poppy (5)

Toxicity - System of a Down (6)

Liner Notes

It's a cover of a song by The Wipers (you didn't think I was going to choose a normal Nirvana song, did you?) As far as I can tell Nirvana never released a studio recording, so I'm treating the version recorded live at the BBC as my canonical version

Couldn't choose between the original version and Denzel Curry's cover here. I'd highly recommend seeking out Denzel's version if you've not heard it before, so that's the version I've put on the playlist. The youtube video is still worth watching as well though.

The vibes of this song are brilliantly creepy. Final few lines give me chills every time. Apparently it's based on an old Inuit story the singer's parents terrified him with as a child, which is cool!

This is a brilliant climate protest song. Actually, the Bad Religion song on Side A is also an environmental protest song, released 12 years earlier. Nothing changes, does it?

This is the title track from the other EP that soundtracked my 2021. I think it's the first time I remember hearing Poppy going fully into metalcore screaming and I love it

This is maybe a bit of a basic pick for a SOaD song? I nearly went for Tentative instead because Mezmerize/Hypnotize were my first of their albums as a teenager; but decided that I do actually think Toxicity is the better song

I've been lucky enough to see some of the artists on my list perform live - those artists are bolded in the listings. Sløtface are a special case - I had tickets to a show in March 2020, which didn't happen because they couldn't leave Norway and I couldn't leave my house. I've got tickets to see them later this year though, which is exciting!

As you can no doubt tell, I had a hard time fitting in everything I wanted to include - I ended up with a list of about 20 artists I wanted songs by, and only 15 letters in my URL.

I ended up with shortlists of 5+ songs starting with different relevant letters for some artists, so it took quite some shuffling to arrange everything in a way I was happy with. I even asked my combinatorialist friend if he could identify what sort of combinatorial optimisation problem I had on my hands (either a knapsack problem variant with a weird objective function, or maybe some kind of covering problem), but that didn't go anywhere so I ended up brute-forcing it.

Artist's impression of me brute-forcing it.

In the end I had two songs for some letters that I was unwilling to cut, so double list was the only thing for it. Struggled in the other direction with some of the repeated letters, but managed to get there in the end. Managed no artist repeats within a list and the only one repeated album across the whole thing. I'd consider all of these recommendations to also be album recommendations (apart from the few that aren't from an album)

My actual workings

You may notice if you are weird and look closely that a couple of songs here differ from what I've finished up with - there was flux going on right up until I actually wrote up this post!

Uhhhh everyone I know on here tagged me in the first place so... if you wanna do another one go for it I guess?

[wrathshe]

     #𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐒𝐇𝐄 :     𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙍𝘼𝙀𝙃𝙀.     an independent / private     &.     heavily headcanon / rule!63     𝗠𝗢𝗫𝗫𝗜𝗘 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗨𝗩𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗦𝗦.    blog is dash only, mid amount of formatting, no-icons     &.     low maintenance. 𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 :       NOVEMBER 3rd  2023.

     i do not care if you ship Loona / Blitzo, Blitzo / with women, dislike Blitzo / Stolas, write Alastor as anything else other than asexual, ship Vaggie with men etc.     let people do whatever the fuck they want.     under no circumstances, however, will bestiality or paedophilia be roleplayed in this space.     if this type of content is present in your muses' history, that's fine, just please tag it, but i won't ever roleplay / wish to see it roleplayed.   𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙂 𝙄𝙎 𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙈 / 𝘿𝘿;𝘿𝙉𝙀     &.     may contain the following content :     non-parental incest, dub con, sexism, marital / verbal abuse, violence / gore, classism / racism, slavery, age gaps, homophobia / transphobia     &.     child neglect.     𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞      all of these are to be tagged such as 'cw insert topic here'     —     under no circumstances will bestiality or sexual content of minors be tolerated.

     𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙛 :     pro callout, smut-only blogs, shota / loli blogs, muns under 21 years of age, shame others for their sexual preferences, non-RP blogs, antis of any sort, if you have an extensive DNI persons list... this is not a safe-space for puritanical antis !

     i do not use catch-all tags, such as x don’t look or x don’t see nor do i require one for myself.     i will tag trigger warnings     &.     i will tag URLS :     do not pressure me or try to control who i write with. do not ask me my financial situation, sexual orientation / experience / preferences / kinks or fetishes, relationship status, mental disorders / medical history, etc. quite frankly, that’s nobody’s business but my own.

     if agreeable to these terms, please continue to the blog rules under the cut...

𝐈)     mod is over 25+ years of age.     i will not be providing my discord unless you’re a close friend.     timezone is PST.     goes by any pronouns.     i understand genderbends    &.     heavy AUs are not everyone's cup of tea though, so i have no problem if folk don't follow back.     art for my icons are either heavily edited caps from the source material or they are from @missfabius on twitter / X.

𝐈𝐈)     this is a problematic character from series that takes place in literal hell.     𝙞 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚     —     𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.    AUs are my jam.     𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩.    spoilers will not be tagged. leaks, should i ever come across them, will be tagged accordingly.

     i can’t write NSFW worth a damn, it’ll be rare if i actually write it out in full here     —     i prefer to write that in discord.     please don’t automatically assume romance unless prior discussion / interactions take place.

     𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙜...     animal abuse, animal cruelty, necrophilia    &.     trypophobia.

𝐈𝐈𝐈)     my Moxxie, besides being 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, has male-horns    &.     white hair.     aside from that, she is 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙄𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙍𝙀𝘿.     aside from these two changes, not much about the character itself has strayed away from the source material.     Moxxie was still raised by her father, Crimson, mother died, most likely had Chaz as an ex, works for IMP etc.     my canon voice for her is 𝙉𝙞𝙠𝙖 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣.

     𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼 𝙍𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙍𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 but it would be 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 if you could give this post a like or send me an ask stating you've read my rules !

[afiananvandot]

who is/are your comfort character(s)? - Jesse Cosay and Lake

lighter or matches? - Lighters are just more practical

do you leave the window open at night? - No

which cryptyd being do you believe in? - None. What is this question?

what color are your eyes? - Gray but people say blue

why did you do that? - (o)_(o)

hair-ties or scrunchies? - Scrunchies

how many water bottles are in your room right now? - None

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee? - Kombucha (not coffee)

would you slaughter the rich? - With no hesitation

favorite extracurricular activity? - I have no clue what that means

what kind of day is it? - Idk it's starting to be cold

when was the last time you ate? - Today

do you love the smell of earth after it rains? - Not really

are you a parent? (all answers qualify) - Never will be

can you drive? - No

are you farsighted or nearsighted? - Farsighted

what hair products do you use? - Two-in-one shampoo.

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails? - Yes

do you say soda or pop? - Soda

something you’ve kept since childhood? - Labi, my old dog plush. I keep him in my closet and sometimes take him out for a hug.

what type of person are you? - Autistic

how do you feel about chilly weather? - It makes being inside feel worth it and more comfy.

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing? - Probably not interacting

perfume/body spray or lotion? - None

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times? - Slapping my toxic friend at age 12

about how many hours of sleep did you get? - Not enough

do you wear a mask? - No

how do you like your shower water? - Just below burning

is there dishes in your room? - No

what type of music keeps you grounded? - Electronic but that's just my favourite music genre

do you have a favorite towel? - No

the last adventure you’ve been on? - Looking for the correct classroom in school.

is there a song you know every word to by heart? - No, actually. That surprised me. I don't pay attention to lyrics

what’s your timezone? - The one on the right

how many times have you changed your url? - One time

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years? - My caretaker from kindergarden. She's very nice.

a soap bar that smells good? - All of them? What is this question #2

do you use lip balm? - No but I should. I bought a cool pine tree flavored one

did you have any snacks today? - Crackers with butter I shaked myself like a maniac

how do you take your coffee? - I don't drink coffee

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site? - Reddit ;_;

what’s your take on spicy foods? - Love Love Love. I have the actual spiciest sauce of all time in the fridge

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it? - Trump or Putin

can you remember what happened yesterday? - No ;_; my life is a black hole

favorite holiday film? - Klaus

what was the last message you sent? - Idk I send a lot of messages

when did you first try an alcohol beverage? - I've never had alcohol and felt the effect. I think I had a sip of my dad's beer as a kid.

can you skip rocks? - Yes

can i tag you in random stuff? - Please :3

here’s weirder asks

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

lighter or matches?

do you leave the window open at night?

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

what color are your eyes?

why did you do that?

hair-ties or scrunchies?

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

would you slaughter the rich?

favorite extracurricular activity?

what kind of day is it?

when was the last time you ate?

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

can you drive?

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

what hair products do you use?

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

do you say soda or pop?

something you’ve kept since childhood?

what type of person are you?

how do you feel about chilly weather?

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

perfume/body spray or lotion?

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

do you wear a mask?

how do you like your shower water?

is there dishes in your room?

what type of music keeps you grounded?

do you have a favorite towel?

the last adventure you’ve been on?

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

what’s your timezone?

how many times have you changed your url?

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

a soap bar that smells good?

do you use lip balm?

did you have any snacks today?

how do you take your coffee?

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

what’s your take on spicy foods?

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

can you remember what happened yesterday?

favorite holiday film?

what was the last message you sent?

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

can you skip rocks?

can i tag you in random stuff?

[henrywilliam0651]

How laser eye surgery can help you to save money in the long run

LASIK eye surgery can save you money even if it's quite pricey. The money saved over buying corrective lenses, such glasses or contacts, may outweigh the initial cost of LASIK surgery, even for those who feel it to be unaffordable.

Take into account these potential financial benefits of LASIK surgery if you're concerned about the procedure cost.

Glasses and contacts are expensive

Over time, the cost of contacts and glasses adds up. Every two years when someone requires new glasses, the cost of the frames, lenses, and specialty coatings can run into the hundreds of dollars. Prescription sunglasses, progressive lenses, or high-end eyewear may increase these costs. Regular changes in your prescription may necessitate more frequent replacements, which would increase prices.

Contact lenses can be costly despite their convenience. Daily disposable lenses can range in price from $500 to $700 per year, based on prescription and brand. Monthly or biweekly lenses require regular cleaning and maintenance, although being less expensive. When prescription and lens care time and effort are not taken into account, these costs could add up to several thousand dollars over the course of a lifetime.

The Cost of LASIK Is One-Time Only

Long-term results are achieved using laser eye surgery, which only needs one procedure. The cost of US LASIK is $2,000–$4,000 per eye, usually only needed once. For many, the procedure results in permanent vision correction without the need for contacts or glasses.

LASIK surgery is a significant step toward improving your vision and quality of life. Understanding the process can help ease any concerns and prepare you for what to expect before, during, and after the procedure. Here’s a detailed guide to help you through the LASIK journey, along with insights into other corrective eye procedures, such as eye lens change operations.

Cost Savings on Medical and Vision Care

Moreover, laser eye surgery may lower the cost of eye care. Users with glasses and contact lenses need to see an optometrist on a regular basis for eye exams and prescription updates. Routine eye exams are still necessary after LASIK, but they might not call for changing prescriptions.

Insurance may occasionally partially cover the cost of contacts and glasses, although many plans have a high copayment. LASIK reduces the cost of vision care but is not usually covered by insurance. It is a long-term health investment.

Increased Productivity and Quality of Life

Lens replacement surgery for eye surgery can save costs while also enhancing productivity and quality of life. Many find that not having contacts or glasses makes their everyday tasks, physical exercise, and work more efficient. You may save money if you can get non-prescription sunglasses or engage in sports without the need for corrective lenses.

LASIK can be advantageous for jobs requiring sharp vision and help save time and money on treating vision-related issues. Beyond just spectacles, there are financial benefits from increased productivity and decreased vision care costs.

Last Remarks

Although LASIK surgery is costly up front, many people feel that it is worth it because they will ultimately save money. If expensive eyeglasses are eliminated, refractive lens surgery might even pay for itself. Better vision enhances lifestyle and productivity, increasing income and standard of living. Therefore, don't forget to check out Harley Vision as they can assist you in determining the best eye surgery treatment at a reasonable cost.

Source URL : https://fyberly.com/how-laser-eye-surgery-can-help-you-to-save-money-in-the-long-run/

[thepragmaticdigital]

Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Ultimate Guide 2024

In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is still an important method for delivering targeted visitors to websites. As we enter 2024, knowing and adopting good SEM strategies is critical for remaining ahead of the competition. This comprehensive book will cover the principles of SEM, its benefits, the most recent developments, and concrete techniques to help you enhance your online presence.

What is SEM (Search Engine Marketing)?

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a digital marketing technique that uses paid advertising to boost a website's presence on search engine results pages (SERPs).

1. Paid search

Paid search advertising creates and manages keyword-based ads on Google and Bing. Sponsored ads appear at the top or bottom of SERPs. Company-related keywords are bid on, and the highest bidder usually gets the top spot.

2. SEO vs. SEM

Both SEM and SEO improve search engine visibility, but in different ways. SEO improves website content and structure to rank naturally, whereas SEM buys ads. The two strategies together can boost search engine rankings.

Why Is SEM Important in 2024?

3. Quantifiable outcomes

SEM enables you to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns in real time. Click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and cost per click (CPC), Leading page for raing ads are metrics that may assist in determining the effectiveness of your advertising and identifying areas for improvement.

4. Appreciating the Brand's Worth

Having your brand name show in search results so often helps build brand recognition even if visitors don't engage with your ads. Customers are more likely to trust your brand if you appear higher in search results, which could affect their purchasing decisions.

Latest SEM Trends for 2024

1. AI & Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are becoming increasingly important in SEM techniques. Platforms such as Google Ads employ artificial intelligence to optimize bidding, target audiences, and produce ad text.

2. Voice Search Optimisation

With the proliferation of speech-activated devices, optimizing for voice search has become critical. Voice searches frequently differ from text searches in terms of language and purpose. Incorporating conversational keywords and natural language into your SEM approach will help you attract voice search traffic.

Effective SEM Strategies for 2024

1. Keyword Research Tools

Effective SEM campaigns and SEO Marketing Agency begin with careful keyword research. Find keywords that are related to your business and have a high search volume. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find fresh keyword opportunities and constantly update your keyword list.

2. Monitor and adjust campaigns

Regularly assess the efficacy of your SEM efforts and make data-driven improvements. Analyze critical data like CTR, conversion rate, and CPC to pinpoint areas for development. A/B testing different ad versions can assist to improve campaign success.

3. Make use of ad extensions

Adding ad extensions to your advertisements allows you to include more information such as the URLs of your websites, phone numbers, and geographical information. The exposure of your advertisement may be increased with the use of ad extensions, which also provide readers with additional motivation to click on it.

4. Managing the Budget

These ads will work better if you keep track of how much you spend and change your bids as needed.

How to Choose the Best SEM Company

Find a firm that has been around for a while, has handled SEM ads before, and uses data to inform their decisions.

Conclusion

It is anticipated that by the year 2024, SEM Advertising Agency would continue to be an indispensable component of an efficient digital marketing strategy. If a company is familiar with the fundamentals of search engine optimization (SEO), stays abreast of the latest developments in the sector, and employs strategies that are shown to be efficient, it will be able to enhance its online visibility and attract more targeted visitors to its websites. This is true regardless of whether you are new to search engine optimization (SEO) or want to improve your existing initiatives; a thorough SEM approach has the potential to generate tremendous commercial development and success.

[houseofeternaladdiction]

first post

i've decided to make a new blog. well, two - this one, for my personal use, and one for my art (to be linked later).

*note: name/url was randomly generated and subject to change

i feel like too many of my thoughts decay into non-existence. ideas can range from good, to just alright, to barely worth the brainpower required to form them - but in that case, i hope they would at least inspire another, better idea.

i'm not especially well-educated, but i hope that if anyone else sees my content, it helps or inspires them somehow. the internet is a collective of human experiences, wisdom, knowledge. i hope to contribute to that, somehow - to contribute to humanity - by sharing.

maybe i'll never be a great philosopher or artist - i'm just an ordinary human - but at least my thoughts are here. maybe some will find comfort in looking into the window of my mind; maybe this will be something i eventually link my therapist; maybe i'll just sound like a pretentious fuck.

anyway this is my blog.

current goals:

figure out how to use tumblr

keep blogging regularly for a year

make and post art regularly

learn blender

exercise more

be more authentically myself

thanks for reading, stranger, and safe travels ❤️

[jmjconstruction]

4 Reasons To Schedule Your Post-Holiday Toledo Kitchen Remodel Now

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season leads Ohio homeowners to put off their Toledo kitchen remodel until after New Year’s Day. While the thought of new countertops, cabinets, replacement windows, and a center island feels overwhelming during December, the last month of the year may be the perfect time to get the process started. If you schedule an appointment with a home remodeling contractor now, you could garner the following benefits in 2024.

1: Leverage Tax Refund Money

The IRS appears to be on track to start processing tax refunds on Jan. 18, 2024. If the federal collection agency doesn’t change the date, homeowners can anticipate electronically filed returns to be completed within 21 days. That means you could have extra money in your bank account as early as the second week of February. By working with a Toledo kitchen remodel contractor now, and scheduling the renovation for mid-February, that “found” money reduces the need to pull resources.

2: Take Advantage of Multi-Year Tax Rebates for Replacement Windows

The federal government offers tax credits for replacement windows. Although there is an annual limit on Energy Star replacement windows, there is not necessarily a lifetime restriction. Homeowners wishing to install replacement windows can take advantage of the $3,200 rebate on or before Dec. 31.

If you plan to take a vacation over the holiday break, that may be an opportunity to have a select number of replacement windows. When the relatively quiet post-holiday winter months arrive in 2024, circle back and complete the installation of replacement windows. That could allow you to enjoy upwards of $6,400 in tax rebates spread over two tax seasons.

3: Construction Costs Lower During Winter Months

Once the fair weather arrives in spring, construction companies quickly become overbooked with projects. Part of the reason stems from the fact that Ohio winters present a significant challenge for outdoor projects.

Although no one can truly predict whether materials and product discounts will be available, retailers tend to offer discounts during the doldrums of winter. Along with not paying a premium for labor, you could catch a break on other costs as well.

4: Consider 2024 Home Remodeling Trends

The interior design experts have identified a handful of hot-trending kitchen remodeling ideas worth considering. A mix of functionality and aesthetic enhancement, these are expected to be popular.

Communal Seating Areas

The kitchen is typically the most visited space in any home. Upgrades for 2024 are expected to integrate more casual dining and conversational seating. These may be accomplished by installing center islands with stools or cozy breakfast nooks.

Built-in Coffee Bars

Coffee makers take up, perhaps, too much counter space. Interior designers are advocating for built-in coffee and tea stations to open up the use of food preparation areas. Adding to the convenience, accompanying cabinets and drawers provide ample storage.

Contact A Trusted Toledo Home Remodel Contractor in Toledo, OH

If you are planning to remodel a kitchen, install replacement windows, or make another home improvement, JmJ Construction provides free consultations and estimates. If you want to schedule an upgrade, fill out the contact form on our platform or call us today at 419-963-4209.

Sources 

Source URL:- https://sites.google.com/view/jmjconstructionohi/home

[alliedmoulded01]

Allied Moulded Makes Waves at Upper Midwest Electrical Expo

Allied Moulded attended the Upper Midwest Electrical Expo (UMWEE) in April to great effect. The expo drew more than 9,000 participants, including electricians, manufacturers, regulators, and a whole lot more. Through the course of the expo, vendors and suppliers set up displays and showed off their latest and best products.

Allied Moulded was among those manufacturers, and they received positive reviews and attention for their booth and their range of electrical enclosures built for residential and industrial applications. By the end of the two-day conference, it was clear that innovation is alive and well in the industry.

The primary set of products displayed by Allied Moulded fits into the electrical enclosure category. While they showed a good range of different enclosures, all of them were built around the same concepts. Protect electrical joints to ensure reliable and safe power connections for countless different applications. This is the bread and butter of Allied Moulded operations, and it is where the company separates itself from other manufacturers.

Part of this separation comes from an emphasis on non-metallic electrical boxes. While some manufacturers focus on metallic boxes, Allied Moulded is committed to developing and improving upon the non-metallic approach. When metals are ditched from box development, a few advantages emerge.

First, non-metallic boxes are resistant to corrosion, so for wet environments and industrial environments that are hard on metals, this is the only way to go. Non-metallic variants also offer non-conducting protection for components within. This is important in many signal-processing applications, and it can help reduce the risk of unintentional grounding.

Non-metallic boxes also offer savings on construction materials. Metals typically cost more, so Allied Moulded is able to produce boxes of the same quality for less money as compared to many metal-based competitors. This fact was not lost on expo attendees.

Even with a focus on these materials, Allied Moulded has a range of adjustable electrical boxes and enclosure accessories.

The adjustable boxes accommodate different construction methods that enable contractors to precisely fit the boxes in desired locations with the ability to adapt to unexpected conditions and scenarios. Adjustable boxes use a simple screwing mechanism that changes their sitting depth within a wall or ceiling, simplifying installation and accommodation to various construction methods.

The list of accessories was also worth noting at the expo. Clamps and templates allow contractors to customize the boxes on the fly, making them even more adaptable and capable. Grounding hardware ensures that the non-metallic boxes can handle systems that require in-box grounding safely and competently. Screws, nuts, bolts, and other fasteners provide clear control over the installation and management of the boxes and the components within.

Overall, Allied Moulded saw a successful showing at the expo, and it was another demonstration of the company’s commitment to growth and development. It’s fair to say that Allied Moulded is an industry leader, and there was enough interest that regular attendees of the expo will be excited to see what this manufacturer has to offer at next year’s event.

Source URL:-  https://sites.google.com/view/alliedmoulded02/home

[fairyspheres]

i was tagged in a thing by @fornhaus!!! ty!! <3

Rules: Share 10 facts about yourself and tag 10 other blogs! I want to get to know my mutuals, and the people I follow a little bit :) The facts can be about anything!

i have been on this hellsite (with this same blog, though the url has changed) for over eleven years

the whole reason i decided to do a degree in marine biology is because of a) david attenborough (ofc) and b) because of an rt podcast episode where they were discussing whether fish could drink water or not

i worked as a zoo keeper at my local zoo. it is where my strong dislike of people was solidified (from the visitors being disrespectful to the animals and being general idiots who aren't worth the oxygen the trees produce)

i have handfed both adult and baby magellanic penguins. i've also fed sharks (not handfed)

ten years ago, i used to make fanvids for various fandoms

i have two cats. the oldest is miraphora (mira cat) - she is seven years old and hasn't grown since she was eight months old. leonidas (leo cat) is three years old and was born with a broken tail so his tail is permanently crooked. they are named after figures from ancient greece or greek mythology and are both scaredy cats

i love birds, especially gulls and crows

pepsi max cherry is my favourite fizzy soft drink

i own five copies of skyrim and have over twenty one real life days of time in my xbox one save files

i've had a cat/ct scan of my brain. the image of my own brain has been imprinted on my eyes for nearly nine years

i am too tired and anxious to actually tag anyone so if you wanna do this, feel free!!

[reallydumbdannyphantomaus]

Reset

Valerie, Paulina, and Danny are stuck in a time loop as the end of the world looms. It goes about as well as you'd expect. (ao3) (p.s. if you read an earlier version of this already, this is a longer and more complete first chapter, tho the first section is almost entirely the same) also tagging @not-your-average-url since they specifically requested it

Loop 0

"Oh my god, Valerie, do you have to be so dramatic?" Paulina snapped her compact mirror closed, meeting Valerie's glare with her own, just as fierce. "Now we're both in trouble."

"Don't say shit about my dad, then," Valerie said, fingers clenching at her side, "and we won't have a problem."

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true."

"My dad baked you brownies every year for your birthday, and you called him a fat loser to my face. You should've expected to get punched."

Stuck between them outside Principal Ishiyama's office, Danny sighed. Sam and Tucker were right: he'd developed too much of a "hero" thing. Jumping in the middle of Valerie and Paulina's fight to break it up only got him sent to the office as well. He should've left well enough alone, but it was too late now.

"You and your dad's fall from grace isn't my fault. All I did was acknowledge it."

Danny groaned. It was the end of the school day. The last bell was about to ring. And here he was, trapped between two angry former crushes.

"Paulina, could you stop being an asshole for, like, five minutes?" he said, pinching the bridge of his nose where his headache pounded. He just wanted to go home and pass out. Between Skulker and his homework, he'd only gotten about an hour's worth of sleep last night.

Paulina scoffed. "Whatever, Fenton."

Valerie turned her glare on him. "I don't need you to fight my battles, Danny."

"I really just wish you wouldn't fight at al—"

A wisp of blue air escaped his mouth just as the world exploded in light and noise and pain.

Loop 1

Danny burst awake to his blaring alarm.

The world came into focus bit by bit, as the jackrabbit pace of his heart slowed to a normal pace. Danny could make out the glow-in-the-dark stars over his bed, faintly shining in the morning light.

“Danny, if you’re not ready in 15 minutes, you can take the bus to school! I’m not waiting!” Jazz yelled on the other side of his door. 

“Uh, okay!” he yelled back, trying to keep his voice from quivering. Was it… a dream? It all felt so real, so normal, even, right until the end…

The smell of burning bread wafted into his room. Mom burned her toast again. She burned it in his dream, too, but she burned it most days. That didn’t mean anything. Had Jazz yelled at him in the dream? He wasn’t sure. He’d been pretty sleep deprived so a lot of the day was pretty fuzzy.

He had the strangest sense of deja vu the whole day. When he got to school, Dash knocked into him in the hallway and sent him crashing into the locker. This happened most days. Less common was Sam shouting “Douche Baxter!” after him. She’d said that in the dream, too.

“New nickname?” he said.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess. I mean, it fits him well enough, right?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah.”

Sam frowned. “Are you okay? He didn’t actually hurt you, did he?”

Danny waved her off. “Nah, Skulker gave me worse last night. Just some… weird deja vu.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Okay, well. If you change your mind…”

“You and Tuck will be the first to know, I promise.”

“Good.”

The rest of the day wasn’t any better. Dash stumbled over the same presentation on the industrial revolution he vaguely remembered sleeping through in his dream. The cafeteria served the same almost-crunchy tuna noodle casserole. Mikey slipped in the same puddle after one of the football players removed the CAUTION: WET FLOOR sign.

“I think I’m going crazy,” he said as Nathan helped to pick Mikey up off the floor.

“And this is news?” Tucker said. Sam elbowed him. “Ow.”

“What he means is: what makes you say that?”

“I just—I had this dream last night, and I think it’s… coming true?”

“Like a prophetic vision?”

“Something like that. Like, in my dream, Mikey slipped in the puddle just like that.”

“So?” Tucker said through a mouthful of his turkey sandwich. “Mikey falls all the time.”

“It’s not just that. It’s—I swear I heard you call Dash ‘Douche Baxter’ in the dream too. And I heard his presentation, too.”

Sam sat back in her seat, humming thoughtfully. “What else happened in the dream? If we are living your dream, then what happens next?”

“Ugh, I don’t know. I only remember bits and pieces. The next thing I remember for sure happening is Valerie and Paulina getting into a fight in seventh period.”

Tucker laughed. “Oh, I’m putting money on Valerie to win that fight. A hundred percent.”

“Okay, well how about this: if the fight happens, then you’ve got some weird prophetic vision going on. If it doesn’t, then it’s just a weird dream.”

“Works for me,” Tucker said around another mouthful.

“I guess,” Danny said. The ending of his dream played on a loop in his head. He was pretty sure they’d died there at the end.

He really hoped Valerie and Paulina didn’t fight in seventh period English.

The clock ticked interminably slow the rest of the day. Every sound made him jump. He turned his head at every movement. Every word spoken was checked against the catalog in his head of his half-remembered dream. He second-guessed everything that happened around him. Had Kwan sat down quite so heavily in his dream? Did Star ask that question? Yes, she definitely had. He remembered it. Right?

As the bell rang for seventh period, every muscle in his body ached with the strain of being held in tension for so long. In his dream, Valerie and Paulina had got up to fight almost immediately after the bell rang. Lancer hadn’t even gotten class started yet.

He eased himself into his seat, staring between Valerie and Paulina, both of whom seemed… set on ignoring each other. His eyes darted back and forth, but neither of them even looked at the other. Lancer moved to the front of the classroom and wrote The Scarlet Letter on the board and the two girls were both still staring at their desks.

Danny let out a sigh of relief. It was just a dream after all.

Lancer’s class passed in a blur. He pillowed his arms on his desk and let the teacher’s low drone lull him.

As he had almost passed out, he gasped as the cool mist of his ghost sense escaped him. He looked out the window to see something bright and green and burning race toward the classroom. He stood. Paulina screamed.

The world exploded again.

Loop 2

Danny burst awake to his blaring alarm.

—

Loop 0

Sometimes, Valerie couldn’t believe she was ever friends with Paulina Sanchez.

She wasn’t always this girl, was she? She wasn’t always someone who dragged everyone down to make sure that she was always on the top, right? At some point, the two of them were just normal, everyday friends.

Weren’t they?

Over Danny’s head, Valerie glared at Paulina, who was fixing her makeup. Whatever the past, the present reality was that Valerie was no longer Paulina’s friend, which apparently meant that she was now Paulina’s target.

She could handle it, though. She would never be favored by school administrators in a fight regardless of the context, so she had gotten excellent at not reacting.

Until Paulina brought her dad into it.

Valerie clenched her fist at the thought. Damon Gray had always been kind to Paulina. She’d even told Valerie once that he was more of a father to her than her own dad. He didn’t deserve the words that came out of Paulina’s mouth.

"Oh my god, Valerie, do you have to be so dramatic? Now we're both in trouble."

“Don’t say shit about my dad, then, and we won’t have a problem.”

Danny cringed between them. Poor guy, getting stuck in this mess. He really should’ve just let her go to town on Paulina rather than getting in the way.

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“My dad baked you brownies every year for your birthday, and you called him a fat loser to my face. You should've expected to get punched.”

"You and your dad's fall from grace isn't my fault. All I did was acknowledge it."

"Paulina, could you stop being an asshole for, like, five minutes?" Danny finally spoke up, a heavy layer of exhaustion in his voice. Valerie had no idea why he insisted on staying up so late every night, but it clearly took its toll on him. She was pretty sure she’d seen him dozing in each of the three classes they shared.

Still, she didn’t need his help with Paulina. It was her own problem.

"I don't need you to fight my battles, Danny."

"I really just wish you wouldn't fight at al—"

Danny gasped mid-sentence, and the world erupted.

Loop 1

Valerie jolted awake.

Cold sweat stuck the old Humpty Dumpty t-shirt she slept in to her back. Each breath came out as a stuttering gasp. She pounded her chest with her fist, desperate to get some control over her breathing.

A knock on her door. Her father’s exhausted voice. “Val, I’m heading to bed. Have a good day at school, sweetheart. I’ll see you for dinner? My shift starts at 8, can you be home in time?”

Valerie took a deep breath. Then another.

“Val?”

“Yeah!” she said, keeping her voice more-or-less stable. “Yeah I can—I can make it.”

“Good. Good morning!” he said with a chuckle. It was her dad’s new favorite joke: now that he worked the night shift and went to bed in the morning, he said “good morning” the same way most people said “good night”.

She heard the soft click of his door closing and let out another halting breath. It was 7:15 AM. School started in an hour. Last she remembered, school had blown up.

She got ready in a haze, showering, getting dressed, eating. She packed up her homework that she’d done two nights ago (last night? Was that whole day a dream? A vision?) and changed into her Red Huntress armor. Elmerton was a ways out of Amity Park proper and it had its own high school. Dad, though, had taken one look inside it and its broken lockers and moldy ceilings and marched right back out.

So she still went to Casper High, despite the commute. Besides, her dad had said, he didn’t want her to leave all her friends.

(She hadn’t yet figured out how to tell him that only Star would still talk to her, that Paulina and Kwan and Dash had dropped her like a sack of potatoes at the first sign of trouble. Kwan had come up to her and apologized two months ago, but she wasn’t ready to forgive so easily. She held grudges like it was going out of style. Ask Phantom.)

So she covered up her Huntress activities with stories of going to Paulina’s house. She got to hunt ghosts and protect the town, and her dad got to think that she was living a normal teenage life. It worked out for both of them.

Flying to school cut down on her commute a lot, too. Instead of 45 minutes, she could get over there in just 20 minutes, 15 if she booked it. And today was a “book it” kind of day, if only to get through the weirdness as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, the weirdness kept coming. At her locker, she heard Sam Manson’s shout of “Douche Baxter” just before Dash jogged past, laughing at what looked to be Danny Fenton, picking himself up off the floor. Typical Dash, except it happened the same way in her dream.

Nathan came up to her in third period. He did that a lot, too, but he didn’t usually do it with yellow roses—except he did today and in her dream. Mikey slipped and fell in the cafeteria, again; Tyson, one of the football player who used to jokingly flirt with her, moved the CAUTION: WET FLOOR sign just in time to Mikey to walk by. Coach Tetslaff gave Tucker Foley detention for being on his phone. Again.

None of this was odd behavior, except it had happened the exact same way in her dream.

“C’mon Val, keep it together,” she whispered to herself. “This doesn’t mean anything. It could just be a crazy coincidence.”

The only thing in her dream that wasn’t common was the fight with Paulina. Paulina was often mean, but she had never come for her dad like that before. Valerie had always thought they had an understanding that Damon Gray, at the very least, was off-limits. If Paulina said the same things to her in seventh period English, then she’d know for sure something was up.

(She ignored the voice in her head that said that would be too late.)

So when English came around and Paulina couldn’t even look at her, she breathed a sigh of relief. As Lancer launched into his lecture, she glanced around the room. There was Paulina, staring at her desk, scribbling notes. Kwan, behind her, drumming his fingers on the desktop, humming something under his breath. Danny, behind him, head pillowed on his arms, not even pretending to pay attention. She smiled a little; maybe they hadn’t worked out, but he was still pretty cute when he was sleeping.

It happened like this: Danny gasped. She turned to the window to see something radiating green and fast approaching. Paulina screamed.

The world exploded again.

Loop 2

Valerie jolted awake.

—

Loop 0

"Oh my god, Valerie, do you have to be so dramatic? Now we're both in trouble."

Paulina dabbed the finishing touches of her foundation before snapping her compact mirror closed. Her cheekbone still throbbed where Valerie had gotten in one good punch before Fenton got in between them. It would probably bruise later, but Paulina was determined that no one but her would ever see it.

“Don’t say shit about my dad, then, and we won’t have a problem.”

Well, if Valerie would’ve ever reacted to the other things she said, then she wouldn’t have had to go after Mr. Gray. And besides—

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

Valerie clenched her fist like she was going to hit her again. Paulina half-hoped she would, so that maybe she could come off as just the victim in this. She really didn’t want to deal with her papi if he found out about this little adventure to Principal Ishiyama’s office.

“My dad baked you brownies every year for your birthday, and you called him a fat loser to my face. You should've expected to get punched.”

"You and your dad's fall from grace isn't my fault. All I did was acknowledge it."

"Paulina, could you stop being an asshole for, like, five minutes?" There was Fenton, butting in again. For such a loser, he seemed to have a real problem minding his own business.

"I don't need you to fight my battles, Danny."

"I really just wish you wouldn't fight at al—"

Fenton gasped. She was conscious of something ripping her apart, then she was conscious of nothing at all.

Loop 1

Paulina screamed into awareness.

The numbers on her alarm clock read 7:15—15 minutes before she usually got up. One of her proudest achievements was when she perfected her 10 minute makeup routine, meaning she could get ready for the day with only 45 minutes before the first bell.

This was the first thought on her mind as she calmed her racing heart. Not whatever strange nightmare had woken her up, but that fact that it had robbed her now of her most precious, fought-for, extra 15 minutes of sleep.

She groaned aloud, flopping back in bed and squeezing her eyes shut, like she could go back to sleep through sheer force of will. After a minute, it became obvious that she was still too shaken to doze off again. She flipped off her alarm and, pushing herself to her feet, began her morning routine.

She showered. She ate breakfast—Honey Nut Cheerios, except they were almost out. She’d have to remind Alma to pick up more on her next trip to the store. She did her makeup, adding a little flare in her eyeliner and eyeshadow, since she had the extra time. She put on the outfit she’d laid out last night, careful not to smudge anything, got in her custom-made pink convertible, and left for school.

Later, Paulina would never quite admit how long it took her to notice anything was wrong. In her defense, her days had long since melted into a blur. She barely knew where one ended and the other began in a normal situation.

It wasn’t until Mikey slipped in the cafeteria that she caught on.

Mikey fell, often. But Tyson wasn’t usually the one who messed with him; this was something new. After he stole the sign and Mikey ate it, Paulina watched Tyson look directly at Dash, an odd little blush on his face as the other boy laughed.

Oh, Paulina thought, I’ve seen this before.

In her dream, she’d thought it weird that Tyson was trying so hard to get Dash’s attention when he could clearly do better. She noticed it because it wasn’t normal behavior. This wasn’t an everyday thing. For something like this to happen both in her dream and in her life was just… too weird.

She ran the events of her dream back through her head. Most of the day was the kind of unremarkable that she couldn’t remember for the life of her, except for right now and—

And the end. The fight with Valerie, Fenton intervening. 

Her dying.

Well, if it was some fucked-up prophecy, she just had to keep it from coming true, right? She instigated the fight with Valerie there in English. She was big enough to admit that that part was on her. So then all she had to do was keep her big mouth shut and her dream wouldn’t happen.

Easy-peasy.

She couldn’t quite keep her hands from shaking through the latter half of the day. Every second was too long and not long enough. When she finally walked through the door of Lancer’s classroom, she nearly fell into her seat.

“Are you okay?” Kwan whispered from behind her. She coughed out something like a laugh.

The bell saved her from having to give an actual answer as Lancer ushered them all into their seats to begin his lecture. Paulina stared at her desk the whole time, avoiding Valerie’s desk at all costs. She scribbled on a piece of paper just to have something to do with her hands.

And… nothing. Valerie said nothing to her. A quick peek behind her revealed Fenton sleeping at his desk (as always). The tap-tap-tap of Kwan’s fingers on the desk between them kept pace with her beating heart.

She dared for a moment to think it was safe.

Then Fenton gasped. A green light overtook the classroom. She screamed as the world exploded again.

Loop 2

Paulina screamed into awareness.